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    My Famous Iowa Ham Balls Recipe | Takes Just 10 Minutes To Prep

    by Brendan Cunningham 5 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    These ham balls are juicy, tender, and just so much better than regular meatballs. And, to make them even more irresistible, these glazed ham balls have a simple yet flavor-packed homemade sauce. Oh, and the best part? All of this deliciousness takes just 10 minutes to prepare!

    Ham balls on a white plate covered in tomato sauce on top of mashed potatoes with a fork on the plate, with a second plate of ham balls in the background.

    Table of Contents

    • The Best Ham Balls Recipe
      • Ingredients
        • Ingredient Substitutions & Suggestions
      • How To Make Ham Balls
        • Step 1: Prep The Ham Ball Mixture
        • Step 2: Make The Ham Balls
        • Step 3: Make The Sauce
        • Step 4: Bake The Ham Balls
      • How To Store Ham Balls
        • Reheating Ham Balls
      • Wrapping It Up
    • More Recipes
    • My Famous Iowa Ham Balls Recipe | Takes Just 10 Minutes To Prep
      • Ingredients
      • Instructions
      • Nutrition
      • Did you make this recipe?

    The Best Ham Balls Recipe

    Step aside traditional meatballs, these ham balls will be the only thing you want to eat after trying this recipe!

    These classic Iowa ham balls are a Midwestern take on the iconic spaghetti side. Ham balls are made with ingredients like ground ham, ground beef, and saltine crackers to create ultra-tender and flavorful meatballs.

    Then, to make them even more delicious, they're coated in a sweet - and slightly zesty -brown sugar glaze. Honestly, it's so good I could eat it with a spoon! Seriously, the combination of the two - the ham balls and sauce - is just a match made in delicious heaven.

    Also, for what it's worth, my family is obsessed with this recipe, and we make it every first Sunday of the month. We make this recipe, along with this fried spaghetti and garlic bread - it's a Cunningham family tradition.

    Ham balls covered in sauce on a white plate on top of mashed potatoes.

    Ingredients

    The ham ball ingredients list is actually really short, and you'll need fewer ingredients to make 'em than a typical meatball recipe. Also, the sauce ingredients are pretty basic too. You might even have everything you need at home already

    Anyway, here's what you'll need to make ham balls:

    • ½ lb. ground beef
    • ½ lb. ham
    • ½ cup crushed paprika-flavored saltines (or regular saltine crackers)
    • 1 small egg
    • 3 tbsp milk
    • Salt and pepper, to taste

    And for the homemade tomato sauce:

    • 6 oz. tomato sauce
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ tbsp cornstarch
    • ½ tsp mustard

    Now, I mentioned earlier that I love having these ham balls with spaghetti and garlic bread. But another favorite way to eat them is served on top of these red skin mashed potatoes.

    With that said, these ham balls really are so versatile. So you can pair them with really anything that you want and end up with delish results.

    By the way, you can use almost all of the ingredients for the ham balls to make a ham loaf, and I think I have the best ham loaf recipe. So you'll definitely want to check out that ham loaf recipe next.

    An assortment of ingredients for ham balls including bowls of tomato sauce, egg mixture, cubed ham, ground beef, saltines, and seasonings.

    Ingredient Substitutions & Suggestions

    I always make these ham balls with the ingredients listed above. But there are some substitutions you can make, and the recipe will turn out just as delicious.

    For the ham ball mixture, you can use paprika-flavored saltines, regular saltines, or graham crackers. Now, I know using graham crackers sounds weird, but the graham crackers actually add a subtle sweetness that goes well with the sauce. 

    As for the tomato sauce, the one in this recipe has a slightly sweet flavor that is just so good but feel free to use any kind you want. You can even use marinara sauce if that's all you've got on hand.

    Food processor with processed ham mixture.

    How To Make Ham Balls

    This recipe for ham balls is actually really easy to make, and easy might be an understatement.

    Seriously, it'll only take you about 10 minutes to prep the ham balls and sauce. Then, all you have to do is wait for them to bake up to golden perfection in the oven. 

    Anyway, without further ado, let's stop wasting time and dive into how to make ham balls!

    Clear bowl with ham meatball mixture not yet combined.

    Step 1: Prep The Ham Ball Mixture

    First, before you do anything, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180°C). 

    Then, to make the ham balls, you'll start by crushing the saltines (or graham crackers) in a Ziploc bag - or in a food processor - until they're coarse in texture.

    After that, put the ham in a food processor and pulse until you have a finely ground ham mixture. Alternatively, to skip this step, you can ask your butcher at your local grocery store to use a meat grinder so you can just get ground ham from the store.

    White baking dish with six uncooked ham meatballs.

    Step 2: Make The Ham Balls

    Now, place the rest of the ham ball ingredients - the ground ham, ground beef, saltines, milk, egg, and salt and pepper - in a large bowl.

    Then, give it a good stir until all of the ingredients combine and form a uniform mixture. Now, once you have a well-combined ham ball mixture, you can shape 6 large ham balls from it and then place them into a baking dish.

    Clear bowl with tomato sauce ingredients not yet combined.

    Step 3: Make The Sauce

    Now you'll make the delicious sauce to complete the glazed ham balls.

    So, to make the sauce, take out a large bowl and add the tomato sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, and mustard to it. Then, give the ingredients a good whisk until you have a smooth and combined sauce.

    Lastly, pour the brown sugar glaze evenly over the ham balls in the baking dish.

    White baking dish with six uncooked ham meatballs covered in tomato sauce.

    Step 4: Bake The Ham Balls

    Now that the glazed ham balls are complete put the baking dish in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes, basting the meatballs occasionally throughout the cooking time.

    Once the time is up - or the ham balls reach an internal temperature of 160°F - you can take them out of the oven. Before serving, let the meatballs cool in the tray for a few minutes.

    Then, finally, serve with mashed potatoes, spaghetti, or alone, and top with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan. Enjoy!

    Baking dish with cooked ham meatballs covered in tomato sauce.

    How To Store Ham Balls

    As you know, this ham ball recipe will make about 6 large meatballs. But, if you want more for a big family dinner, you can easily double or triple the recipe. And If everyone doesn't finish them off you can store the Iowa ham balls for days after you make 'em.

    To store 'em, just put the leftover ham balls in an airtight container, and they'll keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

    Also, for what it's worth, I love making an extra batch or two since the leftover ham balls store so well in the freezer. They make a great addition to any meal and are just great to have on hand.

    So, to freeze the leftover ham balls just put them in an airtight container - or freezer-safe bag - and they'll last in the freezer for up to 4 months.

    Baking dish with cooked ham meatballs covered in tomato sauce.

    Reheating Ham Balls

    If you stored the ham balls, you'll definitely want to reheat them for the best leftover experience, and reheating them is super quick and easy.

    To reheat, place the meat balls in a baking dish and heat at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until thoroughly warm.

    Ham balls on a white plate covered in tomato sauce on top of mashed potatoes with a fork on the plate, with a second plate of ham balls in the background.

    Wrapping It Up

    Well, that's how to make ham balls! If you were skeptical about this recipe, I have a feeling you'll be as obsessed with it as I am.

    These easy-to-make ham balls are a dish I love serving as a side with a bunch of different dinners, and they're terrific as an appetizer if you make each ham ball smaller.

    Gah, they're just so good, and I hope you like this recipe as much as I/we do.

    As always, if you give it a try, leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!

    Oh, and make sure to follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for more easy recipes. We post new ones on them daily.

    Ham balls on a plate with a bite taken out of one of the meatballs.

    More Recipes

    If you're looking for more simple yet delicious recipes, we have a ton on the blog that I think you'll enjoy.

    Give one of these easy recipes a try next:

    • Panko breaded chicken
    • Southern meatloaf
    • Meatball soup
    • Curry shrimp
    • Spicy ramen
    • Shrimp pasta
    Print

    My Famous Iowa Ham Balls Recipe | Takes Just 10 Minutes To Prep

    Ham balls on a white plate covered in tomato sauce on top of mashed potatoes with a fork on the plate, with a second plate of ham balls in the background.
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 5 reviews

    These ham balls are juicy, tender, and just so much better than regular meatballs. And, to make them even more irresistible, these glazed ham balls have a simple yet flavor-packed homemade sauce. Oh, and the best part? All of this deliciousness takes just 10 minutes to prepare!

    • Author: Brendan Cunningham
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 50 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: 6 ham balls 1x
    • Category: Dinner
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: Meatballs

    Ingredients

    Scale

    Ham balls:

    ½ lb. ground beef

    ½ lb. ham

    ½ cup crushed paprika-flavored saltines (or regular saltine crackers)

    1 small egg

    3 tbsp milk

    Salt and pepper, to taste

    Sauce:

    6 oz. tomato sauce

    ½ cup brown sugar

    ½ tbsp cornstarch

    ½ tsp mustard

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and make the meatballs.
    2. Crush the saltines or process them until coarse
    3. Place the ham into a food processor. Process until finely chopped (you can also just ask your butcher to ground the ham finely).
    4. Place the ground ham, ground beef, saltines, milk, egg, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir until you have a uniform mixture.
    5. Shape the mixture into 6 meatballs. Place the meatballs in a baking dish.
    6. Make the sauce; in a bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, and mustard. Pour the sauce over the meatballs. 
    7. Bake the meatballs for 50 minutes, basting the meatballs occasionally during the baking time.
    8. Cool the meatballs briefly before serving.
    9. Serve the meatballs with mashed potatoes, spaghetti, garlic bread, or alone and sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 ham ball
    • Calories: 185
    • Fat: 8
    • Carbohydrates: 12
    • Protein: 15

    Keywords: ham balls, ham balls recipe, ham ball, ham ball recipe, how to make ham balls, ham balls recipe with brown sugar glaze, ham balls recipe with brown sugar, ham ball glaze

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us @ImHungryForThat — we can't wait to see what you've made!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mike

      October 24, 2022 at 3:47 pm

      Love making these instead of regular meatballs.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Lisa

      October 25, 2022 at 8:36 pm

      Wow the best meatball recipe I have ever made.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Larry

      March 02, 2023 at 4:47 pm

      The sauce that is in this recipe was phenomenal.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Richard

      March 04, 2023 at 7:44 pm

      I'd eat these every night.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Patrick

      March 21, 2023 at 10:24 pm

      Perfection!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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