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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!
What is Spam Musubi?
Now, you may be wondering what Musubi is. You also may be asking yourself why I want you to try Spam. 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 cook. And it still is! It is actually still one of the staple foods there today. It is so famous that even McDonald’s Hawaii breakfast platters includes Spam.
Ingredients in Spam Musubi
- 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. Regular rice won’t work for Spam Musubi. Sushi rice is sticky and forms into a mold for easy hand-held eating. We have two methods for preparing sushi rice: Sushi rice on the stovetop and Instant Pot sushi rice. Both work great for this recipe.
- Furikake (optional) – Furikake is a seasoning made from seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, and spices. My kids literally put it on everything.
What is Spam?
Spam is a canned meat made mostly with ham. When I lived in Hawaii, I had Spam all the time, mainly because it was pretty much all I could afford. I had it for breakfast with eggs and rice and dinner with noodles and rice. And for lunch, I made this Spam Musubi. You can buy Spam Musubi in Hawaii at any grocery store or gas station but on the mainland it’s a bit harder to find. Luckily, it’s super easy to make and the ingredients can be found at most grocery stores.
You may be skeptical (I know Spam has a bit of a reputation), I was too until I tried it. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of Spam, this is worth a try! No joke, if you ask any of my kids what their favorite snack or school lunch is, they will all tell you it’s Spam musubi. Last time we went to Hawaii it was all they wanted to eat (especially when it was Mickey shaped). Don’t knock it ’til you try it!
Is Musubi Best 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 making it crumbly. This can be avoided if it is wrapped up VERY well. When I pack my kids lunchboxes, I not only wrap it up tight, I also put it in a plastic container and press 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.
Storing and Reheating
If not eating immediately, wrap each musubi very tightly in plastic wrap. 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. Musubi can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 hours but I like to play it on the safe side and usually don’t keep it out past 2 hours. 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.
Make Your Own Musubi Mold
To make musubi, you will need a Musubi mold. If you don’t have one on hand, you can make your own. First, you will need to get a Spam can (you will need Spam anyway to make the Musubi). Next, clean it out well with soap and water. CAREFULLY cut off the bottom with a utility knife or an exact-o knife, then cover the sharp edges with electrical tape or duct tape (make sure the tape you use non-lead based). This can be tricky to do and we recommend just using a store-bought mold but it is a good Plan B if you are desperate.
More Tasty Authentic Hawaiian Recipes:
Loco Moco
Chicken Long Rice
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken
Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki
Authentic Hawaiian Mac Salad
Haupia
Malasadas
Chocolate Haupia Pie
How to Make Spam Musubi
Spam Musubi
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 (I cut it into thirds to make it go further)
- 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) and put 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 about 15 minutes.
- Drain off marinade and fry SPAM on each side over medium heat until slightly crispy or until desired doneness. Some people like to glaze the SPAM with the marinade/sauce AFTER frying, either way tastes great!
- Place a strip of nori on a cutting board or clean surface (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 some of the cooked SPAM to the top. 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.
- Some like it dipped in soy sauce, some like it with ketchup, and some like it as is.
Ono!!! Mahalo for this recipe! I just spent a week on Oahu and had musubi almost everyday. It really is a Hawaiian energy bar. This has all the flavor of the Island and is so easy to make.
Made this for my partner, who is Native Hawaiian, as a surprise “taste of home”. He ate it, so there’s that, but it did not remind him of home. His comments — everything is too sweet — don’t season the rice and don’t marinade the Spam, it doesn’t need it. Easier for me next time I want to surprise him!
Mahalos for the history lesson and recipe but the rice mold instructions are not only not Food Service Safe but dangerous.
Use plastic wrap, waxed paper, sushi mat or anything but cutting up a can
This recipe is a lot better than the water and soy sauce recipe! Thank you!
My son told me about Spam Masubi. I am very allergic to seafood or any fish. Other than adding more soy sauce, is there anything else that I can sub for the oyster sauce?
Oyster sauce adds a savory flavor so you could substitute it with hoisin sauce or a little bit of mushroom broth!
Amazing recipe!
Used it to make spam for kimbap rolls!
Valerie you can actually find vegetarian oyster sauce at a lot of Asian supermarkets!
They make a vegetarian oyster sauce. It’s vegan. I use it to make my husbands chicken lo mein.
Wan Ja Shan Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce
Love it!
it was the best spam musubi i ever had i will definetly make it agian!
This recipe is great! But I made a major mistrep on my first attempt. I hate overly sweet food and halved the sugar thinking I was so smart. The salt from the soy and the spam easily overpowered the rest of the flavors. I redid it as written and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing it!
Can I leave these on the counter overnight so I don’t need to microwave in the morning?
No, we don’t recommend leaving these on the counter, as they could spoil.
I love eating spam musubis now! They can give you a great snack when you are starving!
Agreed!
I love spam
I wouldn’t have expected this recipe to become a favorite with our family so I was geniunely surprised at their reaction when I made it. They loved it!
That’s awesome! So glad it was a hit!
I had to dig around to find this recipe that I had used before and loved! Spam musubi doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, but this recipe is the perfect blend of everything. Other recipes, even from “serious” food blogs and “authentic” Hawaiians are just a little off, like they’ll omit the sushi rice, or too sweet, etc.. This one is perfect and I have now permanently saved this in a file.
This was an interesting thing to eat! I had been wanting to try it for a while and I’m glad I did. The only adjustment I made to the recipe was I used two uncooked cups of sushi rice instead of I guess the three that the recipe calls for? But we still ended up with leftover rice, so I think maybe just one cup would be enough. Looking at the pictures now though, I guess I didn’t use that much rice in each one. The marinade was very good but I stirred and stirred for about 15 minutes and the sugar never fully dissolved so I gave up.
My husband and I loved eating Spam Musubi when we lived in the west coast, but since we’ve moved to the Midwest couldn’t find a place that makes them. Just made these and they turned out amazing! Don’t skip the marinade or the sushi rice! Definitely worth it for all the yummy flavors! Trip dipping in Siracha if you like spice.
I am excited to try this recipe tomorrow. Not sure where you are in the Midwest but Pokeworks in Omaha has Spam Musubi I have been obsessing over and hope this recipe is close!
It was super good even without any sauce! I think this is my all time favorite snack!! 💗
I’m still tan from my first trip to Hawaii a couple weeks ago. This popped up on my feed and soon as I saw it, I realized this is one thing that I never got around to trying on my trip. Thanks to you, it looks like I’m going to be making it, so I CAN try it! The reviews are great, so I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks for sharing.
yummy
I just made this, it’s amazing! Thank you!! Question: I now have a ziploc of marinade stuff. Can I store this in the fridge/freezer for re-use? If so, how long would that be good for you think?
I haven’t tried freezing it, but it should stay good in the fridge for 5-7 days.
I have a question- If the rice is supposed to be made without the vinegar mixture, wouldn’t that just be regular rice??
Yes, you would just follow the same method for making the sticky rice, but without the vinegar mixture.
I made this several weeks ago and it was delicious as I did not marinate the spam first❣️I’m getting up in the morning and making this again marinading spam first then glazing❣️Wonderful recipe❣️Do you put all of the marinade in the pan after the SPAM is brown on both sides?Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 ✝️🎅🏻