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Cooking a ham steak is incredibly easy! In just 15 minutes, you can enjoy a juicy and savory pan-fried ham steak with a brown sugar glaze. Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Looking to use up leftover ham? Try these flavorful single serving ham recipes, like our creamy Crustless Spinach Quiche, hearty and comforting Split Pea Soup, warm and cheesy Ham and Cheese Sliders, and ender, flaky Ham and Cheese Scones.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: On the table in just 10 minutes.
- Simple Ingredients: Made with just a few pantry basics.
- Perfect Serving Size: Just right for one person, no leftovers.
- Adaptable: Easily adjusted to suit your taste.
- Deliciously Balanced: The homemade glaze adds a touch of sweetness that pairs wonderfully with the savory ham.
This ham steak recipe is ideal for anyone cooking for one or for those in smaller households. A ham steak is simply a thick slice cut from a whole ham, giving you all the rich, savory flavors of a traditional ham but in a convenient, manageable size. There’s no need to buy a large ham that leaves you with too many leftovers—this recipe gives you just the right amount for a single, satisfying meal. Plus, with minimal prep and quick cooking time, it’s a simple way to enjoy a flavorful ham dinner without the fuss!
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this single serve ham steak recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Ham steak: Choose a fully cooked, 8-ounce ham steak, usually found in the meat section near items like bacon. Look for labels that say “fully cooked,” “cured,” or “hickory smoked.” Uncooked ham steaks aren’t recommended for this recipe. My go-to brand is Smithfield Ham for its reliable flavor and quality.
- Butter: Use 1 tablespoon of salted butter to sear the ham steak and enhance its flavor. Unsalted butter is also fine; just add a pinch of salt for balance.
- Cinnamon and brown sugar: These two ingredients turn the melted butter into a rich, sweet glaze. The brown sugar adds a gentle sweetness, while the cinnamon brings a warm, comforting spice—perfect for making the ham steak even more delicious.
Recipe Variations
This ham steak is wonderfully versatile, so feel free to adjust the flavors to suit your tastes. Here are a few ideas:
- Spicy Glaze: For a kick, replace the brown sugar and cinnamon glaze with a blend of hot sauce and maple syrup.
- Mustard Glazed Ham Steak: Add a spoonful of Dijon mustard to the brown sugar and cinnamon glaze for a hint of tangy flavor.
- Pineapple-Topped: Give your ham steak a tropical twist by cooking it with pineapple slices or rings. The sweet and tangy flavors work incredibly well with ham.
How To Cook Ham Steak
These photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to cook ham steak. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- In a 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
- Place the ham steak in the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes.
- Flip the ham and cook for another 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover.
- Add the remaining butter to the skillet. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon, cooking for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the glaze over the ham steak. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Read Through the Recipe: Before you begin, take a moment to read the full recipe, including the Ingredient Notes and process photos. This helps you understand each step, ensuring your ham steak turns out perfectly.
- Bring Ham to Room Temperature: Let the ham steak sit out for about 15 minutes to reach room temperature—this helps it cook evenly.
- Preheat the Skillet: Start with a hot skillet to give the ham steak a beautiful sear.
- Glaze is Optional: The brown sugar glaze adds a nice sweetness, but feel free to skip it if you prefer a plain ham steak.
- Stock Up and Freeze: If ham steaks are on sale, buy extra! They freeze well for up to 3 months when stored properly.
Serving Suggestions
There are plenty of delicious sides to make your ham steak meal complete. Here are a few favorites:
- Classic Mashed Potatoes: Creamy and comforting, mashed potatoes are a perfect match for ham. Top with a pat of butter and a sprinkle of chives for extra flavor.
- Green Beans Almondine: Fresh green beans sautéed with almonds add a nice crunch and a pop of color, making your plate look as good as it tastes.
- Potato Salad: Try a warm, tangy German potato salad for a bright contrast to the savory ham.
- Cornbread: A slice of homemade cornbread brings a bit of Southern flavor. Drizzle with honey if you’d like a touch of sweetness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Look for a fully cooked ham steak, typically labeled “fully cooked,” “cured,” or “hickory smoked.” This saves you time and ensures it’s ready to eat once heated.
The glaze is optional. It adds a sweet, savory flavor, but you can enjoy the ham steak on its own or with a sprinkle of your favorite spices.
Absolutely! Simply double or triple the ingredients based on the number of servings you need.
If your brown sugar glaze hardened, it’s likely due to too high of a heat or cooking the glaze for too long. As shown in our photos and video, the butter should melt and the brown sugar should dissolve into a smooth glaze. This process usually takes between 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on the heat level. Keep the heat at medium and watch closely to avoid overcooking.
Store leftover ham steak in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page. For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
RELATED: Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes
If you’ve tried this glazed ham steak or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Ham Steak For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter -divided
- 1 (8-ounce) boneless, fully cooked ham steak
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Place the ham steak in the pan and cook for 4 minutes. Then, flip the steak over and cook for 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover.
- Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently for 30seconds to 1 minute, until the sugar disolves. Pour over ham steak and enjoy!
Notes
- Read Through the Recipe: Before you begin, take a moment to read the full recipe, including the Ingredient Notes and process photos. This helps you understand each step, ensuring your ham steak turns out perfectly.
- Bring Ham to Room Temperature: Let the ham steak sit out for about 15 minutes to reach room temperature—this helps it cook evenly.
- Preheat the Skillet: Start with a hot skillet to give the ham steak a beautiful sear.
- Glaze is Optional: The brown sugar glaze adds a nice sweetness, but feel free to skip it if you prefer a plain ham steak.
- Stock Up and Freeze: If ham steaks are on sale, buy extra! They freeze well for up to 3 months when stored properly.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Perfect for my husband when I’m not that hungry…canned sweet potatoes in oven, corn and a salad. Perfect!
My glaze hardened as well. Most likely because I over cooked it. The brown sugar wouldn’t melt though. I couldn’t imagine putting a grainy sauce on the ham. What did I do wrong please?
This should not happen and as you can see from our video and from photos, the butter melts, and the brown sugar dissolves. This process can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the level of heat. If the glaze hardens, it is likely because the heat was too high or the sauce was cooked for too long.
I made the ham steak and the corn bread with honey butter. It is one of my favorites!
We really enjoyed the flavor…but like Linda’s my sauce caramelized and turned hard like candy…I could spoon the butter part of the sauce over the ham…but the brown sugar mixture turned into lumps…those lumps were tasty…thanks for sharing your recipe[s]…
I’m so glad you both enjoyed the ham, Teresa. If the ham glaze hardens, it was likely cooked too long. Please take a look at our ham steak video, we show the step-by-step process for making the ham glaze.
This is nice but I really like a glaze I found a few year’s ago that is a heaping spoonful of cherry preserves loosened up with some balsamic vinegar and heated through and poured on top.
Can’t wait to try some of the recipes.
Hi love you recipes, I use many of them since I live alone
I like the ham steaks but I find them a bit salty after freezing them???
I also to pour a small amount of
Maple pancake syrup on the ham steak and cook it those few minutes on low heat.
Why did my glaze get hard like candy but harder. Do you not cook at medium heat? I even stirred constantly.for the 2 minutes.
It sounds like the glaze may have simmered for too long.
I see you have green beans on the plate (a perfect side). What is the other side in the picture (possibly sauteed mushrooms would be my guess)? The plate looks fantastic!
Kathy, fried apples are on the plate along with the green beans. It’s a delicious addition. Here is the link to the fried apples recipe – https://onedishkitchen.com/fried-apples-recipe/
Hello Joanie,
Your recipes are just the thing for me. I’m 80 years old, a widow and I don’t need much and your site has been perfect for me. Have saved a lot with your recipes and just downloaded the ham steak for one. One can make a number of meals with this, omlets, slider sandwiches, salads etc.
deviled eggs will be fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful recipes with all of us who need so much help now-a-days.
God bless you and take care and stay safe in our times.
Phyllis Smith
Great idea. Next on my list to try!