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Classically Southern deviled ham is a perfect dip or spread to serve at your Easter lunch, or wait and make it with your leftover Easter ham! Equal parts tangy, savory, and salty, with the slightest touch of heat, it’s great with crackers or fresh veggies, or scooped onto your favorite bread to make a delicious ham sandwich. Skip the canned stuff and make this simple homemade deviled ham instead!

Overhead photo of a large bowl of deviled ham with a square wheat cracker resting in the dip.

Before You Get Started

This is a perfect way to use up any leftover Easter ham, but you can always buy ham from the deli counter at your grocery store! Since we’re starting with the ham cubed, have them slice the ham really thick – numbers 8, 9, or 10 on the deli slicer.
Keep your ham cubes 1-inch or smaller. Larger than 1 inch and it might stress your food processor.

How to Make This Recipe

See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.

Mix Everything Together

Fit your food processor with the standard “S” blade, then toss all the ingredients straight into the food processor bowl. Pulse everything together a few times, stopping when the ham is finely chopped.

Cheryl’s Tip: Use the “pulse” function rather than a continuous speed to avoid over-chopping the ham. Also, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed, to make sure you’re combining everything.

Make Adjustments

Taste the mixture and adjust the ingredients however you want. Add more mayo or mustard for a creamier consistency and tangier flavor. Kick up the heat with a little more hot sauce. You can even add salt and pepper if you want.

Cheryl’s Tip: The recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of hot sauce, but if you’re heat-sensitive, you might want to start with just ¼ teaspoon. You can always add more! If you use too much, though, you’ll have to use more of all the other ingredients to offset it.

Chill the dip

When you’ve got the flavor and texture how you like it, transfer the devilled ham from the food processor to a bowl and cover it with a lid or food-safe plastic wrap. Pop the bowl into the fridge and let it chill for at least an hour, giving the ingredients plenty of time to meld and deepen.

Serve & Savor!

When you’re ready, take the deviled ham out of the fridge and give it a quick stir if needed. Serve it as a dip with crackers, crostini, or fresh veggies, or scoop it onto bread, toast, or croissants for deviled ham sandwiches.

A large bowl of deviled ham with a square wheat cracker resting in the dip.

What I Love About This Recipe

First of all, homemade deviled ham (or “ham spread”) is infinitely better than any canned version. The texture and consistency is perfect (plus you can make it as smooth or as chunky as you like it). The flavors are beautifully balanced (plus you can adjust them however you like). It’s not overwhelmingly salty or oily or heavy. There are notes and layers.
Deviled ham is delish with deli-counter ham, but it’s also a fabulous way to use up any leftover ham from your Easter or Christmas meals. Just make sure you factor in the flavors of your prepared ham if you’re using leftovers. You may want to adjust, replace, or omit some of the ingredients listed below to keep things balanced.
It’s so ridiculously easy to make, it’s not even funny. There’s not even any cooking involved. Just throw all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until creamy!

Recipe Variations

Appliance Alternative: If you don’t have a food processor, try using a high-speed blender instead. You may need to divide things into 2 batches based on the size of your blender, and make sure to scrape down the sides of the container often to really get everything combined.
Hammin’ It Up: The flavors used in and on your ham will change the flavor of your deviled ham! I know, you’re thinking “duh, Cheryl”. But it’s important to consider, so I’m saying it even if it seems obvious.
- If you’re using deli ham, hickory smoked or black forest ham will give you a more-savory ham dip.
- Honey ham, maple-glazed ham, or brown-sugar ham will make the spread sweeter.
- Any of those options will work – it just depends on the results you want!

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.