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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.
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.
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.
- Set up a “wrapping” station with your cooked filling, a plate, a small dish of water, and a pastry brush.
- 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.
- 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.
- Fold in the left side of the wrapper to cover the center.
- 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. 🙂
- Starting from the bottom, roll the egg roll up until just the top point of the wrapper is still exposed.
- 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.
- 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.
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
This recipe only needs 9 minutes 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- See all our Air Fryer Appetizers here!
- Ham Fried Rice
- Mac and Cheese Egg Rolls
- Air Fryer Fried Okra
- Homemade Pub Cheese
- Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
- Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cold Soba Noodle Salad
- Air Fryer Pretzel Dogs
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Healthy Deviled Eggs
- Air Fryer Tofu {Crispy Fried Tofu}
- Air Fryer Cauliflower
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving has 3 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Air Fryer Egg Rolls {Easy Egg Roll Recipe}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 egg roll wrappers
- 3 cups cabbage shredded
- 1/4 cup shredded carrot {if not using coleslaw mix}
- 1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp ginger, grated {or ~1/2 tsp dried}
- 1 clove garlic {minced}
- 1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
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
- 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.
- If you want to add meat to the egg rolls, you’ll need to cook it before placing it in the wrapper.
Stovetop Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ok so I’m probably the only dumb one, but maybe you could add “egg roll wrappers” to the ingredient list because I put what I didn’t have on my grocery list…and then totally forgot to buy the wrappers since they weren’t on the ingredient list!
(face palm)
Oh crap Jenny, that is totally on me! I’m so sorry and have updated the recipe card accordingly.
No problem! We made them tonight and they were delish!
So glad they worked out and you liked them!
Hey girlie 🙂
Thank you, thank you and thank you for having “Jump to Recipe” as an option! A friend recently posted about her frustration with blogs that have such loooong narratives with their recipes. As you know, I tell EVERYONE about your blog and this is just one more reason to follow you!
Ps. I think we are overdue for a Skype visit!
You bet! I use those jump to recipe buttons all the time myself, so I want to have them for my readers.
Fun fact for your friend: most bloggers don’t want to write a long narrative. Do you know how easy it is to just write the recipe, hit publish, and walk away? That’s the dream! But, Google won’t rank your recipe or blog if you write under 300 words on a post.
So, some bloggers use that space as filler to tell stories (which is what I used to do). Many bloggers, including myself now, use that space to make the posts more educational (“how to”, “tips and tricks”, etc.) and helpful to readers. My old way of posting took about 45 minutes. The new way? 8-12 hours per post because it involves research, taking process photos, and reaching out to companies for more info.
This egg roll post is an update to one I published 7 years ago. At the time it was 269 words. Now? 1243 because it answers all the questions readers might have. The mantra of “give the readers enough info to make it perfectly the first time and every time” has been drilled into my head.
We would all LOVE to go back to the old way because it’s so much easier. But you can’t be successful by using the old way. So…we offer a jump to recipe. 🙂
So easy. I made them a little less lazy by doing a quick sauté on my coleslaw mix with some soy sauce and ginger.
Look at you being all fancy. 🙂
Wow! I so wish I would have thought about using the coleslaw mix. My daughter is a Filipina and we frequently make lumpia. We absolutely love Mae Ploy sweet chilli sauce! It can be used on so many things. We use it in the morning with our garlic fried rice and eggs! Thanks for saving me so much time!
I totally made a whole, big bunch of these last weekend, and froze them up. I got super un-lazy (strange for me…) and cooked the cabbage mix (for like five minutes) in sesame oil with some ground ginger and soy sauce. OMG. NOM.
My husband and I are totally rocking out on the sweet chili sauce from Trader Joe’s. Pretty tasty.
So good right? We love TJ’s sauce too! TJ’s is a bit of a haul for us, so if we need to buy locally, we get the one purchased above. Both are so tasty!
Do they turn out similar if baked?
Thanks for the recipe and the good laugh.
That is exactly how we make Lumpia (Filipino egg rolls). We just add whatever meat is available. Right now, we’re trying to find a gluten-free version and the hard, need-to-be-soaked-and-take-forever-and-break-and-piss-you-off, rice spring roll wrappers are awful for lazy, clumsy cooks like me.
Mae Ploy and Sriacha are life savers!
Mmmmmm I love lumpia 🙂
THAT sauce is the best. I used to have it in college, and I’d eat it with fries and wraps and pretty much anything you’d use ketchup with. After graduating, I spent months looking for this particular brand, as I could not recall it. I was so happy when I found it. I still carry the large bottle with me! I think I’d try them with Miranda’s suggestion and put some sausage crumbles. That sounds awesome. Thanks!
YUM! I spent the better part of last week trying to find a low carb gluten free egg roll wrapper recipe. Yeah, no. Did not happen. Found a low carb one though. I just haven’t.. because I’m too lazy to get out the deep fryer. It didn’t even occur to me to pull out of the cast iron pans and fry them up that way. Which is funny, because I “deep fry” things that way far more frequently than actually deep frying anything.
I do like my porky egg rolls though, so I’ll likely pull out a baggie of precooked sausage crumbles to add into the cabbage. (Laziness around here means getting motivated enough on grocery day to precook pretty much every meat… purely to avoid doing so when I actually have to cook a meal.)
Miranda, could you share the low carb egg roll wrapper recipe that you used? One store bought wrapper is 13 net carbs and I am DYING for a crispy air fryer egg roll Ü THANKS!