Breakfast Fried Rice with Spam, Bacon, and Eggs features hearty fried rice and vegetables, yolky eggs, and crispy cubes of SPAM and bacon. The crispy meat cubes add so much flavor and depth to the dish. If you've never cooked with SPAM before, this breakfast fried rice is the recipe to start with!
This spam fried rice is an all time favorite that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's savory, full of texture, and makes for the most flavorful leftovers. Top it off with a soft boiled 5 minute egg and enjoy!
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My mom created this fried rice recipe when my brother and I were kids, so we were lucky enough to enjoy a bowl (or three) on Saturday mornings. We would wake up to the crackling of bacon and the smell of shoyu cooked veggies, just in time for breakfast. She would make a whole batch so we had leftovers for an entire weekend.
My brother and I are no strangers to the perfectly yolky 5 minute egg, thanks to our parents, who often served breakfast with soft boiled eggs. Egg yolk on rice is one of those simple pleasures in life that just tastes so good. Above all, the golden, silky yolk from the egg pairs perfectly with the savory fried rice. Since I know seconds will most definitely be had, I always make a few more eggs ahead of time.
Breakfast Fried Rice is a Crowd Pleaser
I always knew I loved my mom's breakfast fried rice, but I didn't share the dish with anyone outside of my family until a few years ago. Since then, I've made batches of breakfast fried rice for sleepovers, potlucks, and dinner with friends, and it is always such a hit! Your family and friends are guaranteed to love it too.
About Fried Rice
- Taste - The bacon, spam, eggs, veggies, and rice combine to create the perfect mega-bite. All of the ingredients are also doused in shoyu for extra umami flavor.
- Texture - The rice is soft and chewy while the veggies and meat are crunchy and crispy.
- Effort - This fried rice has a few steps that require time and attention. However, the payoff of having a delicious meal you can heat up for a few days in a row is well worth it.
- Time - Depending on how you prepare the rice, it takes about 50 minutes to make. Save time by starting the rice then chopping and cooking the veggies and meat while the rice is cooking.
Ingredients
As always, the better quality the ingredients, the better tasting the dish. First, for the bacon, I visit the butcher to get thick, flavorful slabs of meat. Additionally, I use organic vegetables, furikake from Japan, free range eggs, low sodium Kikkoman soy sauce, and low sodium SPAM. All of the ingredients are cooked in the savory bacon and SPAM fat so each bite is packed full of flavor.
For the rice, I always use Japanese short-grain rice, or uruchimai. Japanese rice is sticky and starchy, but not mushy. As a result, the stickiness and starchiness keeps the rice from drying out. You can make Japanese sticky rice in a rice cooker or on a stove top in a thick-bottomed pot.
Finally, when you incorporate all of the ingredients in your dutch oven or thick-bottomed pot, the flavors will meld and create a savory, flavorful dish you'll want to nosh on for days.
Instructions
1. Make the Rice in a Rice Cooker or on a Stovetop
- Rice Cooker Instructions - Place rice in the electric rice cooker pot and rinse the rice in the sink until the water runs clear, then drain. Combine rice and filtered water in the pot and cook per the rice cooker directions.
- Stovetop Instructions - Place rice in a saucepan and rinse the rice in the sink until the water runs clear, then drain. Combine washed rice and filtered water in a medium saucepan. Bring the rice to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.
- Optional: once the rice is finished cooking, transfer to a sheet pan and let it dry out while you start the next steps.
2. Make Fried Rice
- Cook bacon and SPAM - Place the bacon in a single layer in a large dutch oven, skillet, or braiser while the pot or pan is cold. Turn on the heat to medium to cook the bacon. Once the bacon begins to render, about 3-5 minutes, add the cubed SPAM. Cook for an addition 5 minutes, or until the meats are lightly browned and have crispy edges. Turn off the heat and remove the bacon and fried SPAM and set side.
- Remove excess oil - Remove half of the excess oil from the pot and properly dispose of it in the trash once it has cooled (don't put it in your sink!).
- Cook onions and celery - Turn the heat back on to medium and add the onion and celery to the pot, using a spoon to toss it in the leftover bacon oil. Once the onions begin to turn golden and the celery softens, add in the cooked rice one cup at a time, folding the ingredients into the rice.
- Add shoyu - Pour the soy sauce over the rice and fold the ingredients until all of the rice is evenly coated with soy sauce. Use a wooden spoon to scrape some of the fond (the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan) and mix it into the rice.
- Fold in ingredients - Turn off the heat and fold in the bacon, SPAM, scallions, and furikake into the rice until the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Set aside and make the eggs.
3. Make the 5 Minute Soft Boiled Eggs
- Cook eggs - Boil water over medium heat in a large saucepan. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the eggs into the water. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Cool and peel - Immediately remove the eggs from the boiling water and transfer them to a cold bowl of ice water. Allow them to chill for 2-3 minutes. Use a spoon to gently crack the eggs. Carefully peel off the shell.
4. Assemble
- Assemble fried rice and eggs - Distribute the rice into bowls and top with soft boiled eggs. Serve immediately with more soy sauce, furikake, ketchup, and sriracha.
Hint: Boil the eggs for exactly 5 minutes then place them in ice water to ensure that the yolks will be runny and spread over the rice. Immersing the eggs in ice water stops the eggs from cooking further.
Substitutions
- Gluten free - Both furikake and traditional soy sauce contain gluten. To enjoy this rice gluten free, season it with gluten free furikake and replace traditional soy sauce with tamari.
- Brown rice or Wild rice - Use brown rice to make rice healthier or if you just prefer the taste and texture to Japanese white rice. We recommend Koda Farm's Whole Grain Brown Kokuho Rose, which is a Japanese brown rice with a nutty flavor. Wild rice is also a great option if you are looking for a nutritious and flavorful alternative to white rice.
- Beef - Bacon or spam can be substituted with steak. We do this when we are missing either bacon or spam or we went out to a steak dinner the night before. This fried rice is a great way to use those leftovers!
Variations
- Spicy - Add extra sriracha or hot sauce to add heat to the rice.
- Kimchi - A traditional Korean side dish consisting of salted and fermented vegetables. Add kimchi to add a pungent and pickled spice to the rice.
- Eggs - If you don’t like eggs with a runny yolk, enjoy the fried rice with scrambled, fried eggs or my Soft Boiled Jammy Eggs. While these eggs are not runny, the yolk is still soft and spreadable.
- Green Onion - Add thin sliced green onions for a bright garnish.
- Spring Onion - Slightly stronger flavor than green onions but still a milder flavor than regular onions.
- Toasted Sesame Oil - Toasted sesame oil adds a nutty and toasty aroma to the dish. If you would like to add it, stir in ½ teaspoon once the fried rice is nearly completely cooked.
- Traditional sides - While this fried rice is not technically a traditional Japanese breakfast, you can enjoy it with traditional Japanese breakfast sides like green tea (use code KAT for 10% off) or miso soup. Green tea is a refreshing drink to enjoy with with fried rice.
- Peas - Add one cup frozen peas if you like their sweet and springy flavor.
Equipment
This easy stir fry rice recipe requires kitchen essentials. You need tongs or a slotted spoon, a pot to boil the eggs, a knife, a dutch oven or cast iron pot to cook the ingredients together, a rice cooker or thick-bottomed pot to cook the rice so it won't burn, a cutting board, a wooden spoon and a serving bowl.
Storage
Store leftover fried rice in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftover day old rice in a pan on the stove or microwave it in a microwave safe container until hot.
Top Tip
- Enjoy the freshly cooked rice and eggs right away so the rice is hot, eggs are yolky and meat is crispy.
Did You Love This Recipe?
If you love spam fried rice, please rate and comments below. Check out these other breakfast and brunch recipes:
- Brioche French Toast with Berries
- Bacon and Egg Breakfast Rice Bowl
- Spam, Eggs, and Rice
- Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Biscuits Recipe
- Breakfast Hash with Sweet Potatoes and Eggs
- Fried Spam (How to Cook Spam)
Breakfast Fried Rice with Spam, Bacon, and Eggs
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Japanese short grain rice
- 2 cups filtered water
- 6 oz bacon cut into 1-inch pieces
- 12 oz canned SPAM cubed
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 celery ribs chopped
- 2 scallions chopped
- 1 tablespoon furikake plus more for serving
- 4 eggs room temperature
For Serving
- Sriracha
- Soy sauce
- Ketchup
- Furikake
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
Rice
- Rice Cooker Instructions - Place rice in the electric rice cooker pot and rinse the rice in the sink until the water runs clear, then drain. Combine rice and filtered water in the pot and cook per the rice cooker directions.
- Stovetop Instructions - Place rice in a saucepan and rinse the rice in the sink until the water runs clear, then drain. Combine washed rice and filtered water in a medium saucepan. Bring the rice to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.
- Optional: once the rice is finished cooking, transfer to a sheet pan and let it dry out while you start the next steps.
Breakfast Fried Rice
- Place the bacon in a single layer in a large dutch oven, skillet, or braiser while the pot or pan is cold. Turn on the heat to medium to cook the bacon. Once the bacon begins to render, about 3-5 minutes, add the cubed SPAM. Cook for an addition 5 minutes, or until the meats are lightly browned and have crispy edges. Turn off the heat and remove the bacon and SPAM and set side.
- Remove half of the excess oil from the pot and properly dispose of it in the trash once it has cooled (don't put it in your sink!).
- Turn the heat back on to medium and add the onion and celery to the pot, using a spoon to toss it in the leftover bacon oil. Once the onions begin to turn golden and the celery softens, add in the cooked rice one cup at a time, folding the ingredients into the rice.
- Pour the soy sauce over the rice and fold the ingredients until all of the rice is evenly coated with soy sauce. Use a wooden spoon to scrape some of the fond (the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan) and mix it into the rice.
- Turn off the heat and fold in the bacon, SPAM, scallions, and furikake into the rice until the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Set aside and make the eggs.
5 Minute Soft Boiled Eggs
- Boil water over medium heat in a large saucepan. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the eggs into the water. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Immediately remove the eggs from the boiling water and transfer them to a cold bowl of ice water. Allow them to chill for 2-3 minutes. Use a spoon to gently crack the eggs. Carefully peel off the shell.
Assemble
- Distribute the rice into bowls and top with soft boiled eggs. Serve immediately with more soy sauce, furikake, and Sriracha.
Yui
Made this fried rice today, the flavors were so good!
Kathleen Higashiyama
We're so happy you enjoyed the friend rice, Yui! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.