How to Make Spam Musubi

5 from 206 votes
108 Comments

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If you love Hawaii and all things delicious, you’re in luck! A delicious and easy homemade Hawaiian Spam Musubi is just one of the great things you can make at home with this recipe.

Spam Musubi, rice and spam wrapped in seaweed, on a bamboo sheet

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.

A piece of spam musubi


Ingredients in Spam Musubi

  • Spam
  • Oyster sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Sugar
  • Nori roasted seaweed
  • Sushi rice

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. On the mainland, it is available in most grocery stores where you buy canned meats.

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! I made it for some of my family members last week and they all were pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Think of it as a Hawaiian hot dog, really, it’s good! Don’t knock it ’til you try it!

Spam frying in a pan

Make your own Musubi mold

First of all, you will need a Musubi mold. You can also make your own. First, you will need to get a mini Spam can (you will need Spam anyway to make the Musubi). If you use the full-size can, cut it down to about half the original height. 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).

More Tasty Authentic Hawaiian Recipes:

How to Make Spam Musubi

Three pieces of spam musubi

Spam Musubi

5 from 206 votes
You don't need to fly to Hawaii to try this tasty, authentic Hawaiian Spam Musubi. With this easy recipe, you can make it yourself at home!
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Lunch
Cuisine Hawaiian
Servings 8

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

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.
  • 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.
    A piece of spam musubi

Notes

If you are making a lot and saving it. Wrap individually in some plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. When you are ready to eat it, unwrap and place in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 317kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 9gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 1210mgPotassium: 202mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gCalcium: 6mgIron: 0.6mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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.

  2. 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!

  3. 4 stars
    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

    1. 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?

      1. Oyster sauce adds a savory flavor so you could substitute it with hoisin sauce or a little bit of mushroom broth!

      2. 5 stars
        Amazing recipe!
        Used it to make spam for kimbap rolls!

        Valerie you can actually find vegetarian oyster sauce at a lot of Asian supermarkets!

      3. 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

  4. 5 stars
    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!

  5. 5 stars
    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!

  6. 5 stars
    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.

  7. 5 stars
    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.

  8. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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!

  9. 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.

  10. 5 stars
    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?

  11. I have a question- If the rice is supposed to be made without the vinegar mixture, wouldn’t that just be regular rice??

  12. 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 🎄🎁 ✝️🎅🏻

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