Easy Vegetable Egg Rolls

Making egg rolls at home is so easy that you will never feel the need to order them again! Plus, they taste so much better than the ones you order from the restaurant because they are packed with fresh ingredients. It’s a double win for everyone!

Gone in 60 seconds.

It’s a movie title I know but it also applies to what happens when I make vegetable egg rolls and place them in front of my hungry husband. Ben cannot resist their crispy texture and cabbage filled interior.

We used to order them all the time from our favorite American Chinese spot in Brooklyn but it’s been a bit of a challenge ordering Asian vegetarian food since our move. So instead of complaining about the lack of vegetarian options in the area (I try to keep my complaints to a minimum since I hate complainers), I started making my own vegetarian egg rolls.

It turns out that egg rolls are ridiculously easy to make, who knew! Not me, obviously, otherwise I would have added them to my easy meals collection years ago! Better late than never though, right?

This is a simple recipe for vegetable egg rolls that requires minimal prepping and don’t worry about the rolling part either – I have step-by-step pictures showing exactly how to do it below. Let’s cook!

Ingredients for Vegetable Egg Rolls

• Egg roll wrappers: I’m using Nasoya’s vegan egg roll wrappers in these pictures because they were the only option available at Whole Foods that day. They turned out to be absolutely delicious! You can obviously use any brand for this, just make sure you are buying egg roll wrappers and not spring roll wrappers, which are round and dry.
• Filling: A mixture of stir fried cabbage, carrot, and scallions, seasoned with sesame oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and ground white pepper.
• Oil: The oil will be used for frying the egg rolls so choose something neutral that has a high smoke point such as refined vegetable oil or safflower oil.
• Dipping sauce: Pick your favorite one, seriously! I personally think that when it comes to dipping sauces, we should always use one that we enjoy eating. It’s not because egg rolls usually come with duck sauce that you have to eat them with it. My husband doesn’t like duck sauce and instead makes his own dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce, chinkiang vinegar, and chili crisp.

You can simplify the list of ingredients even more by omitting the carrot and scallions, and just using cabbage as a filling. Or if you’d like to make the rolls a little more substantial you can add smoked tofu or chopped mushrooms.

This recipe for egg roll is a very basic one so there’s room to play with it. I suggest you make it exactly like the recipe says the first time and then add your own twist to it!

How to Make Egg Rolls

1. Start by frying your veggies. Heat up the sesame oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add the ginger and garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the cabbage, carrot, and scallions, and cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, salt, and ground white pepper and cook for 1 minute. Turn the heat off and transfer the vegetables to a bowl. Let them cool for 10 minutes.
4. Take an egg roll wrapper and place it on a flat surface with one edge of the wrapper facing you (diagonally).
5. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture and place it in the center of the wrapper. Spread the mixture until there’s about 2 inches of wrapper left free on each side.
6. Take the edge of the wrapper facing you and fold it over the filling. Tightly roll until you reach the center of the wrapper.
7. Tightly fold each side of the wrapper toward the center (where the filling is) and continue rolling until you reach the top corner.
8. Seal the top of the wrapper by wetting the corner with a little water. Place the egg roll on a plate with the top corner facing down. Do the same for the other 11 egg rolls.
9. Put enough oil in a skillet to cover the surface by about half an inch. Turn the heat to medium high and when the oil is very hot, almost smoking, carefully place a few egg rolls in the skillet making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
10. Fry for 1-2 minutes, until the egg rolls are golden brown, and flip them. Fry on the other side for another 1-2 minutes and transfer them to a plate covered with paper towel to remove excess oil.
11. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or my easy dumpling sauce recipes. Congrats, you just made vegetable egg rolls!

How to Bake Egg Rolls

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC).
2. Follow the above steps to making the egg roll filling and rolling the egg rolls.
3. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray cooking spray on top.
4. Place the egg rolls on the parchment paper and spray a little cooking spray on top of each egg roll.
5. Place in the center rack of the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Flip the egg rolls over and bake for an additional 6-7 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
6. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or my easy dumpling sauce recipes.

Making Egg Rolls in an Air Fryer

You all know how much I love my air fryer so it goes without saying that I have of course used it to make egg rolls. Here’s how to achieve a great crispy texture in your air fryer:

1. Follow the above steps to making the egg roll filling and rolling the egg rolls.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF  (204ºC) for about 5 minutes.
3. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray, including the sides.
4. You may need to do this is batches – place enough egg rolls to fill the bottom of the air fryer, making sure to leave an inch of space between them (otherwise the egg rolls will stick together.)
5. Spray a little cooking spray on top of the egg rolls and close the air fryer.
6. Cook for about 8-12 minutes (cooking time can vary based on the air fryer you own), until golden brown and flip them over. Spray a little cooking spray on top of the egg rolls, close the air fryer and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. The egg rolls are ready when all the sides are golden brown.
7. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or my easy dumpling sauce recipes.

What to Serve with Egg Rolls

Now that you’ve made yummy egg rolls, why not serve them with other dishes you can find at an American Chinese restaurant! I’ve got some really easy recipes that will complement these egg rolls beautifully. Some of my favorites are:

• Moo goo gai pan
• Sweet and sour tofu
• Shrimp lo mein
• Chicken egg foo young
• Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce
• Mu shu tofu

Did you like this Vegetable Egg Rolls Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

Vegetable Egg Rolls

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• Author: Caroline Phelps
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 egg rolls 1x
• Category: Side
• Method: Pan frying
• Cuisine: Chinese
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Making egg rolls at home is so easy that you will never feel the need to order them again! Plus, they taste so much better than the ones you order from the restaurant because they are packed with fresh ingredients.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 6-inch square egg roll wrappers (approximately)
• Cooking oil such as vegetable oil or peanut oil

Filling:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 4 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 cups carrot, julienned
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

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Instructions

1. In a pan over medium heat, add sesame oil, ginger, and garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add cabbage, carrot, and scallions, and cook for 4-5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
3. Add soy sauce, sugar, salt, and ground white pepper and stir. Cook for 1 minute, turn the heat off, and transfer the mixture into a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes, until the vegetables have cooled down a bit.
4. Grab an egg roll wrapper and place it diagonally on a flat work surface (one edge of the wrapper should be facing you).
5. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture and place it in the center of the wrapper. Spread it across sideways leaving about 2 inches of wrapper free on each side.
6. Grab the bottom edge of the wrapper and fold it over the filling. Tightly roll until you reach the center of the wrapper.
7. Tightly fold each side of the wrapper toward the center (where the filling is) and continue to roll until you’ve reach the top corner.
8. Seal the top by wetting the corner with a little water. Place the egg roll on a plate with the top corner facing down. Repeat the same step until all the filling has been used.
9. In a large pan over high heat, add enough oil to cover the surface of the pan by about half an inch.
10. When the oil is hot, carefully slide a few egg rolls into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Flip the egg rolls over and cook for another 1-2 minutes. 
11. Transfer the egg rolls to a plate covered with paper towel to drain.
12. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce or my easy dumpling sauce recipes.

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Notes

Please refer to the steps written in the post if you are looking to bake or air fry these vegetable egg rolls. 

Refrigerate leftover egg rolls in an airtight glass or plastic container. They will last 3 to 4 days.

Freezing egg rolls: Wait until the egg rolls have completely cooled down. Once cooled, place them back on the baking sheet and put in the freezer for about 4 hours. Take them out of the freezer, place the egg rolls in a plastic storage bag, and put them back in the freezer. They will last for 1-2 months.

Reheating frozen egg rolls: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the egg rolls on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip them over and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 egg roll
• Calories: 135
• Sugar: 2.7 g
• Sodium: 301.2 mg
• Fat: 4.5 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 20.7 g
• Fiber: 1.8 g
• Protein: 3.4 g
• Cholesterol: 2.4 mg

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