Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice (20 minutes!)

My Dad’s Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice is a seriously delicious meal that’s easy and super affordable to make at home. It’s my childhood dish that is comforting and always brings a smile to my face. Made with pantry ingredients like spam, ketchup, and soy sauce, this is exactly the recipe you need to make when you don’t know what to eat, or don’t have anything in the fridge. Give this Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice recipe a try, and it may also be your comforting dish. 

Table of contents

• My Dad’s Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice
• Spam Ketchup Fried Rice Ingredients
  • Crispy Spam Bites
  • Easy Veggies For Picky Eaters
  • Cold Cooked Rice
  • Cooking Fried Rice With Ketchup
• How To Make Easy Spam Fried Rice
• Do you want more EASY recipes? Here are some of my go-to recipes that take less than 20 minutes to make at home! 

My Dad’s Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice

Growing up, my mom and grandma was the chef in the family; however, if there is one dish that my dad made better than anyone is his Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice. Whenever my mom was busy or out of town, my sister and I would request my dad to make us Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice.

Even though the fried rice was simple, all the flavors work together perfectly. It’s the perfect way to get a picky eater to eat some extra veggies. If you are feeling fancy, top the fried rice with a fried egg, and you got yourself the perfect lunch. 

Spam Ketchup Fried Rice Ingredients

Crispy Spam Bites

Spam is affordable but also packed with flavor. There are a few secret steps that my dad does to the spam that make this fried rice extra special. First, he dices the spam into tiny little bites. Then, he pan-fries it until crispy, and adds some soy sauce to season it. This adds tons of texture and layers of flavor.

If you don’t like spam, you can substitute for hot dogs, bacon, or ham.

Easy Veggies For Picky Eaters

My parents also loved this recipe when we were kids because it’s an easy way to get picky eaters to enjoy a ton of veggies. Like many other Fried Rice recipes, this recipe is super customizable with the type of veggies you can add. We’re using frozen veggie medley of corn, peas, and carrots here, but you can really add anything you want.

Cold Cooked Rice

Make sure to ALWAYS use cold day-old rice for fried rice. The temperature different keeps the grain from becoming soggy, and turns it into a fluffy texture. I usually have servings of leftover rice in ziplock bags stored in the freezer, so I always have it for fried rice.

Another quick tip? Wet your hands with cold water and break the rice apart with your hands before adding it to the pan. This makes sure the rice is not stuck together and doesn’t become soggy, and it won’t get stuck to your hands. Once you add in the rice, you want to quickly saute on high heat while making all the flavors together so it doesn’t become soggy.

Cooking Fried Rice With Ketchup

It may seem weird to add ketchup to your fried rice, but the tangy and sweetness from the ketchup turns this spam fried rice into a match made in heaven. It balances the salty soy-glazed spam bites so well, every bite super addicting. Always add the sauce and the rice last, so the rice won’t turn soggy.

How To Make Easy Spam Fried Rice

1. Cut the spam into small bite-size pieces.
2. Crack the egg into the bowl and season with salt and pepper. 
3. In a pan, add in spam, and saute for 3-4 minutes or until spam becomes golden brown.
4. Drizzle 1 tbsp of soy sauce into the pan, and mix everything. 
5. Push the spam to the side, and pour in the eggs. Let the eggs sit for 30 seconds before scrambling together. 
6. Add frozen vegetables, rice, the rest of the soy sauce, and ketchup.
7. Turn the heat to high, and saute on high heat for 3-4 minutes. 

Do you want more EASY recipes? Here are some of my go-to recipes that take less than 20 minutes to make at home! 

• Air Fryer Chinese Eggplant (20 Minutes)
• Authentic Dandan Noodle (20 Minutes!)
• Butter Mushroom Rice (15 Minutes)
• Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (10 Minutes ONLY!)

Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice

By Tiffy Cooks

5 from 4 votes

Don’t judge me until you try it; Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice is seriously delicious and easy to make at home. We all have that childhood dish that is comforting and brings a smile to our face; mine is my dad’s Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice. I know it may seem weird to add ketchup to your fried rice, but the savouriness of the spam plus the tangy and sweetness from the ketchup is seriously a match made in heaven. Give this Spam and Ketchup Fried Rice recipe a try, and it may also be your comforting dish.

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Prep Time:5 minutes mins

Cook Time:15 minutes mins

Total Time:20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, Asian, Chinese, Taiwanese

Keyword: 20 Minute Recipes, Asian Food, Asian Recipe Easy, Asian Recipes, Asian Recipes for Dinner, Chinese Food, dinner Ideas, Easy, Easy Recipes, Fried rice, Fusion Recipe, gluten free, QUICK RECIPES, rice bowl, rice recipes, Taiwanese Food, Taiwanese Recipes

Servings: 4 People

Calories: 564kcal

Ingredients

• 3 cups Cooked Rice day old and cold
• 1 can Spam
• 4 Eggs
• 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 4 tbsp Ketchup
• 1 cup Frozen Vegetable
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

• Cut the spam into small bite-size pieces.
• Crack the egg into the bowl and season with salt and pepper.
• In a pan, add in spam, and saute for 3-4 minutes or until spam becomes golden brown.
• Drizzle 1 tbsp of soy sauce into the pan, and mix everything.
• Push the spam to the side, and pour in the eggs. Let the eggs sit for 30 seconds before scrambling together.
• Add frozen vegetables, rice, the rest of the soy sauce, and ketchup.
• Turn the heat to high, and saute on high heat for 3-4 minutes.

Video

Notes

QUICK TIP: break the rice apart with your hands before adding it to the pan. This will help ensure the rice is not stuck together and doesn’t become soggy. Wet your hands with cold water before breaking the rice apart so the rice doesn’t stick to your hands.

Nutrition

Calories: 564kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 23gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 224mgSodium: 2182mgPotassium: 612mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2625IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 4mg