Not sure what to do with leftover ham? Leftover ham mixed with pickle relish and dried onion flakes come together in a nice and easy ham salad that gets slathered atop a soft white bun, for one of my favorite lunches of all time.
Homemade Ham Salad Sandwiches
I can’t be all elegant and fancy all of the time. It’s just not in my nature. You’ll find me in my Vans slip-ons more often than strappy heels.
I prefer to hole up at a cabin in the mountains or sit on the beach with friends and family rather than shopping at the hippest boutiques.
And I’m totally into eating good old-fashioned favorites instead of upscale molecular cuisine. Who wants to eat molecules anyway? Oh wait, I guess we all do. But, you know what I mean.
I often find myself harkening back to my roots, to my childhood faves. And this ham salad recipe is one of the recipes I love just as much today as I did back then.
I’m a fan of any sandwich that has a ‘salad’ at the end of its title and always have been. Egg salad. Crab salad. Shrimp salad. Chicken salad. A sandwich filling with a bit of mayo—but not too much—mixed in with a few additional ingredients then sandwiched between two slices of bread delivers me straight to my comfort zone.
And my comfort zone lives with potato chips and pickle chips. It’s home all the way.
Classic Ham Salad Ingredients
Ham salad is a breeze to make and is perfect for using up leftover ham you’ve got lying around. Here’s what goes into these ham salad sandwiches:
- Ground ham
- Mayonnaise
- Pickle relish
- Dried onion flakes
- Dinner rolls
- Toppings of choice
see more: 17 Recipes to Make with Leftover Ham
How to Make Ham Salad Sandwiches
You could ask your butcher to grind the ham, but I use my food processor. I cut the ham into chunks, place it in the processor bowl with the big blade and pulse a few times. Don’t pulse too much or you’ll end up with a paste.
Then, everything else goes in the bowl. A few more pulses and you’re done! Let the ham salad chill in the fridge for an hour to allow the flavors to develop, then assemble your sandwiches.
The secret ingredient in this ham salad recipe is dried onion flakes. I’ve tried it with fresh minced onion, with green onion and red and none of them measure up to the subtleness of the dried onion.
Can I Use Miracle Whip Instead of Mayo?
If you grew up on Miracle Whip, you’re welcome to use it in this ham salad recipe. But I prefer real mayo, which is what I used in this recipe.
How Long Does Ham Salad Last?
This homemade ham salad will last up to 5 days in the fridge.
Tips for Making Ham Salad Sandwiches
This ham salad recipe takes advantage of that leftover ham that always seems to linger after the family dinner, whether it’s Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just any old Sunday. Choose a good ham for this recipe—I like to use the leftovers from a bone-in smoked ham—because there isn’t going to be much else to cover up if you use a crappy one. My mom always tells me to look for a ham that is lower in water content. You don’t want a soupy sandwich.
My recipe uses just a few tablespoons of mayonnaise. I prefer it on the drier side. If you prefer, add more mayo—or even Miracle Whip for a sweeter taste—to your liking.
You can use sweet or spicy pickle relish, whatever you prefer. This pickle relish is my new favorite.
More Easy Sandwiches to Nosh On
- Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Creamy Ranch Sauce
- Classic Egg Salad Sandwiches
- Chicken Caprese Sandwich
- Healthy-ish Fried Fish Sandwich
- Healthy Homemade Egg McMuffin Sandwich
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Ham Salad Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Ham Salad:
- 4 cups ground ham (about 2 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons pickle relish
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried onion flakes
For the Sandwiches:
- 8 potato or dinner rolls
- mayonnaise
- pickle slices
- potato chips
- lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Mix together the ground ham, mayonnaise, pickle relish and dried onion flakes in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour for flavors to meld.
- To assemble sandwiches, split the rolls in half then spread each side with mayonnaise. Top the bottom half with ham salad, pickle chips, potato chips and lettuce leaves and serve.
Nutrition
More Ham Recipes to Make
- Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole
- Monte Cristo Waffle Sandwich
- Ham and Cheese Baked Egg Cups
- Ham and Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese
- Microwave Egg Caprese Breakfast Cups
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Love these, reminds me of home as Mom always liked this type of sandwich which she would get ready made at a special grocery. I like making it and controlling what goes into it. I had some left over frozen ham that I thawed and got rid of every bit of fat. The food processor makes a fast job of this and the onion flakes a wonderful idea, as I don’t like raw onion in things. I did the sweet pickle relish and also my own memory of these I added celery (also in with ham in processor) and added two tabs yellow mustard and used nonfat greek yogurt instead of mayo, just to keep calories a bit lower. We loved it. Thank you
I never knew anyone else had this. I’m from McKeesport PA and we always laughed about how good it was but no one knew about it. Hilarious to see this.
I also chop pimento stuffed green olives into the ham spread
Great idea!
You’ve made an upscale version of the sandwiches my mom made for us, ground ham, Miracle Whip, and relish, love this!
I simply ADORE ham salad sandwiches – and they are so much more delicious when prepared with ‘bone-in ham’. As you mentioned, food like this takes us back to our childhood. And, in my childhood, my mother used to set up her meat grinder by screwing it in underneath the kitchen counter. Then she’d let us kids turn the crank. You know – I think ham salad tastes best when ground in an old-fashioned meat grinder!
I guess I need to buy a meat grinder. I agree, you get a better chunk that way for sure.
You even manage to make a simple hand sandwich looks gorgeous! Love these, especially the chips, the perfect element of crunchy and salty!
Love pickles and chips on a sandwich. Your ham salad recipe sounds perfect- not to much mayo!
Thanks to you and your beautiful photos, I’m craving ham at 11:30 pm! These look so good. Remind me of something my mom makes. And there’s nothing wrong with not being fancy all the time!
Wow, this here is what quick meals are all about. I substituted pickles for green apple slices and did away with the onions. I love the little sweet edge to it. And works great with tuna too. Thanks Heidi! :)
Mmmmm love this salad and the sandwich! I bet you can totally convert this into dainty little appetizer bites too. :)
Virtual high five for being on the same meat salad sandwich wavelength today! ;) I had a tuna salad sandwich for lunch and now I’m thinking I need one (or two?) of these ham salad sandwiches for dinner (with extra pickles and potato chips, please!).
This looks seriously awesome, Heidi. When I was little, I used to love sandwiches made with those little cans of deviled ham. Have you seen them? They actually had a devil on the label – I wonder if they still make it? **rambling** Anyway, I’d totally forgotten about it and I love that you’ve made something similar that doesn’t come from a can.
They still sell those little cans of Deviled Ham here in Massachusetts!
I LOVE ham but I don’t think it freezes well so the leftovers are a little problematic. This solves that . Thanx for a great recipe.
I grew up eating ham salad sammies in Ohio. One of the things I miss. You can’t buy ham salad in the delis in Cali. And I have never made it before. Your recipe looks fantastic. And those are the hippest looking sandwiches ever.
Great idea! My boys would absolutely loves those :D Yummy!!!
Heidi these are genius! I love retro food and these look ten times better than the ham salad my Mom used to make. :) As always, delicious!
I use half ham and half big baloney, and some sweet gerkiins that I’ve chopped in my food processor. No onions, but a mix of mayo and light Miracle Whip. Good Stuff!
Oh, I like the bologna idea! That’s another one of my childhood faves. I’d pull a slice from the fridge and peel it into a spiral shape and eat it one little bite at a time. Oh, the foodie memories!
Another gorgeous sandwich! Much better than a molecule. :)
I make mine with green bell pepper and the tops of green onions, mix with mayo! To die for!!!