These homemade egg rolls are filled with pork and vegetables, all wrapped up and fried to crispy perfection. The perfect make-ahead appetizer for any event!
Chinese egg rolls are a great snack or starter for any Asian style meal. These egg rolls can be assembled up to a day in advance and fried just before you plan to serve them.
Raise your hand if you love egg rolls! I sure do, but my kids are not wild about Chinese food, so we rarely go to Chinese restaurants. With these homemade egg rolls, now I can skip the restaurant and enjoy my favorite appetizer at home.
How do you make homemade egg rolls?
The filling for these egg rolls is ground pork, shredded cabbage, carrots and some seasonings like garlic, ginger and sesame oil. If you’re not a pork fan, you can substitute ground chicken. I use a pre-shredded coleslaw mix to make life easier and cut down on prep time.
After your filling is ready, it’s time to stuff your egg roll wrappers! Egg roll wrappers are most commonly found in the refrigerated section of the produce area at most grocery stores. My egg roll wrappers had a handy chart on the back to show me exactly how to fold my egg rolls.
The egg rolls are held together by a little beaten egg, and then they’re ready to hit the hot oil.
If you don’t want to fry your egg rolls right away, you can arrange them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, cover them tightly with plastic, and store them in the fridge for up to one day.
I use a thermometer to make sure my oil is at about 350 degrees for frying. The egg rolls fry up in just a few minutes, and then are ready to enjoy!
I serve my homemade egg rolls with a side of sweet chili sauce or sweet and sour sauce. It’s the perfect complement to the savory filling.
In my opinion, these pork egg rolls are just as good as what you’d get in a restaurant, and they’re surprisingly easy to make at home. They’re great for parties, as a game day snack, or just for those times when you have a Chinese food hankering.
More asian style recipes
Homemade Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 3/4 pound ground pork
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 3 cups coleslaw mix
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- 1 egg beaten
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat the 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the ground pork and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook, breaking up the pork with a spatula, until meat is browned and cooked through. Add the garlic and ginger then cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the coleslaw mix and green onions. Cook until cabbage is wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil, then remove from heat.
- Spoon approximately 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto each egg roll wrapper and fold according to package directions, using the beaten egg to seal the edges of the wrappers as you go.
- Pour 2-3 inches of oil into a deep pot.
- Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Fry 3-4 egg rolls at a time, turning occasionally, until browned all over, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Drain on paper towels, then serve with dipping sauce of your choice.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from The Country Contessa.
- Not a fan of pork? Use ground chicken instead.
- If you prefer to bake your egg rolls, you can coat them with cooking spray and bake at 425 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until browned and crispy.
Delicious egg rolls and so easy. I added frozen peas and hoisin sauce to the mixture. Keeper recipe!
Best way to freeze, cooked or uncooked?
I typically freeze cooked!
Can you put rice in egg rolls if so . How would you do it
You could try adding 1/2 cup of cooked rice to the meat and veggie mixture!
Perfect egg rolls! Was definitively a hit tonight!
These are really easy. I always thought egg rolls were too difficult, but I was wrong. I make these every 2 weeks. They are my “go to” for quick lunch or the 4 PM hungries when dinner is going to be hours away. So very good & I think they are healthier than other snacks.
your homemade egg rolls is easy to follow…a must try at home
the kids will surely love it.
Can these be cooked in an Air Fryer?
Yes you can do 400 degrees F for 5-6 minutes per side!
These were super easy and delicious as is. I did sub ground chicken because my kids aren’t fans of pork. I added a little more ginger because I love it and added cilantro to the mix just as I was about to start rolling. Great recipe! Thanks!
This recipe rocks!! I have been using egg roll wrappers for years to make ravioli but I started thinking about actually using them to make egg rolls. I was intimated to be honest to make homemade egg rolls however until I found your recipe and my first attempt they were fabulous and so easy. I used angel hair coleslaw instead of coleslaw mix and added shaved carrot. I used sesame oil instead of cooking spray on the egg rolls prior to baking them. Froze the extras and reheated them straight from the freezer at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and they were perfect. Thanks for the inspiration, I will never order Chinese take out again!
What brand/ type of egg roll wrappers did you use?
I use Nasoya brand but there are many different brands that work well!
I use roll sausage instead of plain ground pork, especially the ‘hot’ flavor if available.
Tom! I love that idea of using “hot” pork sausage. My husband would love that!
Turkey sausage + lean hamburger mix is a good combination for those who don’t eat pork
I do not have fresh ginger can I use ground ginger? How much should I use?
You would use 1/3 of the amount for ground ginger!
I made 40, they went so fast, two days later I made 40 more so I could freeze some for a later date. My family loved them. Thank You!
Do fry then freeze?
You can fry them then freeze!
I’m making these tonight. I have no doubt that they will be delicious. Every recipe I’ve made of yours has been outstanding
I loved the recipe. Very delicious! Thanks
Can they be made and frozen with out them being pre cooked? And deep fry from frozen or should they be thawed?
You can freeze them uncooked and you can fry from frozen!
I made this tonight.
It was great!!
Thanks for the recipe!
These were great. I followed the recipe as written. Perfection. My family enjoyed and I will definitely make again. Thank you for sharing!
I have found that after the cabbage is added and allowed to wilt, it starts to release moisture. Transfer the pork cabbage mix to a strainer and press or squeeze the moisture out of it. It will keep your egg rolls from becoming soggy after frying and also stop the water from “popping” in the oil while frying.
One mistake I see that many make is precooking cabbage and carrots, that is not correct. I grew up with Asians in my family and none every precooked. This caused the interior to be too moist and will be very wet and drippy at the very first bite. The cabbage and carrots cook perfectly fine during the cooking process . Make sure the oil is 350°F before frying any and they will all be perfect and golden brown when done. If you want to freeze some, add them to oil and cook until wrap is white a around and just barely started to turn a very light gold color, then place on paper to remove a excess oil and follow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then package carefully in an airtight container or storage bag to cook later following the original frying instructions. Egg Rolls are very freeze friendly.
Did they cook the pork or not? When I do my wontons I do not cook the ground pork. They cook while making the soup? So cook pork or no?
You do cook the pork prior to assembling the egg rolls.