Easy Ham Salad Sandwich Recipe

This easy ham salad sandwich recipe is made with just 5 simple ingredients and comes together in minutes. It’s creamy, slightly sweet, and the perfect way to use up leftover ham for an old-fashioned sandwich that hits the spot.

Old fashioned ham salad sandwich on white plate

Baked ham is such an easy, versatile protein that is served at holidays year-round. My family usually serves it cold on sandwiches on Christmas Eve and warm with cheesy potatoes on Easter.

Many families serve ham on Thanksgiving and Christmas versus other proteins like turkey, making it a great option for virtually any holiday or get-together.

The best part of making a big ham for a celebration: it will feed a big crowd & there is almost always leftovers! Leftovers can be used to make Clubhouse Sandwiches, a soup or for a batch of this ham salad!

I LOVE this recipe, so versatile, so tasty!

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Why This Recipe Works

Only 5 ingredients are needed to make this easy ham salad recipe. No hard-boiled eggs or celery needed.
A perfect make-ahead recipe that is a nice alternative to a traditional lunchmeat deli sandwich.
A great way to use up leftover ham! Store-bought deli ham can also be used.
Serve as a sandwich or as a dip making it perfect for parties, baby showers or luncheons. Goes great alongside other deli salads such as egg salad, tuna salad or chicken salad.

What Kind of Ham Is Best for Ham Salad?

This recipe works with just about any ham, but the flavor will vary slightly depending on what you use:

Honey ham: slightly sweeter, classic flavor
Hickory or smoked ham: more savory and bold
Holiday baked ham: whatever you loved at dinner will shine here too

Most grocery store hams are cured or smoked and fully cooked, which makes them perfect for cold salads like this.

In a pinch you can also purchase a ham steak, prepackaged ham chunks, or deli ham if you don’t have any leftover ham around. You never know when the craving may strike!

Ham salad ingredients laid out on countertop

What you’ll need for this recipe:

Ham – See notes above. Cut ham into small cubes before adding to the food processor. Bologna can also be used.
White onion – Rough chop about 1/4 of an onion before adding to the food processor. Yellow onions will work too.
Mayonnaise – Binds the salad together. For a lower-fat option, sub half or all the mayo for plain greek yogurt.
Sweet pickle relish – The sweet pickles give this vintage salad it’s signature tang. In a pinch, chopped dill pickles will work.
Black pepper – For seasoning. You’ll notice there is no salt added to this recipe. Typically ham itself is fairly salty, so no extra salt is needed.

How to Make Ham Salad

With leftover ham and just four other ingredients, this is the best ham salad recipe you can make.

Step 1: Cut ham into small cubes. Add to a food processor along with some chopped onion. Pulse until the ham is finely minced. You may need to pause once or twice to scrape the sides of the food processor.

Giving the ham quick pulses is the best technique to break down the ham without it turning into a paste. Don’t over pulse! If you don’t have a food processor, mince the ham as small as you can with a sharp knife.

Step 2: Combine ham mixture with mayo, relish and black pepper in a large bowl until well combined. That’s it!

This recipe calls for just enough mayo to bring the mixture together. It’s not overly wet, which I prefer when it comes to deli salads like this.

Relish and mayo in a bowl with minced ham

Serving Tips

The salad can be eaten right away, but allowing it to chill for a few hours will allow the flavors to really meld together.

If the salad feels dry after chilling, stir in 1–2 tablespoons of mayo before serving.

To assemble a sandwich, spread a good amount of ham salad (about 1/2 cup) onto a slice of bread. I love using thick sliced white bread. Add a couple leaves of romaine lettuce for some extra crunch if you’d like.
You can also serve a scoop of salad on wheat bread, soft rolls, a wrap or on croissants. Serve with potato chips and some fresh fruit and veggies for a filling lunch!
Turn the ham salad into an appetizer by serving it with a variety of crackers for scooping.

White bowl of ham salad on a white plate with rectangle and round crackers

FAQ

Stored in an airtight container, ham salad keeps for 3–5 days in the refrigerator. This recipe makes about 3 cups, or enough for 6 hearty sandwiches, making it perfect for meal prep lunches.

It’s not a good idea to freeze food items that contain mayonnaise. While it’s fine from a food safety standpoint, the ingredients in mayo will likely separate after thawing, creating an unappetizing salad texture.

This all comes down to personal preference. A salad dressing, like Miracle Whip, tends to be lower in fat and calories making it a nice option. As far as flavor goes, Miracle Whip has a sweeter, tangy flavor which in turn will affect the flavor of the Ham Salad. If using Miracle Whip, I’d recommend using a dill pickle relish instead of a sweet relish.

Open faced ham salad sandwich on white plate surrounded by extra sandwich ingredients

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