I’ve been preparing this salad for years, and I just flew from New Jersey to Oklahoma to prepare some for a buddy. I also sent this salad overnight to a friend in Dallas who adores it. I pack it in dry ice, of course. It’s quick, easy, and delicious served on party rye for a cocktail party, for breakfast on toast or a bagel, for lunch on rye with lettuce, thinly sliced onions, dill (or sweet) pickles, and mayo, or for dinner on a sandwich and pea soup. It’s just fine. Yummy!!! Additionally, don’t alter the ingredients because doing so will change how the salad tastes.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 2 hrs |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 15 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds cooked ham, chopped
- ¾ cup mayonnaise, or as needed
- ⅓ cup dried minced onion
- ⅓ cup dill pickle relish
- ¼ cup brown mustard
Instructions
- Process the ham in a food processor until finely chopped but not pasty, about 6 or 7 pulses. You may need to do this in batches. Place the finely chopped ham in a large bowl and continue processing the remaining ham.
- Add the mayonnaise, onions, relish, and mustard to the processed ham. Mix well and, if the mixture is too dry, add more mayonnaise. Refrigerate until serving. The dried onions absorb some of the moisture from the mayonnaise and relish so you may need to add more mayonnaise before serving.
- Do not use boiled or processed ham. I add some of the delicious crusty skin when using leftover baked ham. You can also ask in the deli department for baked ham ends. I only use Hellman’s(R) mayonnaise, but you can substitute 1/2 regular and 1/2 light. I prefer dill pickle relish, but I have made it with sweet relish and it still received rave reviews.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 249 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 37 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 930 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Tried this both on bread and Ritz Crackers. Prefer as a dip with crackers. Did use Sweet pickle relish. Delish.
Make this frequently instead of pricey deli meats, occasionally adding shredded cheese. Delicious! And fairly low carb
Pretty darn good. the only change I made is I used a small yellow onion in place dried minced onion.
Thanks Winter Blossom, Your recipe was just like mom’s. I added a scoop of orange marmalade and used sweet pickle relish because I didn’t have dill pickle relish.
I am a ham salad addict. I have made this recipe a number of times. Thank you for sharing. I remember when you first posted this you had instructions for chicken salad. Feel free to contact me with that information.
Yummy. Just plain yummy. Use good quality ham. Thanks from one blondie to another! Tip: my mom used to add a heaping tablespoon of orange marmalade to her ham salad if it was a particularly salty ham. It adds another flavor to this already delicious sandwich spread.
I followed the recipe but used fresh chopped onion as I didn’t have dried onion. Didn’t measure, just added enough of all ingredients to taste. It was an easy, delicious new way to eat leftover baked ham.
Oh my, a blast from the past! my mom made this often from leftover ham or for “tea” sandwiches for a luncheon. We had one of those hand grinders that clamped to the table and we’d run the ham, onions & pickles thru it. Mix with mayo & mustard and presto! Also did the same with leftover chuck roast ( actually used a huge roast just to have leftovers). Love this stuff! Sometimes she’d throw hard boiled eggs to grind along with the meat. Since we had our own chickens they were an inexpensive way to stretch the meat.
The only change I made was I reduced it to serve one and used it on soda crackers. Delicious!
Exactly what I was looking for. Delicious!
I have used this recipe for many years but guess I didn’t rate it Dah! Everyone loves my Ham Salad and I have Winter Blossom to thank. Recipe is perfect as written and I believe the brown mustard is what makes it so delicious. Sometimes I add a dab of sour cream ( a local famous deli owner told me to add a bit to chicken and ham salad) so I do if I have it. It is even better with left over holiday baked ham. A trick my Grandma taught me is to microwave just to warm it up to release the flavors then refrigerate. Trick works with chicken and potato salad also. Thanks Winter Blosson for sharing your recipe!!!
Very easy recipe with easy to find ingredients. Makes a lot!
Made as is…amazing!!
Almost as good as what I remember from when I was a kid visiting Colonial Williamsburg! I will absolutely make this again and even my 5 year old loved it.
only change was real onions. So yummy, just like the ‘old’ days
no changes
My husband and I made this recipe from leftover Thanksgiving ham – he on the food processor and me as the mastermind. It’s excellent! My only change was to add a co uple squirts of lemon juice at the end. We both called this “monkey meat” from our respective childhoods. Thanks.
This was ok. didnt have enough spice. Kinda bland. I’ll use my brothers recipe in future.
this was great, it was simple, what you want in a spread like this. i halved it, made exactly as directed, had spicy brown mustard on hand which gave it a little more bite than i wanted at first but after an hour everything mellowed and was great. cucumbers are great to add if you’re putting this in a sandwich. i could see fresh minced onions being good in this but the dried onions added a texture and smokiness that was terrific. definitely best if it sits for an hour or so after preparing.
This has been my go to recipe for a decade or more. I usually start with this recipe but it is so forgiving that I sometimes stray. I usually need more crunch so I add some celery to the food processor with the ham. Thanks so much for this go-to recipe 🙂
Made it just as directed except I used fresh onion, and I doubled the recipe for a large get together. Everyone enjoyed it, as did I. Couldn’t be easier to make, which I did a day ahead of time. I garnished it with celery and pepper slices. All used for dipping. I will keep this recipe. Thank you!