Rice stir-fried with savory spam, fluffy eggs, and vegetables, then seasoned with umami flavors - the ultimate comfort food! This one-pan, easy spam fried rice recipe is ready in 30 minutes with leftover rice. In no time, you'll have a delicious meal that's great for busy weeknights!
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If you're not familiar with Spam, it's a canned ingredient that contains mixed pork, and Asians love to cook with it as it's savory, cheap, and shelf-stable.
The U.S. military brought spam to Asia during World War II and the Korean War as a food ration, and it's become a beloved comfort food used in rice and noodle dishes.
This is a flavorful rice recipe and my husband loves it too. I love to enjoy a big bowl of it as I watch my Korean drama!
If you love fried rice, check out my Chinese Chicken Fried Rice and Shrimp Fried Rice.
Why This Recipe Works
- We add butter for a rich depth of flavour, and it also helps lightly toast the rice.
- I've tested this with several types of rice and recommend jasmine rice or long-grain white rice, as they hold their texture best and help prevent soggy fried rice.
- Many Spam fried rice recipes end up clumpy, but using chilled, day-old cooked rice keeps the grains separate and results in a lighter, fluffier texture.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Cooked Jasmine Rice: Or white long-grain rice. Use cold, day-old rice for best texture. If using fresh rice, spread on a baking sheet, freeze 45 minutes, then break it up.
- Spam: Use low-sodium spam to control the saltiness. But if using regular spam, reduce the amount of soy sauce. Substitution: Diced ham.
- Large Eggs
- Diced Carrots, Corn, Peas: You can use fresh or frozen ones for convenience. Substitutions: Chopped green beans, edamame, or diced bell peppers.
- Shallot: To add sweetness and aroma. Substitution: ¼ cup diced onion.
- Green Onion: To add aroma and color.
- Fresh Garlic: To add flavor and fragrance. Substitution: Jarred minced garlic.
- Neutral Oil: Use high-smoke-point oils like avocado, peanut, vegetable, canola/rapeseed, or sunflower oil. Avoid extra virgin olive oil (smokes at high heat).
- Regular Soy Sauce: Any all-purpose brand works [I recommend Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee]. Low-sodium or light soy sauce also work.
- Dark Soy Sauce: Provides a deep brown color and umami [I recommend Pearl River Bridge Superior or Lee Kum Kee Premium]. Mushroom-flavored dark soy sauce is also a great option.
- Unsalted Butter: This is the secret ingredient to flavorful fried rice. Substitution: Salted butter and adjust the amount of soy sauce and salt.
- Salt
- Toasted Sesame Oil: Delivers a deep, nutty aroma [I recommend Kadoya or Maruhon]. Avoid substituting with untoasted sesame oil as it doesn't taste the same.
Note: Most Asian ingredients are typically found at Asian grocery stores, or you can check online.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Spam fried rice:
- Fry Spam and shallots: Heat a dry wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Fry the diced Spam until golden brown, then add the shallots and cook until softened.
- Stir-fry vegetables: Add the vegetable oil, green onions, and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Then add the corn, peas, and carrots, and toss until evenly combined. Push everything to one side of the pan to create an empty space.
- Cook the eggs: Pour the beaten eggs into the cleared space. Let them set for 10-15 seconds before scrambling, then break into bite-sized pieces.
- Add rice and seasoning: Add the cold, day-old rice. Pour the regular soy sauce and dark soy sauce around the edges of the pan and let it sizzle for about 5 seconds. Add the unsalted butter, and season with salt if needed. Toss everything until evenly combined and no white grains remain. Finish with sesame oil and garnish with extra green onions. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use cold, day-old rice: Drier grains stay separate, giving light, fluffy fried rice.
- Quick-chill fresh rice if needed: Spread on a tray and freeze for 45-60 minutes, then break up before cooking.
- Break up clumps first: Loosen rice with clean hands or a paddle so it cooks and toasts evenly.
- Cook over medium-high heat: Helps dry out excess moisture and prevents soggy fried rice.
- Use a steel wok or pan: High heat retention creates better searing and the signature wok aroma.
Variations
- Ham version: Swap the spam with diced ham.
- Gluten-free version: Swap both soy sauces with tamari sauce, coconut aminos, or gluten-free soy sauce.
- Dairy-free version: Swap the butter with vegan butter or omit the butter altogether and it will still taste delicious!
Pairing Suggestions
Spam fried rice pairs well with:
- Starters: Egg Rolls, Crab Rangoon, Egg Drop Soup, or Hot and Sour Soup.
- Noodle Dishes: Chow Mein or Lo Mein.
- Vegetable Dishes: Spicy Garlic Bok Choy or Stir-fried Snow Pea Leaves.
- Protein Dishes: Szechuan Chicken, Black Pepper Beef, Bang Bang Shrimp, Egg Foo Young, or Soy Garlic Tofu.
Storage & Reheating
- Leftover spam fried rice can last up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To enjoy, reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
- Freezer: Spam fried rice can be frozen for up to 2-3 months when stored in smaller portions in freezer-safe bags. To enjoy, defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
FAQ
Freshly steamed rice can be used, but you'll need to dry it out first, or it'll result in clumpy fried rice. To do this, evenly spread the cooked rice out on a large baking sheet, freeze for 45 minutes, and break it up with a rice paddle.
You don't need a wok to cook this dish, simply use a large pan and medium-high heat to ensure the grains toast evenly.
Soggy fried rice usually comes down to a few key issues: using freshly cooked or still-warm rice instead of cold, dry rice; not breaking up clumps before or during cooking; or cooking over heat that's too low. Medium-high heat is important to properly dry and fry the grains rather than steam them.
More Like This
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Spam Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice or long-grain white rice, cold day-old recommended
- 1 can spam low-sodium, diced into ½" cubes
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup frozen diced carrots
- ⅓ cup frozen peas
- ⅓ cup frozen corn
- 1 small shallot finely chopped
- 2 green onions finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter unsalted
- ¼ teaspoon salt add to taste if needed
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil toasted kind
Instructions
- Heat a dry wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Fry the diced Spam until golden brown, then add the shallots and cook until softened.
- Add the vegetable oil, green onions, and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Then add the corn, peas, and carrots, and toss until evenly combined. Push everything to one side of the pan to create an empty space.
- Pour the beaten eggs into the cleared space. Let them set for 10-15 seconds before scrambling, then break into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the cold, day-old rice. Pour the regular soy sauce and dark soy sauce around the edges of the pan and let it sizzle for about 5 seconds. Add the unsalted butter, and season with salt if needed.
- Toss everything until evenly combined and no white grains remain. Finish with sesame oil and garnish with extra green onions. Enjoy!
Soraya Garcia
So easy to make! Actually I didn't know what to do with the 2 cans of spam and when I saw your recipe I got really excited!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you liked it! Glad I could help give you an idea on how to use spam.
Elizabeth
First time making Spam Fried Rice, and I'm so glad I picked your recipe to follow. It was simply delicious ☺️
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for this positive review! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
tom
We always make a version of this, with red chilli, thank you for the day old rice trick
I didn't know that. Now I'll spread and freeze for one hour. Cheap n easy.
Christie Lai
Glad I could help with the tip! Thanks for the positive review!
Jeane
I made this last night, now having made it twice. It is so good and is now a regular on the family menu. I now do the prep work a few hours ahead of time- I cut up some extra carrot ( to cook with the garlic and onion/ shallot), dice up the spam and some pressed tofu dusted in cornstarch as well to stretch the protein (for family of 6). Because I have no wok, I cook the ingredients separately, and place each in a bowl and bring it all together in my skillet at the end and it works great. Thanks Christie, I'm looking forward to trying several of your recipes - you've made them very approachable. Good work!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for leaving such a kind and positive review, Jeane! I am so thrilled to hear that you enjoy this recipe so much and I hope you enjoy my other recipes 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Amanda S Fisher
Amazing combination of flavors! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
christieathome
Thank you so much for the kind comment, Amanda! Happy I could share this recipe with you and glad you enjoyed it!
Sarah
I made this today for the first time and it is absolutely delicious. It's cold and rainy outside and this was the bowl of comfort I was searching for. Thank you very much.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Sarah! I am so pleased that you enjoyed my dish 🙂 Have a lovely day!
George Moy
Christie; Hi your spam fried rice is delicious,I know I used to make it in the past, but I haven’t recently because when you buy spam at the grocery store (like Kroger) it is very expensive $3.89 for one can ,also you should let readers know sometimes when you order fried rice on a take out menu (as sides for your meal) all you will get fried rice all right,but no meat or vegetables,either.Another thing,you could make fried rice with,boil in bag rice or instant rice,(just use a sliver of water for instant rice) both rice will asorb soy sauce so easily that you should adjust how much soy sauce to season,now if you substitute the peppers (green,red, orange and yellow)it would make it more enjoyable because spam, and bacon is very salty, the green peppers will take the saltiness out with a little sweetness added to the dish.
George Moy
Also I forgot to mention to tell you instead of regular spam,you should try the new spam,that is bacon flavor spam,its like having fried bacon, but it tasted a little like Rath ham ,the bacon spam is very delicious too.
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it, George! Thanks for all this information and I'm sure the readers will find this comment helpful!
Rosemary
I love fried rice! You know it is such a great base recipe to throw different ingredients into! I definitely want to try this with some little pieces of chicken! And of course egg hehe
Letscurry
Christie, I'm planning this for a quick dinner and gonna replace spam with tofu. It's an amazing recipe to get more veggies in.
I agree with you about finding the right balance and working with our individual body rather than following the fad. We all are unique and so are our eating habits and too much of control will only backfire and make you binge more. Insightful eating is what we need but hey, life is too short to skip a packet of chips. Enjoy!
christieathome
That's wonderful! I'm so glad to hear you will try my recipe. I hope you enjoy it 🙂 It's a great foundation for any fried rice where you can swap out ingredients for what you prefer.
I'm also glad you're with me on that! It's very true, when we restrict ourselves it only leads to binge eating. Thanks for your kind comment Haseena! I truly appreciate it.
Katerina
I couldn't agree more - eating healthy is all about balance. What is the point of having the most nutritious diet if you're unhappy? I have to admit I only eat spam when we're in Hawaii (they do love their spam) but I love this idea - I don't think I'd be able to stop eating!
christieathome
Thanks Katerina! I am glad you're with me on that. It took me awhile to really get to this place of balanced wellness and I'm still learning as I go. I bet their spam is just amazing!
Never Ending Journeys
I absolutely love this recipe! Fried rice is one of my all time favorite dishes, so adding spam would take it to a whole new level. Thanks for sharing this!
christieathome
Thanks so much!! It was definitely one recipe that I was excited to share here because I'm sure so many people bought spam for the lockdown.
Rashmi
I just love fried rice... this looks so yummy... thanks for sharing the recipe dear 🙂
http://www.beautyandfashionfreaks.com
christieathome
Thank you so much! I appreciate that! It's a delicious one.
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
I LOVE this Christie! In my opinion, it's all about balance. We have to allow ourselves to find what balance works for us. It makes me happy to know that you are sharing recipes that you love and enjoy!! This Spam fried rice looks insanely delicious too!!
christieathome
Thanks so much for reading Tasia! You're totally right. It really is about balance and I'm so happy to be sharing recipes that I truly enjoy now 🙂