This recipe for Spam & Egg Musubi is incredibly easy to make. In its simplest form, it features pan-fried luncheon meat and egg on sushi rice, wrapped with seaweed.
One of my kids' favourite foods to eat is Spam & Egg Musubi.
What is musubi?
In Japanese, musubi refers to "rice ball," similar to onigiri.
Originating in Hawaii, Spam musubi is a simple snack and/or meal of pan-fried Spam (luncheon meat), rice, wrapped with nori (seaweed).
What is Spam?
SPAM is a brand of canned luncheon meat which is primarily made of pork, starch, and flavourings.
It's not the most healthiest ingredient, due to its high sodium and fat content.
However, it's a handy pantry item to have as it can be stored for a very long time, which makes it great for dishes like Budae Jiggae (Korean Army Stew).
Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe comes together in less than 1 hour.
It's delicious as a snack or as a meal.
Like Tuna Onigiri, it packs well for traveling or for a picnic and can be served warm or cold.
Best of all, it consists of a few pantry/staple ingredients.

Ingredients you'll need
- cooked sushi rice: should be hot and freshly cooked; sushi rice is short-grained rice which has a sticky texture
- rice vinegar: for seasoning the rice; you can find rice vinegar in Asian supermarkets
- granulated sugar: for seasoning the rice
- SPAMÂ or canned luncheon meat: sliced and pan-fried
- eggs: pan-fried in an omelette-style
- seaweed/nori: cut into 1" strips
How to make it
Prepare the Spam/luncheon meat and eggs:
Season the rice:
Assemble:
Other additions
You can add whatever fillings you like to your musubi.
Just be sure not to make it too thick or it will be difficult to wrap the seaweed around it.
You can include:
- slices of avocado: a really delicious way to add some creaminess to the musubi
- furikake: a dry Japanese seasoning consisting of fish, seaweed, salt and sugar
- perilla/sesame leaf: for a touch of earthy freshness
- teriyaki sauce: a warmed mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin that you can brush on the pan-fried Spam (I tend to omit the sauce as the luncheon meat is already quite salty and flavourful)
Expert tips
Use freshly cooked, warm rice so that it molds together without falling apart.
Don't use day-old or cooled rice as it will not hold together well.
Wet your hands prior to forming the rice, so that the rice won't stick to your fingers.
There's no need to buy a mold to form the musubi.
You can form the rice free-handedly, using the shape of the luncheon meat as your guide.
Or use a clean, empty SPAM container lined with plastic wrap as a makeshift mold.
Choose low-sodium SPAM luncheon meat if you're watching your salt intake.
How to serve & store
Serve the musubi hot or cold.
If you serve the musubi cold, you may want to bring it to room temperature for 20 minutes prior to serving just to take off the chill.
Store any assembled Spam musubi in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Alternatively, you can individually wrap each musubi in plastic wrap for convenience and to retain freshness.
Note: the texture of the sushi rice will harden slightly when cooled.
Other recipes you may like
Be sure to check out these recipes:
Aburi-Style Smoked Salmon Oshi Sushi
Beef Udon With Egg (Niku Tama Udon)
Homemade Spicy Ahi Tuna Poke Bowls
Ham Garlic Sausage & Pineapple Fried Rice
Let me know if you try out this recipe for Spam & Egg Musubi -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!Â
Easy Spam & Egg Musubi
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
- 1 can SPAM or luncheon meat sliced
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 40 ml rice vinegar
- 5 g granulated sugar
- 2 C cooked sushi rice
- 2 sheets nori seaweed cut into 1" strips
Instructions
Prepare the Spam/luncheon meat and eggs:
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, pan-fry slice of SPAM, until crisp and lightly browned.
- Drain on paper towel and set aside.
- Lightly wipe away the excess grease from the pan.
- Add in the beaten eggs in 2 batches and cook omelette style, flipping halfway through, until both sides are lightly golden.
- Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Fold up the omelette into a width similar to the SPAM slices and cut with a sharp knife.
- Set aside.
Season the rice:
- In a small saucepan, add in the sushi rice vinegar and sugar.
- Heat over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Carefully drizzle and fan in the rice vinegar into the hot, cooked sushi rice.
- Mix with a rice paddle until the rice is combined with the vinegar.
Assemble:
- With wet hands, take about 3 tablespoon of rice and press into the shape of the Spam.
- Next, place a folded egg omelette on the rice.
- Add a slice of Spam onto the egg.
- Wrap the nori seaweed strip around the centre of the musubi.
- Repeat with the remainder.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
David @ Spiced
What an interesting recipe! I knew Spam was popular in Hawaii, but to be honest I didn't know how they used in recipes. This is fun! I'm thinking I need to give this one a try. 🙂
Linsey
I like spam, very appetizing and delicious to go with rice. This is a good combination way of serving especially on the road. I will try it!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
I haven't had SPAM forever - it's kind of a nostalgic thing. Loving how you elevated this simple ingredient to a different, elegant, level.
Raymund | angsarap.net
Would definitely love snacking on these
kushigalu
Totally something new to me but the great recipe to try with egg. looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
Radha
I have read about spam musubi. This recipe has clear instructions and sounds easy.
Claudia Lamascolo
Spam is so easy and delicious we will make this one again for sure thanks for sharing with us
Ieva
Brilliant idea to add to our monthly Japanese dinner night! Love how simple the ingredients are and let's be honest they look very exciting! Love how it's stacked and the egg is rolled. Looks very pretty! Will let you know how they turn out! 🙂