How to cook air fryer SPAM so it’s perfectly crispy, plus how to cook diced potatoes with it for a completely delicious meal in under 20 minutes flat! Slice into patties like this or make air fryer spam fries to dunk into sauce for a snack!
This little can of yum is pretty controversial. People either love, hate, or have never tried it! If you want to know how to cook spam the BEST way, this air fryer spam recipe is it! One of our favorite air fryer recipes on The Typical Mom. (affiliate links present)
How Many Minutes to Cook Spam in Air Fryer
I think 6 minutes is about right but it depends on what size they are cut in. We like crispy so large bite size chunks is our go to, you could slice it as well. We even added a second SPAM recipe with potatoes below too! Once you try this you’re going to want to air fry everything I tell you! Crispy edges make everything taste better ya’ know. 😉
You can make this as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe or use whatever brand you have. They all work basically the same, the basket sizes are just different.
Jump to
If you love extra crispy food and quick recipes, here are some resources to start with:
- My Favorite models are this Cosori or for a dual machine, the Foodi.
- You can find more Ninja Foodi recipes here as well; bookmark them both!
- It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. this is how to preheat air fryer first.
- Here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Ninja Foodi Spam
If you actually have tried and love fried spam this may replace that method because you get the same crisp to the outside, but only a light spray of oil is needed. With this multi-cooker brand you are going to use the lid that is not attached and the air crisp button!
NO deep frying in oil to get that nice caramelized color and flavor on the outside. Just dice, throw it in and it’s done in no time. Ready to start cooking spam in your Ninja Foodi or other brand of air fryer? Let’s open the can and get going.
Air Fryer Spam Recipe
Yes, this is what it looks like. A bit like a very large Vienna Sausage in looks without any skin on the outside, it has a similar flavor too, but better. You can cook it a multitude of ways but if you ask just about everyone they suggest that it has a bit of crisp to it on the outside. Heat will somewhat caramelize it and enhance the overall flavor.
SPAM ingredients
- Pork with ham
- Salt
- Water
- Modified potato starch
- Sugar
- Sodium Nitrite
What You Need to Cook Spam in Air Fryer
- Can of SPAM
- order online above or find in the grocery store near the tuna fish
- there are now a few different flavors but I prefer original, any will work for this
- Olive oil spray
- Knife
How to make with potatoes
If you want to include potatoes I will include the ingredients and recipe for that below but yes you can add a few potatoes diced. With a bit of olive oil spray it will keep those moist and the duo together is just great. I have served it for breakfast and my kids love it. Both get browned and fork tender in no time.
You could even swap out the seafood in our air fryer shrimp boil for this and add corn on the cob into the mix. To get it out of the can squeeze the short ends just a bit and hit the open end gently down on a cutting board. It should pop out cleanly that way. You want it to pop out in one piece so you can slice it nicely like you see here. Ideally you want all of your slices to be similar in size so it cooks evenly.
Is Spam gluten free?
YES! It does say on the side of the can that it is, as for any questions regarding that they provide you a number which is helpful I suppose. Hormel SPAM is made in Minnesota and has been around forever!! How can you serve spam in air fryer then?
Can you eat spam without cooking it?
Yes! It’s been cooked before it gets tinned, has been pasteurized during the canning process and is safe to eat as is. I will say that fried has a better texture and a deeper flavor as the salts and seasonings are enhanced with the heat.
How to Cook Spam in Air Fryer
- We have even just picked up a piece of air fryer spam and had it as a quick snack like this!
- Since the outside gets nice and crispy they’re easy to pick up and munch on.
Whatever spam recipes you make just remember to NOT add any more salt. Especially if you decide to cook it, this meat has quite a bit of salt already in it. You don’t want to overdo it.
How to serve
- Simple and delicious, just serve crispy spam and rice that has been perfectly steamed in your pressure cooker.
- A very popular dish is spam musubi. If you have never heard of this it is essentially using a cooked or uncooked piece inside or on top of a piece of sushi.
- Want a heartier meal? Slice it thick and make a spam burger out of it atop a bun loaded with lettuce, tomato and pickles!
The name was derived from a the idea that it was a sort of spiced ham. The original variety of Spam is still available today, but now there are many more varieties to choose from. Now let me show you how I mixed diced potatoes and this popular canned meat together which came out amazing!
Instead of making 9-10 slices per loaf, I then cut those slices into strips so they were bite size and easier to eat. Ensuring everything was tender in the middle but crispy on the outside at the same time was the goal. Soon I am going to do this same thing, bread it a bit and make spam fries. Will share when those are ready!
Air Fryer SPAM and Potatoes
- Can of SPAM
- sliced like you see above
- 4 medium potatoes
- we used russet this time
- washed, dried, diced as you see above
- 1 tbsp. Olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic salt
- 1/8 tsp. Basil
- 1/8 tsp. Oregano
Air Fryer Fried Spam
This is how large I cut up the russet potatoes. To get them this size I sliced each one in half, put the cut end down, sliced lengthwise in half again, and then about 5 slices width wise made them bite sized.
- Olive oil is a necessity when cooking air fryer potatoes of any kind really.
- I did add a few seasonings to the mix, but NO added salt because the meat has plenty.
Make sure to mix all of this together first and add your spam pieces into the mix at the end so it doesn’t break apart.
Preheating your air fryer is an important step too so everything cooks evenly. Shaking the basket halfway through so all pieces get nice and crispy all the way around!
This one is quite simple but I did increase the temperature to 400 degrees since that worked well to cook our air fryer sausage and potatoes recipe. Get ready by preheating your Ninja Foodi or air fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes
How to Cook Spam and Potatoes in Air Fryer
- Dice your potatoes about the size you see above, as well as your SPAM
- Put potatoes in a bowl with olive oil, salt, basil and oregano and stir so they’re coated.
- Add Spam pieces and gently stir so they’re coated too but don’t fall apart
- You will need to make this in 2 batches, or cut recipe in half if you’re serving only 2 of you
- Pour half of what’s in your bowl into your preheated air fryer basket
- Set timer to 12 minutes
- Shake basket gently after 6 minutes so all sides can crisp up
- Enjoy immediately for best results!!
Looking for other easy air fryer recipes you’ll love? Pair with some air fryer broccoli for a family meal.
- Air fryer zucchini chips are even loved by my tween in the afternoon.
- Frozen mozzarella sticks in air fryer are great snacks too.
- Make chicken legs in air fryer for dinner some time.
If you want to take this to a WHOLE new level put a dollop of sour cream on the top of your serving and DON’T count the calories people. All in moderation y’all. 😉 Ready for the ultimate air fryer breakfast? Printable recipe is below. Nutritional information such as carbs in spam and more info are included too.
Air Fryer Spam
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 can spam, 12 oz.
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees.
- Place slices of Spam into air fryer basket and spray with olive oil
- Close and set to 6 minutes, check and if you want it crispier add another minute.
- ** Recipe for air fryer spam and potatoes together **
- Dice your potatoes into bite size pieces, as well as your SPAM. Lay potatoes on paper towels to dry, then in a bowl with olive oil, salt, basil and oregano and stir so they're coated. Add Spam pieces and gently stir so they're coated too but don't fall apart
- Pour contents into your preheated air fryer basket at 380 degrees. Set timer to 12 minutes. Shake basket gently after 6 minutes so all sides can crisp up. Cook until potatoes are fork tender and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for recipe
Spam and potato air fryer temperature and time was spot on, was so much easier than skillet on stove top.
We have corsi air fryer
I agree, glad you loved it
We love Spam. My husband used to work at Hormel in the Spam department. The meat is cooked in the can. It’s a two hour process. Bringing up to temperature, cooking and then cooling down. And regardless of what a lot of people think, it is made with good meat. I’m anxious to try it in the air fryer.
It is pretty darn good if you make it right!
I want to try this I love spam. I always use the less salt one I have to watch my sodium. I will rate it 5 stars for now
the Potato and Spam recipe doesn’t say which setting to use or which lid for the Ninja Foodie. New to Foodie, so it’s not obvious to me.
For air frying you always use the lid that is attached. Use air crisp button to air fry and set temperature accordingly using the – and + buttons.
Love the way the spam and potatoes get a little crispy in the air fryer! yum!
I know, it’s our fave
Never would have thought to use SPAM this way, but so glad you did! Delicious!! Thank you!