If you’re craving a crispy Egg Roll but have been disappointed by what’s available in the freezer section, you’ll love this easy egg roll recipe with an uncomplicated process and impressive results. Making this restaurant favorite at home is easier than you think. The savory filling starts with ground pork that is seasoned with garlic, onion, and ginger and cooked with carrots and cabbage.
Rolling the filling inside the store-bought wrappers is really simple, too! Once rolled, fry these in your preferred cooking oil and serve with a sweet chili sauce for dipping! The pork makes these filling enough to serve as a main dish, but they also make a great appetizer for a party! For more Chinese food recipes, try my fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, or lettuce wraps.
What’s the Difference Between Egg Rolls and Spring Rolls?
While very similar, these two fried rolls have some distinct characteristics. Egg Rolls were actually created in the US and are made with a thicker wrapper that contains eggs (which is why there are typically small bubbles that form all over the outside after frying!). The filling often consists of mainly cabbage, carrots, and pork or shrimp (like my recipe).
Spring rolls are from China and are made with a thinner wrapper (made without egg) that creates a more delicate, smooth exterior. The fillings are traditionally made of vegetables only, though you can also find ones made with meat or seafood.
Ingredients
Pork – ground pork is most commonly used in egg roll filling and has a good balance of fat and protein.
Carrots – shred the carrots or use pre-cut matchstick carrots so the filling has a good texture and cooks evenly.
Cabbage – shredded green cabbage maintains some texture and gets nice and caramelized when cooked, making the filling very delicious. Shred your own or buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix) to save time.
Egg roll wrappers – you can find wrappers in the produce or refrigerated section of most grocery stores and often in the freezer aisles. If you have extras, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and use them up within a few days. If you can only find wrappers labeled for Spring Rolls, you can use them for this recipe.
Oil – peanut oil and vegetable oil are both great options for frying because they have high smoke points and will brown the wrappers evenly.
How To Make Egg Rolls
1. Cook the pork in a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling the pork as it cooks with a spoon or spatula for 5 minutes or until browned. Add the shredded carrots and diced onions to the skillet.
2. Stir in the soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, salt, fresh ginger, and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the carrots are softened. Add the cabbage and cook for about 2 more minutes, until wilted. Remove the skillet from the heat.
3. Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with 3 inches of cooking oil and heat over medium heat until it reaches 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with paper towels and placing a wire rack on top. Lay out one wrapper so it is oriented in a diamond shape, and brush the top corner of one wrapper lightly with the beaten egg using a pastry brush.
4. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the cooked pork and cabbage mixture into the center of the wrapper.
5. Bring the two side points of the wrapper together to touch in the center, then bring the bottom up and roll towards the corner of the wrapper with the egg wash. Gently press the wrapper to seal the top corner in place. Lay the pork egg roll with the sealed side down on a plate while you continue assembling.
6. Using a slotted spoon or long-handled tongs to transfer them to the oil, fry a few egg rolls at a time, turning occasionally, about 4-5 minutes. Once the rolls are golden brown and crispy, use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to transfer them to the prepared paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Continue frying in batches. Serve hot with your preferred dipping sauce.
Filling Variations
You can vary the filling in this recipe in a number of ways. Try this homemade egg roll recipe with some of the following modifications:
- Vegetables: use red cabbage, cooked cellophane noodles (vermicelli rice noodles), green onions, or bean sprouts.
- Meat: try ground turkey or chicken or finely chopped shrimp. You can even replace the meat with finely crumbled firm tofu.
For the best egg rolls, I recommend maintaining similar proportions of meat, sauce, and vegetables as written in the recipe when varying the filling so there’s adequate moisture and flavoring.
How to Serve
- Serve with dipping sauce. A sweet chili sauce is my favorite dipping sauce for crispy egg rolls! You can also use duck sauce, sweet and sour sauce, hot mustard, or make a soy-based homemade dipping sauce with equal parts soy sauce and rice wine vinegar and stir in a bit of sliced green onion, minced garlic, or grated fresh ginger.
- As an appetizer or a side dish: Serve these alongside your favorite vegetable stir fry, chicken fried rice, air fryer orange chicken, bourbon chicken, or any of your favorite Chinese-American dishes!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The best way to reheat leftovers is in the oven on a baking sheet or in the air fryer at 350°F until re-crisped and warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.
How To Freeze Egg Rolls
Uncooked egg rolls: Place assembled egg rolls on a lined baking sheet in a single layer and free until solid. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container, placing parchment paper or wax paper between layers, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can fry from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the frying time.
Cooked egg rolls: Let the fried egg rolls cool completely, then place them in a freezer-safe container, separating layers with parchment paper or wax paper. Freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen or defrost in the fridge for up to 48 hours before reheating.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Lay a damp paper towel over the extra wrappers as you work. Cover the stack of wrappers with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out while you assemble the rolls. Thin dough can crack when rolled if it gets too dry.
- Don’t overstuff the egg rolls. Putting too much filling inside the wrappers means they will likely burst during frying. I find 3 tablespoons to be just right, but test one first and adjust accordingly for your wrappers. I recommend that you not exceed ¼ cup (4 tablespoons).
- Use a thermometer. To keep watch on the temperature of your cooking oil, use a deep fry or candy thermometer that attaches to the side of your pot. Using this tool will help you know when the oil is ready and if you need to increase or decrease the oil as you fry subsequent batches. Having the oil too hot will burn the rolls; having oil that’s too cold will make the oils greasy and soggy.
- Use a Dutch oven with high sides. A high-sided pot is best for frying because it will minimize hot oil splatter.
- Fry in batches. You want to avoid overcrowding the pot. This results in uneven cooking and will cause the oil to drop too much in temperature, which may prevent the egg rolls from crisping properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common reason your homemade egg rolls aren’t crispy is that the cooking oil is not hot enough. Be sure to wait until the oil reaches 350°F to begin frying, and don’t add too many rolls to the pot at once. Overcrowding can cause the oil to decrease in temperature too rapidly. It’s also best to transfer cooked fried food directly onto the write rack so that any excess frying oil can drain off.
I prefer peanut oil or vegetable oil. You can also use a high-temp oil like avocado, grapeseed, or canola oil, but I recommend avoiding olive oil.
For air-fried egg rolls, try my air fryer egg roll recipe! If you want to use this specific recipe, you can follow it until they are fully assembled, then follow the cooking instructions in the air fryer recipe instead of deep frying them.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this egg rolls recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Egg Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces ground pork (338g)
- ½ cup shredded carrots (51g)
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion (33g)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage (114g)
- 12 egg roll wrappers (276g)
- 1 large egg beaten
- Peanut oil or Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes, using the spoon to stir and break up the pork into smaller crumbles during cooking.
- Stir in the carrots, onion, garlic, soy sauce, oil, salt, ginger, and pepper, and cook until the carrots are softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with 3 inches of oil and heat to 350°F over medium heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire rack on top.
- While the oil is heating, cover the egg roll wrappers with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.
- Fill an egg roll by positioning a wrapper so it’s a diamond shape on your work surface. Brush the top corner lightly with beaten egg.
- Spoon 3 tablespoons of pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling. Fold the two side corners towards each other over the filling, then roll up to the top corner and gently press to seal.
- Fry a few egg rolls at a time, turning occasionally, until browned and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the egg rolls from the hot oil using a slotted spoon or spider and drain on the wire rack. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Lay a damp paper towel over the extra wrappers as you work. Cover the stack of wrappers with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out while you assemble the rolls. Thin dough can crack when rolled if it gets too dry.
- Don’t overstuff the egg rolls. Putting too much filling inside the wrappers means they will likely burst during frying. I find 3 tablespoons to be just right, but test one first and adjust accordingly for your wrappers. I recommend that you not exceed ¼ cup (4 tablespoons).
- Use a thermometer. To keep watch on the temperature of your cooking oil, use a deep fry or candy thermometer that attaches to the side of your pot. Using this tool will help you know when the oil is ready and if you need to increase or decrease the oil as you fry subsequent batches. Having the oil too hot will burn the rolls; having oil that’s too cold will make the oils greasy and soggy.
- Use a Dutch oven with high sides. A high-sided pot is best for frying because it will minimize hot oil splatter.
- Fry in batches. You want to avoid overcrowding the pot. This results in uneven cooking and will cause the oil to drop too much in temperature, which may prevent the egg rolls from crisping properly.
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