A Ham Salad recipe is delicious any time but especially perfect when using up extra holiday ham. This Hawaiian Chopped Ham Salad is a fun twist on the traditional versions!
This recipe was originally created and published in April 2013 when a Boulder Locavore reader reached out with an Easter SOS: ‘I’m swimming in leftover Easter ham. What would you make?’ It has since become a family favorite ham salad recipe.
As with most holiday meals, an abundance of leftovers always tests kitchen creativity.
There are only so many repeat plates of the original holiday meal before boredom kicks in.
Whether it be Christmas ham or Easter ham, there are some great delicious options for ham reinvention.
A favorite in our house is Hawaiian Chopped Ham Salad.
The mouthwatering salty, sweet combination is always an exciting post-holiday recipe.
Inspired by my birthplace of Hawaii, this ham salad recipe offers all the ingredients you love on top of a Hawaiian pizza!
What is Ham Salad?
Think chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad but with ham.
Chopped ham combined with chopped vegetables, relishes and mayonnaise are usually the winning combination for a tasty ham salad recipe.
How to Eat Ham Salad
Ham salad is a versatile recipe perfect for a sandwich filling or eating with greens as a traditional salad topping.
Whichever way you prepare it, you’ll be pleased and maybe enjoy a little taste of the aloha spirit!
What’s in this Hawaiian Ham Salad recipe?
Simple ingredients make this ham salad recipe easy to make and a wonderful combination of flavors.
Think Hawaiian pizza toppings in a chopped ham salad recipe:
- Ham
- fresh Pineapple
- Provolone cheese
- Red Onion
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon Mustard
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Butter Lettuce
- pinch dried Lemongrass (optional)
- Optional garnish: some sprouts for a bit of a crunch
No Ham Leftovers? Use Deli Ham
For those of you NOT swimming in holiday ham, getting sliced ham from your favorite deli works too!
However, do NOT use thinly sliced ham.
You want slices to make 1/4- ½ inch cubes so ask them for ¼-½ inch slices.
Need a great ham recipe? Orange-Bourbon Glazed Spiral-Cut Ham and Cherry-Chipotle Glazed Ham are both delicious easy recipes.
How to Make Hawaiian Ham Salad Recipe – Step by Step
- In a small bowl fully combine mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper (and lemongrass if using).
- In a larger bowl, combine ham, pineapple, provolone and onions. Stir to mix together.
- Spoon mayonnaise-mustard mixture onto ham mixture and mix to fully coat.
- Line plates or small bowls with butter lettuce leaves to make a cup (curved side of leaves facing down).
- Spoon ham salad into the center of the lettuce leaves (or use as filling for sandwiches).
- Garnish (if desired) and serve cold.
NOTE: if making for sandwich filling, 1/4-inch cubes for the ingredients works best.
Pro Tips for Making this Ham Salad recipe
- Besides the delicious flavors, what makes this ham salad recipe so satisfying is all the main ingredients are all chopped to the same size!
- Cutting the ham, pineapple and provolone cheese into ¼-inch to ½-inch cubes creates a pleasing texture and appearance!
- If making for sandwich filling, cut cubed ingredients into 1/4-inch cubes.
- Mayonnaise-based dishes should not be exposed to heat for long periods so ensure it stays cold at events where it could sit out indefinitely.
Storing Ham Salad
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
More Delicious Recipes to Use Leftover Ham
- Jalapeno Ham Hash (a favorite leftover ham recipe)
- Smoky Ham Cheese Potato Frittata
- Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup
- French Ham and Cheese Omelet {Omelette au Jambon et au Fromage}
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Hawaiian Chopped Ham Salad Recipe
Whether using this Hawaiian Chopped Ham Salad on greens or as the filling of a sandwich, the combination of sweet pineapple, salty ham and provolone cheese and spicy red onions is irresistible.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped ham (not deli thin sliced ham), ¼-½ inch cubes
- 1 cup fresh Pineapple , cut into ¼-½ inch cubes
- ¾ cup Provolone cheese , chopped into ¼-½ cubes
- ½ cup Red Onion , chopped
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 pinch dried Lemongrass (optional)
- 1 head Butter Lettuce
- Optional Garnish: Baby Sunflower sprouts , Lemon Thyme
Instructions
In a small bowl fully combine mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and lemongrass.
In a serving bowl (or larger bowl if serving separately or making sandwiches) combine ham, pineapple, provolone and onions. Stir to fully combine.
Spoon mayonnaise-mustard mixture onto ham mixture and mix to fully coat.
Line plates or small bowls with butter lettuce leaves to make a cup (curved side of leaved facing down). Spoon ham salad into the center of the lettuce leaves. Garnish (if desired) and serve cold. Note: Mayonnaise-based dishes should not be exposed to heat for long periods so ensure it stays cold at events where it could sit out indefinitely.
Originally published: April 10, 2013
Sommer says
Love the sweetness of the pineapple and the savoriness of the ham. Such a tasty combination!
Krystle says
We made this using leftover ham. Fun and different, we served ours in lettuce cups.
Julie says
This is a great way to eat leftover Easter ham! So delicious!
Tanya Schroeder says
This is such a great twist on ham salad!
Becky Hardin says
This is a perfect way to use up all the left over ham.
Jacqueline Debono says
Love the combination of ham and pineapple in this salad. The dijon and mayo dressing sounds yummy too! Can’t wait to try it!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
This is my kind of salad!! Such a fantastic way to use up leftovers!!
Caroline says
Always good to have a few leftover ideas and this looks like a tasty salad too.
Lauren Vavala | DeliciousLittleBites says
What a great way to use up leftover Easter ham! I love that this recipe is so unique and full of flavor!
Bee says
I have never heard of ham salad before. But what a good way to use up leftovers! This looks really good!
Neli Howard | Delicious Meets Healthy says
This looks fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing! I love the addition of dijon mustard. Definitely one of my favorite ingredients of all time.
Stephanie says
What a great way to use up leftover ham. And I’m loving the addition of pineapple in this.
Lindsay Cotter says
Such a delicious way to use our ham leftovers from Easter! Lunches are prepped and ready for the week! Thanks!
Liz says
I made this last year after Easter and this ham salad will be my lunches again this post-Easter week!
Jen says
Thank you so much for this! I was running out of ways to use up our ham and this sounds amazing especially since we’ve gotten so much warmer here. Love the chunks of pineapple in this.
Naveen Sohail says
You are such a great inspiration. I love your food blog and your post.
Beth Pierce says
What a great meal for lunch! I love that I can use our leftover ham from Easter too!
Mallory Lanz says
My husband won’t touch regular ham salad, but he loves the Hawaiian flavors in this one.
Louise says
That salad looks beautiful! Really like the idea of adding pineapples to it!
Toni Dash says
Thank you Louise! It really tastes great as a combination and the pineapples would be missed if not included!
john@kitchenriffs says
I like ham salad and make it every few years. I actually made a ham and egg salad recently – quite a nice combo. I’ve never made a Hawaiian one, though – the pineapple is a nice touch, as is the Provolone cheese. Good stuff – thanks.
Toni Dash says
Being my maiden voyage into the realm of ham salad John, I was pretty pleased with the end result. Ham and egg crossed my mind too thinking I could disposition two Easter leftovers at once!
Mr. & Mrs. P says
What a beautiful light salad that is perfect for spring!!! Delicious!
Toni Dash says
Thank you Mr & Mrs.! It is a wonderful flavor combination and I agree about the match with spring! Thanks for reading and commenting!
Happy Valley Chow says
I absolutely love the sound of this. Ham Salad is definitely one of my favorites, this sounds sooo good!
Happy Blogging!
Toni Dash says
I’m so glad Eric! I different spin on a traditional Ham Salad but delish without a doubt!
Becky LeJeune says
Yum! I made a basic ham salad with homemade pickles with our leftover ham. I’ll be trying this one soon!
Toni Dash says
Oooo….that sounds good Becky! This is on the other end of the flavor spectrum but a great combo as well!
Brooks says
Toni, what a terrific post! I’m familiar with the island of Oahu and fondly remember some of the spots you mention. No doubt Hawaii is woven into the fabric of your life. I love the homage to the islands with the ham salad recipe. Normally I reserve leftover ham for mac & cheese, but this recipe brings a fresh take.
Toni Dash says
You know Brooks if I ripped my shirt off right now I’d venture a spandex full body suit with a large ‘H’ (for Ham of course) on the chest lays beneath! I feel I’ve really thrust myself from my usual post holiday trailhorse ham rut with some fun and tasty recipes. This one will be a repeat and I’d venture the source of a covert mission for us to make a ham more often if my kids have anything to do with it!
Jennifer-The Adventuresome Kitchen says
I dream of visiting Hawaii someday. Your descriptions are captivating- panthers in the hall? I’m saving this recipe for the Kitchen Divas in Training to make for lunch this week. It sounds magnificent!!
Toni Dash says
Though my tots can cook they begged me to make more of this when I first served it to them. I made a second batch; then a third which they devoured! It’s really good. And even better if your kids make it (they’ll feel so good about their accomplishments!)