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Spam Musubi is rapidly growing in popularity and for good reason! It’s so good! No need to book a flight to Hawaii to enjoy it, this local favorite can easily be made in the comfort of your own home.
When I lived in Hawaii, Musubi was an actual staple in my day-to-day life. I lived across the street from a Foodland (a popular grocery store in Hawaii) and I would try to get there as early as I could to get some Musubi before it sold out for the day. I would usually buy one for breakfast and pack another one away for lunch. It is such a convenient “starving college student” meal because it is filling and also super cheap. Back in the day, you could find them for under $2, so for a poor college student living in Hawaii where everything is ridiculously expensive, it was a no-brainer.
This recipe is as local and authentic as it gets. You are going to love it!
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
What is Spam Musubi?
Spam Musubi is a rice-based snack, usually served in a rectangular-shape topped with Spam and wrapped with nori seaweed. You also may be asking yourself what Spam is. Spam is a canned meat made with pork and ham. Well, a little history, Spam became increasingly popular in Hawaii after WWII, it was sent to the troops stationed in Hawaii and kind of spread from there. It was cheap. It was easy to store and cook. And it still is! It is actually still one of the staple foods in Hawaii today. It is so famous that even McDonald’s Hawaii breakfast platters includes Spam.
Ingredients
- Spam – Regular or “Lite” Spam will work great for this recipe.
- Marinade / Glaze – I like to make a marinade with Oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar but any kind of teriyaki sauce will work great as a marinade.
- Nori roasted seaweed – This can be found at most Asian markets. I am seeing it pop up more in local grocery stores too, which makes shopping even easier.
- Sushi Rice – This is key ingredient. Use a sticky short- or medium-grain rice, such as Calrose or sushi rice. For this recipe, use the rice plain without adding the sushi vinegar mixture. Sushi rice is sticky and forms into a mold for easy hand-held eating.
- Furikake (optional) – Furikake is a seasoning made from seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, and spices. My kids literally put it on everything.
How to Make Spam Musubi
- Prepare the Spam: Marinate spam in our homemade marinade or a store-bought teriyaki sauce. Drain marinade and fry spam on both sides until slightly browned and crispy.
- Prepare the Sushi Rice: We have two methods for preparing sushi rice: Sushi rice on the stovetop and Instant Pot sushi rice. Both work great for this recipe.
- Layer Ingredients in Musubi Mold: Start by placing a strip of nori roasted seaweed on a cutting board with the shiny side down. Place the musubi mold in the middle of the seaweed (perpendicular to the seaweed). Use the mold top to press the sushi rice into the mold. Sprinkle the rice with furikake, then place the cooked spam on top.
- Wrap the Musubi: Remove the mold. Wrap one side of the nori and and stick it to the top of the Spam, the wrap the other side. Use a little water to get the ends of the nori to stick together if needed.
Hot or Cold?
This is a question I get asked all the time. In short, musubi is best when it is served hot or warm. If musubi cools too much or if it is refrigerated, the rice can dry out and get too hard. This makes the musubi crumbly. Avoid this by wrapping it VERY well. When I pack my kids lunchboxes, I wrap it up tight and it in a plastic container, pressing out as much air as I can. My kids will eat it cold for lunch and haven’t complained so that being said, it’s not bad cold, it’s just best when it’s warm.
More Tasty Authentic Hawaiian Recipes
Spam Musubi Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Spam
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Nori, roasted seaweed used for sushi, cut into halves or thirds
- 6 cups cooked sushi rice, WITHOUT the vinegar mixture added –Click HERE for the Sushi Rice Recipe
- furikake, (optional)
Instructions
- Slice the Spam into about 8-10 slices depending on how thick you like it. Place it in a Ziplock bag. Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar until sugar is dissolved and add to the bag with the Spam. Marinate for 15 minutes.
- Drain off marinade and fry Spam on each side over medium heat until slightly crispy or until desired doneness.
- Place a strip of nori roasted seaweed on a cutting board (shiny side down). Place your Musubi mold across the middle of the nori.
- Add Sushi Rice to the mold, pressing down firmly and evenly so there is about 1-1 ½ inches of rice. Dip the mold and your fingers in water as you go to prevent sticking.
- Optional: Add a sprinkling of furikake (a mixture of sesame seeds and little bits of nori) for extra flavor.
- Next, remove the mold from the rice. Now you will have a nice little block of rice right on the nori. Add a slice of cooked Spam on top of the rice.
- Wrap up one side of the nori and stick it to the top of the SPAM, then wrap up the other side. Just like you are wrapping a nice little package. Use a little water on your finger to seal if needed. Serve warm.
Notes
Storing and Reheating
If not eating immediately, wrap each musubi very tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Wrapping the musubi will help keep it all together and also help the rice to not dry out so quickly. I wrap it while it is still very hot so all that steam stays inside. Refrigerate Spam musubi within 2 hours of making it (1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F). If you’re packing it for lunch, keep it cold in an insulated lunchbox with ice packs. To refrigerate, place the wrapped musubi pieces in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To re-heat, remove the plastic wrap, then wrap the in a damp paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds or until heated through.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This looks great! When you say without the vinegar mixture added, are you saying just plain cooked sushi rice? Can I just cook it in the rice cooker and use it as such? Thanks! Your other recipes have been so Ono! I lived in Hawai’i for 14 years and I keep coming back to your page for all of the food I miss!
yes, just plain rice. It works well either way. And yes cooking in the rice cooker works great! I am so glad you have been enjoying our Hawaiian recipes! We will do our best to keep em’ coming!
Can I air fry the spam ? Thanks
I have not made your recipe, however, it is identical to the one I made. You are right, it is delicious. I served it at an indoor Luau. People took it with reservation, but then loved it.
One recommendation; if serving with as a part of a meal, cut them in half. They are too big to add to a full meal.
Great suggestion, thank you!
Great recipe! The simple marinade was really tasty! And the sushi rice came out perfect.
I ended up making a few minor tweaks. I dumped the marinade in a pan and thickened it up a bit. Then put the fried spam in there for just a minute or two.
I also ended up sprinkling a tiny bit of rice vinegar on the rice as I was packing it into the mold.
I know the recipe says the furikake is optional, but in my mind it’s essential lol.
Great tips! And I agree on the furikake, thanks!
My son has been begging me to learn how to make these as wrestling season is fast approaching, and a great snack after you eat ice cube soup all day! Loved this recipe and I rocked it!!!!
Way to rock it!! I am sure your hungry wrestler appreciated having some tasty musubi on hand!
I’d never made this before, but I’d had it at a Poke place. This recipe tasted even better than the one I had in the restaurant! It’s also one of the few recipes that everyone in my family loves. Definitely a go to. Thank you!
So glad you liked it! A lot of times with musubi they don’t add any seasoning to the Spam but I definitely think it tastes better with it!
Delicious and easy! Perfect for a snack or meal. I used the precooked sticky rice and seaweed in the little packs. Sprinkled some furikake on top of the rice and made a little sandwich with the seaweed, also I didn’t marinate the spam just cooked it in a pan and poured the sauce on top and cooked it together until it made a thick glaze. So yummy!
Yum, I’ll have to try that!