Honey Mustard Sauce for Ham

Name: Honey Mustard Sauce for Ham
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup pan juices, or olive oil; ½ cup Dijon mustard; ½ cup honey; 2 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 tbsp dried sage; ¼ tsp black pepper; ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ((optional))

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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!

honey mustard sauce over ham on a plate with salad and baked potato

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 as a dipping sauce with shrimp, other seafood, and chicken.

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

What is Honey Mustard Sauce Made of?

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)

What do you serve with Honey Mustard Sauce?

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.

white plate with salad, baked potato, mustard sauce and ham