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This Spam Fried Rice recipe puts a delicious meal on your table in no time -with salty and savory Spam, flavorful veggies, and tender rice.
Featured with this recipe
Whether you’re a fried rice fan, or looking for a new way to use Spam, this recipe is for you! This classic comfort food comes together in just about 30 minutes and tastes amazing. You’ll love the mouthwatering combo of salty and savory Spam, earthy veggies, fragrant rice, and a tangy sauce. Serve it as a main dish or on the side with other Asian-inspired entrees.
Ingredients in Spam Fried Rice
- Spam – Spam is a shelf-stable pork product. It is a great, budget-friendly protein option.
- Spam Marinade – made with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. You can use fish sauce instead of oyster sauce. If you don’t have these on hand you can use teriyaki sauce as a marinade.
- Sesame Oil – you can also use vegetable oil.
- Green Onions – make sure to separate the whites from the greens since you add them to the recipe at different times.
- Minced Garlic
- Frozen Peas and Carrots
- Edamame
- Scrambled Eggs – you can scramble them in a separate pan, or just add the eggs to the wok with everything else
- Cooked Rice – use leftover rice for the best dry texture!
- Soy Sauce for serving – I like to top my spam fried rice with a little soy sauce, a little sriracha, and toasted sesame seeds
Suggestions for Cooking
- Sesame oil is hands down the best oil to use when making Spam Fried Rice, but you can use vegetable oil in a pinch.
- Add your favorite veggies for a more nutritious meal – bell peppers, baby corn, broccoli, corn, zucchini, or cauliflower.
- Use a long grain rice like basmati or jasmine. You can also use cauliflower rice.
- Day-old rice makes the best fried rice! Next time you make rice for dinner, make a few extra cups to save and use for fried rice.
- If you’re not crazy about Spam, this fried rice tastes delicious with shredded or cubed pork, chicken or even shrimp. Or for a vegetarian dish, use tofu.
- Add a drizzle of sriracha for a spicy kick!
Recipe Tip
Marinating the Spam is not necessary, but it does add a ton of flavor! If you’ve got 15 minutes to marinate, then we highly recommend it.
Frequently Asked Questions about Spam Fried Rice
This dish is popular in Hawaii and Japan. In Hawaii, they add pineapple as well.
Pan frying is the most popular spam cooking method. Cook for a few minutes on each side until slightly browned.
No, you do not need to rinse off Spam. If you do, then it might not fry up as crispy.
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What to Serve with Spam Fried Rice
How to Make Spam Fried Rice
Spam Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Spam
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 green onions chopped, whites and greens separated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup carrots and peas diced, frozen works great
- 1/2 cup edamame shelled
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups long-grain white rice cooked (leftover rice works best)
Instructions
- Cut the Spam into cubes 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 the marinade from the bag into a small bowl. Save and set aside.
- Heat sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the whites of the green onions to the hot oil and stir until clear and light brown. Stir in garlic. When garlic is lightly browned, add Spam and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add carrots, peas, and edamame and cook until they are tender. Scoot everything to one side of the pan and crack eggs onto the empty side. Scramble with a spatula or chopsticks. When they are cooked, mix in with the rest of the ingredients.
- Add cooked rice to skillet and mix in thoroughly. Add leftover SPAM marinade a few tablespoons at a a time until the rice is lightly coated in sauce. Add more to taste, if desired. Top with the greens from the green onions.
Notes
- For a “dry” fried rice, steam the white rice a day ahead. After cooking rice, let it cool to room temperature. Place the rice in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge overnight. Add refrigerated rice to the skillet as described in the instructions above.
- If you’re not crazy about Spam, this fried rice tastes delicious with shredded or cubed pork, chicken or even shrimp. Or omit the meat altogether for a vegetarian dish.
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- For a low sodium option, simply use low sodium soy sauce or even liquid aminos.
We really enjoyed this one, and it’s in our regular rotation now! We’re not very happy with SPAM, and will probably substitute something else for it since it has some bad stuff in it and isn’t all that good for us…
That’s fine! You can use chicken, shrimp, tofu, beef, pork…the possibilities are endless!