Vegan Spam Musubi with Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce
Aug 14, 2019 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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This Vegan “Spam” Musubi is a totally meat-free swap for savory spam and rice musubi made with a gluten free teriyaki marinade, firm tofu, and nori for the classic Hawaiian musubi look.
What is Spam Musubi?
If you grew up eating spam like me, you’re going to love this vegan take on spam musubi.
To this day, I don’t know what spam is really made of (nor do I want to), but I ate it ALL the time as a kid. I’m part Japanese and also part Korean, so I grew up with a lot of spam around me. Whatever it is, there’s no doubt that spam contains some not-so-great-for-you ingredients. Ultimately, it has to be one of the most highly-processed meat products out there.
Because I prefer to eat less processed food and no meat these days, I thought it was time to reimagine one of my favorite childhood dishes. This take on Hawaiian musubi is every bit as savory, salty, and umami-packed as what I ate growing up. It just happens to be healthy, light, and vegan at the same time. Win-win!
Spam musubi is a Hawaiian snack. It was popularized in the US by Japanese Americans.
O-mosubi (おむすび) is a rice ball wrapped in a strip of seaweed (nori). It’s sometimes stuffed with a filling of meat, fish, or vegetables. Other times, it’s topped with a piece of protein.
In this case, for vegan spam musubi, the rice ball has a nice pink strip of vegan spam on top. The spam is usually sliced, grilled, and then glazed in a teriyaki sauce. Then the rice snacks are usually served with an extra brush of sauce to top. The spam on top is flavour-packed, and the rice underneath balances out some of the saltiness.
What Makes This Recipe Great
- First of all, this recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free, but full of flavour.
- Secondly, most teriyaki sauce recipes are not gluten-free. But this recipe is made without gluten. It’s a great one to keep on hand to use for stir-fries, noodles, and other plant proteins. And if you have leftover gluten free teriyaki sauce, feel free to brush more on top of your musubi after cooking for even more flavour.
- In addition, musubi makes for a great on-the-go snack or packed lunch. If you want to make it in advance, I recommend making it the day you’ll eat it so the rice texture stays intact.
- Use this vegan spam recipe for other dishes calling for spam! It’s an excellent vegan alternative to spam!
How to Make Hawaiian Spam Musubi
For starters, I found that tofu is the best plant-based substitute for the spam in this recipe. First, because it has a similarly firm texture. In addition, tofu is also easy to cut tofu into a spam-like shape.
And while I don’t think anything will ever compare to the sodium and umami bomb that is spam and teriyaki sauce, this vegan spam is the closest I’ve gotten while keeping healthy and gluten-free too.
In addition to the tofu, you’ll need short-grain white rice, seasonings to make the gluten free teriyaki sauce, and nori.
Ingredient Notes
Vegan Spam Musubi
- extra firm tofu: You’ll need about 1/2 of a standard 14oz block of tofu. Extra-firm is the best way to recreate the texture and shape of vegan spam.
- steamed white rice: Use short grain rice, and for best results, make this in a rice cooker!
- toasted sesame seeds: Feel free to use black, white, or both.
- unseasoned nori
- pinch of salt
Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce
- tamari: This is a gluten-free soy sauce alternative. However, if you prefer liquid aminos or coconut aminos, feel free. And if you’re not allergic to gluten, feel free to use conventional soy sauce.
- liquid smoke: This adds a touch of smokiness to the marinade that tastes like grilling outdoors without the fire. Of course, you can omit the liquid smoke if you prefer.
- arrowroot or cornstarch: This helps thicken up the sauce. These are both naturally gluten-free and help give more body to your marinade. As a result, it turns into more of a glaze when you cook the tofu.
- maple syrup: I like maple syrup for its more complete flavors. However, coconut sugar or even brown sugar will also work well.
- rice wine vinegar
- garlic powder
- ground ginger
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Slice tofu into spam-sized pieces. I started by cutting the block of tofu in half (to create two wider blocks, not longer blocks, if that makes sense!). Press the tofu using a tofu press, or allowing it to sit, sandwiched between paper towels and a heavy book on top for pressure. Press for about 20-30 minutes, or longer if possible! This allows for better texture and more water to be released.
- Once the tofu is pressed, slice it into pieces about an inch thick, shape rectangles into spam shape, roughly 2 inches by 4 inches, and round off the corners if desired.
- Prepare the gluten free teriyaki sauce by whisking together all sauce ingredients and allowing tofu to marinate in the sauce. Again, the longer the better, for maximum flavour absorption! I recommend at least 30 minutes to an hour, but if you’d like to, you can also let sit in the fridge overnight.
- When tofu is ready, you can choose to pan fry tofu with any remaining sauce, until golden brown, and all the sauce is absorbed. Otherwise, you can bake at 375F in the oven on a nonstick baking mat for about 10 minutes on each side, brushing with leftover marinade as you flip.
- Prepare nori strips by cutting them into strips about 2 inches wide, and prepare rice by tossing them in a large bowl with sesame seeds and a pinch of salt. Use a spatula to toss, being careful not to break the rice grains or mush the rice.
- To assemble, take about 1/2-2/3 cup of rice, and using your hands, press together firmly with moist hands to form an oval shape. You can also use a form/mold to do this. This will be your rice ball base! Top with a slice of vegan spam, and wrap with a nori strip. To finish, brush with any remaining gluten free teriyaki sauce.
Tips for Success
- The trick to making this vegan spam recipe work is to nail the tofu. The bulk of the recipe focuses on getting the texture and flavour right, so give your tofu time to marinate in the seasonings.
- Make sure you’re using extra-firm tofu, not silken. It should be hard to the touch and shouldn’t fall apart when you’re working with it. This is important for texture, and shape.
- If you have a tofu press, I highly recommend one! But if not, follow the tofu pressing instructions in the recipe below.
- I recommend preparing the rice in a rice cooker for the best results.
Storage Tips
- Wrap leftovers in reusable plastic wrap alternative and place them in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
Tofu! The way the spam is made in this recipe can be recreated for virtually any recipe calling for spam. Just make sure to use extra-firm spam for the best texture and shape.
Certainly, if you’d rather keep things simple and marinate your tofu “spam” in your favorite store brand of teriyaki sauce, then go for it!
It’s both! Think of it as a Japanese/Hawaiian food fusion made popular in Hawaii by Japanese Americans.
Try These Japanese Recipes…
Zenzai – Japanese Sweet Red Bean + Mochi Dessert
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! I love to see your creations, so please follow and tag me on Instagram!
Vegan Spam Musubi with Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 oz extra firm tofu about 1/2 of a standard 14oz block of tofu
- 2 cups freshly steamed white short grain Japanese rice*
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds feel free to use black, white or both
- 1-2 sheets of unseasoned nori
- pinch of salt
- teriyaki sauce
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce alternative of choice
- 2 tbsp water to thin as needed
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar
- 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch optional, to thicken
Instructions
- Slice tofu into spam sized pieces. I started by cutting the block of tofu in half (to create two wider blocks, not longer blocks, if that makes sense!). Press the tofu using a tofu press, or allowing to sit, sandwiched between paper towels and a heavy book on top for pressure. Press for about 20-30 minutes, or longer if possible! This allows for better texture and more water to be released.
- Once tofu is pressed, slice into pieces about an inch thick, and shape rectangles into spam shape, roughly 2 inches by 4 inches and round off the corners if desired.
- Prepare the teriyaki sauce by whisking together all sauce ingredients and allow tofu to marinate in the sauce. Again, the longer the better, for maximum flavour absorption! I recommend at least 30 minutes to an hour, but if you'd like to, you can also let sit in the fridge overnight.
- When tofu is ready, you can choose to pan fry tofu with any remaining sauce, until golden brown, and all the sauce is absorbed. Otherwise, you can bake at 375F in the oven on a nonstick baking mat for about 10 minutes on each side, brushing with leftover marinade as you flip.
- Prepare nori strips by cutting into strips about 2 inches wide, and prepare rice by tossing in a large bowl with sesame seeds and a pinch of salt. Use a spatula to toss, being careful not to break the rice grains or mush the rice.
- To assemble, take about 1/2-2/3 cup of rice, and using your hands, press together firmly with moist hands to form an oval shape. You can also use a form/mold to do this. This will be your rice ball base! Top with a slice of vegan spam, and wrap with a nori strip. To finish, brush with any remaining gluten free teriyaki sauce.
Notes
Tips for Success
- The trick to making this vegan spam recipe work is to nail the tofu. The bulk of the recipe focuses on getting the texture and flavour right, so give your tofu time to marinate in the seasonings.
- Make sure you're using extra-firm tofu, not silken. It should be hard to the touch and shouldn't fall apart when you're working with it. This is important for texture, and shape.
- If you have a tofu press, I highly recommend one! But if not, follow the tofu pressing instructions in the recipe below.
- I recommend preparing the rice in a rice cooker for the best results.
Storage Tips
- Wrap leftovers in reusable plastic wrap alternative and place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links.
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