How to make Egg Rolls
These Chinese homemade egg rolls rival any restaurant! They are bursting with juicy pork, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, and bean sprouts all wrapped up and fried OR BAKED to crispy perfection. You can swap out the pork for your favorite protein or add extra veggies to make them vegetarian. This egg roll recipe also boasts my unique food processor technique for the filling which means practically NO chopping and your filling comes together in minutes! These egg rolls also freezer beautifully for fabulous instant lunches or snacks or whenever you need a juicy, crunchy egg roll fix.
Servings 18 egg rolls
Ingredients
- 18 egg roll wrappers
- 1/4 cup water mixed with 2 tsp cornstarch
- Vegetable oil
Pork
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Veggies
- 1/2 small head (11 oz.) Napa cabbage
- 1 3.2 oz. pkg. shiitake mushrooms do NOT rinse mushrooms - wipe with paper towels
- 2 medium carrots chopped into 2” chunks
- 1 cup Bean Sprouts
- 4 green onions
- 1-inch ginger peeled
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
Instructions
- Chop veggies: Add Veggies to food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside.
- Cook pork: Cook pork in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Stir in remaining "Pork ingredients." Add chopped vegetables, and stir fry for one minute.
- Chill filling: Transfer pork and veggies to a baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Place in your freezer for 15-30 minutes until chilled OR cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Meanwhile, make sweet and sour sauce.
- Make Dipping Sauce: Whisk together all Sweet and Sour Sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until slightly thickened. Set aside. (Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.)
- Prep: Line a baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment paper to place finished egg rolls on; set aside.
- Fill Egg Rolls: SEE POST FOR IMAGES: Working with one egg roll wrapper at a time, position wrapper with one point towards you. Place 1/4 cup filling centered in the bottom third of the wrapper, spread into an even mound. Fold bottom corner over filling and press out any air then firmly fold the side corners towards the center over the filling so it looks like an empty envelope.
- Roll Egg Rolls: Brush a small amount of the cornstarch slurry over the open edges of the wrapper - what looks like the open envelope lid. Continue to tightly roll the egg roll up, pressing in the ends and squeezing out excess air, until it is completely sealed.
- Cover and repeat: Place finished egg roll on prepared nonstick surface and cover with a damp towel so it doesn't dry out. Repeat process with the remaining rolls. Meanwhile:
- Prep cooking method: If deep frying, start to heat the oil as you near completion. If air frying, and you’d like to keep the egg rolls warm between batches, preheat oven to 225°F. If baking, preheat oven to 425°F.
To cook
- TO DEEP FRY: Heat enough oil in a deep stock pot/Dutch oven or deep-fat fryer to reach 3 inches up the sides. Heat to 350 degrees F. Fry egg rolls, 4 at a time, until golden brown, turning egg rolls a few times while frying. Drain on paper towels.
- TO AIR FRY: Spray the basket of the air fryer with cooking spray. Working in batches, place the egg rolls in the basket seam side down without touching. Lightly spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Cook at 400 degrees for 9-11 minutes, flipping halfway through. Transfer to a baking sheet in the preheated oven to keep warm if desired as you make the next batch. Repeat.
- TO BAKE: Baked egg rolls won't achieve the same tantalizing, shatteringly crunch. Line egg rolls, seam side down, on baking sheet, so that they are not touching. Spray egg rolls with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 425 degrees F or until egg rolls are golden, flipping 2-3 times while baking, Broil a minute or so on each side for extra crispiness.
- Serve: Serve with prepared Sweet and Sour Sauce. If your sauce has become too thick, simply stir in some water to thin over low heat.
Notes
TIPS FOR HOMEMADE EGG ROLLS
- Cover wrappers. Keep the egg roll wrappers covered in their packaging when not using or else they will dry out and tear easily. You can wrap the package in plastic wrap or keep sealed in a freezer bag when not in use.
- Cool filling. You must take the time to chill your filling in the freezer or refrigerator before using. If it is warm, it will make your egg roll wrappers soggy and easily tear.
- Remove excess moisture. You don’t want any excess moisture because soggy filling will make soggy egg rolls that can easily tear. If your filling has excess moisture, blot it with paper towels. I found this was the case as I reached the end of the filling and more liquid had accumulated.
- Don’t overfill egg roll wrappers. I find 1/4 cup to be ideal for rolling up egg rolls but if you find you can’t easily roll up and seal your egg rolls, then use less filling.
- Wrap tightly. Make sure you push out any excess air and roll your egg roll as tightly as possible to prevent the filling from leaking into the oil or the oil leaking into the egg roll and causing it to crack.
- Seal egg rolls completely. It is important that the egg rolls are completely sealed otherwise oil can seep in and cause them to break while cooking. If you find your egg roll wrappers aren’t sealing, it might be because the edges are too wet – don’t use too much slurry to seal.
- Cover egg rolls before frying. Just like you need to cover the egg roll wrappers before using, you need to keep the egg rolls covered with a damp towel at all times after wrapping and before frying to prevent them from drying and cracking. If the wrappers dry out, they will easily crack when placed in the hot oil.
- Don’t overcrowd pan. Be patient and cook just 4 egg rolls at a time depending on your pan size so they cook evenly.
- Adjust heat. If you find your egg rolls are cooking too quickly and surpassing the golden brown, then lower heat.
- Don’t stack. Resist the urge to stack the Chinese egg rolls or they won’t be as crispy. I know I didn’t follow my own advice in the photos so I can speak from personal experience that stacked egg rolls will steam and you will lose that shatteringly crispy coveted exterior. It is best to serve the egg rolls lined in a single layer with a little breathing room in between each egg roll.
FRYING TIPS
If you aren’t familiar with frying, it is easy! Here are some helpful tips and tricks for the perfect fried egg rolls every time:- I highly recommend an instant-read thermometer to ensure you have the correct temperature not only at the beginning of frying, but throughout the entire frying process. If your oil is too hot, then the egg rolls wrappers will brown quickly, but won’t be as crispy because there wasn’t enough time for the water to evaporate. If the oil is too cold, the egg rolls will never reach peak crispiness. You can still fry without a thermometer, but it may be more trial and error.
- If you are frying without a thermometer, make sure you add a pinch of flour or pinch off some extra egg roll wrapper and add it to the pot. If it boils, your oil is ready but if it boils and turns dark within a minute or so, your oil is too hot. You will have to remove from the heat, wait a few minutes, return to heat and try again.
- Take care you don’t overcrowd your pot so the egg rolls can cook evenly and so you have plenty of room to flip the egg rolls over with tongs. This also helps you keep a close eye on them so they don’t overcook.
- Use a stainless-steel strainer to transfer fried egg rolls to a paper towel lined baking sheet or serving platter so they stay crispy. If you don’t have a strainer, then you can use tongs but be careful not to puncture or drop the egg rolls!
- When you remove the egg rolls, place them on paper towels in a single layer without touching. You don’t want them sitting in oil or touching or they will lose their extreme crunch.
HOW TO REHEAT Easy EGG ROLLS
For the crispiest leftovers, re-crisp egg rolls in the air fryer at 350°F for 1–2 minutes. Alternatively, bake in a single layer at 350°F for about 7 minutes.HOW TO FREEZE EGG ROLLS
- Prepare and cook egg rolls according to directions.
- Let egg rolls cool COMPLETELY.
- Line them on a baking sheet so they aren't touching then cover tightly with plastic wrap.
- Place in the freezer and flash freeze for 1-2 hours until solid.
- Once solid, transfer egg rolls to an airtight freezer safe container or plastic freezer bag.
- Store in the freezer for up to three months.
- When ready to serve, either fry egg rolls straight out of the freezer (don’t defrost), OR bake from frozen per instructions, adding about 5 minutes to baking time.