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These crispy Air Fryer Egg Rolls are a delicious appetizer or snack! Baked, not fried, this easy egg roll recipe is simple to make and cooks in only 9 minutes.

Three air fryer egg rolls on a wooden tray with a dish of soy sauce.
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Everybody loves egg rolls! Making your own at home in the air fryer is simple, fast, and affordable.

If you’re looking for a tutorial on cooking frozen store-bought egg rolls, check out our post on Frozen Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer.

Why Make Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer

I created this air fryer egg rolls recipe that is just as good as the deep-fried version but only uses 1 teaspoon of olive oil. You read that right – 1 measly teaspoon.

Making egg rolls in the air fryer gives you control over what you put in the filling, so you can personalize it to your taste.

For this recipe, I used our Cosori 5.8-quart air fryer. Any air fryer will work (even oven-style) but depending on the size you may need to cook your egg rolls in batches.

Air Fryer Egg Roll Ingredients

This is a truly forgiving recipe that you can customize to your preferences and tastes. This version of baked egg rolls has:

  • Egg roll wrappers
  • Shredded cabbage
  • Shredded carrots
  • Green onions, aka scallions, aka spring onions
  • Flavors – ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper
  • Olive oil – just 1 teaspoon!

How to Make Egg Roll Filling

*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can click “jump to recipe” to skip down.

Preheat a frying pan for a few minutes over medium heat. Add the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, cabbage, and shredded carrot. Cook down for 2-3 minutes or until the cabbage has wilted.

Add the green onions, soy sauce, and black pepper. Stir and remove from heat. Give it a few minutes to cool and then taste to make sure the seasoning is to your preference.

Two photos showing cabbage being cooked in a cast iron skillet for making vegetable egg rolls.

How Do You Wrap an Egg Roll?

I’m so glad you asked! I came up with this handy little step-by-step photo guide for you.

8 photos showing how to wrap an egg roll.
  1. Set up a “wrapping” station with your cooked filling, a plate, a small dish of water, and a pastry brush.
  2. Place the wrapper on a plate or cutting board. You’ll want it shaped like a diamond, with the bottom pointing at you. Place 2 tbsp of filling in the bottom third of the wrapper.
  3. Roll up the bottom point of the diamond so that it goes up and over the filling, but only goes to the center of the wrapper.
  4. Fold in the left side of the wrapper to cover the center.
  5. Fold in the right side of the wrapper to cover the left fold. It will look like you’re making a delicious envelope at this point! But don’t mail it. 🙂
  6. Starting from the bottom, roll the egg roll up until just the top point of the wrapper is still exposed.
  7. Brush some water on the top point of the egg roll, and fold down. You may need to brush a bit more water over the edges to “seal” the egg roll closed.
  8. Repeat until you have 4-5 egg rolls made.

How to Cook Egg Rolls in an Air Fryer

Brush olive oil over the top of the egg rolls. Alternatively, you could use a Misto to spray olive oil, but I found that caused the egg roll wrappers to bubble up more when they were cooking.

Brush olive oil on the basket of your air fryer or use air fryer parchment. Place the egg rolls in the basket, seam side down, without letting them touch each other.

Bake at 360˚F for 7 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 2 minutes.

Two photos showing how to make egg rolls in an air fryer.

Protein Options For Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer

If you’d like to add any meat to this recipe, it must be cooked before being placed in the egg roll wrapper. Some protein ideas: crumbled or crispy air fryer tofu, air fryer frozen shrimp, cooked ground pork, chicken, or beef.

How to Store and Reheat

Storing Leftovers: Allow the egg rolls to cool and store covered leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Reheating Leftovers: To reheat, air fry at 370˚F for 2 minutes.

Freezing Leftovers: If you’re freezing already cooked air fryer egg rolls, allow them to fully cool before freezing. Place on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment and freeze for 2 hours. Transfer to freezer storage.

If you’re freezing uncooked egg rolls, place on a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment and freeze for 2 hours. Do not brush the olive oil onto them prior to freezing. Transfer to freezer storage.

To air fry frozen egg rolls: Do not thaw the frozen egg rolls before cooking. Brush the frozen egg rolls with olive oil and then cook at 360˚F for 10-12 minutes.

Meal Prep Tips for Homemade Egg Rolls

To make this recipe even faster, use the premade coleslaw mix that you can find in the grocery store for $2-3. It comes with shredded cabbage and carrots and has the perfect texture for this recipe.

You can also use frozen garlic and frozen ginger, two things I always have on hand in my freezer.

Leftover egg roll wrappers? Make up a batch of Air Fryer Pizza Rolls, Bacon and Egg Rolls, or Mac and Cheese Egg Rolls. Need something sweeter? Try these Apple Pie Egg Rolls!

If you have any leftover shredded cabbage, use it in Air Fryer Cabbage, Kale Chopped Salad, Fried Cabbage With Bacon, or Coleslaw Without Mayo.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long to Cook Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer

This recipe only needs 9 minutes in the air fryer.

What Temperature to Cook Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer?

360˚F is the sweet spot for these egg rolls. That’s a high enough temp to make the outsides crispy, without overcooking them.

That being said, every air fryer is slightly different. You may need to cook them a touch longer to get them to your desired texture.

Can You Make Egg Rolls Ahead of Time?

Yes! You can pre-roll the egg rolls and store them in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

Place a lightly damp rag over them and then place them in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Can You Freeze Egg Rolls?

Yep! If you don’t want to cook these right away, place uncooked egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze. 

Then transfer to a freezer-proof bag or container. Do not thaw before cooking. You will need to add 1-2 minutes to the total cooking time.

Are egg rolls better in the air fryer than deep fryer?

I wouldn’t say better or worse; they’re just different.

They’ll still be delicious but use a lot less oil than a deep-fried version.

Can I make these on the stovetop?

Yes!

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Then add enough avocado oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Place the egg roll “seam side” down in the oil.

Cook it until that side is crispy and brown, and then flip.  When finished cooking, place them on a plate lined with newspaper or paper towels to absorb the extra oil.

Can I bake these in an oven?

Yes!

Place a baking rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Liberally spray the rack with olive oil. Put the egg rolls seam-side down on the baking rack and brush olive oil over the top.

Bake at 325˚F for 12 minutes, and flip. Bake for an additional 8-12 minutes or until the egg rolls are nice and crispy without being burned.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • As written, the recipe will make six egg rolls (two egg rolls per serving). If you need to make more or less, the recipe card has the option to adjust the number of servings.
  • If you have any leftover filling, serve it over rice with some grilled chicken or Air Fryer Shrimp for an egg roll bowl.
  • In most grocery stores, you’ll find egg roll wrappers in the produce section near bottled salad dressings and sauces.
a hand dipping an egg roll into a sauce.

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS

One serving has 3 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.

4.95 from 110 ratings

Air Fryer Egg Rolls {Easy Egg Roll Recipe}

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 9 minutes
Total: 14 minutes
Three air fryer egg rolls on a wooden tray with a dish of soy sauce
Air Fryer Egg Rolls are an absolutely delicious appetizer or snack! Baked, not fried, this easy egg roll recipe is simple to make and cooks in only 9 minutes.

Ingredients 

Instructions 

Air Fryer Instructions

  • Preheat a frying pan for a few minutes over medium heat.
  • Add the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, cabbage, and shredded carrot. Cook down for 2-3 minutes or until the cabbage has wilted.
    3 cups cabbage, 1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tsp ginger, grated, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 cup shredded carrot
  • Add the green onions, soy sauce, and black pepper. Stir and remove from heat.
    1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce, 2 green onions, 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • Assemble your egg rolls (see the detailed instructions in the post).
    6 egg roll wrappers
  • Brush olive oil over the top of the egg rolls. Alternatively, you could use a Misto to spray olive oil, but I found that caused the egg roll wrappers to bubble up more when they were cooking.
    1 tsp olive oil
  • Brush olive oil on the basket of your air fryer. Place the egg rolls in the basket, seam side down, without letting them touch each other.
  • Bake at 360˚F for 7 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 2 minutes.

Notes

  1. To freeze: place uncooked egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze.  Then transfer to a freezer-proof bag or container. Do not thaw before cooking. You will need to add 1-3 minutes to the cooking time. Cook at the same temperature as thawed egg rolls.
  2. If you want to add meat to the egg rolls, you’ll need to cook it before placing it in the wrapper.

Stovetop Instructions

  1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Then add enough avocado oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Place the egg roll “seam side” down in the oil.
  2. Cook it until that side is crispy and brown, and then flip.  When finished cooking, place them on a plate lined with newspaper or paper towels to absorb the extra oil.
Oven Baking Instructions
  1. Place a baking rack on a foil-lined baking sheet. Liberally spray the rack with olive oil.
  2. Put the egg rolls seam-side down on the baking rack and brush olive oil over the top.
  3. Bake at 325˚F for 12 minutes, and flip. Bake for an additional 8-12 minutes or until the egg rolls are nice and crispy without being burned.

Nutrition

Serving: 1egg rollCalories: 78kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 62mgPotassium: 182mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 205IUVitamin C: 34.3mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 0.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Fusion
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
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146 Comments

  1. Just made a batch using broccoli slaw from the store instead of cabbage and carrots. It worked great and they were delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!!!5 stars

    1. I love hearing that, Suzanne! I’m all about using what you love and adapting it to your preferences.

      Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

    1. Love to hear that Cathy!

      I had a somewhat similar job in high school, but it was a restaurant that served some Chinese food along with mostly Japanese and Korean.

    1. Sorry to hear the temp didn’t work out for you Joan. You’ll see that lots of reviewers (92!) had good experience with them. I’m wondering if the temp of your air fryer might be a touch off?

      We make these frequently and have for years, and 360˚F has been the sweet spot.

    1. Hi Kay, yes you can. There is a note about that in the “Frequently Asked Questions” section of the post. I’ll copy and paste it below. Apologies in advance if the formatting comes across as a bit wonky.

      CAN YOU MAKE EGG ROLLS AHEAD OF TIME?
      Yes! You can pre-roll the egg rolls and store them in the fridge for up to 12 hours.

      Place a lightly damp rag over them and then place them in an air-tight container in the fridge.

  2. I made these as written and they were good. The reason for giving these 3 stars is I felt they had way too much ginger. For my taste, next time I’ll cut the ginger back to 1/2 teaspoon. I reviewed these recently on my YouTube channel, The Real Deal Recipe Reviews, where I always try to make recipes as written and give honest reviews.3 stars

    1. Glad you enjoyed them, Daryl! One thing to do note is if you used dried ginger, 2 tsp would indeed be much too power. Fresh ginger is not as intense as dried.

      That being said, I always encourage people to personalize a recipe to their tastes. I like to say that chocolate, cheese, and garlic should all be measured with your heart. Perhaps ginger as well. 🙂

  3. I haven’t tried this yet but excited to try.  Can I substitute spring roll wrappers instead of egg roll wrappers?5 stars

    1. Hi Harriett, it depends on where you are in the world. I’ve learned that in other countries, what we in the states call egg roll wrappers are called spring roll wrappers.

      Here, spring roll wrappers are made of rice and you have to soak them in water before working with them. Those would not work in this recipe.

    1. Hi Julie, yes you can absolutely freeze them. There is a section in the post with more details. I’ll copy and paste it here:

      Can You Freeze Egg Rolls?
      Yep! If you don’t want to cook these right away, place uncooked egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and freeze.

      Then transfer to a freezer-proof bag or container. Do not thaw before cooking. You will need to add 1-2 minutes to the total cooking time.

  4. Well…these egg rolls have unleased a egg roll monster! Lol
    Cooked up perfectly. Here comes the monster part….extra wrappers…scrambled egg egg rolls, apple pie, pizza, etc, etc, etc……
    😊 🙃🙂🙃🙂🙃🙂🙃🙂🙃5 stars