Ground Ham (2024)

Ground ham is different from ground pork in that it is nearly all lean — some brands will have only as little as 5% fat in them. Regular ground pork is occasionally referred to as “sweet ground pork” to contrast it with ground ham, which has more of a salty taste.

It is not often sold at stores in North America, except perhaps where a Hispanic consumer group is large enough to create a demand for ready-ground ham. You usually have to grind it yourself at home.

If you do find it in stores, it may be fully cooked or may need thorough cooking.

Some recipes may call for special types of ground ham, such as smoked or Kentucky Country Ham

It can be used for ham balls, ham loaf, or ham salad sandwiches — depending of course on whether it is raw or cooked.

Commercial Ground Ham sandwich spreads will usually be made from ham trimmings with the addition of meat from pork shoulder.

Cooking Tips

Ground Ham can be salty, so cut back on salt elsewhere in any recipe that you are swapping it in to.

Substitutes

Purchase whole ham and grind at home. To grind in a food processor, cut into 2 ½ cm (1 inch) cubes, then pulse in food processor jug until ground relatively finely.

Equivalents

1 cup = 4 ½ oz = 135g (weight may vary by ½ oz / 15g one way or the other depending on how coarsely ground it is)

1 lb ground ham = 3 ¾ cups

Storage Hints

Store in refrigerator. Use or freeze within a few days of purchase. If you’ve ground it yourself from leftover ham, use or freeze right away (as the ham will likely already been sitting in the fridge a few days.)