There aren’t a ton of low sodium ham brands out there. But out of the four I tasted for this ranking, three were just as good as regular deli ham. And the best one was even 98% fat free. How does that work with ham? It’s really best not to think about it.
Here’s what I was looking for in the ideal low sodium ham: good texture (no rubbery meat that could double as a swim cap, please), savory flavor (even though it’s low sodium, it still needs to be somewhat salty), and actual pork flavor (I should be able to identify that this shaved piece of meat—no matter what shape it is now—once belonged to an animal that went “oink”). And, ideally, it should qualify as a low sodium (or lower sodium) product. Typically, low sodium products contain 140 mg of sodium or less per serving. I couldn’t find any hams that fit that requirement. But I did find some that definitely have much less sodium than their full-sodium counterparts.
Whatever the reason you’re watching your sodium, here are the best low sodium ham brands to fill that ham-shaped hole in your stomach. (And if you are looking for the best ham—sodium levels be damned—we can help you out there, too.)
- Boar’s Head Low Sodium Ham
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At 480 mg sodium per serving, there’s still a lot of sodium in this low sodium ham. But the regular boneless roasted ham has 840 mg sodium per serving. So it really is lower sodium ham. It definitely tastes like the sodium is reduced, as well. It has a lot of meaty flavor—almost like pork loin rather than traditional ham. And it doesn’t have deli ham’s usual long, salty finish. It’s not rubbery; it has a real, meaty chew to it. Pile this onto a sandwich if you want that true porky experience.
Credit: Merc / Albertsons
- Hillshire Farm Lower Sodium Honey Ham
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This low sodium deli ham is so thin. It’s like eating gossamer meat sheets. Delightful. It has 26% less sodium than the standard Hillshire Farm honey ham, coming in at 370 mg sodium per serving. It tastes like smoked meats with just a touch of honey sweetness. It packs a ton of flavor for being so thin. I would roll this up with some thin baby Swiss cheese and a swipe of yellow mustard to make a little meat-and-cheese wrap.
Credit: Merc / Vons
- Danola Lower Sodium Premium Ham
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The first thing you’ll notice about this ham is that it is rectangular. Some people appreciate how well a rectangular piece of ham fits onto a slice of bread. Others note that it is an unnatural shape for a piece of meat to take. If you fall into the latter camp, I’d recommend you get over it because this is really good low sodium ham (technically lower sodium ham). At 320 mg sodium per serving it’s the lowest of the low sodium hams on this list but you would never know it from tasting it. It’s still extremely savory. You can use this just as you would any other ham and no one would ever be able to tell the difference. Plus, it’s 98% fat free, if that matters to you. Again, you’d never be able to tell if it wasn’t on the package. This is a feat of meat science.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Best Pork Flavor
Best Thin Cut
Best of the Best
Other low sodium ham brands we tried: Farmer John Lower Sodium Premium Cooked Ham
