No Food Processor? No Problem – How to Make Delicious Ham Salad By Hand

Ham salad is a classic Southern comfort food that makes a perfect light lunch or snack. The savory ham is balanced by creamy mayo and a pop of tangy pickle relish. It comes together quickly when you use a food processor to finely mince the ham and veggies. But what if you don’t have a food processor? Don’t worry, you can absolutely make homemade ham salad without any special appliances.

As someone who loves ham salad, I’ve discovered plenty of handy tricks for achieving the right texture by hand. With a sharp knife, a cutting board, and some elbow grease, you’ll get tender minced ham salad ready to enjoy in sandwiches, wraps, on crackers, and more. No chunks or overly large pieces of ham here!

Follow my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make ham salad from scratch without a food processor. I’ll walk you through prepping the ingredients proper hand mincing techniques seasoning to taste, storage tips, and quick serving ideas so you can enjoy this Southern classic anytime.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ham salad requires just a few basic ingredients

• Cooked ham – Use leftover baked ham or pick up deli ham. You want it fully cooked, not raw.

• Eggs – Hard boiled eggs lend protein and texture

• Celery – Chopped celery gives crunch and fresh flavor.

• Onion – Mild onion boosts savoriness.

• Mayonnaise – The creamy base that binds it all together. Duke’s or Hellman’s recommended.

• Mustard – Adds tangy depth without overpowering.

• Relish – Sweet pickle relish’s acidity cuts through richness. Dill relish also works.

• Seasonings – Salt, pepper, spices amp up the flavor.

When shopping, make sure your ham is already fully cooked. Bakery ham, spiral cut ham, and basic sliced deli ham all work beautifully. Stay away from raw country ham or prosciutto.

Step 1: Dice the Ham

Start by dicing your cooked ham into small 1/4-inch pieces. Try to get the pieces as uniform in size as possible. This ensures even mincing. Just imagine you’re prepping for ham cubes in soup.

Place the diced ham in a large mixing bowl and set it aside as you prep the remaining ingredients.

Tip: For easier dicing, use a sharp chef’s knife and trim off any hard outer edges or excess fat first. Work on a large cutting board to give yourself ample room.

Step 2: Chop the Veggies and Eggs

Next up, finely chop the celery, onions, and hardboiled eggs. Again, the smaller and more uniform your cuts, the easier they’ll be to mince by hand later on.

Aim for pieces around 1/4-inch or smaller. Be sure your knife is sharp to get clean cuts and avoid bruising the veggies.

Transfer the chopped celery, onions, and eggs to the bowl with the diced ham.

Pro Tip: Soak onions in cold water for 5 minutes after chopping to mellow out harsh flavors.

Step 3: Combine the Wet Ingredients

In a separate smaller bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, and any additional seasonings you want like salt, pepper, paprika, or garlic powder.

If you love extra relish tang, add more. If you want it more mild, go light on the relish. This is your time to customize it to your tastes!

Whisk together the wet ingredients until fully blended and smooth. Set aside.

Step 4: Hand Mince the Mixture

Here comes the elbow grease! Add the bowl of chopped veggies and ham to a large cutting board. Using your sharpened knife, begin mincing it all together by rocking your knife tip up and down rhythmically.

Occasionally stop to scrape the ham salad back together and rotate the bowl so you get even mincing throughout. Think of it like making homemade salsa consistency – small bite-size pieces.

Mincing by hand will take about 5-10 minutes. Take breaks to shake out your hand if needed. Safety first!

Step 5: Combine and Season

Once the ham and veggies are minced to your desired texture, transfer them back to the mixing bowl.

Pour the mayo mixture over top and fold together using a spatula or clean hands until fully incorporated.

Taste and season further with extra salt, pepper, or any spices you like. The flavors should pop and the texture should be cohesive and spreadable, not chunky or mushy.

Step 6: Chill Before Serving

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the finished ham salad for at least 30 minutes, or ideally 2-3 hours. This allows time for the flavors to meld.

Then you’re ready to enjoy your homemade ham salad in endless ways! Scoop it onto bread, stash it between lettuce leaves, or eat it straight out the bowl if you want. No judgment from me!

Storage and Leftovers

Properly stored, your hand minced ham salad will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days. To maximize freshness:

• Keep it covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. This prevents drying out.

• Place a piece of wax paper or parchment directly on the surface before covering to prevent oxidation.

• Avoid repeatedly opening and contaminating the ham salad. Use a clean utensil each time you scoop some out.

You can also portion it out into individual servings to grab and go! I like letting everyone custom build their own ham salad sandwich or wrap.

While you can freeze ham salad, it’s best eaten fresh. The texture of the mayo tends to break down after defrosting. So try to eat up your batch within a week.

Handy Serving Suggestions

I love ham salad any time of day. Here are some quick ideas:

• Slather it on sourdough bread for classic ham salad sandwiches

• Stuff it in halved avocados or hollowed out tomatoes for fun ham salad boats

• Wrap it up in spinach tortillas or lettuce leaves for portable ham salad burritos

• Fill endive spears for easy ham salad appetizers

• Eat it alongside crackers, pretzels, or pita chips for dipping

• Mix it with dressing for a protein punch ham salad pasta salad

• Dollop it onto biscuits, scones, or croissants for an elegant tea sandwich

• Garnish it with extra relish, herbs, or spices to amp up flavors

Get creative with how you serve up your hand minced ham salad! It’s also great as-is straight from the fridge on a hot day.

Time to Get Mincing!

Part of ham salad’s appeal lies in the tender pieces and creamy texture. But armed with this tutorial, you can achieve the same results without any fancy appliances. Just remember:

• Uniformly dice ingredients

• Gently hand mince to desired texture

• Fold in creamy mayo mixture

• Chill before serving

• Store properly for maximum freshness