Air Fryer Ham is a time saving way to cook a ham for a holiday dinner or weekend meal. A homemade maple glaze makes this air fryer ham recipe the best you’ll find.
HAM IN AIR FRYER RECIPE
When it comes to holiday dinners, Ham is up there on the list of meals that we all look forward to. Cooking a traditional holiday ham can be stressful, and take up your oven for the better part of an afternoon! That’s why making a ham in the air fryer is a much better plan.
Use your oven to bake your sides or your pies, the Air Fryer Ham will be ready in under an hour in your favorite countertop appliance. This easy ham recipe is also extra special with the addition of a homemade maple syrup glaze.
I’ve got more air fryer holiday ideas! Try Air Fryer Turkey and all the fixings, like Air Fryer Stuffing and Air Fryer Green Beans.
INGREDIENTS FOR AIR FRYER HAM
Fully Cooked Ham – Most hams that are purchased for cooking are already fully cooked and smoked. When we bake or air fry a ham, we’re really just re-heating it. You can use a pre-sliced or unsliced ham. I chose a smaller, 4 pound ham that will fit in my Ninja air fryer.
Orange Juice – Fresh squeezed orange juice is best. This is the base of our glaze and gives a sweet, acidic note.
Brown Sugar – This ingredient in our delicious ham glaze brings lots of caramelly sweetness.
Maple Syrup – For more sweetness and a hint of maple that goes so well with ham.
Apple Cider Vinegar – A tart vinegar helps to balance the sweetness of the glaze.
Cinnamon -Just a bit of ground cinnamon makes this glaze perfect. Your kitchen will smell amazing while this is cooking in the air fryer.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
HOW TO MAKE HAM IN AIR FRYER
- Combine the orange juice, brown sugar, maple syrup, vinegar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, until the brown sugar is dissolved and glaze is combined. Set aside.
- Remove any netting or wrappers from the ham. For a ham that is not pre-sliced, carefully score the ham with shallow 1/2 inch criss-cross cuts. Set the ham on a large square of foil.
- Brush half of the glaze onto the ham. Wrap the foil around the ham and place it in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry as directed in the recipe card below, then remove the air fryer basket, carefully reopen the foil, pushing it down to create a bowl for the ham, then brush the ham with glaze again.
- Air fry for another 5 minutes at a higher temperature. This allows the glaze to caramelize. (if you prefer not to caramelize it, you can skip this step)
- Remove the ham from the air fryer and allow it to rest for 10 minutes, then slice if needed before serving. Brush with any remaining glaze if needed.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions for ham in the air fryer, please see the recipe below.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH AIR FRYER HAM
For a holiday feast, such as Easter or Christmas, serve Air Fryer ham with homemade and traditional sides like mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and broccoli casserole.
Air Fryer Cabbage and Air Fryer Green Bean Casserole will also pair well as holiday sides.
An easy ham dinner is also great as a weekend meal. Go simple with Air Fryer Carrots and Baked Potatoes. Go really simple with some Air Fryer Frozen Pierogies!
Use air fryer ham to create an amazing breakfast spread! Air Fryer Breakfast Casserole or Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs, plus some fresh fruit would be amazing.
Make hearty breakfast sandwiches with this ham, eggs, and Air Fryer Biscuits.
If you are still stuck for ideas for what you can serve with your ham, why not try some Air Fryer Cauliflower? Simple to make and so tasty! YUM!
HOW LONG DO I COOK HAM IN THE AIR FRYER?
A four pound pre-cooked ham takes approximately 45 minutes at 300°F in the air fryer to reheat all the way through.
SHOULD I WRAP THE HAM IN FOIL?
Yes! I like to only wrap foil around the bottom half of the ham, to allow the top to brown nicely. Without this foil wrapping your ham is likely to dry out.
HOW DO I CARAMELIZE THE HAM GLAZE?
Turn the heat up on the air fryer and air fry for just 5 additional minutes to let the sugar caramelize and crisp up.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH THE HAM JUICES?
You should end up with some liquid in your tin foil after baking this ham in the air fryer basket. This will be a combination of liquid given off by the meat and glaze that drips off.
You don’t have to do anything with that, but if you like, you can put it in a pan on the stove and boil gently until it reduces and thickens. Then brush it over the ham before serving. Yum!
HOW LARGE OF A HAM CAN I AIR FRY?
This will really depend on the size of your air fryer basket. I found that a four pound, pre-sliced, boneless ham fit very well in my Ninja air fryer. For a larger ham, you may be able to slice it in half and arrange it to fit. Just make sure there is room to wrap it with foil and allow air to circulate.
HOW TO REHEAT HAM SLICES IN THE AIR FRYER
You can easily reheat your ham leftovers in the air fryer. Cook at 325°F for just 2-3 minutes to rewarm ham.
MORE AIR FRYER DINNER RECIPES
Air Fryer Meatloaf is a delicious comfort food meal that everybody loves! Make it quicker by air frying it.
For a Southern Style dinner, try Air Fryer Chicken Fried Steak. It has a creamy gravy that is unforgettable.
Forget takeout this week, and make your own Air Fryer Orange Chicken at home. It’s healthier and ready in less time.
Have leftover ham? Use it to make these ham balls in barbecue sauce!
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment AND rating below! It helps other readers!
Be sure to tag @AirFryerEats on instagram, if you share a picture on the gram! Let’s get social, you can follow me on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or join one of our Air Fryer Facebook Groups: Air Fryer Recipes, Air Fryer Recipes for Seniors and Gluten Free Air Fryer Recipes.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our EMAIL newsletter.
Air Fryer Ham
Equipment
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Fresh orange juice
- 1/3 cup Brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. Ground cinnamon
- 4 lbs. Ham boneless, fully cooked
Instructions
- Combine the orange juice, brown sugar, maple syrup, vinegar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, until brown sugar is dissolved and glaze is combined; set aside.
- Remove any netting from the ham. For an unsliced ham, carefully score the ham with shallow ½-inch criss-cross cuts.
- Set the ham on a large square of aluminum foil, then brush on ½ of the glaze. Wrap the foil around the ham and set it inside the air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 300F/148C for 40 minutes. Open the air fryer basket, carefully open the foil, pushing it down to create a small “bowl” for the ham, then brush the ham with another ½ of the glaze.
- Air fry for another 5 minutes at 375F/190C if you’d like it caramelized. (If you prefer no caramelization, remove the ham after the first 40 minutes and allow it to rest before serving.)
- Remove the ham from the air fryer and allow it to rest for 10 minutes, then slice to your desired thickness and serve, brushing any remaining glaze on when serving.
Video
Notes
- A four pound ham fit perfectly in my Ninja air fryer. A larger ham can be used, but you may need to cut it in half to fit it in properly.
- Pro Tip: This recipe can be made in the air fryer unit with a basket or the air fryer oven. If you are using the air fryer oven, use the middle rack and select the “Air Fry” function.
- Pro Tip: Check your food as it cooks. Each air fryer runs a bit differently. Sometimes airfrying is a trial and error process. Check your food as it cooks to learn your air fryer better! When cooking a new recipe or food items be sure to check your food often to help avoid over/under cooking.
Nutrition
Air Fryers can vary greatly. Please take the time to learn your specific air fryer. You may need to adjust times and temperatures based upon your air fryer. All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
I love this idea for Christmas! I don’t have a huge kitchen, so I need all the oven space i can get when it comes to holidays. Can’t wait to try this.