Air Fryer Egg Rolls Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

Healthier air fryer egg rolls, with a minimal amount of oil and lots of vegetables, are a delicious alternative to deep fried egg rolls.

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.

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 — so good!)

And let’s not forget that bright pink sauce, sweet and tangy. I like to swirl just a bit of the hot mustard sauce in it for a little added zing. They have the best egg drop soup, too, with house made broth, and unlimited jasmine tea.

I hope this recipe will inspire you to make your own healthier version of egg rolls right at home. Admittedly, they aren’t 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.

About this recipe

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.

But you’re going to wrap the filling in an egg roll wrapper. Buy a package of pre-made wrappers. They are so 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.

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!

You’ll probably have fry them in batches, unless you have a really big air fryer. This recipe makes 14-15 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 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.

Enjoy! Egg rolls are a popular appetizer and a great side dish. Serve air fryer egg rolls with sweet chili chicken stir fry orsweet and sour chicken stir fry. Love Chinese take-out? Make your own orange chicken or sesame beef, and homemade fried rice.

Or how about egg rolls as an easy main dish? Why not? There’s meat and vegetables rolled in a starchy wrapper. Kind of like a taco or burrito, right? Or try egg roll in a bowl, which is all the stuffing but no wrapper. It’s one of my favorite meals, one pan and ready in 30 minutes!

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, cutting down on 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! Lots 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!

FAQs

make these egg rolls your own

Speaking of creativity, maybe you want to change things up and make the egg rolls your own special concoction. There are a lot of things you can substitute or add. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

• Add tiny canned shrimp to the filling.
• Make the filling vegetarian. Substitute chopped mushrooms for the ground meat and if you’re vegan, brush the edges of the wrapper with water to seal the egg roll.
• Add more veggies. 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.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Cooled completely and wrapped well, egg rolls will keep three to four days in the refrigerator. To reheat, place them in a dry skillet and warm them up. You also could put them on a baking sheet in a medium low oven to reheat.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Egg rolls are best if you fry them immediately, and then refrigerate until you’re ready to reheat and serve them.

To get a head start on making egg rolls, prepare the filling up to a day in advance. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.