Every Christmas we have ham for dinner. It’s been a tradition for as long as I can remember along with lasagna (is that a thing?). Then we went about 364 days without it again. That changed when I learned how to make ham steaks in the air fryer.

I never knew they sold just ham slices until about a year or two ago. It honestly changes the game when it comes to ham. You get the taste of a big sliced ham in less work.

Air Fryer Ham Slices on a white plate with green beans in the corner

I love serving it with a side of air fryer green beans. You can make this delicious Asian-inspired air fryer green beans recipe or just follow the cooking directions and cook with olive oil and a little salt and pepper.

It only takes 20 minutes to make both the air fryer ham steaks and green beans, even if you make them at separate times!

You can make this recipe with plain, honey, or brown sugar ham steaks.

If using brown sugar ham steaks, you can reduce the brown sugar in this recipe by 25% (to 1 ½ tablespoon) and add in the optional honey.

I love topping my ham steaks with pineapple sauce or gravies like my ham gravy or mushroom gravy.

I personally made this recipe inside the Cosori Air Fryer. I love that the square basket gives extra room, so if you want to cook the ham and green beans all at once in layers with the rack included in the accessory kit, you can.

It’s the perfect size for my family of four and we can constantly cook our meals in just one batch.

Read more about my full review of the Cosori Air Fryer here.

Title and Shown: Air Fryer ham slices (on a white plate with green beans)

How to Make Ham Steaks in the Air Fryer

Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees.

Combine the melted butter and brown sugar in a bowl and mix well to combine. It may look like a decent amount of mixture to add to the ham, but it’s the perfect amount. I promise.

Place the ham steak in the preheated air fryer and baste on half of the brown sugar and butter mixture.

Cook the ham slice for about 5-6 minutes then flip it over.

Baste the remaining butter and brown sugar mixture on top and add the honey, if using.

Continue to cook for another 5-6 minutes.

Remove ham steaks from the air fryer and enjoy!

What Happens If My Air Fryer Starts Smoking?

If your ham is a little on the fatty side, you may notice a little smoke coming from your air fryer.

This occurs when fat drips off the food and goes down in the drawer.

Since air fryers work with 360-degree air circulation, the air brings the fat from the basket up and it hits the coils near the fan on top.

If this happens, stop your air fryer immediately and do one of two things. Either add a piece of bread under the basket or add a tiny bit of water under the basket.

I like to cook with a piece of bread under the basket any time I cook something that can be considered fatty.

We always have extra bread, so it doesn’t put any extra bread to waste.

Ham Steaks with Green Beans on a white plate with fork over top of plate

How Do I Reheat Ham in an Air Fryer?

Preheat the air fryer to 320 degrees.

It’s important to keep the heat much lower than the original cook time to avoid the ham from burning on the outside before cooking on the inside.

Place the ham slices in the air fryer and cook for 2-3 minutes until heated thoroughly. You can layer the ham slightly if needed.

Remove the ham from the air fryer and enjoy immediately.

Other Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Enjoy: