Spam Musubi with Egg is a breakfast treat filled with teriyaki Spam, fluffy seasoned egg, furikake, and rice wrapped in nori. This flavorful quintessential snack from Hawaii is an excellent make ahead breakfast or snack.
Spam Musubi with Egg is a breakfast twist on our Teriyaki Spam Musubi, an essential snack from Hawaii and a twist on the Japanese omusubi, or Japanese Rice Balls. In this recipe, we add a fluffy omelette-style egg that is seasoned with soy sauce, a pinch of sugar, and mirin. It's full of flavor and perfect for brunch or breakfast on-the-go.
This recipe is made with our Fried Spam, which results in crispy Spam infused in homemade teriyaki sauce. The combination of the savory Spam, umami-packed egg, furikake, and rice is mouthwatering! All you need is a musubi mold and your appetite!
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About Spam Musubi with Egg
- Taste - The spam, egg, rice, and nori combine to create the perfect mega-bite.
- Texture - The rice and egg are soft while the Spam is firm and crispy.
- Effort - This musubi has a few simple steps that require time and attention.
- Time - Depending on how you prepare the rice, it takes 50 minutes to make spam musubi. Save time by frying the Spam while the rice cooks.
What is Spam?
Spam stands for Special Processed American Meat and is mainly pork and ham. It was created in 1937 in Austin, Minnesota and slowly gained popularity after that. Today, it is very popular in Hawaii and is a staple of local cuisine. People in Hawaii love it with rice, especially in spam musubis.
What is Spam Musubi?
Spam musubi is a local favorite in Hawaii. It usually features spam and rice wrapped in nori, but there are a ton of different meats that can be substituted for Spam. We also love to add teriyaki sauce to our Spam musubi for the umami flavor. In this recipe, we add scrambled egg for extra protein and savoriness.
Ingredients
Musubi
- Spam - Spam is a surprisingly delicious and flavorful meat. We use low sodium Spam because it is slightly healthier than normal Spam without sacrificing flavor.
- Rice - Japanese short grain rice is best for musubi because it is both sticky and fluffy enough to retain its shape.
- Nori - Nori is dried Japanese seaweed that is used to wrap the musubi and keep the rice and Spam together. Nori sheets also provides a makeshift handle to eat the musubi.
- Egg - Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Pasture-raised eggs have a delicious flavor and contain more vitamins and omega-3 fats than cage-raised eggs. The egg is seasoned and has a similar taste to tamagoyaki.
- Furikake - Furikake is a Japanese seaweed seasoning that consists of dried nori, sesame seeds, and salt. Sprinkling furikake on the musubi adds a new flavorful dimension.
Teriyaki Sauce
- Soy sauce - Soy sauce, or shoyu in Japanese, is an essential condiment in Japanese cooking and adds a rich umami flavor to the teriyaki sauce. We use low sodium shoyu because it is healthier without sacrificing flavor.
- Mirin - Mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine that adds umami flavor and is the base of many Japanese sauces.
- Sake - Sake adds savoriness to the teriyaki sauce.
- Brown sugar - Brown sugar provides sweetness.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Store-bought teriyaki sauce - You can replace our homemade teriyaki sauce with store-bought teriyaki sauce if you want to save time.
- Brown Rice - Japanese brown rice is a healthier option, but make sure to use plenty of water so the rice is sticky enough to form into a ball.
- Portuguese Sausage Spam - This special Spam combines 2 of Hawaii's favorite meats: Portuguese sausage and Spam. The combination is super tasty!
- Gluten free - Soy sauce contains gluten. In order to enjoy this recipe gluten free, replace traditional soy sauce with gluten free soy sauce or tamari.
Variations
- Mini musubis - Cut the musubis in half to enjoy them as snacks or if you want to make musubi for a party or potluck.
- Spicy - Add sriracha or your favorite hot sauce to make the musubi spicy.
- No teriyaki - This musubi will also be delicious without teriyaki. The combination of spam, egg, furikake, and rice is satisfying on its own.
- Garlic powder - Garlic powder adds the quintessential aroma to the musubi.
- No Egg - Omit the egg if you don't have time to make it or want to enjoy a simpler version of this musubi.
Instructions
Rice
- Stovetop instructions - Place rice in a saucepan and rinse the rice in the sink until the water runs clear, then drain. Then combine washed rice and filtered water in a medium saucepan. Bring the rice to a low boil, then reduce to low heat. 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.
- 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. Then combine rice and filtered water in the pot and cook per the rice cooker directions.
Teriyaki Sauce
- Make the sauce - While the rice cooks, make the teriyaki sauce. Add soy sauce, sake, mirin, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk. Set aside. (Photos 1)
Spam
- Cook Spam - Cut the Spam lengthwise into 8 equal slices. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook Spam slices 3-5 minutes or until caramelized, flipping halfway through. Then add teriyaki sauce and cook for 2 minutes or until the slices are coated. Remove from heat. (Photo 2)
Eggs
- Cook eggs - Cook the eggs while the Spam cooks. Add eggs, sugar, mirin, and shoyu in a bowl and whisk. Heat oil in a skillet over low-medium heat. Once the oil is hot, slowly pour egg mixture into the skillet. Cover with a lid and allow it to cook untouched for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.
- Cut eggs - Carefully transfer eggs from skillet to a cutting board. Use the musubi mold as an outline to cut the egg into 4 rectangular pieces. (Photo 5)
Musubi
- Assemble musubi - Place the nori shiny side down on a dry cutting board. Then place the musubi maker in the center of the nori sheet. Wet a rice paddle or spoon with water and scoop rice into the mold so it’s evenly filled at about ¾ inch high. (Photos 6)
- Add furikake and egg - Sprinkle furikake on top of the rice, then add a single layer of egg. If you have leftover odd pieces of egg, you can layer those in too. (Photo 7 and 8)
- Add Spam - Add a single layer of Spam on top of the egg. Make sure the Spam carries over some of the sauce from the pan. (Photo 9)
- Press the musubi - Use the top of the musubi press and gently push down on the Spam to compact the rice. Then remove the mold and tightly wrap the nori over the musubi. (Photo 10 and 11)
- Wrap and slice - Dab a little water on the inside of the top layer of nori to seal the musubi. If using a double musubi mold, wet a sharp knife and slice in half to create two musubis. The wet knife helps prevent the rice from sticking. (Photo 12)
Pro tip: Nori has a shiny side and a rough side. The rice sticks to the rough side and the shiny side is for the exterior.
What to Serve with Spam and Egg Musubi
Spam musubi is a perfect snack or light lunch. We usually enjoy it with a Matcha Lemonade or Vanilla Matcha Latte. If you want to make a more filling meal, enjoy it with our Spicy Kani Salad, Furikake and Lemon Shishito Peppers or Elotes Style Corn with Furikake.
Other Types of Musubi
- Classic Teriyaki Spam Musubi - Teriyaki Spam Musubi is the classic Hawaii musubi. In order to make it, just omit the egg from this recipe.
- Onigiri - Onigiri are triangular rice balls wrapped in nori. Like musubi, they can be enjoyed with a ton of different fillings.
- Teriyaki chicken musubi - Grilled teriyaki chicken is a great musubi alternative.
- Chicken katsu - Chicken katsu is a crispy, golden brown chicken cutlet. Chicken katsu will also taste delicious with rice wrapped nori.
- Teriyaki hot dogs - Teriyaki hot dogs are an umami packed upgrade to normal hot dogs.
- Unagi - Unagi is broiled eel dressed in unagi sauce, a sweet and savory sauce. Unagi can be enjoyed in a hand roll or musubi.
- Tempura - Shrimp or vegetable tempura will add a delicious crunch to the musubi.
Recipe FAQs
Musubi or omusubi is a Japanese dish where rice is wrapped in nori. Spam musubi is a Hawaii variation of omusubi that typically includes Spam, rice, nori, and sometimes a tasty sauce.
Spam was introduced to Hawaii during World War II. During World War II, the U.S. government served Spam to soldiers stationed in Hawaii since Spam is cheap and non-perishable. There was so much Spam that it ended up sold in stores around Hawaii and eventually adopted into local culture.
Frying Spam is our favorite. You can also bake or microwave it but it won't have the same crispy and juicy texture.
You can make Spam musubi up to 3 days in advance. We often make a bunch to last for a few days.
Musubi can fall apart for a few reasons. First, make sure to use Japanese short grain, sticky rice. Short grain rice has a lot of starch so it sticks together while longer grain rice has less starch so it doesn't stick together well. Also, make sure the rice is still warm and not cold when you try to mold it otherwise the rice won't stick together.
Equipment
This musubi recipe requires a few kitchen essentials. For the rice, you will need a pot or rice cooker, and a rice paddle. The teriyaki sauce requires measuring spoons and cups, a mixing bowl, and whisk. For the spam and eggs, you will need a knife, cutting board, non-stick pan or standard skillet, and silicone baking spatula or tongs. To form the musubi, use a musubi mold.
Storage
These musubi can be refrigerated in an air-tight container or plastic wrap for up to 3 days. The key is to keep the moisture locked in so the musubi don't dry out. If you want to take the onigiri to go for lunch, plastic wrap or a bento box will both work well. These musubi do not stand up well to freezing.
Cooking Tips
- Make sure you wet your rice paddle before you pick up the rice so the rice doesn't stick to the paddle.
- One sheet of nori is perfect for 2 standard musubi. If using a single musubi mold, cut the nori in half before assembling the musubi.
- If you don't have sake on hand, omit it and increase the soy sauce and mirin.
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Spam Musubi with Egg
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
Rice
- Rice 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.3 cups Japanese or calrose rice, 3¾ cups filtered water
- 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.3 cups Japanese or calrose rice, 3¾ cups filtered water
Musubi
- Make teriyaki sauce - While the rice cooks, make the teriyaki sauce. Add soy sauce, sake, mirin, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk. Set aside.3 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sake, 4 tablespoon mirin, 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- Cook Spam - Cut the Spam lengthwise into 8 equal slices. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook Spam slices 3-5 minutes or until caramelized, flipping halfway through. Add teriyaki sauce and cook for 2 minutes or until the slices are coated. Remove from heat.1 12 oz canned low-sodium Spam
- Cook eggs - Cook the eggs while the Spam cooks. Add eggs, sugar, mirin, and shoyu in a bowl and whisk. Heat oil in a skillet over low-medium heat. Once the oil is hot, slowly pour egg mixture into the skillet. Cover with a lid and allow it to cook untouched for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.4 eggs, 2 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoon mirin, 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- Cut eggs - Carefully transfer eggs from skillet to a cutting board. Use the musubi mold as an outline to cut the egg into 4 rectangular pieces.
- Assemble musubi - Place the nori shiny side down on a dry cutting board. Then place the musubi maker in the center of the nori sheet. Wet a rice paddle or spoon with water and scoop rice into the mold so it’s evenly filled at about ¾ inch high.4 nori sheets
- Add furikake and egg - Sprinkle furikake on top of the rice, then add a single layer of egg. If you have leftover odd pieces of egg, you can layer those in too.4 tablespoon furikake
- Add Spam - Add a single layer of Spam on top of the egg. Make sure the Spam carries over some of the sauce from the pan.
- Press the musubi - Use the top of the musubi press and gently push down on the Spam to compact the rice. Remove the mold and tightly wrap the nori over the musubi. Dab a little water on the inside of the top layer of nori to seal the musubi. If using a double musubi mold, wet a sharp knife and slice in half to create two musubis. The wet knife helps prevent the rice from sticking.
Video
Notes
- Wet your rice paddle before you pick up the rice so the rice doesn't stick to the paddle.
- Nori has a shiny side and a rough side. The shiny side is for the exterior of the musubi, and the rice sticks to the rough side.
- One sheet of nori is suitable for two standard musubi. If using a single musubi mold, cut the nori in half before assembling the musubi.
- If you don't have sake on hand, omit and increase the soy sauce and mirin.
- Alternatively, if you don't want to dirty more than one pan, you can cook the egg in the pan, wipe the pan down, then cook the Spam in the same pan.
Diane T
The musubi tastes great but I ended up with so much extra rice! Next time I’ll do half the amount stated in the recipe.
Kathleen Higashiyama
Hi Diane, great to know! You can definitely adjust the rice-to-spam ratio next time. Thank you for trying our recipe!