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Hawaiian Spam Musubi Recipe Without Mold

Want to make Hawaiian Spam Musubi at home, but don’t have a musubi mold? Scroll to get my full Hawaiian Spam Musubi Recipe without mold!
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What Is Spam Musubi?

A traditional Hawaiian recipe, spam musubi is comfort food at its finest. It’s basically spam sushi and it’s oh-so-tasty!

Made with pantry staples like canned meat and rice and cooked with a sweet and savory sauce, spam musubi is going to become a staple in your home after making it for the first time. 

If you have never heard about spam musubi before you are not alone! It’s a traditional Hawaiian dish that has a lot of Japanese flairs.

A comfort food in the Islands, spam musubi is a staple at most homes. However, it’s not quite popular on the mainland. 

The thing I love the most about it is how easy it is to make! You only need a couple of pantry staples to create this dish at home. However, don’t let the fact that it’s super easy fool you, because it’s incredibly delicious! 

This is the type of dish that after making it for the first time you’ll see yourself coming for it again and again. It’s slightly sweet and savory and has those little smoky notes thanks to the use of Spam (yes, the canned meat!). 

It’s also slightly caramelized since we marinate the Spam slices in a sweet and salty sauce before frying it. This is seriously one of the best things you can make with spam.

Keep scrolling for one of our favorite Hawaiian Spam recipes!

How to make Hawaiian Spam Musubi by top Hawaii blog Hawaii Travel with Kids: spam musubi recipe without mold

How to Shape Spam Musubi

Spam Musubi Mold

There are spam musubi molds available for sale to help you give it its shape. It’s basically a little plastic press that helps in pressing the rice and spam together. Find the best prices here.

spam musubi recipe without mold recipe featured by top Hawaii blog, Hawaii Travel with Kids

This is the spam musubi maker that I usually use when I’m making it at home. That way, each musubi has the same shape, and the rice is packed tightly.

It also makes it super easy for kids to help make them.

How to Make Spam Musubi Without Mold: Option 1

You can also do it by hand since the rice is sticky. Use the spam slice as a guide and create a rice patty of the same shape. This is what I did in these photos since many people don’t own a spam Musubi mold.

Spam Musubi Recipe Without Mold: Option 2

Or, you can cut out both ends of the Spam can and use it as mold. It’s very, very important to make sure there are no sharp edges on the can. The first time I tried this, I ended up cutting my hand.

spam musubi recipe without mold recipe featured by top Hawaii blog, Hawaii Travel with Kids | spam musubi recipes

Now you have two options for how to make musubi without mold.

How to Make the Spam Musubi Sauce

Some Spam musubi recipes don’t use a sauce and I think that’s a horrible decision. The sauce adds so much flavor!

The thing I love the most about this recipe is the quick sauce used to marinate and cook the spam slices. 

I make my Spam musubi sauce recipe with soy sauce, sake (or any other strong liquor), rice vinegar, cornstarch, and water. Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the spam slices in it for around 30 minutes before cooking. 

When cooked the sugar will caramelize and the cornstarch will help in thickening it, resulting in a delicious pan sauce!

Spam Musubi Recipe Without Mold

Spam Musubi Ingredients: 

  • 1 Cup sushi rice (or white sticky rice), cooked according to package directions
  • ½ Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Sheet nori seaweed
  • 5 Spam slices (1 can)
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil

Spam Musubi Sauce Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tsp cornstarch
  • ½ Tbsp sake
spam musubi recipe without mold recipe featured by top Hawaii blog, Hawaii Travel with Kids | how to make musubi without mold

How to Make Spam Musubi

1. In a small bowl combine all the spam musubi sauce ingredients. Add the spam musubi slices and toss to combine. Let it marinate for 30 minutes. 

2. In a bowl combine the sushi rice with the rice vinegar. Toss to combine and let it rest for 5 minutes. 

3. Cut the nori seaweed into 5 stripes and set it aside.

4. Heat the vegetable oil and sesame oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the spam musubi slices and fry for around 2 minutes per side. 

5. Remove from heat. 

6. Shape the Spam Musubi: Press around ⅕ cup rice into the spam musubi press. Remove from the press and top with the cooked Spam. Wrap with a nori seaweed stripe. 

7. Repeat the process with the rest and serve it.

And there you have it! Now you know how to make musubi with my super easy Spam Musubi recipe!

Musubi Recipe Without Spam Options

I totally get that not everyone enjoys Spam as much as I do. That’s why I figured I’d give a few variations to this recipe for musubi.

Chicken Salad

My uncle introduced me to chicken salad musubi and it’s so tasty! Just get the canned chicken (we like the Costco one) and mix it with a lot of mayo. Then spread it on the rice.

Tuna

You can do it the same way as the chicken salad. Mix the canned tuna with mayo. You can even add in diced pickles or peas. Another option is to add a scoop of tuna macaroni salad.

Egg

You can scramble eggs and cut them to fit the musubi mold. Some people also add a strip of bacon or a piece of Portuguese sausage.

Leftover Teriyaki

A super easy option is to just put on whatever leftover teriyaki meat you have after you get takeout. Any chicken, beef, or pork works really well.

Yield: 5

Hawaiian Spam Musubi Recipe Without Mold

Spam Musubi recipe by top Hawaii blog Hawaii Travel with Kids

One of the most popular Hawaiian snacks is Spam Musubi. It's perfect for breakfast, lunch, or even a dinner appetizer. It's the ultimate salty (and slightly sweet) meal on the go!

Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • Ingredients: 
  • 1 Cup sushi rice (or white sticky rice), cooked according to package directions
  • ½ Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Sheet nori seaweed
  • 5 Spam slices (1 can)
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • Spam Musubi Sauce Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tsp cornstarch
  • ½ Tbsp sake

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl combine all the spam musubi sauce ingredients. Add the spam musubi slices and toss to combine. Let it marinate for 30 minutes. 
  2. In a bowl combine the sushi rice with the rice vinegar. Toss to combine and let it rest for 5 minutes. 
  3. Cut the nori seaweed into 5 stripes and set aside.
  4. Heat the vegetable oil and sesame oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the spam musubi slices and fry for around 2 minutes per side. 
  5. Remove from heat. 
  6. Shape the Spam Musubi: Press around ⅕ cup rice into the spam musubi press. Remove from the press and top with the cooked Spam. Wrap with a nori seaweed stripe. 
  7. Repeat the with the rest and serve it.

Notes

To save for later, simply wrap each musubi in plastic wrap to keep the rice fresh.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

5

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 252Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 739mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 6g

Spam Musubi FAQs

Is Spam Musubi Hawaiian?

Absolutely! It’s based on Japanese musubi, but the teriyaki Spam gives it a classic Hawaiian twist.

Is Spam Musubi served hot or cold?

Spam Musubi tastes best at room temperature or slightly warm. If your Spam Musubi has been refrigerated, heat it up in the microwave for 10-20 seconds for best results.

Do I need to refrigerate Spam Musubi?

If you aren’t going to eat all the musubi in the first few hours, wrap each musubi in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to keep it fresh. When you’re ready to eat it, simply pop it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften up the rice.

Looking for more tasty Hawaiian recipes? Check out my top Hawaii breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and cocktail recipes!

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