Homemade Egg Rolls – Everyone’s favorite fried takeout treat! Learn how to make this Chinese food staple at home with a short list of simple ingredients.
Egg rolls are one of my favorite deep-fried appetizers and are extremely popular in Chinese restaurants as well! I’m sure we’ve all ordered our fair share of egg rolls in the past, but I prefer to make these fried little cylinders in the comfort of my own home!
This takeout classic is made with a mouth watering filling of savory pork, fresh garlic, aromatic ginger, shredded cabbage and a few other staple Asian ingredients, all rolled inside a thickly-wrapped skin, then fried in hot oil. They are the perfect option to serve as an appetizer, at a party or gathering, or even at your next takeout fake-out night! As a bonus, I’ve included freezing instructions so you can make these babies way in advance!
What is an egg roll?
There are many theories floating around about why egg rolls are called egg rolls. One theory is that egg is used in the batter for the wrappers, which is very true. Another theory is that you brush egg on to the wrapper to seal it, which is true as well. One last theory I’ve heard, is because the egg roll has an outer shell with all the good stuff in the middle, just like an egg – I guess I’ll buy that theory too. They really named these rolls appropriately huh?
Ingredients
Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
- Pork – Ground pork.
- Ginger – Fresh ginger, minced or grated.
- Garlic – Minced.
- Salt & Pepper – To taste
- Chinese 5 Spice – This Asian seasoning is a mixture of star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorns, and fennel seeds. If you can’t find this specific seasoning, you can substitute a combination of cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and ground cloves for a similar flavor.
- Coleslaw Mix – Use your favorite!
- Soy Sauce – I opt for low sodium to control to salt level.
- Sesame Oil – Regular or toasted sesame oil will work!
- Egg Roll Wrappers – You can find these at your local grocery store!
- Egg – Beaten.
- Vegetable Oil – For frying! Substitute canola oil, avocado oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil or grapeseed oil.
How to make homemade egg rolls
- Cook the Pork: Add the ground pork to a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spatula as you go along.
- Add Aromatics: Add the ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and Chinese 5 spice to the skillet and stir well. Cook for another minute until the garlic is aromatic.
- Add Ingredients: Add the coleslaw mix, soy sauce, and sesame oil to the skillet and for about 4-5 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted. Remove from heat.
- Prep Oil for Frying: Add about 3 inches of oil in a deep pot and heat to 350 F degrees.
- Assemble Egg Rolls: Meanwhile make the egg rolls. Place an egg roll wrapper on your work surface. Place about 1-2 tbsp of the meat filling on the wrapper. Use the beaten egg to seal the edges of the wrapper. Fold two corners together over the filling, then fold the other sides in and roll tightly.
- Fry: Fry the egg rolls in the heated oil, 4 to 5 egg rolls at a time, until browned on all sides, should take 3 to 5 minutes.
- Finish & Serve: Transfer the fried egg rolls to a paper towel lined plate to drain some of the oil and repeat with remaining egg rolls. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Can I bake these?
You can! I chose to fry them, but I’ve baked them before and they are just as good!
How to bake
- Preheat Oven to 425F degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush each egg roll roll with melted butter, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Some tips and tricks
Here are some tips and tricks to achieve the best egg rolls out there! Regardless of if you’re a newbie or a seasoned vet in the kitchen, these tips are helpful!
- Remove All Excess Moisture: You don’t want any excess moisture in the filling because it can make your egg rolls soggy! Soggy egg rolls can easily tear, resulting in a waste of time and effort!
- Taste before Wrapping: Make sure to taste your filling before wrapping your rolls to ensure they are seasoned to your liking!
- Fry them Fast: If you aren’t planning to make these ahead and freeze them, make sure to fry them within 30 minutes of wrapping them! Otherwise, the juice will seep out and the rolls will be dry.
Additions
You can fill these babies with any ingredients of your choosing! Mix up the protein, add some spice. I kept mine classic and super simple, but feel free to go all out! Just make sure you don’t get too crazy and overfill your rolls, because they WILL tear or explode.
How to serve
Serve these delicious bites with your favorite dipping sauce! Some great options:
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Peanut Sauce
- Plum Sauce
- Oyster Sauce
- Sweet Chili
- Duck Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
Storing leftovers
Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Keeping ’em crispy!
To keep your rolls crisp, drain as much oil as you can from them! Store them in an airtight container on a paper towel to help soak up any excess oil that could potentially make them soggy.
Note: Do not put them in the refrigerator before they are completely cooled, because the condensation will make them soggy!
Freezing
If you want to make these in advance, they are an excellent option for a make ahead appetizer! Follow the steps up until frying, then wrap them in aluminum foil and seal in a plastic bag in the freezer – this will keep them moist! Thaw uncooked egg rolls in the bag in the refrigerator before deep-frying.
If you’ve already fried your egg rolls, wait until they have cooled before freezing! Store the wrapped egg rolls in a resealable bag in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Reheating
Reheat cooked egg rolls in the oven until heated through or by giving them a quick deep-fry again.
Did you like this recipe? Try these!
- Spicy Baked Mexican Chicken Egg Rolls
- Chicken Fajita Taquitos
- Crispy Fried Zucchini
- Nutella and Strawberry Wontons
- Cheesy Chicken Fritters
- Egg Roll Soup
- Toasted Ravioli
- Fried Pickles
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Homemade Egg rolls
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced or grated
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
- 3 cups coleslaw mix
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 24 egg roll wrappers mine were small, so there were 24 in a pkg
- 1 egg beaten
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Cook the Pork: Add the ground pork to a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spatula as you go along.
- Add Aromatics: Add the ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and Chinese 5 spice to the skillet and stir well. Cook for another minute until the garlic is aromatic.
- Add Ingredients: Add the coleslaw mix, soy sauce, and sesame oil to the skillet and for about 4-5 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted. Remove from heat.
- Prep Oil for Frying: Add about 3 inches of oil in a deep pot and heat to 350 F degrees.
- Assemble Egg Rolls: Meanwhile make the egg rolls. Place an egg roll wrapper on your work surface. Place about 1-2 tbsp of the meat filling on the wrapper. Use the beaten egg to seal the edges of the wrapper. Fold two corners together over the filling, then fold the other sides in and roll tightly.
- Fry: Fry the egg rolls in the heated oil, 4 to 5 egg rolls at a time, until browned on all sides, should take 3 to 5 minutes.
- Finish & Serve: Transfer the fried egg rolls to a paper towel lined plate to drain some of the oil and repeat with remaining egg rolls. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Video
Recipe Notes
- My egg roll wrappers were the smaller ones so I got 24 egg rolls, if you have regular size egg roll wrappers you will get 12 egg rolls, so when you fill them, fill them with 2 to 3 tbsp of the pork filling.
- Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
What is the best way to reheat left overs? The microwave makes them hard to cut. Also, could they be baked instead?
As stated in the post, it’s best to reheat them in the oven. You could bake them at 425 for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. I would spray them first with a bit of cooking spray or brush them with butter, to help them get that golden color.
These look delicious!! I have the ingredients but realized I bought spring roll wrappers instead of egg rolls, how big were your wrappers? Mine are 8 inches square. Should I cut them in quarters or just make the rolls larger? Thanks!!
Mine were a smaller size (there were about 24 of them in the pack) You could try either or!
Okay thanks!
Great looking recipe – will try. I’ve been doing eggrolls for decades, each time getting just a tad better than last. Finally, I discovered the true secret – the moisture. I was draining but not getting enough of the moisture out. It seems to be quite critical. I now drain AND then when I grab a handful of the filling, I squeeze it to get even more liquid out of the filling. My eggrolls now stay nice and crispy when fried – even air-fried when I take them from the freezer. I do a light oil-fry, just enough to remove the sticky on the eggroll, let cook, then freeze on a cookie tray. Once frozen I put them into a freezer bag and take out what I need. They seem to have enough oil to air-fry to a nice crisp crunchy outside.
My typo error – I lightly oil fry the eggrolls (like a parboil?) and then let COOL. The eggroll get a ‘tan’ color – not a completely cooked color for those I freeze.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I cook homemade Chinese food all the time, but always used frozen egg rolls because I was afraid to fool them up. Your instructions made this so simple. I made them today to freeze for later and half are gone already. Delicious!
That’s amazing! Happy cooking to you 🙂
These look delicious! Funny enough I’ve spent the last 7 weeks in China and have not had a single egg roll! I haven’t even really seen them on the menu or sold as street food or anything. It is interesting to dine in China and compare the food options to the menus offered in Chinese restaurants in the US. No crab rangoon in sight here and I hate to say it but the pork fried rice is better in the US!
Wow Vicky, I’ve never been to China but I’m sure it’s amazing. Yeah I know the Chinese food here is not the same, I think I’d be a bit scared to try a lot of food there. How much fun you must have had. 🙂
Egg rolls are on the list of items that Americans think are Chinese or Japanese but were first invented in the US. Just like the fortune cookies, it was an US invented item by an immigrant. So more a mix of east and west type of dish, than just eastern. So, yeah, the food choices would be pretty different due to that preconception.
Do you drain the grease from sausage?
I just scooped the filling right from the pan into the egg rolls, the choice is yours!