marilynpeight
This Ham salad recipe is as easy as it looks! This Ham salad is a copycat to the ham salad my former Amish boss made in a Pennsylvania Dutch Market stand in the community I grew up in. This Ham salad has a great flavor, especially when you add a variety of meat ends such as ham, turkey and bologna. For the best tasting ham salad be sure to use a good quality ham or smoked deli ham chunk/slices. I like to make this ham salad with leftover Pineapple citrus glazed ham or with meat ends from a local deli.
As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases. Follow along for more Amish and Mennonite recipes and feel free to leave a rating and comment in the comment section below!
3 Ingredient Amish Ham salad
Equipment
- Food grinder (linked below)
- Mixing bowls (linked below)
- Mixer attachments (linked below)
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked ham chunks or cubes *see note below
- 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise * see note below recipe card
- 3/4 cup dill pickle slices
Instructions
- Using a meat grinder, *see note, grind the ham and pickle slices together. Stir in mayonnaise (more or less may be needed) until the ham salad is smooth and spreadable. See notes below for variations.
- Spread onto fresh bread and serve with additional pickles and sandwich toppings, or use as a dip for crackers, chips and more. You can also make a grilled ham salad sandwich similar to a grilled cheese sandwich using bread, ham salad and cheese slices, as well as butter for frying.
Notes
Equipment:
- Food grinder You will need a food/meat grinder to get the ham salad to the right consistency.
- Mixing bowls A mixing bowl with a lid is very nice to store the Amish ham salad in and you can save on dishes in the process!
- Meat grinder attachment If you happen to have a Kitchen aid blender you should be able to attach a food grinder onto the mixer as linked.
What can I do if the consistency of the ham salad is off?
You can adjust the amount of mayo to your preference. Salad dressing (Miracle whip) can substituted for mayonnaise if you prefer the taste, but once again the amount may need to be adjusted to get the right consistency. If the ham salad is too thin, you can add additional ground meat to it to thicken it back up. Additional pickles can be added too, but they will also thin out the ham salad.
Wait, why is this ham salad made with only 3 ingredients?
The Ham Salad that was made at the Amish deli (where I worked as a teenager) was made with these three ingredients. If you prefer, you can also add any of the optional ingredients below. Also if you have a saltier ham and want to sweeten the ham salad slightly, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Ingredients needed for this Amish Ham Salad Spread: Mayo, Cooked ham, and pickle chunks.
Optional Add ins:
- diced celery
- diced onion
- diced bell pepper
- hard boiled eggs, chunked.
- Halved or chunked black olives.
Step 1: Using a meat grinder, grind the ham and pickle chunks together to get both ingredients into fine bits.
Step 1 continued: Add mayonnaise or Miracle whip, then mix well to combine. Add only enough mayo to get the ham salad to a thick, spreadable consistency (the amount may vary depending on the ingredients used).
Can I add more to this ham salad if I prefer?
Although my family prefers this Amish ham salad plain, at this point you can add any of the add-ins listed above, to taste. And you can add more than what I have listed if you have other favorites. Feel free to use this recipe as a base and customize the ham salad to your preference!
Step 2: Use as a spread for crackers or spread onto bread for a sandwich. You can also make a grilled ham salad sandwich with cheese (as shown above). Enjoy!
I was so excited to be able to make my own ham salad and find the taste and texture just like the Amish market Ham salad that I had been craving!
Very good
Thank you!
My mother made this for years, only used relish instead of pickles
That sounds delicious too!