Canned Ham Brands Ranked From Worst To Best

Canned Ham Brands Ranked From Worst To Best

Ilia Nesolenyi/Shutterstock By Sophia Hart/Updated: Jan. 25, 2023 10:43 am EST

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. While some people prefer turkey on Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, other meat lovers will prefer something that comes from a pig. Pork comes in various forms, from pulled pork to deli sliced ham to crispy bacon to the spiral-cut ham you’ll find at holiday dinners. Ham stands up on its own, and you can also incorporate it into other recipes, such as soup, salads, and omelets.

But cooking a traditional ham can be time-consuming. So, if you’d rather not go to all that trouble, then you might appreciate an easy canned version of this tender meat. Not only do they last longer than the stuff from the deli counter, but the best canned hams are also just as delicious as their counterparts that don’t come out of a tin. There are many different brands of canned ham that you can find both online and in grocery stores. This list includes 11 common brands ranked from worst to best. We won’t be including products that are made from multiple meats.

11. Bristol Hickory Smoked Ham

Bristol

People have been smoking meats for centuries. The process preserves the meat and adds flavor, but it does take time. So, when you want the same great taste of smoked meat, but don’t have the time to prepare it yourself, having a great-tasting smoked canned ham stocked in your pantry could be pretty useful. However, Bristol’s Hickory Smoked Canned Ham shouldn’t be the one you choose.

Most smoked meats are infused with the distinctive flavor of wood smoke, but this product lacked the hickory taste we were looking for. Though we don’t expect the same level of flavor as, say, a Benton’s country ham from a canned product, Bristol’s ham was bland and tasted a lot more like Spam than canned ham, let alone fresh ham. It also had a spongy texture that we really didn’t appreciate. This product was a huge disappointment, and we wouldn’t recommend it.

10. Iberia Boneless and Skinless Cooked Ham

Iberia Food Products

Before we get to the good canned hams, we have to work through some of the not-so-good products. Founded over 90 years ago, Iberia is a company that manufactures all sorts of different food products, including rice, beans, pastas, and meats. The company’s products are available in over 12,000 stores in the U.S. (via Iberia). Its Iberia Cooked Ham comes in a 16-ounce black can with a hot, roasted sliced ham on the front graphic. The meat itself is branded as being without both skin and bones and is preserved in mostly water, salt, and sugar among other ingredients. This was one of the most unappealing canned hams on this list. Most ham is rich, salty, and full of many other incredible flavors. When it’s glazed in honey, that makes the ham even better.

While we understand that a canned ham might not be as good as an actual slab of meat, we think that it should taste like something. Unfortunately, this didn’t have anything in terms of taste. Iberia’s cooked ham was pretty flavorless, and ham by itself should have some flavor. Bizarrely, it did have a strong smell despite its bland taste. Even if you wanted to spice up your canned ham on your own, Iberia’s canned ham won’t add anything but a strange stench to your ham pot pie recipe.

6. Celebrity Boneless Cooked Ham with Natural Juices

Celebrity

Celebrity Boneless Cooked Ham is made with natural juices and is 96% fat-free. This ham is imported by the Atalanta Corporation in New Jersey, which has been importing meat products such as Celebrity’s ham since 1945. Much like the Royale ham, the name of this product promises something fancier than the contents deliver.

Celebrity ham is made with gelatin, making it less meat-like in terms of texture, and more like a Jell-O meatloaf. If you can get past that, the meat itself tastes like a combination of jiggly ham and Spam, with the latter being the dominant flavor. We do appreciate the hint of ham flavor in this that is missing from the previous entries on this list. It’s easier to slice and put on a sandwich than some other canned hams because of its strange texture, but the main question is whether we’d actually want this on our ham and cheese sandwich. For us, that answer is no, and if you have a choice, you might want to avoid this product as well.

4. Dak Premium Ham

Dak

Denmark seems to specialize in canned ham. Several of the brands on this list, including Celebrity and Royale, come from that country. Dak Premium Ham is another Danish entry in our ranking. Unlike some of the previous hams on this list that might be hard to find in stores, this product is available at Walmart and can also be purchased in bulk online. It comes in a red, white, and blue can. It’s fully cooked and ready to eat hot or cold. Dak’s ham isn’t universally loved, but we were pleasantly surprised when we opened this can of meat.

When first looking at this product, we were hit with a somewhat strange aroma (though most canned products are like this), but the meat actually looked like ham. It also didn’t remind us too much of Spam, and when cooked, tasted more like a nice juicy ham, as well. We could easily see ourselves roasting this canned meat whole or slicing it up to put in a salad or on a sandwich. This is something that we’d try again without too much complaint.

3. Great Value Original Luncheon Meat

Walmart

What lies inside the walls of Walmart? Pretty much everything, actually. If you need something, it’s more than likely you can find it at Walmart. It should come as no surprise by now that when we do food product rankings, there’s a good chance one of the items will be a Walmart brand. In this case, it’s Great Value Original Luncheon Meat. This meat is made from pork and has both a standard and lower sodium variant, both of which you can find online.

Great Value products can be a little hit-or-miss, but Walmart’s luncheon meat was decent in both texture and flavor. While we wouldn’t serve it as a Christmas centerpiece, it still tasted heavily of ham. A couple of reviews compare it to Spam, but most people have positive things to say about this meat. One reviewer on the Walmart site writes that “Bottom line, this generic ham is a winner. As for ‘other’ generic brands, those pale in comparison to both the big brand and Walmart’s.” While this is branded as more of a pork-based lunch meat than specifically as a ham, we’d gladly have this on a sandwich, fry it for breakfast, or have it with any good meal that needs a bit of protein.

Canned Ham Brands Ranked From Worst To Best

Ilia Nesolenyi/Shutterstock

By Sophia Hart/Updated: Jan. 25, 2023 10:43 am EST

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. While some people prefer turkey on Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, other meat lovers will prefer something that comes from a pig. Pork comes in various forms, from pulled pork to deli sliced ham to crispy bacon to the spiral-cut ham you’ll find at holiday dinners. Ham stands up on its own, and you can also incorporate it into other recipes, such as soup, salads, and omelets.

But cooking a traditional ham can be time-consuming. So, if you’d rather not go to all that trouble, then you might appreciate an easy canned version of this tender meat. Not only do they last longer than the stuff from the deli counter, but the best canned hams are also just as delicious as their counterparts that don’t come out of a tin. There are many different brands of canned ham that you can find both online and in grocery stores. This list includes 11 common brands ranked from worst to best. We won’t be including products that are made from multiple meats.

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

But cooking a traditional ham can be time-consuming. So, if you’d rather not go to all that trouble, then you might appreciate an easy canned version of this tender meat. Not only do they last longer than the stuff from the deli counter, but the best canned hams are also just as delicious as their counterparts that don’t come out of a tin. There are many different brands of canned ham that you can find both online and in grocery stores. This list includes 11 common brands ranked from worst to best. We won’t be including products that are made from multiple meats.

11. Bristol Hickory Smoked Ham

Bristol

People have been smoking meats for centuries. The process preserves the meat and adds flavor, but it does take time. So, when you want the same great taste of smoked meat, but don’t have the time to prepare it yourself, having a great-tasting smoked canned ham stocked in your pantry could be pretty useful. However, Bristol’s Hickory Smoked Canned Ham shouldn’t be the one you choose.

Most smoked meats are infused with the distinctive flavor of wood smoke, but this product lacked the hickory taste we were looking for. Though we don’t expect the same level of flavor as, say, a Benton’s country ham from a canned product, Bristol’s ham was bland and tasted a lot more like Spam than canned ham, let alone fresh ham. It also had a spongy texture that we really didn’t appreciate. This product was a huge disappointment, and we wouldn’t recommend it.

Most smoked meats are infused with the distinctive flavor of wood smoke, but this product lacked the hickory taste we were looking for. Though we don’t expect the same level of flavor as, say, a Benton’s country ham from a canned product, Bristol’s ham was bland and tasted a lot more like Spam than canned ham, let alone fresh ham. It also had a spongy texture that we really didn’t appreciate. This product was a huge disappointment, and we wouldn’t recommend it.

10. Iberia Boneless and Skinless Cooked Ham

Iberia Food Products

Before we get to the good canned hams, we have to work through some of the not-so-good products. Founded over 90 years ago, Iberia is a company that manufactures all sorts of different food products, including rice, beans, pastas, and meats. The company’s products are available in over 12,000 stores in the U.S. (via Iberia). Its Iberia Cooked Ham comes in a 16-ounce black can with a hot, roasted sliced ham on the front graphic. The meat itself is branded as being without both skin and bones and is preserved in mostly water, salt, and sugar among other ingredients. This was one of the most unappealing canned hams on this list. Most ham is rich, salty, and full of many other incredible flavors. When it’s glazed in honey, that makes the ham even better.

While we understand that a canned ham might not be as good as an actual slab of meat, we think that it should taste like something. Unfortunately, this didn’t have anything in terms of taste. Iberia’s cooked ham was pretty flavorless, and ham by itself should have some flavor. Bizarrely, it did have a strong smell despite its bland taste. Even if you wanted to spice up your canned ham on your own, Iberia’s canned ham won’t add anything but a strange stench to your ham pot pie recipe.

While we understand that a canned ham might not be as good as an actual slab of meat, we think that it should taste like something. Unfortunately, this didn’t have anything in terms of taste. Iberia’s cooked ham was pretty flavorless, and ham by itself should have some flavor. Bizarrely, it did have a strong smell despite its bland taste. Even if you wanted to spice up your canned ham on your own, Iberia’s canned ham won’t add anything but a strange stench to your ham pot pie recipe.

9. Royale Ham

Royale

8. Goya Foods Cooked Ham

Goya

7. Tulip Jamonilla Classic Precooked Ham

Tulip

6. Celebrity Boneless Cooked Ham with Natural Juices

Celebrity

Celebrity Boneless Cooked Ham is made with natural juices and is 96% fat-free. This ham is imported by the Atalanta Corporation in New Jersey, which has been importing meat products such as Celebrity’s ham since 1945. Much like the Royale ham, the name of this product promises something fancier than the contents deliver.

Celebrity ham is made with gelatin, making it less meat-like in terms of texture, and more like a Jell-O meatloaf. If you can get past that, the meat itself tastes like a combination of jiggly ham and Spam, with the latter being the dominant flavor. We do appreciate the hint of ham flavor in this that is missing from the previous entries on this list. It’s easier to slice and put on a sandwich than some other canned hams because of its strange texture, but the main question is whether we’d actually want this on our ham and cheese sandwich. For us, that answer is no, and if you have a choice, you might want to avoid this product as well.

Celebrity ham is made with gelatin, making it less meat-like in terms of texture, and more like a Jell-O meatloaf. If you can get past that, the meat itself tastes like a combination of jiggly ham and Spam, with the latter being the dominant flavor. We do appreciate the hint of ham flavor in this that is missing from the previous entries on this list. It’s easier to slice and put on a sandwich than some other canned hams because of its strange texture, but the main question is whether we’d actually want this on our ham and cheese sandwich. For us, that answer is no, and if you have a choice, you might want to avoid this product as well.

5. Dutch Colony Cooked Ham

Dutch Colony

4. Dak Premium Ham

Dak

Denmark seems to specialize in canned ham. Several of the brands on this list, including Celebrity and Royale, come from that country. Dak Premium Ham is another Danish entry in our ranking. Unlike some of the previous hams on this list that might be hard to find in stores, this product is available at Walmart and can also be purchased in bulk online. It comes in a red, white, and blue can. It’s fully cooked and ready to eat hot or cold. Dak’s ham isn’t universally loved, but we were pleasantly surprised when we opened this can of meat.

When first looking at this product, we were hit with a somewhat strange aroma (though most canned products are like this), but the meat actually looked like ham. It also didn’t remind us too much of Spam, and when cooked, tasted more like a nice juicy ham, as well. We could easily see ourselves roasting this canned meat whole or slicing it up to put in a salad or on a sandwich. This is something that we’d try again without too much complaint.

When first looking at this product, we were hit with a somewhat strange aroma (though most canned products are like this), but the meat actually looked like ham. It also didn’t remind us too much of Spam, and when cooked, tasted more like a nice juicy ham, as well. We could easily see ourselves roasting this canned meat whole or slicing it up to put in a salad or on a sandwich. This is something that we’d try again without too much complaint.

3. Great Value Original Luncheon Meat

Walmart

What lies inside the walls of Walmart? Pretty much everything, actually. If you need something, it’s more than likely you can find it at Walmart. It should come as no surprise by now that when we do food product rankings, there’s a good chance one of the items will be a Walmart brand. In this case, it’s Great Value Original Luncheon Meat. This meat is made from pork and has both a standard and lower sodium variant, both of which you can find online.

Great Value products can be a little hit-or-miss, but Walmart’s luncheon meat was decent in both texture and flavor. While we wouldn’t serve it as a Christmas centerpiece, it still tasted heavily of ham. A couple of reviews compare it to Spam, but most people have positive things to say about this meat. One reviewer on the Walmart site writes that “Bottom line, this generic ham is a winner. As for ‘other’ generic brands, those pale in comparison to both the big brand and Walmart’s.” While this is branded as more of a pork-based lunch meat than specifically as a ham, we’d gladly have this on a sandwich, fry it for breakfast, or have it with any good meal that needs a bit of protein.

Great Value products can be a little hit-or-miss, but Walmart’s luncheon meat was decent in both texture and flavor. While we wouldn’t serve it as a Christmas centerpiece, it still tasted heavily of ham. A couple of reviews compare it to Spam, but most people have positive things to say about this meat. One reviewer on the Walmart site writes that “Bottom line, this generic ham is a winner. As for ‘other’ generic brands, those pale in comparison to both the big brand and Walmart’s.” While this is branded as more of a pork-based lunch meat than specifically as a ham, we’d gladly have this on a sandwich, fry it for breakfast, or have it with any good meal that needs a bit of protein.

2. Butterfield Farms Diced Ham

Butterfield Farms

1. Hormel Smoked Ham

Hormel