Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Egg rolls that are crisp but not greasy, what’s not to love? Healthier air fryer egg rolls, with a minimal amount of oil and lots of vegetables, are a delicious alternative to deep fried egg rolls.
How long it takes: 1 hour
Equipment you’ll need: skillet, air fryer
Servings: makes 15 egg rolls
Air Fried Egg Rolls
A Chinese restaurant favorite. One of the things I love best about my favorite Chinese restaurant is their egg rolls. Hot out of the fryer, so greasy and yes, so good, and filled with savory little bits of shrimp, pork, and cabbage. They probably have a gazillion calories, but dang, they’re good! The waiter, who knows our weaknesses well, always brings out lots of the crab cheese, too, which are totally irresistible. (P.S. You have to try air fryer crab rangoon!)
Air fried, not deep fried! Flavorful crisp egg rolls, stuffed with lean ground chicken, cabbage, carrots, and sprouts, are fried in your air fryer for a guilt-free entrée, appetizer, or snack. At only 212 calories per egg roll, you can feel good about munching on these little goodies. And air frying is so much easier than deep frying, too, with very little clean-up!
Sweet chili sauce. And let’s not forget that bright pink sauce, sweet and tangy. You can buy a jar of sweet chili sauce in the Asian section of your grocery store. I also use this addicting sauce to make my sweet chili chicken and firecracker shrimp.
A great appetizer, snack, or side dish. I hope this recipe will inspire you to make your own version of egg rolls right at home. Admittedly, they aren’t exactly the same as their deep-fried cousins but, with a crispy/chewy exterior, a fantastic filling, and lots of sweet chili sauce for dipping, homemade egg rolls are a pretty great substitute.
What’s in an egg roll?
- Ground Chicken or Pork – You could also use ground turkey, if you prefer.
- Coleslaw mix – Coleslaw mix contains shredded cabbage and carrots. It’s an easy shortcut to reduce prep time.
- Green Onions – Otherwise known as scallions, they lend a subtle onion flavor to the egg rolls.
- Bean Sprouts – Fresh or canned will work. If you use canned, make sure to drain, rinse, and pat them dry.
- Flavor! You’ll find plenty of flavor in these egg rolls from garlic, fresh grated ginger root, soy sauce, sriracha, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil.
- Egg Roll Wrappers – You’ll also need one beaten egg to seal the wrappers closed.
- Sweet Chili Sauce – You could also use additional soy sauce but we love, love, love sweet chili sauce!
How To Make Air Fryer Egg Rolls
Make the filling. The filling is made in a skillet on the stove. Fry up either ground chicken or ground pork, whichever you like best. Use a bit of sesame oil to fry it in. Toasted sesame oil adds lots of flavor.
Mix in a couple of cups of coleslaw mix, comprised of shredded cabbage and carrots. You can shred your own if you want but I love the convenience of pre-made. To the mixture, add green onions, bean sprouts, garlic, and ginger and stir fry briefly.
There’s plenty of flavor in the filling already but you’re going to amp it up with soy sauce (salty), sriracha (spicy), and rice vinegar (tangy). The filling is so good! It would be great in a lettuce wrap, too, especially with a drizzle of the sweet chili sauce.
Wrap it up. Next, you’re going to wrap the filling in an egg roll wrapper. Buy a package of pre-made wrappers. They are convenient and easy to use. Simply spoon a bit of the filling on one end of the wrapper, fold the sides in, and roll it up into a neat little package. Pleat the sides as you roll so you have a nice tight egg roll. Once you get the hang of it, it’s super easy.
Seal it. Brush a little egg wash (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water) along the edge to seal the roll, and it’s ready to fry. Air fry, that is!
Air fry. You’ll probably have fry the egg rolls in batches unless you have a really big air fryer. This recipe makes 14 to 15 egg rolls, depending on how big you make them, i.e. how much filling you can stuff in each one. They take about eighteen minutes to get browned and crisp.
Serve. Serve them with sweet chili sauce for dipping. Don’t skip the sauce! That would be like cake with no frosting or eating a plain hotdog on a bun, with no ketchup or mustard.
Serving Suggestions
As an appetizer. Egg rolls are a popular appetizer and a great side dish. Serve air fryer egg rolls with sweet chili chicken stir fry or sweet and sour chicken stir fry. Love Chinese take-out? Make your own orange chicken or sesame beef, and homemade fried rice.
As a main dish. You may not think of egg rolls as an easy main dish, but why not? You have meat and vegetables rolled in a starchy wrapper which is kind of like a taco or burrito, right? You can try my egg roll in a bowl, too, which is all the stuffing but no wrapper. It’s one of my favorite meals, made in one pan and ready in 30 minutes!
Recipe Variations
- Bake the egg rolls. If you don’t have an air fryer, bake the egg rolls in your oven. They may not get quite as crispy but they’ll still be delicious. Put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush them or spray them with a little oil, and bake at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Deep fry them. You can definitely deep fry these egg rolls if you prefer. Deep fried egg rolls will be greasier, but crispier, too. Heat about two inches of peanut oil in a large skillet, wok, or deep fryer to 350-375°F. Fry the egg rolls a few at a time, 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Vegetarian/vegan. Make the egg rolls vegetarian by substituting chopped mushrooms for the ground meat. If you’re vegan, brush the edges of the wrapper with water to seal the egg roll.
- Filling options. Add tiny canned shrimp to the filling. Add more veggies, like finely chopped bell peppers, celery, or whatever sounds good to you.
- Try a different dipping sauce. Eazy Peazy Mealz has five great Asian style sauce recipes.
Head start: Prepare the filling up to a day in advance. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Make ahead: Egg rolls are best if you air fry them immediately, and then refrigerate until you’re ready to reheat and serve them. Cooled completely and wrapped well, egg rolls will keep three to four days in the refrigerator.
To reheat: Place the egg rolls in a dry skillet and warm them up. You also could put them on a baking sheet in a medium low oven to reheat or back into the air fryer.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Egg Rolls
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ pound ground chicken or pork
- 2 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrot blend)
- ¼ cup minced green onions, minced, about 3 onions
- 1 cup bean sprouts (if using canned, rinse well, drain, and pat dry)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
- ½ teaspoon finely minced or grated ginger root
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Egg rolls
- 15 egg roll wrappers
- 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- additional oil or oil spray for frying
- sweet chili sauce, for dipping, optional
Instructions
- In large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Brown ground chicken, breaking up any large chunks, about 5 minutes.1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, ½ pound ground chicken or pork
- Add coleslaw mix, green onions, bean sprouts, garlic and ginger to the skillet. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes, or until cabbage softens.2 cups coleslaw mix, ¼ cup minced green onions, minced, about 3 onions, 1 cup bean sprouts, 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated, ½ teaspoon finely minced or grated ginger root
- Add soy sauce, Sriracha, and rice vinegar to the skillet; stir and cook 1 minute.1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce, 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- To fill wrappers: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling mixture onto one third of a wrapper, leaving a small border around the edges.15 egg roll wrappers
- Roll up, folding in sides, and brush a little of the egg wash on the inside edge of the wrapper to seal.1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Spray or brush with oil. Place on air fryer rack in single layer, sides not touching. Air fry at 400ºF for 18 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.
- Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce for dipping.
Notes
- Baking instructions: Place egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush them or spray them with a little oil, and bake at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Frying instructions: Heat about two inches of peanut oil in a large skillet, wok, or deep fryer to 350 to 375°F. Fry the egg rolls a few at a time, 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
- Vegetarian/vegan: Make the filling vegetarian. Substitute finely chopped mushrooms for the ground meat and if you’re vegan, brush the edges of the wrapper with water instead of egg to seal the egg roll.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you freeze them
I haven’t tried it, but I think they’d freeze really well. These air fryer crab rangoon freeze amazingly!
they sounds delicious and fun
Thanks Denise!
Um. Yum! These look amazing. Egg rolls are my favorite. Can’t wait to make them! ❤️
I hope you love them!