These homemade egg rolls are filled with a pork and vegetable filling then deep-fried until crispy. If you are craving takeout, this egg roll recipe is easy to make at home!
Egg Roll Recipe
This homemade egg rolls recipe is easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes, packed with authentic flavors and textures. Filled with seasoned pork and crunchy cabbage, then fried until crisp they are faster and tastier than Chinese takeout!
They make the best appetizer, especially with a little sweet and sour dipping sauce on the side. Add these, crab rangoon or southwest egg rolls to your Asian style meal.
5 star review
:My kids love Chinese takeout, but I am not a fan of all the “junk” in it! So I was pumped when I found this made from scratch recipe! Thank you! They turned out delicious.”
Andrea
Recipe Ingredients
- Pork: I used one pound of ground pork for this recipe.
- Ginger and garlic: Freshley minced gives the most flavor for each of these ingredients.
- Coleslaw: You can purchase a bag mix or make your own.
- Onions: Slice or chop however fine or thick you would like your onions to be.
- Soy sauce: This adds a sweet and savory flavor with all the filling.
- Egg roll wrappers: A thicker egg roll helps hold the filling together. If you only can find frozen egg roll wrappers just ensure they are thawed before using.
- Egg: Whisk the egg before adding it to the filling.
- Oil: The oil can be vegetable or canola oil. This will be used for frying the egg roll.
Spring Roll vs. Egg Roll
While these two are similar, there are some slight differences!
- Wrappers: If you are located in the US, the wrappers for spring rolls and egg rolls might be able to be used interchangeably. Check the packaging to ensure it is a wheat based wrapper and not rice paper wrapper. Thai or Vietnamese spring rolls use rice paper and they don’t hold up well to frying.
- Filling: An egg roll has a heartier filling with meat and veggies compared to a spring roll that has a lighter filling of fresh vegetables and shrimp. Egg rolls are fried while spring rolls are usually served fresh.
How to Make Homemade Egg Rolls
- Cool filling mixture. Spoon 1/4 of the filling mixture onto the bottom corner of the wrapper.
- Fill wrappers. Place the square egg roll wrappers on a diamond slant. That way one point is facing up and the other is facing down.
- Make an envelope. Fold up the bottom corner over the top of the filling, then fold in the two side corners so they meet in the middle (like an envelope).
- Close the egg roll. Brush the top triangle with egg wash and continue rolling up the egg roll through the center of the wrapper to the top corner. Seal it with egg wash.
- Fry. In a skillet, heat 1-inch of oil to 350°F. Place 4 to 5 egg rolls in the oil at a time. Fry until browned, flipping occasionally.
- Serve. Let cool slightly on paper towel lined plate then serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Tips for the Best Egg Rolls Recipe
- Make sure the filling isn’t too hot when you add it to the wrapper. Placing it in the fridge for 10 minutes first helps. Otherwise, it’ll make the wrappers too soft.
- Placing a damp paper towel over the wrappers helps keep them from drying out while rolling.
- Maintain temperature of oil at 350 degrees. What happens when the temperature drops is it takes longer for the egg rolls to cook which means it has a longer time for the wrappers to soak up the oil. Soggy egg rolls are the pits. Then, if the oil is too hot, well then they just burn!
- If you’re making a vegetarian version, cook the veggies in 1 Tbsp of oil since there will be no meat to produce extra grease.
- Use an oil that has a high smoke point for frying. Vegetable oil, peanut oil, canola oil, olive oil, and avocado oil will work.
- Work in batches. Adding any more than 5 at a time will lower the temperature, which is what we don’t want.
- If you find yours are browning too quickly, turn down the heat.
Variations
- Use ground chicken or ground beef in place of the pork.
- Omit the meat or protein altogether and double the veggies or add in rice noodles.
- Additional vegetables are mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, or slivered bell pepper.
- For extra flavor, add a drizzle of sesame oil to the filling.
- For a low-carb version of an egg roll, don’t miss my egg roll in a bowl. The filling is customizable and you can turn it into a lettuce wrap instead!
Serve these with your favorite Asian dishes like Asian dumpling soup, PF Chang’s orange chicken, kung pao chicken or kung pao shrimp.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
Homemade Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- ¾ pound ground pork , could use 1 pound
- 2 teaspoons freshly minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic
- 3-4 cups coleslaw mix
- 3-4 green onions , sliced
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- 1 egg , beaten
- Oil , for frying
- Sweet and sour sauce , for serving
Instructions
- Brown pork. In a large skillet, cook 3/4 ground pork over medium heat, breaking up with a spoon, until lightly browned and cooked through.
- Cook filling. Stir in 2 teaspoons ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic, 3-4 cups coleslaw, and 3-4 green onions. Cook 3 minutes, or until cabbage is wilted.
- Stir in 1 Tablespoon soy sauce and remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. I like to refrigerate about 10 minutes, so the meat doesn't make the wrappers too soft when rolling.
- Spoon about 1/4 cup filling onto the bottom corner of an egg roll wrapper. Fold in the 2 corners and then roll like a burrito, until it looks like an envelope. Brush the top triangle with the egg. Continue rolling and seal. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers. I like to keep a damp paper towel over the top of the wrappers while rolling, so they don't dry out.
- Fry egg rolls. In a skillet, heat 1-inch of oil to 350°F. Place 4 to 5 egg rolls in the oil at a time. Fry until browned, flipping occasionally. Turn down the heat if they are browning too fast.
- Place egg rolls on a paper towel-lined plate. Let cool slightly. Enjoy warm with sweet and sour sauce.
Notes
- You can use ground chicken or beef in place of pork.
- You may also omit the beef and double the amount of vegetables or add rice noodles. If taking out the meat, cook vegetables in 1 Tablespoon oil.
- Optional veggies to add: mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots.
- For extra flavor add a teaspoon or two of sesame oil.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
If you don’t want to deep fry egg rolls, bake them instead. Lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet, brush with oil, and bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Keep an eye on them turning golden brown. No need to drain any excess oil with this method!
You bet! Once you’ve wrapped all of your egg rolls, spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray, place them inside, give them another spray, and air fry at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, and flip halfway.
These are very freezer-friendly. Once completely cooled, transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag or container and keep them frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw, and then reheat in the oven at 300 until warmed through. About 5-10 minutes.
You can find egg roll wrappers in most grocery stores. If you live near Asian food markets, you’re bound to find some there. Just be aware that egg roll wrappers and wonton wrappers are not the same things!
Categorized as: Appetizers, Asian, Freezer-Friendly, Mini appetizers, Nut-Free, Side Dishes
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Haven’t tried this recipe yet, but was wondering if you could use Spring Roll wraps instead of egg roll wraps? My family prefers the lightness of spring rolls over the thicker egg roll wraps. If my memory is correct spring rolls are normally just stuffed with cabbage & vegs. Though I would think that you could add some kind of protein to them.
Hello, this recipe hasn’t been tested with Spring Roll wrappers, but let us know if you try!
Yum! Do you make your sweet and sour sauce from scratch? Would love a recipe-it looks delicious!
Yes! Here is the recipe I use for the sweet and sour sauce: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/sweet-and-sour-sauce/. Enjoy! :)
My kids love Chinese takeout, but I am not a fan of all the “junk” in it! So I was pumped when I found this made from scratch recipe! Thank you! They turned out delicious.
You are so welcome! I’m glad your family enjoyed them :)
These reminded me of the ones my mom used to make when I was little! So yummy, especially dipped in sweet & sour sauce!
Everyone at my house loved these egg rolls!! I can’t wait to make it again!