Farmhouse Ham Balls

Smoky ham seasoned with easy ingredients and shaped into balls before cooking in a sweet glaze makes this delightful Ham Balls Recipe!

Our family recipe for ham balls is moist and glazed with a sauce that is slightly sweet and tangy.  These ham balls are a delicious treat!

If you enjoy this recipe you may also like our family favorite Sweet and Sour Meatballs.

Ham Ball Recipe

A special tradition, this Ham Ball Recipe is one that my mom makes regularly for parties and at the holidays like Christmas and Easter. The brown sugar glaze creates an extra juicy component that tenderizes and flavors each ham ball so wonderfully.

My Grandma shared these ham balls many years ago and it has been a favorite recipe ever since.  I even made them for a 4-H project called All-American Foods and won a nice prize at the county level.

Another variation we have with ground ham is our Farmhouse Ham Loaf which has graham cracker crumbs in the meatloaf and is topped with a sweet pineapple glaze. We love all of the options available to create a variety of flavor combinations.

Also know as Iowa Ham Balls we love how this versatile recipe works well as an appetizer or in an easy family meal. This is a perfect Sunday dinner served with green beans and Instant Mashed Potato Casserole.

Just like in our Cocktail Meatballs or these Teriyaki Pork Meat Balls the cookie scoop helps ensure that I get the same amount of meat in each ball.  After dividing up my meat I always roll each ball in my hand to help bind the meat together better.  This helps prevent the cooked balls from falling apart.

A two tablespoon sized scoop yields about 40 meat balls and a larger scoop will yield 24 balls. Ham balls in this size range cook in a similar amount of time.  Ham is pre-cooked, but ground pork is raw and safe to eat after reaching an internal temperature of 160°F.

Why This Ham Balls Recipe Works

• We typically make the ham balls to enjoy as appetizers, but they make a great main dish too! 
• For appetizer-sized balls I use a regular size cookie scoop.  For a meal-sized portion, I use a large cookie scoop.
• Keep the brown sugar glaze and leftover ham balls freeze and reheat really well.
• This recipe creates a great conversation piece for parties and brings back memories for many people.

Ingredients Needed

• Ground ham – purchase at a butcher shop or use a food processor with leftover holiday ham to grind your own.
• Ground pork – unseasoned pork helps balance the smoky ham, do not use seasoned sausage.
• Eggs – helps bind the ingredients together.
• Onion – we like sweet, white, or yellow onion. Using very small pieces will yield best results.
• Milk – adds a little richness.
• Cracker crumbs – A sleeve of saltines is our preference.
• Salt and Pepper

Brown Sugar Glaze Ingredients

• Brown sugar – the sweet ingredient that compliments the smoky ham.
• Dry mustard – wonderfully compliments pork.
• Apple cider vinegar – tenderizes the meat even more and lightly flavors while baking.
• Water – may omit if ham has water added as the vinegar may provide enough moisture.

Where to Find Ground Ham

Growing up we would go to a local butcher and purchase ground ham.  I recently found tubes of ground ham in the ham case at Kroger that taste great.

When purchasing ham of any kind I always take a look at the label to see how much water has been added.  The ground ham I found only had its natural juices in the package, so that’s a signal of quality meat.  The meat to fat ratio was also reasonable.  Fat equals flavor, so I like meat that has a little fat, but I certainly don’t want more fat than meat in my meals.

Leftover ham can be ground in a food processor to make your own and use up any extra ham that you may already have.  Just work with small quantities of ham at a time and make sure to run the food processor until the ham is properly ground.

How To Make Ham Balls

Using a large mixing bowl add ground ham, ground pork, lightly beaten eggs, finely minced onion, milk, finely crushed cracker crumbs, salt and pepper.

Mix well. This process typically requires mixing by hand for best results.

Allow a good 5 to 10 minutes to mix up and take care to mix all ingredients thoroughly.

Shape into balls ranging from using 2 to 4 tablespoons of meat each.

Use hands to roll and press balls together before arranging in a single layer in a glass baking dish.

Preheat oven to 350°F and partially bake hamballs for 30 minutes.

Measure glaze ingredients into a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Pour over ham balls and return to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes or until a digital thermometer reads 160°F.

Allow ham balls to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Can place meat in a slow cooker and cover with glaze set to keep warm to serve over a longer period of time at a party.

Recipe Tips

• Store leftovers in an air tight container with some extra glaze in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Reheat and serve with crushed pineapple for a twist on a new meal.
• Use a cookie scoop to create evenly sized meat balls.
• Serve or transport in a warm slow cooker to extend the serving time.

More Easy Recipes with Ham

• Hawaiian Ham and Cheese Sliders
• Ham and Alfredo Spaghetti
• Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
• Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups
• Mac and Cheese with Ham
  
  We hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do!

Originally shared on April 1, 2019 with updates made on February 12, 2024.