These are the BEST Homemade Egg Rolls made with seasoned ground pork and fresh vegetables tightly rolled up in egg roll wrappers and then fried to crispy delicious perfection.
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I've never really loved Chinese take-out. I am aware that, for some people, Chinese night is just as frequent as pizza night. I'm not a huge fan, so our family doesn't eat Chinese very much at all. It's a shame for my husband, though, because he quite likes it.
When I make my menu for the week, I like to browse Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook lookingfor new recipes to try, which is how I found the idea of making egg rolls at home. I seldom venture into the realm of making Chinese at home, and if I do, it's usually some kind of stir-fry or fried rice. Not beautiful, golden, crispy egg rolls. I thought I'd give them a shot because I knew my husband would love them.
Once I got the technique down for rolling them up nice and tight, I made quick work of assembling them. Working in batches I fried them up. You've got to keep a close eye on them to make sure they're fried evenly and not for too long. Once they were done, they were nice and crispy and every bitas delicious as any take-out egg roll. My husband loved them, just as I suspected he would!
As a side note, these aren't exactly authentic Chinese egg rolls. While it's not an authentic egg roll recipe, we can call these American Chinese. I'm an American girl who loves American food, so I'm okay with a Westernized version.
What's important is that this simple egg roll recipe turned out just the way we hoped it would! They've been added to our permanent recipe rotation. I call this the best egg roll recipe because my husband thinks theyarethe best.
How To Make Egg Rolls
Egg rolls are easier to make than you think! First, combine cooked ground pork and garlic with soy sauce, sesame oil, ground ginger, shredded cabbage, and shredded carrots. Roll the filling in egg roll wrappers, and seal the egg roll with a flour and water mixture. Fry in oil until golden brown. See below for wrapping tips and a detailed ingredient list and instructions.
What is Egg Roll Filling Made Of?
You can make this crispy egg roll recipe with just a few simple ingredients:
- Ground pork: Look for unseasoned bulk ground pork in the meat case at your local grocery store. If you don't see it, I suggest asking the butcher at the meat counter.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic should have firm bulbs with white or purple-tinted paper husks.
- Soy sauce: Regular or low-sodium soy sauce can be used.
- Sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil will have a nuttier flavor than regular oil.
- Ground ginger: Ground ginger will add a subtly spicy, peppery flavor to your eggrolls - don't skip it!
- Carrots and cabbage: Shred the carrots and cabbage with abox grater.*
What's the Difference Between an Eggroll and a Spring Roll?
Spring rolls are wrapped in a thin flour wrapper. American Chinese egg rolls are wrapped in a thicker wrapper made with flour and egg. Egg rolls are always fried in oil until golden brown, but spring roll wrappers are more versatile and can be prepared baked, steamed, or fried.
Where to Buy Egg Roll Wrappers
Egg roll wrappers can usually be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. If you don't see them, don't hesitate to check with your store clerk. sometimes they are in a part of the store you wouldn't expect!
What to Serve with Egg Rolls
There are two ways that you can serve your egg rolls. They can be served as an appetizer before a delicious main course, or they can be presented as a side dish served with your main dish. We like to serve them as a side to egg drop soup. Whether you decide to serve them before or with your meal (or maybe even as your meal!), don't forget to serve them with a dipping sauce. Some of my favorite dipping sauces are sweet and sour sauce, a thick and sticky teriyaki sauce, sweet chili sauce, or Makoto ginger dressing.
Egg Roll Making Tips
Here are some of my key tips for making perfect egg rolls at home:
- Filling to wrapper ratio: Use a measuring cup to scoop your filling to ensure all of the egg rolls are uniform and not over or under-stuffed.
- Seal them well: The flour and water "glue" is key to making sure your eggrolls stay tightly wrapped and sealed when frying.
- Focus on oil temperature: Heat your canola oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F before adding the egg rolls to ensure evenly cooked egg rolls.
- Fry in batches: Overcrowding the pan will cause the egg rolls to cook unevenly. Work in batches to be sure there is enough space between each egg roll as they fry.
- Drain excess oil: After frying, drain as much oil as possible by holding the egg roll over the pan, then place the cooked egg rolls on a wire rack or paper towels to drain off any additional excess oil.
How to Store Leftover Egg Rolls
Cool leftover pork egg rolls and store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. Leftover egg rolls can be stored for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
How to Reheat Egg Rolls
When it comes to reheating egg rolls, I like to use one of two different methods. They are best reheated in the oven or an air fryer. Heat in the oven on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat them in an air fryer for 2-3 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Egg Roll Variations
Mix things up a little and make these egg rolls your own:
- Try using a different protein like ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground beef instead of pork.
- Instead of cabbage slaw, try a crunchy julienned broccoli slaw.
- Add extra veggies like bean sprouts, bell peppers, green onion, or celery to the mix.
More Yummy Wonton and Egg Roll Recipes
Looking for more awesome wonton or egg roll recipes? Check out these popular recipes from the archives:
- Air Fryer Wonton Mozzarella Sticks
- Air Fryer Wontons
- Air Fryer Salami and Cheese Egg Rolls
If you try this recipe, I'd love to know what you think in the comments below. Enjoy!
Yield: 12 egg rolls
prep time: 15 MINUTES
cook time: 15 MINUTES
total time: 30 MINUTES
These are the BEST Homemade Egg Rolls made with seasoned ground pork and fresh vegetables tightly rolled up in egg roll wrappers and then fried to crispy delicious perfection.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 small carrot, shredded
1 package (25 7-inch square) egg roll wrappers
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons water
1 quart peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
your favorite Asian dipping sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook the pork and garlic in the vegetable oil until the pork is no longer pink. Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and ground ginger. Set aside to slightly cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork mixture with the shredded carrots and cabbage. Make a paste out of the flour and water in a small bowl.
- Lay out an egg roll wrapper in a diamond shape with a corner pointed towards you. Place 1/4 cup of the pork and vegetable mixture into the center of the wrapper. Brush the corner farthest from you with the flour paste. Fold the corner closest to you up over the mixture. Fold the left and right corners in towards the center, then tightly roll. The flour paste will help seal the egg roll. Repeat until all of the filling is used. (I ended up with 13 egg rolls total.)
- In a deep heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the cooking oil to 350 degrees F. Fry the egg rolls in the peanut oil. Allow them to cook undisturbed on one side until golden brown and crispy before flipping to the other side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with your favorite Asian dipping sauce.
NOTES
To save time you can use pre-shredded coleslaw mix in place of the cabbage and carrots.
Author: Becky Tarala
Nutrition data should not be considered a guarantee. Please see our full Nutrition Data Disclosure.
