Did you know that you can cook a gammon joint in the air fryer? Juicy gammon with a crispy crust, all done in the air fryer in under an hour. Air Fryer Gammon is a great way to save space in your oven too.
About this Air Fryer Gammon Joint
This is seriously the easiest way to cook a gammon joint, and the results are perfect every time. Air fry gammon with our delicious cranberry glaze for a delicious festive meat dish.
We love finding ways to use our air fryer at Christmas time. The oven is full, the slow cooker always has something in it, so we make use of our air fryer.
We always have two meats at Christmas and this air fryer gammon recipe is a favourite. The cranberry glaze is next level!
Looking for some more Christmas meat dishes? Try our easy Air Fryer Turkey, succulent Slow Cooker Beef Brisket and Roasted Turkey Breast.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Gammon - The main ingredient here. Bare in mind that different weight gammon will have different cooking times. You need to use gammon, not cooked ham. Make sure you only buy gammon that will fit into your air fryer basket. We used a 1.3kg gammon joint.
- Cranberry Sauce - This is what gives the air fried gammon a deliciously sticky glaze. You could use honey or maple syrup instead, but everything needs cranberry sauce on it at Christmas time, right?
- Cranberry Juice - This loosens up the glaze a little. You could swap it for orange juice if you didn't want to have an over powering cranberry flavour.
- Mustard - A little wholegrain mustard adds an extra kick of flavour to this. You could use Dijon mustard instead.
Air Fryer Gammon Variations
This is a really simple recipe, which is what we love about it, so there isn't much that you can change. However, there are a couple of variations.
You don't have to score the fat before adding the glaze. However, if you do that then you can put some cloves in the cuts to make it look more presentable.
When it comes to the glaze, you can use our suggestion or you could just add some honey. For something a bit different, our Homemade BBQ Sauce works well or even our Healthy Teriyaki Sauce.
Don't want to cook it in the air fryer? Why not try our Slow Cooker Gammon recipe.
How to Cook Gammon in the Air Fryer - Step by Step
Prep: Remove the gammon joint form the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Preheat your air fryer to 170°C.
- Step 1: Put the gammon joint onto a large sheet of foil and loosely wrap.
- Step 2: Carefully place the wrapped gammon into the preheated air fryer. Cook at 170°C for 60 minutes.
- Step 3: Put the cranberry sauce, cranberry juice and mustard into a bowl (a). Mix well (b).
- Step 4: Remove the cooked gammon form the air fryer and cut off the casing.
- Step 5: Using a sharp knife, score the gammon in a diamond pattern.
- Step 6: Pour the cranberry glaze over the scores in the gammon.
- Step 7: Return the coated gammon to the air fryer with the foil left open.
- Step 8: Cook at 200°C for 10 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the air fryer and leave to stand for 10 minutes before carving.
Serving Suggestions
This air fryer gammon joint is the perfect addition to a Christmas dinner roast with all the trimmings or on a boxing day buffet.
Why not serve it with our Slow Cooker Turkey Crown, Duck Fat Roast Potatoes, Air Fryer Stuffing and Honey Mustard Roasted Parsnips?
Not just a delicious addition to a roast dinner, but it's good served with our Oven Egg and Chips for a British classic.
Storage
Store: Any leftover of this air fryer gammon joint can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: This freezes really well and a great way to get ahead for Christmas. You can slice it up and wrap up portions and put them in a freezer bag and it will keep for up to 2 months.
Defrost: You can defrost it in the fridge overnight.
Reheat: We either serve it cold in sandwiches or salads or we reheat it when adding it to another meal like the suggestions below.
Leftovers: You can use leftovers to make our Turkey Pasta Bake, Turkey Pie or Carbonara.
Extra Tips
- Make sure you take the gammon out of the fridge and almost back to room temperature before putting it in the air fryer. This will take about 30 minutes.
- Ensure that the air fryer is preheated too. This will make sure that the gammon is cooked evenly throughout.
- Let the air fryer gammon rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- To make the gammon less salty, you can soak it in water for 30 minutes before putting it in the air fryer.
- You don't have to use a glaze at all. You could leave it out to make this a super simple gammon joint in air fryer recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
This will depend on the size of your gammon joint and also your air fryer as they all cook differently. We used a 1.3kg (3lb) joint and it took 60 minutes and then an extra 10 minutes once the glaze was on. If you have a smaller joint, say 500g then it will only take 25 minutes and then the extra 10 with the glaze. For larger joints, more like 2kg it will take about 1 hour 30 and then an extra 10 with the glaze.
The best way to check that your gammon in air fryer is cooked is to use a meat thermometer. Put it in the thickest part and it should register an internal temperature of 72°C. If it has not reached the temperature yet, cook it for 5 minutes at a time until it has.
You can also check if the gammon is cooked by putting a sharp knife into it. If it slides in easily then it is cooked. If it is more springy and tough to get through then it is not cooked yet. You want the meat to be dark pink.
We really can't rate the Ninja Foodi Max Dual highly enough. It has a huge 9.5 litre capacity, it allows you to cook two different things at once and it has 6 different cooking functions. It is 65% more efficient than an oven and uses 75% less fat than traditional cooking. It is also dishwasher safe.
Yes, we recommend you do because it allows the inside of the gammon to cook fully without the outside burning.
More Air Fryer Meat Recipes
If you’ve tried this air fryer gammon recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Air Fryer Gammon
Ingredients
- 1.3 kg (3 lb) Smoked gammon joint
- 125 g (0.5 cups) Cranberry sauce
- 50 ml (0.25 cups) Cranberry juice
- 1 tablespoon Wholegrain mustard
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 170°C.
- Put 1.3 kg Smoked gammon joint onto a large sheet of foil and loosely wrap.
- Carefully place the wrapped gammon into the preheated air fryer. Cook at 170°C/340°F for 60 minutes.
- Put 125 g Cranberry sauce, 50 ml Cranberry juice and 1 tablespoon Wholegrain mustard into a bowl. Mix well.
- Remove the cooked gammon form the air fryer and cut off the casing.
- Using a sharp knife, score the gammon in a diamond pattern.
- Pour the cranberry glaze over the scores in the gammon.
- Return the coated gammon to the air fryer with the foil left open.
- Cook at 200°C/400°F for 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove from the air fryer and leave to stand for 10 minutes before carving.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you take the gammon out of the fridge and almost back to room temperature before putting it in the air fryer. This will take about 30 minutes.
- Ensure that the air fryer is preheated too. This will make sure that the gammon is cooked evenly throughout.
- Let the air fryer gammon rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- To make the gammon less salty, you can soak it in water for 30 minutes before putting it in the air fryer.
- You don't have to use a glaze at all. You could leave it out to make this a super simple gammon joint in air fryer recipe.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Tony says
how much do I reduce cooking time or 750g?
Tara says
Oh yum! I love that this can be made in the air fryer to save oven space during the holidays. That texture looks perfect.
Holley says
This was perfect for my holiday gathering! Easy in the air fryer and the glaze was to die for!
Holly says
Cooking it in the air fryer was a huge help. It freed up oven space and it came out moist and juicy. The glaze was delicious!
Michelle says
Gave this a go at the weekend for a family gathering. It was so easy to make and everyone loved it! Great that it can be done in the air fryer too.
Gianne says
It cooks the meat to perfection, giving it a crispy and delicious outer layer while keeping it tender and juicy inside. It's a game-changer in the kitchen!
Chenee says
This looks so delicious and perfect for a holiday meal!
Erik says
I definitely didn’t know yuh could make a whole ham like this. Th e flavor is amazing!
chahinez says
Looks amazing!
justine says
Came out so good and moist. Lots of flavor, added a pineapple glaze on top at the end.
Elisa says
Wow, love this Air Fryer Gammon recipe, looks so delicious and juicy, I will bookmark it for future reference. I will have to do this soon. Thanks for sharing :)