To reheat ham without drying it out, put it cut side down in a pan with a little liquid, cover it tightly with foil and warm it in a 325°F oven. A fully cooked ham straight from its original package only needs to reach 140°F in the thickest part. Leftover ham that has been heated once already, or ham that has been repackaged, needs 165°F. Add the glaze in the last 20 minutes. Ham dries out for two reasons: too much heat for too long, and bare cut surfaces. The cover, the liquid and a thermometer fix both.
“Reheating ham” covers two jobs: warming the holiday ham you just bought, and reheating leftover slices, which has the higher target.
Which ham are you reheating?
South Dakota State University Extension’s holiday meat guide (loaded 2026-11-11) gives three cases, and the label tells you which one you have.
| Your ham | Heat it to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fully cooked, straight from its original package | 140°F | SDSU: these hams are “safe to eat cold, right out of the package”, so warming is for taste |
| Repackaged, or heated once before (leftovers) | 165°F | SDSU: ham “not directly out of its original package or has been heated once before” needs 165°F |
| Cook-before-eating ham | 145°F, then a 3-minute rest | This is cooking, not reheating |
Measure “at the thickest part, not touching bone”, as SDSU puts it. Our guide to how much ham to buy per person covers the same three temperatures from the shopping side, with a chart for 6 to 50 guests.
Reheating by cut: a quick chart
The times here are our own starting points at 325°F, not figures from a food-safety source. The thermometer decides when the ham is done, and an instant-read thermometer takes a few seconds to check.
| Cut | Method | Liquid | Rough time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole or half ham, bone-in | Cut side down, foil tight | 1/2 cup in the pan | 15 to 20 minutes per pound | Juicy, if you stop at the target |
| Spiral-cut ham | Cut side down, foil tight | 1/2 cup in the pan | 10 to 15 minutes per pound | The cut most likely to dry out |
| Boneless ham | In a baking dish, covered | 1/2 cup in the dish | 15 to 20 minutes per pound | Even, easy to slice |
| Leftover slices, oven | Overlapped in a dish, covered | A few spoonfuls over the top | 15 to 20 minutes | Closest to the first day |
| Leftover slices, skillet | Medium-low, lid on | A splash in the pan | 2 to 3 minutes a side | Fast, lightly browned |
| Leftover slices, microwave | Covered plate, short bursts | A spoonful over the top | 30 seconds at a time | Fine for one plate |
| Diced ham | Stirred into a hot dish | The sauce or soup | Until the dish is steaming | No dryness at all |
A whole or half ham in the oven
- Take it out of the fridge while the oven heats to 325°F.
- Set it cut side down in a roasting pan or a deep baking dish. The cut face is where moisture leaves, so it goes against the pan.
- Add about 1/2 cup of liquid to the pan: water, broth, apple juice or pineapple juice.
- Cover tightly with foil, crimped around the rim so the steam stays in.
- Start checking early. Take the temperature in the thickest part, away from the bone, about three-quarters of the way through the time in the chart.
- Glaze in the last 20 minutes, with the foil off.
- Rest it 10 to 15 minutes under the foil before carving.
Higher oven heat does not save time in any way that helps. It dries the outside before the middle is warm.
A spiral-cut ham
A spiral ham is already sliced to the bone, so every slice has two cut faces exposed to the oven air. It reheats faster than an unsliced ham and dries out faster too.
- Keep the slices pressed together. If the ham has fanned open, tie it once around the middle with kitchen string.
- Cut side down, liquid in the pan, foil tight. No exceptions with this cut.
- Brush the glaze between the slices as well as over the top, and only for the last 20 minutes.
When to glaze
Glaze is mostly sugar, and sugar burns well before the middle of a ham is warm. Keep the ham covered and unglazed until it is about 20 minutes from done. Then take the foil off, brush the glaze on, and return it to the oven uncovered.
Leftover ham slices
This is the 165°F case, and thin slices at 165°F dry quickly in open air. The fix is to heat them in liquid or under a cover.
- Oven: overlap the slices in a baking dish, spoon over a little broth, pan juices or leftover glaze thinned with water, cover with foil and heat at 325°F.
- Skillet: medium-low heat, a splash of water or broth, lid on. Turn once.
- Microwave: NC State’s Safe Plates program advises covering the dish “to help food reheat evenly and to trap moisture”. Work in short bursts and rearrange the slices in between, because microwaves leave cold spots.
- In a recipe: ham diced into soup, pasta bake, fried rice or scrambled eggs heats through with the dish. Baked ham and cheese sliders are the best use of leftover slices we know.
The same Safe Plates page says to reheat leftovers only once. Take out what you will eat, and leave the rest in the fridge.
Cold ham is a choice too. Leftover ham that went into the fridge within two hours makes a good sandwich without reheating. If you are feeding someone pregnant, elderly or with a weakened immune system, reheating to 165°F is the cautious option.
Reheating ham for a party
For a crowd, slicing first is easier than reheating a whole ham twice.
- The day before, carve the ham and layer the slices in a baking dish. Cover and refrigerate.
- An hour before serving, spoon broth or pan juices over the slices, cover with foil and heat at 325°F until the middle of the dish reads 165°F.
- Hold it covered. The FDA’s buffet guidance says hot foods should be kept at 140°F or warmer.
Don’t reheat cold ham in a slow cooker. It warms too slowly. Reheat in the oven first, then move the hot slices to a slow cooker on Warm if you need to hold them. Our keeping food warm guide has the holding routine.
Ham is also good at room temperature. If you serve it that way, the FDA’s 2-hour rule applies: perishables left out for more than 2 hours get discarded.
How long leftover ham keeps
Refrigerate leftovers within two hours of serving. University of Illinois Extension’s leftovers page says to use refrigerated leftovers “within 3-4 days”, and SDSU says meat leftovers “should be eaten or frozen within four days of cooking”. Our Thanksgiving leftovers chart has ham beside the turkey and the sides.
FAQ
What temperature should ham be reheated to?
It depends on the ham. A fully cooked ham straight from its original package: 140°F. Leftover ham, or ham that has been repackaged or heated once before: 165°F. Both figures are from SDSU Extension.
How long does it take to reheat a ham in the oven?
At 325°F, covered, we allow 15 to 20 minutes per pound for a whole, half or boneless ham and 10 to 15 minutes per pound for spiral-cut. Those are starting points. Use the thermometer to decide.
How do you reheat a spiral ham without drying it out?
Cut side down in a pan with 1/2 cup of liquid, foil crimped tight, 325°F. Keep the slices pressed together and glaze only in the last 20 minutes.
Can you reheat ham in a slow cooker?
Not from cold. Reheat it in the oven or a skillet first, then hold the hot ham in the slow cooker on Warm, at 140°F or above.
