Ham Steak

At a glance

What stands out: Pan-fried ham steak with a sweet-and-savory glaze gives you a little taste of the holidays any time of year! This ham recipe is a straightforward entrée that’s reliable for speedy weeknight dinners or a hearty breakfast.

How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: skillet
Servings: 4

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What Is Ham Steak?

Ham steak is a cut of pork that comes from the hind leg of the pig. Regular ham—the kind you make for Easter or Christmas (like this crockpot ham with maple Dijon sauce) is also made from the hind leg, and cured or smoked. A ham steak is simply a thick slice of a regular ham.

Like regular ham, ham steak is flavorful and it can be prepared in a variety of ways, from pan-frying to grilling or baking. Ham steaks can be glazed and served as a main dish like this recipe, or you can dice the ham and add it to 15 bean soup or split pea soup.

Glazed Pan-Fried Ham Steak

Rich ham, in convenient weekday form. If you find yourself wondering why ham is relegated to holidays and lunch meat, ham steak is your solution. This is ham you can enjoy anytime, all year long! It keeps well in the refrigerator; usually ham steaks are vacuum-packed so they have a fairly long shelf-life.

10 minute dinner (or enjoy it for breakfast!). Ham steak cooks up in just a few minutes, making it reliable for busy days. Add a speedy side like air fryer carrots and dinner’s done lickety-split. If you like meat with breakfast, ham steak is a rich option, easier and faster than bacon or sausage. Serve ham steak with buckwheat pancakes, brioche French toast, or scrambled eggs and toast.

Sweet and savory. In this ham steak recipe, we combine savory, salty ham with a speedy brown sugar glaze, which makes it taste just like the holidays. Of course, you can serve it without the glaze or another glaze of your own creation.

A few cooking options. In addition to cooking ham steak on the stovetop, you can cook it in your oven or air fryer, too. We include instructions for all of these methods in the recipe card below. Another popular option is this ham steak sheet pan dinner which includes potatoes and green beans along with ham, all baked on one pan!

What goes in

• Ham steak: Like most ham, ham steak comes fully cooked which means you only have to warm it up. For this recipe, we like to use ham steak that’s about a half-inch thick. You can buy one large ham steak or a couple of smaller steaks, whichever you prefer.
• Brown sugar: Dark or light brown sugar both work.
• Dijon mustard: The mustard adds a zesty, slightly spicy flavor to the dish. You can use whole grain mustard or smooth Dijon. We would avoid yellow mustard for this recipe.
• Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider is fruity and tangy, to balance the sweetness of the sugar.
• Seasonings: You’ll need garlic powder and black pepper; there’s no need for salt because ham is pretty salty already.
• Unsalted butter: Using butter instead of oil adds a nice richness to the glaze.

How to Cook Ham Steak

Mix the glaze. Stir together the brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, garlic powder, and black pepper in a small bowl until everything is well-combined.

Cook the ham. Cut the ham into 4 equal portions or leave it whole. Melt the butter in a preheated skillet over medium heat. Add the steak and cook for 2 minutes on each side.

Cooking Tip

It’s best to cook the ham quickly. Even though 2 minutes per side doesn’t sound like a lot of time, the ham is hot and fully cooked. After testing this recipe several times, we discovered that longer cooking times resulted in popping and splattering due to the water content of the ham.

Glaze it. Pour the glaze over the ham; flip it twice so both sides are coated.

Serve. Cut the ham into serving portions and plate it or transfer the whole ham steak to a serving platter. Drizzle any remaining glaze from the pan over the ham and serve immediately.

Recipe Tips & Variations

• Preheat the skillet. It’s best if the skillet is nice and hot when you put the ham in it. We found that cooking it two minutes per side in a preheated skillet works best. The ham will be hot and fully cooked, without any splatters or popping.
• Try different glazes or omit the glaze. You can scale down your favorite holiday ham glaze recipe and use that for cooking this ham steak.
• Bake it in the oven. Brush the glaze over the steak and bake it for 20 minutes at 375ºF. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
• Use the air fryer. Prepare the steaks as you would for the oven, but air fry for 10 minutes at 380ºF instead.

Ways to serve it

• Potatoes. Parmesan potatoes, Instant Pot mashed potatoes, and oven roasted sweet potatoes all make a great side dish for ham.
• Vegetable sides. Work veggies into your dinner with mashed butternut squash or this green beans almondine recipe. Ham steak goes well with spoon bread (corn casserole), too.
• Eggs. Have ham steak for breakfast with sheet pan eggs.
• Bread. Pair your ham with Parker House rolls and then you can make leftovers into sandwiches for lunch.

Leftover Love

Cut leftover ham into smaller pieces and add it to a breakfast omelette or egg muffins (mini frittatas) for a tasty breakfast. We love this ham, spinach, and cheese egg boat, too!

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

Freezer: If you have more leftovers than you can eat within 5 days, you can wrap them in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheating: To reheat, gently warm the ham in a skillet, air fryer, or 350ºF oven until heated through. The microwave also works, but the texture is more likely to end up unpleasant; to try to prevent this, use 50% power.

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Cook: 5 minutes
• Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 16 oz. fully cooked ham steak, about ½ inch thick
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, garlic powder, and black pepper.
2. If desired, cut the ham into 4 equal portions. Preheat skillet to medium heat. Add butter to the preheated skillet. When melted, add ham steak; cook for 2 minutes, flip, cook 2 minutes more until lightly browned.
3. Add glaze to top of ham slice, flip, then flip again to coat both sides.
4. Transfer ham to serving platter, drizzle remaining glaze over the ham if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

Oven: Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for straightforward clean up. If desired, cut ham steaks into 4 equal portions. Place ham steaks in prepared pan. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, garlic powder, and black pepper. Add butter and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir to incorporate melted butter into glaze. Brush glaze onto ham steaks. Bake for 20 minutes or until ham is slightly browned around edges and glaze has started to caramelize. Remove from oven and let rest 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the glaze to thicken slightly.

Air Fryer: Place ham steaks in air fryer and brush with glaze. Air fry for 10 minutes or until ham is slightly browned around edges and glaze has started to caramelize. Let the ham rest for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Storage: Refrigerate leftover ham steak in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. To reheat, gently warm the ham in a skillet, air fryer, or 350ºF oven until heated through. Small portions can be microwaved; use 50% power to avoid making the ham tough.