Ham Balls | Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts

Why My Family Loves These Ham Meatballs

• Two sauce options. Whether your tastes lean sweet or savory, this recipe has you covered with two finger-licking sauce choices. Make pineapple glazed ham balls, or opt for a savory tomato sauce.
• Packed full of flavor. Make these ham balls with just a handful of pantry staples. Cooked ham and tender ground pork makes them extra juicy, while ingredients like brown sugar and apple cider vinegar bring mouthwatering sweetness and tang to the sauces.
• Perfect for parties. Ham balls are a staple at our family gatherings, and I make them for just about every game day party. It takes minutes to prep these meatballs for the oven.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Below are some notes on the ingredients you’ll need to make these easy baked ham balls as well as both sauces. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable ingredients list and full recipe details.

• Cooked Ham – Diced up. These ham balls are a great way to use up leftover baked ham if you have it in the fridge.
• Ground Pork – You could also use spicy pork sausage for a different flavor profile.
• Eggs and Breadcrumbs – Our binding ingredients for the meatballs. The breadcrumbs can be seasoned or unseasoned, it’s up to you.
• Seasoning – This recipe keeps it simple with ground black pepper. I don’t usually add salt as the diced ham is often salty enough. You can play around with different seasonings, like Italian seasoning or this homemade pork chop seasoning.

For the Sauce(s)

This ham balls recipe comes with two easy sauce options: one is a sweet and tangy pineapple sauce (pictured), and the second is a sweet-savory sauce made from canned tomato soup. Both are delicious, and both are pretty traditional for the Mid-West. They share many of the same ingredients:

• Brown Sugar – Either light or dark brown sugar will work for both sauces.
• Crushed Pineapple (or Tomato Soup) – You’ll need canned pineapple with the juices to make the sweet pineapple sauce, no need to drain it. If you decide to make the tomato sauce instead, you’ll swap the pineapple for a can of condensed tomato soup.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – You can substitute white or red wine vinegar if needed.
• Mustard – I use yellow mustard, but you can use brown or Dijon mustard if that’s what you have.

How to Make Ham Balls

I love that I can have these ham balls mixed, portioned, and in the oven in about 10 minutes. While they bake, it leaves plenty of time for party prep! Here are the steps. You’ll find the printable instructions in the recipe card.

Recipe Notes

• Don’t overprocess the meat mixture. It’s important not to overwork the meatball mixture for a couple of reasons. First, you’ll end up with ham puree (ick). Second, too much blending can result in dense, tough meatballs.
• Make it spicy. Blend cayenne pepper, chili flakes, or homemade Cajun seasoning into the ham ball mixture to give it some kick.
• Different sauce. In addition to the two options in this recipe, you can dress your ham balls in any sauce you’d like. Instead of the tomato sauce included here, opt for jarred marinara sauce like I use for my Instant Pot meatballs.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

• Refrigerate. Store any leftover ham balls and sauce covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. 
• Reheat. Warm the ham balls in a 350ºF oven for 15-20 minutes or in the microwave until they’re hot throughout.
• Freeze. These baked ham balls freeze well. I like to pre-freeze the meatballs on a baking sheet for a few hours before transferring them to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Keep them frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them out in the fridge before reheating.