Can you freeze ham?
You can freeze some kinds of ham
17 of 20 kinds freeze well; 2 should stay out of the freezer.
canned (“keep refrigerated” label)
Not recommended
fully cooked, bone-in, whole
Up to 1 to 2 months
fully cooked, bone-in, half
Up to 1 to 2 months
fully cooked, slices, half, or spiral cut
Up to 1 to 2 months
fully cooked, arm picnic shoulder, boneless
Up to 1 to 2 months
fully cooked, canned, boneless (refrigerated)
Up to 1 to 2 months
fully cooked, vacuum packed, boneless
Up to 1 to 2 months
fresh, cook-before-eating, bone-in, whole
Up to 1 to 2 months
fresh, cook-before-eating, bone-in, half
Up to 1 to 2 months
fresh, cook-before-eating, shank or butt portion, bone-in
Up to 1 to 2 months
fresh, cook-before-eating, arm picnic shoulder, boneless
Up to 1 to 2 months
fresh, cook-before-eating, shoulder roll (butt), boneless
Up to 1 to 2 months
fresh, uncooked, whole leg, bone-in
Up to 1 to 2 months
fresh, uncooked, whole leg, boneless
Up to 1 to 2 months
fresh, uncooked, half leg, bone-in
Up to 1 to 2 months
country ham (whole or half)
Up to 1 to 2 months
shelf-stable cans
No freezer guideline
pre-packaged, luncheon/deli meat
Not recommended
uncured, fresh, cooked
Up to 3 to 4 months
uncured, fresh, uncooked
Up to 6 months
What the freezer time means
Freezer times from USDA FoodKeeper are about quality, not safety. Food kept frozen at 0 F (-18 C) stays safe indefinitely; what changes over the months is texture, moisture and flavour. Wrap ham tightly, press out air, and label the pack with the date so the window above is easy to track.
Thaw in the fridge, not on the counter. Anything that thawed in the fridge can be refrozen, with some further loss of quality; anything left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should not go back in.
Storage habits that make the difference
Refrigerate opened bacon, ham, sausage and hot dogs in their original packaging or a sealed container, and use within about a week. Freeze anything you will not use in time; vacuum-sealed cuts freeze especially well. Keep these products toward the back of the fridge, where the temperature is steadiest.
Can you freeze other meat: smoked or processed?
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.