Whether you're celebrating Easter with a festive brunch or dinner, there's a good chance that a ham will be on your holiday table. The dish pairs well with breakfast classics like quiche or an eggs Benedict. But you can also enjoy it with spring sides, like our cheesy scalloped potatoes and pastry-wrapped asparagus bundles.
But between preparing the rest of your Easter menu, setting the table, and everything else that comes with hosting, making sure you have enough ham can add even more stress to your plate.
Until now! We have a foolproof formula for deciding how much ham to serve depending on how many people you're feeding. So now you can sit back and actually enjoy the holiday instead of worrying if you'll run out of food.
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To determine how much ham you need this Easter, you need to consider three important factors.
How Many People Are Attending
This is the most straightforward factor of the three. To calculate the amount of ham to buy, you need to know how many people will be eating it. If you are hosting any vegetarians or pork-averse pals, you can deduct them from the headcount.
Bone-In Or Boneless?
Depending on what type of ham you buy at the grocery store, you can serve it with or without the bone in the center. Each option has their own benefits (from flavor to ease of cutting and serving) and is ultimately up to your personal preference.
You should know that the bone seriously skews the weight of your overall ham. If you compare the amount of meat in a 10-pound boneless ham with that of a 10-pound bone-in ham, the difference is major.
How Big Is The Rest Of Your Menu?
The last factor to take into consideration when buying a holiday ham is more holistic than the rest. If you're also serving lamb or another type of roast, or if you have enough side dishes to feed an army, you can safely skew towards a smaller ham.
On the other hand, if your ham is taking center stage for your meal, then getting a larger one is a smart move.
And with that, here is the formula that will help you choose the perfect ham for your Easter gathering:
Bone-In: 3/4 pound to 1 pound per person
Boneless: 1/3 pound to 1/2 pound per person
To decide where your ham should fall within this recommended weight range, consider the rest of your menu and decide accordingly.
But when in doubt, we suggest going larger. If you end up with leftovers, you can use them as the base for more meals throughout the week.
45 Best Ways To Use Leftover Ham
How are you preparing your ham this Easter? Let us know in the comments.
Gabby Romero is Delish’s editorial assistant, where she writes stories about the latest TikTok trends, develops recipes, and answers any and all of your cooking-related questions. She loves eating spicy food, collecting cookbooks, and adding a mountain of Parmesan to any dish she can.
