This Honey Mustard Sauce recipe is perfectly paired with my Instant Pot Ham or any ham for that matter! I love that it's not overly sweet, slightly tangy, and packed with flavor. It takes a plain ham to a whole new level, but is surprisingly delicious with chicken and seafood as well!
About this recipe
I first tried a similar honey mustard sauce after the birth of my son, Scotty, who is currently 20 years old. We were new attendees at our church when he was born.
The ladies at church, who I barely knew, dropped off meals for two weeks when they found out I'd given birth. One of the ladies brought over a baked ham with a side of honey mustard sauce.
It was so good, I asked her for the recipe, which she was nice enough to provide. Over the years, I've made many changes to her honey mustard sauce recipe. I've finally settled on this version.
Why This Recipe Works
This is a super easy recipe that only requires a few steps and a few simple ingredients. It's as easy as adding all the ingredients into a saucepan and simmering the sauce for a few minutes. You can handle that, right?
The honey in the sauce provides just the right amount of sweetness and balances out the acidity of the mustard and vinegar. While the cayenne pepper adds a nice amount of heat. It can be left out for a more mild honey mustard sauce. Especially if serving it to kids, with chicken nuggets, for example.
What Goes into This Recipe
How to Make This Honey Mustard Recipe
Step 1 | Mix Ingredients
Add ¼ cup of baked ham pan juices to a small saucepan, or substitute pan juices with olive oil. Mix in the remaining mustard sauce ingredients.
Step 2 | Simmer Sauce
Whisk over low heat until the sauce begins to boil. Turn down the heat and simmer the sauce for a few minutes until it thickens.
Serve mustard sauce with ham, or use it as a dipping sauce with shrimp, other seafood, and chicken.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
Honey mustard sauce has a few ingredients that are always present. But there are other ingredients that are interchangeable.
Main Ingredients
Honey
Dijon Mustard
Yellow Mustard
Other Common Ingredients
Mayonaise
Olive Oil
Herbs
Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper)
Although this recipe is called "Honey Mustard Sauce for Ham," there are many other ways to enjoy this recipe.
One obvious way is to serve it as a dipping sauce with chicken nuggets. But don't stop there; consider these other options too!
Serve over salmon
Drizzle over egg dishes, including quiche
Serve as a side with Crab Cakes
Dipping sauce for Shrimp
Serve with a salad
Mix with seafood pasta salad
- Although I've found using ¼ cup of the pan juices enhances the flavor of the mustard sauce, feel free to substitute the pan juices with mayonnaise.
- You can also substitute the pan juices with olive oil for a healthier alternative.
- Red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar can be used in the recipe
- If you don't have dijon mustard, substitute with plain mustard, and a tablespoon or more of horseradish sauce.
- Try experimenting with other herbs and spices to see what you can come up with.
If you enjoy making your own homemade sauces, you may want to check out these other delicious sauces: Yogurt Shawarma Sauce, Pasta Cream Cheese Sauce, Homemade Enchilada Sauce, and 5-Ingredient Sriracha Aioli.
Related Recipes
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Honey Mustard Sauce for Ham
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pan juices, or olive oil
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Add ¼ cup of baked ham pan juices to a small saucepan, or substitute pan juices with olive oil. Mix in the remaining mustard sauce ingredients.
- Whisk over low heat until the sauce begins to boil. Turn down the heat and simmer the sauce for a few minutes until it thickens.
- Serve mustard sauce with ham, or use as a dipping sauce with seafood or chicken.
Notes
- Although I've found using ¼ cup of the pan juices enhances the flavor of the mustard sauce, feel free to substitute the pan juices with mayonnaise.
- You can also substitute the pan juices with olive oil for a healthier alternative.
- Red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar can be used in the recipe
- If you don't have dijon mustard, substitute with plain mustard, and a tablespoon or more of horseradish sauce.
- Try experimenting with other herbs and spices to see what you can come up with.
KH says
Wayyy too much sage and too much honey, waste of ingredients. I never comment on recipes, but this one needs to be adjusted!
Hilda Sterner says
Sorry to hear you didn't like it. Hope you find a better recipe!
Martie says
1 tbsp of dried sage seems like way too much. I have powdered dried sage. Is that what you used?
Hilda Sterner says
I use rubbed sage which is coarser. If you use powdered, I'd use half. You can even add less if you wish and adjust it after you taste it.
Ejw says
A great sauce for gammon and chips!! Very very tasty!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you for the comment and review!
Kelly Methey says
Delicious! It is really a versatile sauce that can be used with many foods.
Leslie says
At the last minute, I decided to make a honey mustard sauce for our Easter ham. My husband and I are vegan but I had the ham for my stepson and his partner to 'snazz' it up a bit. Easy to make... 'normal' ingredients and great tasting.
We also had roasted carrots and it was great on those as well.
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Leslie! I'm glad you enjoyed the mustard sauce and your Easter, God bless!