Virginia Ham Salad Recipe

This classic ham salad recipe is perfect for sandwiches or as a spread with crackers. Smoky, salty, creamy and sweet!

Course Appetizer, Lunch

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword ham salad, ham salad sandwich, ham salad spread

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Chilling Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings servings (about ¼ cup each)

Calories 138kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

1 ½ lbs. leftover or thick-cut ham, trimmed and chopped (about 4 ½ - 5 cups total)
1 hard-boiled egg, quartered
2 green onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives (optional)
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (optional)
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Optional, for serving: assorted crackers, rolls, or bread

In the bowl of food processor or blender, combine ham, egg, green onions, celery, and chives. Pulse until the ingredients are very finely chopped, scraping down the sides and stirring as necessary.
In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, pickle relish, and Worcestershire sauce. Add the ham mixture and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with assorted crackers or on sandwiches.

Use a food processor or blender to finely chop the ham, egg and vegetables. You can certainly do this by hand with a good knife and cutting board, but it will take much longer!
Do not puree the ingredients into a paste. Instead, just pulse the food processor or blender in short bursts until everything is uniformly minced.
Use a high-quality mayonnaise since this important ingredient adds so much flavor to the dish. Duke's mayo is our favorite!
Use an ice cream scoop to perfectly portion the ham salad onto slider buns for little sandwiches.
Add more mayonnaise, to taste, if you like your salad a bit looser.
If time allows, let the salad sit in the refrigerator overnight so that the flavors can come together. It's even better the next day!