My Family’s Secrets for Making the Absolute Best Spam Musubi at Home!
Spam musubi is one of my all-time favorite foods. Like Shoyu Chicken, Manapua, and Mac Salad – it’s something I’ve eaten my entire life and pure Hawaiian comfort food.
I loved it as a kid and love it even more today thanks to my Mom. She makes the best spam musubi. 😍But don’t just take my word for it, this recipe has been loved by thousands of PWWB readers too!
Mom’s recipe wraps teriyaki-glazed spam, sticky white rice, and furikake (Japanese seaweed seasoning) in nori seaweed, creating an irresistible savory-sweet handheld snack – perfect for taking on the go!
In my family’s experience, there are 3 secrets to making the best spam musubi:
Nail the ratio of spam and rice: These 2 components need the perfect balance, so you’ll notice that we slice each can of spam into exactly 7 pieces – not 8, not 6…7!!!
Make a killer sauce: Mom’s simple teriyaki-style spam musubi sauce is made with just a couple of pantry ingredients. When you pan-fry it with spam, the sauce thickens and becomes a glossy glaze that clings to the spam beautifully. Its sweetness complements the rich, savory flavor of spam.
Cook the rice well and handle it with care: Musubi rice needs to have the perfect light-yet-sticky texture. Nothing is worse than dense or gummy rice in spam musubi!
If you’ve never made homemade spam musubi before, this is a great recipe to start with! Read the directions carefully and follow along with the step-by-step photos. I hope you love it as much as my family does! ♡🥰🙌🏼
What is Spam Musubi? A Bit of History…
Musubi, also known as onigiri or omusubi, is a Japanese rice ball with a deliciously rich history.
Traditionally it’s a triangular-shaped handheld comfort food made with steamed rice and fillings wrapped in nori seaweed. I’ve had fish musubi, vegetable musubi, and even fried chicken musubi!
What’s spam musubi, then? ⇢ Spam musubi is Hawaii’s take on this Japanese food made with local-style ingredients. Barbara Funamaura, a Japanese-American woman living in Hawaii, is credited with inventing Hawaiian spam musubi around the 1940s. Her creation took the beloved Japanese rice ball and used spam, a canned mixture of ground pork and ham, as the musubi filling.
Today, spam musubi is one of the many dishes that reflect the unique blend of cultures on the Hawaiian islands and is an iconic local Hawaiian food.
Is Musubi Sushi?
I’ve heard spam musubi described as “spam sushi” or “sushi made with spam” but that’s definitely an oversimplification. While musubi may share some basic characteristics with sushi, it’s a completely different Japanese food. One of the biggest differences is that musubi uses plain steamed rice while sushi is made with rice seasoned with vinegar, salt, and sugar.
Spam – A Totally Underappreciated Ingredient!
Growing up on the mainland, I always felt a bit out of place with my love for spam. Its popularity in Hawaii doesn’t compare to that on the mainland, but popping open a can of spam fills me with instant nostalgia for the islands and my Hawaiian family.
First created by Hormel Foods in 1937, Spam was distributed as a convenient, protein-packed food for soldiers in World War II.
Since then, locals have come to love it for its rich, salty flavor and unbeatable convenience. It’s the perfect add-on for many local Hawaiian dishes, like saimin, spam and eggs, and pork chow fun.
Aside from spam, you’ll need just a few simple Hawaiian pantry staples to make homemade spam musubi, including a short or medium grain white rice (my family swears by Calrose rice!), Japanese furikake seasoning for added umami flavor and texture, and sushi nori – a roasted seaweed to hold everything together.
All that’s left is a handful of other pantry staples (dark brown sugar, shoyu (soy sauce), mirin, and sesame oil) to make up a simple teriyaki sauce and you’re ready to make spam musubi at home!
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Buy Now →How to Make Spam Musubi
Homemade spam musubi is like homemade sushi in that practice makes perfect!
Your first musubi may not be your most beautiful, but you’ll get the hang of it as you keep rolling. I promise it will be delicious no matter what!
Step-by-Step Video
Cook the rice. Be sure to rinse your rice thoroughly, then transfer to a rice cooker, cover and cook according to manufacturer directions. Why? ⇢ Rinsing rice prior to cooking removes any starches from the surface of the rice, which helps create the perfect light and sticky texture. If rice is not rinsed properly, it will have a gluey or gummy consistency once it cooks – no good!
Prepare the teriyaki spam musubi sauce. Simply whisk together dark brown sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil, then microwave for about a minute until the sugar dissolves. Prep Tip! ⇢ This sauce is great to make ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Pan-fry the spam. Spam renders as it quickly cooks in a skillet, creating added depth of flavor and an irresistible crispy golden-brown crust. After cooking the spam for a few minutes on each side, reduce the heat and spoon the spam musubi sauce over each piece. Why? ⇢The sauce will thicken as it cooks, creating a savory-sweet glaze that clings to the spam.
Prepare the nori. Cover your work surface with a large piece of plastic wrap or wax paper then grab a sheet of sushi nori. Place the nori with its shiny side down on the work surface and the rough side facing up. Make sure that the longer side of the nori is closest to you, then place the outer box of your spam musubi mold on the center of the nori. The long edges of the musubi mold need to be parallel to the long sides of the nori. At this point, you’re ready to build the musubi!
Build the spam musubi in the musubi mold. Each piece of spam musubi has 3 distinct layers. Here’s what you will do:
- Add a layer of rice. The most important thing here is to gently handle the rice so it stays nice and light! Tip! ⇢ Try not to compact the rice as you are scooping or packing it. Instead, fill the mold almost entirely with rice and pat it lightly to ensure it is level.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of furikake. Don’t be shy here! A few tablespoons of seasoning on top of the rice adds a ton of flavor and texture to the musubi.
- Top with the teriyaki spam. Place the slices of pan-fried spam right on top and you’re done!
Remove the mold. The easiest way to remove the spam musubi mold is to apply a bit of pressure first. Press the mold lid firmly down at the center and then continue pressing out to the edges. Why? ⇢ This helps ensure the spam musubi is nice and compact so it wraps up easily (and doesn’t fall apart as you roll it!). When it feels right, hold the lid down and pull the musubi mold box up to remove it.
Wrap the spam musubi. The sushi nori is already well-positioned to wrap around the spam musubi. Take the side of the nori that’s facing you and pull it up to fold it over. Then roll the spam musubi away from you so it wraps up in the nori and seals itself shut. Tip! ⇢ Dampen your fingers and run them along the last edge of nori to help create a tight seal.
Repeat, slice, and serve! Your first 2 spam musubi are ready, so now you just have to repeat the process a few more times. Once wrapped, slice each spam musubi in half crosswise, right between the pieces of spam. Tip! ⇢ Always slice musubi with a clean, wet knife to create a clean edge and help prevent sticking.
I can’t wait for you to try my family’s Best-Ever Spam Musubi! It’s my all-time favorite, and I think you’re going to love it too!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
Print
Best-Ever Spam Musubi (Hawaiian Family Recipe, Step-by-Step!)
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 7 musubi 1x
- Category: Main Dish, Snacks
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Hawaiian, American
Description
Whether you’re in Hawaii or on the mainland – my Hawaiian family’s recipe for Homemade Spam Musubi is the best! Cut planks of rich and salty canned spam are pan-fried until golden, then glazed in a simple teriyaki-style spam musubi sauce. From there, the spam is wrapped in nori seaweed with fluffy white rice and lots of furikake seasoning, making the perfect handheld snack.
If you’ve never made homemade spam musubi before, this is a great recipe to start with! We wanted it to be as approachable as possible, so the directions are very detailed and we’ve provided step-by-step photos to help you along the way.
We hope you love it as much as we do! ♡
Ingredients
- 2 cups Calrose rice, rinsed well
- simple teriyaki sauce, below
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 (one) 12-ounce can Spam, sliced lengthwise into 7 pieces
- 3 1/2 sheets sushi nori
- heaping 1/3 cup furikake
for the simple teriyaki sauce:
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, can sub light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Useful equipment:
- plastic wrap or wax paper
- rice cooker
- double musubi mold
Instructions
- Cook the rice: Place the rice in a fine mesh colander and rinse it well with hot water until the water runs clear. This will take a good minute or two – feel free to jostle the rice with your hands as you rinse it to help speed this process along. Once the water runs clear, drain any excess water from the rice, then transfer it to a rice pot. Following the ratios provided on the rice package directions, add water to the rice pot. Cover and cook. Once the rice is done, let it steam and rest for 5-10 minutes before assembling Spam musubi.
- Prepare the teriyaki sauce: Combine all listed ingredients in a small bowl, whisking to combine. Microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute to dissolve the sugar. Stir to combine then set aside to cool slightly. (Alternatively, you can combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, 4-5 minutes.)
- Pan-fry the Spam and glaze with the teriyaki sauce: Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Very lightly spritz with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the sliced Spam in a single layer in the skillet. Cook 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned. Flip the Spam. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the prepared teriyaki sauce over each slice of Spam. Cook 2-3 minutes longer. Repeat flipping and spooning sauce on the Spam 1-2 more times, until the Spam is as browned and saucy as you like and the teriyaki sauce is reduced to a thick glaze. Remove from the heat and set aside for Spam musubi assembly.
- Prep the nori and musubi mold: Place a large piece of plastic wrap or wax paper on your work surface. Grab a piece of sushi nori. Sushi nori has 2 distinct sides – one is rough and textured while the other is shiny and smoother – and is ever-so-slightly rectangular. Place a piece of sushi nori on top of the plastic wrap/wax paper such that its shiny and smooth side is facing down and one of its slightly longer sides is closest to you. Place the outer box of the musubi mold on the center of the nori such that its long edge runs parallel with the longer sides of the nori.
- Build the Spam musubi: Use a rice paddle to scrape a small amount of rice off the top of the rice pot. Be sure to scrape off the top rather than digging, which compacts the rice – we want our musubi rice nice and light! Gently add the rice to the musubi mold, filling it almost entirely full. As you fill the mold, use the edge of the rice paddle to gently pat the rice down into a uniform level but, again, avoid pressing down on the rice too much. Once the mold is filled with rice, sprinkle a generous amount of furikake seasoning over top, about 1-2 tablespoons. Arrange two slices of the teriyaki Spam side by side in the musubi mold.
- Assemble and wrap the Spam musubi: Place the musubi mold lid on top of the Spam. Press down on the lid firmly, starting at the center and working your way to the outer edge. Once you reach the outer edge, press down on the lid firmly with your thumbs and pointer fingers while using your pinky fingers to simultaneously pull the musubi mold box up. Set the box to the side, then remove the musubi mold top off of the Spam and set aside. Gently-yet-firmly pull the side of the nori sheet facing you up and tautly fold it over the Spam – the nori should stick to the Spam. Brush a little water over the opposite edge of nori, then tautly roll the musubi away from you, sealing the musubi shut. The musubi should be seam side down at this point. Set aside – it will continue to tighten up as it sits.
- Repeat Steps 4-6 with the remaining rice and teriyaki Spam. Your last musubi will only have one piece of Spam, so simply slice the sushi nori in half crosswise and assemble the musubi using only one half of the mold.
- Slice and serve: Run a sharp knife under warm water, then slice the double musubis in half crosswise (between the two pieces of Spam), creating 2 individual Spam musubi. Be sure to rinse the knife with warm water before slicing the next musubi – this helps create a clean cut. Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Spam Varieties: Spam comes in a number of different varieties. My family always makes Spam musubi using the original variety, labeled “Classic,” which I don’t find to be too salty when used with the right ratio of rice. If you prefer to use a reduced-sodium variety, go for it!
- Rice for Spam musubi?: For best results, use either short-grain or medium-grain white rice for your spam musubi. My family is partial to Calrose-style medium-grain white rice (preferred brands: Botan and Kokuho Rose), though sushi-style short-grain white rice can be used to make Spam musubi as well.
- Storage and Reheating: If you don’t plan to enjoy all 7 Spam musubi immediately, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap or wax paper and store in the refrigerator. Leftover Spam musubi will keep for up to 5 days. You can enjoy it cold straight from the refrigerator, but I think leftover Spam musubi is much better warm. To reheat, simply place it in the microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute, then carefully unwrap and enjoy.
Recipe and Food Styling by Jess Larson, Plays Well With Butter | Photography by Rachel Cook, Half Acre House.
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We used this recipe this weekend to make spam musubi! Reminds me of the 7-11 musubi ❤️
Glad you enjoyed, Tara! Thanks for the review! 🙂
Thank you for this great family recipe. I have been using another recipe which called for seasoned sushi rice, but I really don’t think that it is necessary. I followed your recipe and got terrific results. The teriyaki sauce is also fantastic. As I am not making musubi all the time, I am not goin to get specific tools for it. That said, a tip I picked up is to use the empty Spam can. Line with a strip of parchment with ends extending a couple inches past the top edge to make it easy to remove. Load in the rice and other ingredients. You have to wrangle it a bit to maneuver onto the nori, but it’s easy enough. Yum.
Hi Ben, using the spam can is such a good trick! Happy to hear you enjoy this musubi as much as we do! 🙂
This recipe is so freaking good. A note for everyone else I recommend lowering the temperature on the pan when you add the sauce to the spam. Make sure you take the time to let the sauce thicken and keep flipping the spam. You really want a good coating. Also, I liked a bit less rice than the recipe called for but overall, it was fantastic. You definitely want a healthy coating of furikake between the rice and spam.
Hi Gunnar, so glad you enjoyed and thanks for the tips, too! 🙂
Aloha and mahalo for sharing your family recipe! Made this last night, with one tiny addition – I added a half-slice of pineapple before I added the rice. (Would have been better if I’d grilled it first; next time!) I’ve tried other recipes for Spam musubi, and this one so much better and easier. Absolutely delicious. Thanks again for sharing it, and for including all the history – food is so much better when you know where, who and why, imo. 🙂
Hi Wendy, we’re so happy you enjoyed the Musubi, and thank you for the kind words! We LOVE sharing the “why” (and where, and who!) behind our favorite recipes 🙂
I’m making this for a friend’s Hawaiian themed birthday party this weekend. Do you salt the rice when you cook it?
Hi Carla! I love this idea. No, there is no need to salt the rice.
Hope everyone enjoys & happy birthday to your friend!
Jess
Jess, I want to thank you and your Mom for showing me the perfect Musubi – I’ve never been to Hawaii nor eaten this dish, but I LOve sushi and imagined this to be like a handroll. It was SO much better – and I loved it warm! This was perfect sauce for glazing that Spam. I love Furikake – I use the one with wasabi and it was SO good in this! Thanks again!
Hi Michele, we’re so glad we were able to introduce you to Musubi!! It’s one of our favorites, too 🙂 Happy you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this recipe. My husband and I have been craving musubi ever since our vacation to Kauai and this really hit the spot! I followed the instructions exactly and appreciated all your tips. I don’t have a mold so just shaped it with my hands and that was fine. It is delicious as is, but next time I will try the low sodium spam or a low sodium soy sauce. I was also surprised the rice held up great even when microwaved as leftovers. Thanks again. 🙂
We’re so happy to hear that you loved the musubi, Allison!! 🙂
I look fed to making the musubi
Make sure to let us know what you think when you try it out! 🙂
Make sure to let us know what you think when you try it out! 🙂
It was amazing! Thank you for the helpful video and step by step instructions. My family loved it and you made it fun and easy!
That was exactly our goal with sharing this recipe!! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Christina! 🙂
If you don’t have a musubi mold you can rinse your empty spam can and line it with plastic wrap. Just only fill 1/4 way with rice.
This is a great tip, thanks Nat! 🙂
Way too salty, inedible. And I used low sodium soy sauce. What a waste of time and ingredients. Lots of sauce leftover. Threw it all out.
Hi Reiko, we’re so sorry to hear that you found this recipe too salty. We know people have a wide variety of preferences when it comes to salt, so we always recommend salting to taste. If you decide to give this recipe another try, there are a few ways you can reduce the sodium: low sodium soy sauce (which I know you already mentioned), low sodium spam, and slicing the spam into 8 slices instead of 7 can all help for people who are sensitive to sodium. Hope this helps! 🙂
I bought the musubi maker. It made it so much easier. I’ve always used the can before. It’s a lot faster making two at a time.
The flavor was perfect. We lived in Hawaii for 3 years, an musubi was always our beach snack! I’ve been making them since, they were good but just missing a little something. Now they are perfect.
Hi Joyce, so thrilled that you got to enjoy a little taste of Hawaii again!! Happy to hear it turned out great for you 🙂
First time trying to make these at home. Huge fan of the recipe , was so delicious. Sauce…. so yummy!!! 😋
Thanks so much for your kind review, Lachel! Glad to hear you loved the Musubi!
we found it to be slightly too salty so we made a few adjustments:
– sliced into 8s
– skipped the furikake
– added a thin layer of egg
the fam loves it this way and i’ve made it at least 3x since.
Hi JC, glad you were able to adjust the recipe to better suit your tastes!
Your recipe looks great. Thank you for sharing.
When using the rice mold, how much rice fo you put in before adding the other ingredients?
Thank you!
Hi Kathy! Since different molds can vary slightly, we really recommend gently adding the rice (with a rice paddle so as not to compact the rice) and fill the mold until it is almost entirely full. then you’ll continue with the furikake seasoning and teriyaki Spam before completing assembly & wrapping the musubi. We hope to measure the amounts we use for both single & double molds that we have and give the dimensions to the molds we use for better reference in the future!
I didn’t use all the sauce because ~half of it looked like enough in the pan, but I should have. Still tastes great, but needs more sauce on the spam. Suppose it’s healthier though, less sodium and sugar. I like the. Nomi Kori furikake from Mishima.
Hi there! So glad you enjoyed this Musubi – we definitely recommend using the ratios/ amounts listed for the best (& most delicious results!). Thanks so much for sharing your preferred Furikake – we love that brand too!
This was delicious! We love having Spam Musubi when we visit Hawaii, but we can’t anymore since a couple members of our family CAN’T eat gluten (most soy sauce). Thank you for letting us enjoy a bit of the island cuisine safely at home. 🙂
Hi Claire! Thanks so much for leaving a comment! We are SO glad to hear that you loved these & could use the recipe to make at home & fit your needs! 🙂
These are delicious. However, I got the rice ratio wrong. Can you give the measured amount for the rice per single and double roll for those of us who don’t have a musubi mold?
Hi Crystel! We’re so glad you loved these & will have to check on the rice ratio for you & get back to you on measurements (a good excuse for us to make these again soon & measure it out!).💜
Made them twice. These are amazingly, amazingly delicious!!
Thank you, Jeff! Thrilled to hear you love them as much as we do!