Meat and poultry

Ham nutrition, and what the pan changes.

1 slice of ham is 46 calories and 4.6 g of protein. Specifically, this is the USDA record “Ham, sliced, regular (approximately 11% fat)”. Preparation shifts it more than most tables admit, from 144 calories per 100 g at the low end to 165 at the top. Use the selector that follows to match your own portion; the panel and the nutrient table track it.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Source data is USDA FoodData Central (173864, 168296, 167885). The sums run on your device and nothing leaves it.

The calorie count for ham

USDA puts 1 slice of ham at 46 calories and 100 g at 164. Other household measures follow, each with its weighed gram figure.

Protein in ham, measured

1 slice of ham carries 4.6 g of protein, which is 9 percent of the 50 g Daily Value. Measured by calories, ham is 40 percent protein: enough to build a meal on.

Of every 100 calories, 41 come from protein, 49 from fat and 9 from carbohydrate.

Ham calories by preparation

These figures differ by up to 15 percent per 100 g, but not all of that is the method. USDA sampled different ham for each record.

Every row below is the same 28 g of ham, so the only thing that differs is the method.

What to know before you cook ham

Ham is cured pork from the hind leg. You will find it dry-cured and air-dried, like Parma ham, or wet-cured in brine, which is often sold ready to slice. Avoid ham with added water, as this dilutes the flavour and makes the meat spongy. Look for a deep pink colour and firm fat.

Heating ham releases its salt and tightens the muscle fibres. If you bake a whole joint, apply a glaze near the end of cooking. The most common error is drying the meat out by using high heat. Gentle, slow warming preserves the moisture, while aggressive boiling makes the texture stringy and tough.

Cold ham pairs with English mustard and sharp pickles in sandwiches. In French cooking, cooks bake it with cheese and bechamel sauce in a croque monsieur. It also provides a salty contrast when draped over sweet melon, or when diced and stirred into a rich carbonara sauce.

Vitamins and minerals in ham

What 1 slice of ham supplies most of: 15 percent of a day’s thiamin. All rows below respond to the serving you chose.

Sodium is the figure to watch here: 814 mg per 100 g is 35 percent of a day’s limit, which is what usually decides how often ham fits.

Ham against a daily budget

Budget-wise, 1 slice of ham costs 2 percent of a 2,000 calorie day and pays back 9 percent of the day’s protein. The TDEE calculator and macro calculator will tell you what those percentages look like against your own targets.

Ham recipes, with the numbers

Each of these comes from the Calorie Counter Team, and each carries nutrition worked out from its ingredients’ USDA entries rather than estimated from the finished dish.

Dinner · British

Ham and Leek Pie

A savoury pie filled with diced ham and leeks in a white sauce.

40 min · serves 4

604kcal

22gprotein

37gfat

45gcarbs

Ingredients

• Diced cooked ham 250 g
• Sliced leeks 200 g
• Unsalted butter 30 g
• Wheat flour 30 g
• Whole milk 300 g
• Puff pastry sheet 250 g
• Salt 3 g

Method

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the leeks for 8 minutes until soft.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, then gradually whisk in the milk to form a thick sauce.
3. Add the diced ham and salt to the sauce, then transfer the mixture to a 20-centimetre baking dish.
4. Cover the dish with the puff pastry sheet, trimming the edges and cutting a small slit in the centre.
5. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

7 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Lunch · British

Split Pea and Ham Soup

A thick soup made with dried yellow split peas and simmered ham hock.

100 min · serves 4

544kcal

56gprotein

17gfat

39gcarbs

Ingredients

• Cured ham hock 800 g
• Dry yellow split peas 200 g
• Diced onion 150 g
• Diced carrots 150 g
• Water 1,500 g
• Black pepper 2 g

Method

1. Place the ham hock, split peas, diced onion, and diced carrots into a large saucepan.
2. Pour in the water and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 90 minutes until the peas are soft.
4. Remove the ham hock, shred the meat from the bone, and discard the bone and skin.
5. Return the shredded ham to the soup, stir in the black pepper, and serve hot.

Built from 6 USDA ingredient records. A cooked dish never matches its raw sum exactly, but it stays close.

Snack · Spanish

Ham Croquettes

Fried breaded rolls filled with a thick ham and bechamel mixture.

150 min · serves 4

757kcal

15gprotein

67gfat

25gcarbs

Ingredients

• Finely chopped cooked ham 150 g
• Unsalted butter 50 g
• Wheat flour 60 g
• Whole milk 250 g
• Beaten egg 50 g
• Breadcrumbs 80 g
• Olive oil 200 g

Method

1. Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour, and gradually add the milk to create a very thick paste.
2. Stir the chopped ham into the paste, spread it onto a plate, and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
3. Shape the chilled mixture into 8 cylinders, each weighing approximately 50 grams.
4. Coat each cylinder first in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs.
5. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the croquettes for 4 minutes until golden on all sides.

Per serving, from 7 USDA FoodData Central records. Cooking changes weight and some nutrients; treat these as close rather than exact.

This total counts every gram of the frying oil. Most of that oil stays in the pan, so what reaches the plate is lower.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

Ham as part of a meal

To see how ham adds up in a meal, here it is beside two ordinary companions, all three from USDA figures.

How ham compares with similar foods

Here is how ham sits among its neighbours per 100 g; the form column keeps raw and cooked apart.

What people ask about ham

What is the calorie count for 1 slice of ham?

Count 46 calories. The source is the USDA record “Ham, sliced, regular (approximately 11% fat)” (FDC 173864), which lists 164 calories per 100 g.

Is there much protein in ham?

1 slice of ham has 4.6 g of protein. By weight that is 17 g per 100 g, and the serving covers 9 percent of the Daily Value.

Can you eat ham when trying to lose weight?

Weight change comes from the whole week’s intake. 1 slice of ham contributes 46 calories and 4.6 g of protein (40 percent of its energy), a ratio that tends to make a target easier to hold.

What vitamins and minerals does ham have?

1 slice of ham is strongest in thiamin at 15 percent. Other nutrients are present in smaller amounts and are listed in the profile table.

How do you stop a baked ham from drying out in the oven?

Wrap the meat tightly in foil before baking to trap the steam. Add a splash of cider or water to the pan base. Only remove the foil wrap at the end to caramelise your chosen glaze.

Why is some ham very salty and how can you fix it?

Traditional dry curing concentrates the salt. To remove the excess, submerge the raw joint in cold water before cooking. Change the water occasionally, then boil the meat gently, discarding the salty liquid afterwards.

Sources

• Ham, sliced, regular (approximately 11% fat) — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173864
• Pork, cured, ham, boneless, extra lean and regular, roasted — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168296
• Pork, cured, ham, extra lean and regular, canned, unheated — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 167885
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9