Vegan Spam Musubi is the best snack when you’re craving something savory and this recipe makes it easier than ever to have this Hawaiin classic at home – without any mystery meat!

Spam. No one really knows what it is, but almost everyone has had it!

I say no one really knows what it is, but the ingredient list isn’t as crazy as I remembered. It’s actually a mix of cooked pork and ham meat with lots of salt.

Any canned meat will inevitably insight speculation and the “ick” factor, but for many people, this cheap luncheon meat was a staple in their households. Particularly in Asian and Pacific Islander cultures, Spam is something we’ve grown up on and it’s even become a trendy ingredient in food trucks and street food today.

When I think about the few things I miss as a vegan, it’s never the fancy steak or sushi – sometimes I honestly miss things like Spam the most! We didn’t have it super often growing up, but fried Spam and rice was something I thoroughly enjoyed eating. Especially when I visited Hawaii, spam musubi was one of my favorites!

That’s why I had to come up with a vegan spam musubi recipe that mimics the salty, savory goodness that is Spam, wrapped in a warm serving of white rice. When made vegan, this spam is thankfully much healthier with not much “mystery” involved, so you can feel good about indulging on this comforting dish.

Ingredients:

Vegan Spam
1 block baked or super firm tofu sliced into 4 rectangles
¼ cup soy sauce
⅛ cup water
¼ cup vegan oyster sauce
¼ tsp garlic powder
⅛ tsp white pepper
½ tsp liquid smoke divided
¼ tsp smoked paprika divided
1 tbsp sesame oil
Salt

Musubi
2 cups white rice cooked
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar or sweetener
2 sheets of nori cut horizontally

First, cook the white rice according to directions. Short-grain or sushi rice is best.

To make the vegan Spam, slice the block of tofu into 4 rectangles about ¼ inch thick. It’s very important to use tofu that’s super firm or baked cutlets, so there’s very little moisture in the tofu. Pierce holes in the tofu with a fork to allow the marinade to seep through. Add 2-3 drops of liquid smoke on both sides of the tofu, then sprinkle on a pinch of salt and smoked paprika to both sides (about ¼ tsp smoked paprika total). This helps with the coloring.

Next, in a glass bowl or container, mix together the soy sauce, vegan oyster sauce, garlic powder, and white pepper. Thin out the marinade with ⅛ cup of water, then add the slices of tofu to the marinade. Let the slices marinate for at least 5 minutes, but the longer the better!

On a large skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon of sesame oil on medium-high heat. Carefully add the marinated slices of tofu to the pan, and fry until both sides are slightly crispy – about 2-3 minutes per side. Set aside.

To season the cooked rice, mix together 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon of sugar or liquid sweetener (I use allulose here). Add the vinegar mixture to the cooked white rice and mix until well combined.

Time to assemble! Cut 2 sheets of nori horizontally so you have 4 strips, then lay one strip horizontally across your workspace with the shiny side down. Using either your hands or a rectangle mold the size of your vegan Spam slices, tightly pack about ¼ cup of rice in the middle of the nori strip in the shape of the Spam. (I used a smaller tupperware container!)

Next, add one slice of spam to the top of the rice. Dampen your fingers and gently wet the sides of the nori, then fold the nori tightly inward. The nori should act as a band holding the rice and spam together. Repeat for all the slices.

There’s your vegan spam musubi! Serve warm with a side of soy sauce, and enjoy!

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