Complete a Baked Ham With This Sweet and Tangy Raisin Sauce (2024)

Southern Sides
Pork Mains
Fruit Recipes
Citrus Recipes

Sweet, Tangy Deliciousness

Diana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

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Updated on 07/31/23

Tested by

Noah Velush-Rogers

Tested byNoah Velush-Rogers

What's In Raisin Sauce?

This traditional condiment is a favorite for good reason: The sweet and sour supporting ingredients of brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice complement the raisins and make for a delicious sauce that is perfect spooned over a slice of baked ham. The dry mustard adds a nice zing, too.

Tips for Making Raisin Sauce

A cold lemon can be difficult to juice. Take it out of the refrigerator ahead of time to come to room temperature. If you need it right away, put the lemon in the microwave and cook on 100 percent power for about 20 seconds. Roll the lemon back and forth on the counter while applying slight pressure with the palm of your hand.
To prepare the sauce up to one day in advance, just cool off, refrigerate, and reheat until hot and bubbly when needed.
Using light brown sugar will give you a more delicate flavor, but dark brown sugar will add a deeper, toastier aroma.

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Ingredients

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or wine vinegar
1 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups water

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, and dry mustard. Whisk to blend.
Place the pan over medium heat. Slowly add the vinegar, raisins, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the water to the mixture, stirring constantly until well combined.
Keep stirring until everything is thoroughly blended.
Continue cooking the raisin sauce over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick, clear, and bubbly, at least 10 minutes. Serve the raisin sauce warm, with sliced ham or other pork dishes.

Recipe Variations

To add some new flavors and texture to your sauce, follow one of our suggestions:

Buttery Sauce: For extra flavor and some shine, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter to the sauce as soon as it is removed from the heat. Stir until the butter has melted.
Citrus Flavor: Replace 1/2 cup of the water with orange or grapefruit juice.
Apple-Raisin: Sauté 1/2 to 1 cup of diced apple in a small amount of butter until just tender. Replace half of the water with apple juice or cider and add the diced apple to the sauce along with the raisins.
Spiced Raisin: Add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, and a dash of cloves to the sauce.
Pineapple-Raisin: Reduce the water to 1 cup and add 1 (8-ounce) can (undrained) crushed pineapple along with the raisins.
Rum-Raisin: Stir in 1 teaspoon of rum extract as soon as the sauce is removed from the heat.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
111	Calories
0g	Fat
29g	Carbs
1g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	111
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 7mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 29g	10%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 23g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 2mg	10%
Calcium 22mg	2%
Iron 0mg	3%
Potassium 168mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

ham
dinner
southern
easter

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