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Air fryer Spam Musubi, served on a black slate.
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[PNW] Addictive Hawaiian Air Fryer Spam Musubi

Say aloha to your new comfort food—Air Fryer Spam Musubi! Taste the sweet and savory goodness of the spam and the tanginess of the sushi rice! 🤩 Fry it, to believe it!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Makes 8

Ingredients

  • 1 can Spam low sodium
  • 2 sheets nori

Spam Musubi Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder

Sushi Rice

  • 4 US cups cooked regular rice 2 cups uncooked rice + 3 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons sushi rice seasoning

Instructions

  • Cook the sushi rice, or if you don’t have any, you can use regular rice with a 1:1.5 water-to-rice ratio. That's what we used for this recipe. In case you have sushi rice, reduce the water ratio to 1:1.25. For every can of Spam, you'll need to cook 2 cups of dry rice. Use an Instant Pot or rice cooker to make your sushi rice. Adjust the water ratio accordingly.
    Cooked rice in Instant Pot
  • Slice the Spam meat loaf into eight equal slices. Do not discard the can; we'll use it as the musubi mold. Wash it to remove any remaining oil inside.
    Slicing spam
  • Cut the nori sheets into 1-inch thick strips and set them aside for assembly.
    Cutting nori sheets
  • Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (204°C).
    Preating Instant Pot Vortex Plus Air Fryer to 400°F (204°C).
  • While the air fryer is preheating, prepare the musubi glaze. Combine low-sodium soy sauce, honey, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
    Mixing Spam Musubi glaze
  • Next, place the sliced Spam in the preheated air fryer, making sure they are nicely spaced out. Brush the musubi sauce on each slice and cook for 3-4 minutes.
    Glazing Spam slices with a basting brush.
  • Flip the Spam slices, brush it again with musubi sauce, and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the glaze caramelizes. Be careful not to overcook them, as the sugar in the musubi glaze can easily burn. We’re looking for a deep golden brown finish.
    Cooking Spam Musubi in air fryer
  • While air frying, you can prepare the sushi rice. Take the cooked rice and transfer it into a large bowl. Add the sushi seasoning and mix for 2-3 minutes. After air frying the glazed spam, you should be ready to assemble.
    Making sushi rice out of ordinary rice.
  • Put together the Spam musubi. First, get the Spam can and cut a piece of cling wrap. Place the cling wrap on top of the can, then add the air-fried glazed Spam on top and push it down the can. Next, scoop ½ cup of cooked sushi rice and layer it on top of the Spam. Apply pressure to flatten the rice, then take the cling wrap out along with the contents. Continue molding by hand, then remove the cling wrap. Finally, wrap it with the seaweed strip and seal it nice and tight by dabbing the ends with cold tap water.
    Assembled Spam Musubi
  • Serve and enjoy your labor of love: Hawaiian Spam Musubi Air Fryer Edition!
    Air fried Spam Musubi served on a black slate

Video

Notes

  • 1 rice cooker cup is equivalent to ¾ US cup.
  • To make sticky sushi rice out of regular rice, adjust your water ratio to 1:1.5.
  • If you're using sushi rice, reduce the water ratio to 1:1.25
  • Day-old-rice: If you have leftover rice, you can still revive it to make it sticky using the microwave. Simply transfer the rice into a microwave-safe bowl, add 1 teaspoon of water, and mix it. Then microwave the rehydrated rice for 30 seconds. Repeat the process until the texture of your rice becomes perfectly sticky.
  • Washing the rice grains is optional.
  • The Spam will shrink after air frying, so thicker slices will work better.
  • If your air fryer doesn't have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 400°F (204°C) and then let it cook for 4-5 minutes.
  • You can also skip preheating by adding 2-4 minutes to your cooking time. Increment gradually, to prevent burning the glazed spam.
  • I used a 6-quart Instant Pot to test the air fryer Spam musubi recipe. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the number of servings you are making. For optimal results, begin with the lower end of the suggested cooking time.

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 809mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg
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