Gwynedd Stuart
If you’re Hawaiian, Filipino, or you have Boomer parents (or you’re a Boomer yourself), you probably grew up on SPAM. The squishy, salty canned meat product has been a pantry staple for decades, a product that’s beloved and reviled in equal measure.
Personally, I love the stuff. I grew up eating SPAM fried rice—and even though I’d always make a face when my mom announced what we were having, I always ended up loving it. Don’t tell my mom I said this, but she’s usually right.
What is SPAM anyway?
SPAM is a brand of canned lunch meat made with ground pork and ham, salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrite. It launched in 1937 and became a hit with the troops during WWII. It’s big in places like Hawaii because it’s easy to ship and has a long shelf life.
What’s the deal with all these SPAM flavors?
At the moment, there are 13 flavors and varieties of SPAM, and we tried most of them in a recent taste test (we couldn’t get our hands on the Tocino or Gochujang flavors, but we’ll keep an eye out). Some of them sound incredibly suspect—lookin’ at you Maple SPAM—but we were genuinely surprised by how tasty some of these are. Not every flavor of SPAM is worth buying, but these six are.
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- SPAM Lite
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If you’re a die-hard SPAM fan, SPAM Lite may not hit the spot. It tastes more like ham than SPAM, but it has 50% less fat, 25% less sodium, and 33% fewer calories than the regular stuff—that’s significant! Plus, some people will probably like its more ham-like flavor.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- 25% Less Sodium SPAM
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I’m not totally sure why sodium content would impact overall richness, but Less Sodium SPAM has a little bit less of that signature SPAM fattiness. If you’re trying them head to head, you might not even notice the difference, but if you’re a true SPAM freak, the reduction in sodium (580mg per serving versus 790mg per serving) might not be worth it. Follow your SPAM-loving heart.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Hot & Spicy SPAM
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We liked this one a lot more than we thought we would, because they didn’t just add heat for the sake of adding heat—this SPAM flavor actually has a bright, lovely pepper flavor and heat. The spice level is perfect for people who want to feel alive (while eating SPAM) but don’t want to singe their taste buds. This would be a really good affordable swap for andouille in jambalaya.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Maple SPAM
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I’ll be the first to admit that Maple SPAM sounds weird, but please believe me: It’s delicious. If you like maple-flavored sausage, you’ll like this. The syrupy sweetness is the perfect complement to the aggressive saltiness of SPAM. A grilled slab of this would be SO GOOD on a breakfast sandwich.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- SPAM with Real Hormel Bacon
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Hormel makes SPAM and Hormel also makes bacon. I commend them for having the culinary courage to combine the two. This tastes like regular SPAM but with just a little bit more fatty richness and a little bit of a smoky flavor. If smoky SPAM sounds good to you, buy this instead of the hickory smoked version.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- SPAM
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Is it boring to say that the best flavor of SPAM is regular ol’ SPAM? Hey, maybe, but sometimes brands just kinda nail it the first time around. SPAM is pretty much perfect. Yeah, it’s salty as hell, but once your palate has made peace with that you adjust. It’s rich and fatty and there’s so much you can do with it (currently, they seem to be pushing the idea of SPAM tacos, which, sure, why not). If the price of groceries has you reconsidering the virtues of affordable canned comfort foods, I highly recommend giving SPAM another shot.
SPAM!
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SPAM!
Other SPAM flavors we tried
SPAM Oven Roasted Turkey, Hickory Smoke SPAM, Korean BBQ SPAM, Teriyaki SPAM
Danny Palumbo
Jordan Myrick
Justine Sterling
