Deviled Ham Spread (and How to Use Deviled Ham)

Any time you end up with some leftover ham, make this tasty Deviled Ham Spread that’s super low in carbs and loaded with flavor! This post has four delicious ways to eat your deviled ham for a low-carb lunch, appetizer, or snack; enjoy!

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When I buy ham for a holiday meal I often have leftover ham, and for years now this Deviled Ham Spread has been one of my favorite things to make with leftover ham! I love to eat the deviled ham stuffed inside Low-Carb Pita Bread for a quick and easy lunch option that I never get tired of.

I love the ham spread pita sandwiches so much that through the years I found myself making deviled ham even when I didn’t have leftover ham, doubling the recipe to use one of those ham steaks that come in a three-pack at Costco. And over the years I also started adding a bit of chopped onion or green onion, some finely chopped celery, and just a little bit of fresh-squeezed lemon juice to the recipe.

And truthfully, the original photos for this recipe were a bit dismal, so today I’m updating my recipe with some improvements, new photos, and four delicious low-carb options for using the deviled ham! If you’ve never made something like this at home, trust me, it is so delicious!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• coarsely chopped ham
• mayo
• Dijon mustard (affiliate link)
• Prepared Horseradish (affiliate link)
• Worcestershire sauce or Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link)
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), or other hot sauce 
• onion or green onion
• celery
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice

Should you use onion or green onion for deviled ham spread?

I really like the finely minced fresh onion in this recipe. But if you’re going to be keeping it in the fridge for a few days, I’ve found that the chopped fresh onion makes the onion flavor intensify the longer it’s stored. So if you make the whole recipe from a pound of leftover ham, I recommend using thinly-sliced green onion for the onion flavor.

What if you don’t have a pound of leftover ham to make deviled ham spread?

The deviled ham recipe can easily be cut in half if you don’t have that much ham; see those measurements to make half as much in the recipe, after the instructions.

How spicy is this deviled ham recipe?

There are a few spicy ingredients in this recipe like horseradish, Green Tabasco Sauce, and Dijon Mustard. If you’re not sure how spicy you’ll want it, I recommend you start by adding half as much of any of those ingredients and then tasting to see whether you want to add the full amount.

How to Make Deviled Ham Spread:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. For the updated recipe I used one of those ham steaks that come in a three-pack from Costco. If you don’t have leftover ham, you can also get one pound of thick-sliced ham from the deli. 
2. I trimmed off the rind and then cut the ham into small cubes, and added them to the food processor.
3. I wanted a fine mixture so I pulsed the ham in the food processor just a few times for smallish chunks of ham. 
4. I love to add finely chop celery and onion or green onion for a slight crunch. (If you’re storing the deviled ham in the fridge for a few days I recommend green onion; the raw onion will get stronger the longer the ham is stored.)
5. Remove ham from food processor and add to a bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix together.
6. (You can probably also combine all the ingredients in the food processor if you’re careful not to process too much, but I like the finished mixture to stay slightly chunky so I prefer using a bowl.)
7. The finished product won’t win any beauty contests, but it does taste great. I stored it in the fridge in a snap-tight container and enjoyed eating it for about a week. (Mine was all eaten by then but I’m guessing it would last a bit longer.)
8. And my number one way to use deviled ham is to put about 1/4 cup of the ham salad mixture into Joseph’s Low-Carb Pita Bread (affiliate link) with some shredded romaine lettuce. This is a quick and easy lunch I’d never get tired of!
9. Keep reading for the other ideas for using it!

Low-Carb Ideas for using Deviled Ham Spread:

1. For sure the way I use this ham spread the most is stuffed inside my favorite Low-Carb Pita Bread with some shredded lettuce to ham a pita sandwich. I cut the pita in half, separate the two halves, and toast it for a minute or so before stuffing it.
2. We loved the idea of using this stuffed inside cucumber slices for a deviled ham appetizer. Check out Cucumber Hummus Appetizer Bites to see the melon baller we used to make a hole in each cucumber slice.
3. The deviled ham was amazing stuffed inside celery! This is a snack I’d never get tired of.
4. And this ham spread was also a delicious option to eat with low-carb crackers. The photo shows it served with Inno Foods Keto Crackers (affiliate link), but use any low-carb cracker you prefer. (If you shop at Costco, you might find these crackers there!)
5. Of course if you’re not watching carbs quite so much, the deviled ham spread will be delicious made into a sandwich!

More Recipes using Leftover Ham:

Check out my collection of Low-Carb and Keto Leftover Ham Recipes for more tasty ideas to use up leftover ham whenever you’re lucky enough to get some.

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 12 servings

Deviled Ham Spread

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Deviled Ham Spread is easy to make and it turns leftover ham into a tasty spread that's delicious inside low-carb pita bread or stuffed into celery!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. coarsely chopped ham
• 2/3 cup mayo
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T horseradish
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce (or other hot sauce of your choice)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion or green onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery (about one large stalk of celery)
• 1 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Whether you are using leftover ham or a ham steak, trim ham well if there is any visible fat or rind.
2. Then cut the ham into small cubes and add to the food processor with the steel blade.
3. I only buzz the ham cubes a few times, until ham is in small, uniform size pieces. (Be careful not to buzz too much; you want it to stay slightly chunky.)
4. Chop up the onion and celery, or I recommend using green onion if you're going to be storing your ham in the fridge for a few days.
5. Remove ham from the food processor into a bowl and add mayo, Dijon mustard, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Green Tabasco, chopped onion or green onion, chopped celery, and fresh squeezed lemon juice.
6. Stir ingredients together until they are all combined.
7. (You can also add the other ingredients to the food process and pulse a few times, but I like to keep the texture of the deviled ham a bit chunky, so I prefer mixing it in a bowl.)
8. Serve ham spread as a filling for Low-Carb Pita Bread, stuffed into celery, as an appetizer inside cucumber slices, or with low-carb crackers.
9. This will keep in the fridge for at least a week. (It probably lasts longer than that but I haven't ever managed to have any left after a week to see how much longer it will stay good!)

Ingredients to Make Half as Much Deviled Ham:

1/2 lb. ham

1/3 cup mayo

1 T Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp. horseradish

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce

1/4 cup finely chopped onion or green onion

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1 1/2 tsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Notes

The recipe makes almost 3 cups; I am using 1/4 cup serving size to calculate nutritional information (which doesn't include pita bread or other things the ham is eaten with.)

My recipe was adapted from Deviled Ham Salad Sandwiches at Sweetnicks; she adapted the recipe from Gourmet Magazine.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 614mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions::
This deviled ham spread is super low in carbs, and it’s great stuffed into Low-Carb Pita Bread for a low-carb lunch. The options for ham and cucumber appetizers, celery stuffed with deviled ham, and ham spread eaten with Keto crackers would be good for Keto. Ham has to be low in fat to be appropriate for the original South Beach Diet, and South Beach would also recommend reduced-fat mayo for this recipe.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Lunch Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2009! I made it many times through the years and in 2022 the recipe was updated to the version that evolved as I experimented with it, with greatly improved photos! It was last updated with more information in 2024.

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