Turn a can of spam and rice into delicious Spam fried rice that’s perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Crispy spam cubes, simple veggies, egg and rice tossed in soy sauce and sesame oil that is a hit every time I’ve made it.
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Fried Spam and Rice
This Spam fried rice recipe is basically like ham fried rice, but instead of cooked ham, we’re using all-American canned Spam!
Spam has always been a budget-friendly alternative to other types of protein. When diced into little cubes and fried in a skillet, they become salty, crispy, and caramelized morsels that add so much flavor to any fried rice dish!
Chicken fried rice, egg fried rice, shrimp fried rice, and beef fried rice are all so popular, so why not spam fried rice?!
It’s a quick meal when you haven’t given much thought to meal prep on busy nights.
Spam Fried Rice Ingredients Notes
The complete list of ingredients with amounts are listed in the full recipe card below.
- Rice: Fried rice is best when cold, which is why it’s a great way to use up day old rice. If using freshly made rice, cool it in the fridge for at least 3 hours. I have made it with white rice and brown rice as well.
- Large eggs: We add beaten eggs to the pan to scramble.
- Spam: A canned processed meat that comes fully cooked. Dice it into ½-inch small cubes so we can cook it even more for extra flavor.
- Onion and garlic: Aromatics that add so much flavor to any fried rice.
- Frozen Peas and carrots: Thawed from frozen is best. I don’t recommend canned veggies, as they tend to get mushy.
- Soy sauce: You can’t have fried rice without it! I like using low sodium . You can also swap it for gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos if needed.
- Sesame oil: A drizzle with sesame oil at the end adds a beautiful, nutty, earthy flavor that is missing when it’s not there. Highly recommend not skipping it!
- Pepper: The saltiness of the spam and soy sauce is enough, so we don’t add any extra salt to this dish. However, we do need black pepper for balance!
green onions: Thinly sliced, for a pop of color and delicious flavor. - Sesame seeds: An optional garnish.
Variations You Can Make
1. Finish with a drizzle of Sriracha sauce or garlic chili paste for some heat or teriyaki sauce for more flavor.
2. For more delicious umami flavors, try adding some oyster sauce along with the soy sauce.
3. Add corn kernels to your veggies. A bag of frozen mixed veggies is a great all-in-one option.
4. Toss in whatever veggies you’ve got in your fridge. Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, bell peppers, mushrooms, snow peas, etc. You could even add diced pineapple for Hawaiian fried rice flavors.
How to Make this Fried Rice Recipe
Once you’ve got all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, this dish comes together in minutes. Here’s how it’s done!
Step 1: If you are not using leftover rice, cook the rice according to package directions and refrigerate for 3 hours or freeze it for up to an hour. Don’t forget to rinse your rice first to remove the starchy exterior. You want to prevent mushy rice as much as possible.
Step 2: Heat butter or oil in a nonstick large skillet or wok over medium heat and scramble the eggs until no longer runny. Once the eggs are cooked well, place them in a small bowl and set aside
Step 3: In the same skillet, add the diced spam and cook the pieces for 5 minutes, stirring often, until you start to see the edges become golden brown and crispy. Place those in a bowl and set aside.
Step 4: Next, sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until they are soft and translucent. Then, add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Step 5: Throw in the peas and carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
Step 6: Then, add in the rice, eggs, spam, and green onions. Stir everything to combine.
Drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil, and season with pepper. Serve garnished with sesame seeds, if desired.
Tips
- I can’t stress this enough; make sure the rice is cold! Fluffy rice is ok, as long as it’s not too mushy. Once the cold rice grains hit the hot pan, they tend to crisp up a bit and stay separated, giving it that signature bite that the best fried rice dishes are known for.
- To quickly thaw the veggies, place the green peas and carrots in a bowl of cold water while you’re cooking the rest of the dish. When it’s time to add them to the skillet, drain them in a colander.
- Canned vegetables are not recommended since they are typically mushier.
- Work quickly! Stir fries come together quickly over high heat, so in order for everything to cook evenly, you want to be prepared to move fast. This means having your spam diced, your veggies thawed, your rice chilled, and all your ingredients ready to go.
How to Store Leftovers
Refrigerate: Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Reheat: Reheat it in the microwave or a skillet for a quick lunch or easy dinner the next day. I place a damp paper towel over the bowl when reheating rice dishes to soften the rice slightly.
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FAQ’s
You really can’t go wrong with your choice of stir-fried rice. Any long-grain rice like Jasmine rice is a great option. Basmati rice is a close second. If you are going to use short grain rice (because why not use leftovers if you have them), remember that that type of white rice is usually going to be fluffier and may not crisp up as much.
It’s definitely the combination of soy sauce and sesame oil. It’s unmistakable!
More Asian-Inspired Dishes:
Easy Spam Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rice (1 ½ cups dry rice), cooled in the refrigerator for for at least 3 hours preferably
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 12 ounces Spam 1 can, diced into ½ inch cubes
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups peas and carrots frozen but thawed
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- Sesame seeds optional garnish
Instructions
- Cook the rice per package directions and refrigerate for 3 hours for the best fried rice. should be precooked, cooled, and kept chilled in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or freezer for an hour or 2. Do not use freshly made hot rice or the fried rice will be mushy.4 cups cooked rice
- In a large nonstick skillet or wok, add the beaten eggs and cook for about 4 minutes for a hard scramble. You can use a little butter or oil in the pan if you’d like. Place the scrambled eggs in a bowl and set aside.4 large eggs
- In the same skillet, add the diced Spam and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until it starts to get crispy edges. Place it in a bowl as well and set aside.12 ounces Spam
- Next, add the diced onions to the skillet and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until it begins to turn translucent. Then add in the garlic and cook for another minute.1 medium onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the peas and carrots and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.2 cups peas and carrots
- Finally, add in all of the cooked ingredients, rice, spam, eggs, and the sliced green onions, and stir to combine.3 green onions
- Drizzle with the soy sauce and sesame oil and season with pepper.3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon pepper
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
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