If you love Chinese food, you’ll love this easy egg roll recipe! These pork egg rolls can be made even easier with a coleslaw mix! They might just be the best egg rolls you’ve ever had!
Who can resist Chinese egg rolls, with their crispy wrappers and savory filling!
While there are many ingredients you can use for egg rolls, I love these pork egg rolls filled with ground and cooked pork, cabbage, carrots, green onions, and water chestnuts!
Season the filling with delicious ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger, and you’ve got a wonderful Chinese appetizer or side dish that will disappear before your eyes!
Egg Rolls Ingredients
To make these pork egg rolls, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Egg roll wrappers
- Ground pork
- Soy sauce (reduced sodium is preferred)
- Sesame oil
- Mirin (rice wine–optional)
- Asian chili sauce (like Mae Ploy sauce)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Green onions
- Ginger (fresh or powdered)
- Garlic
- Water chestnuts
Note: you can use a coleslaw mix instead of chopping up your own cabbage and carrots to make these egg rolls even easier!
Equipment and Materials to Make Homemade Pork Egg Rolls
Electric skillet, fryer, or large pot with high sides (my favorite is this electric skillet, because you can easily control the temperature of the oil)
Neutral oil, like vegetable oil or canola oil.
Tongs (for turning the egg rolls and removing them from the oil)
Paper towels and large plates or baking sheet (for placing the fried egg rolls once removed from the oil)
Clean, large work surface (like a clean countertop or large cutting board)
Large skillet or frying pan (for cooking the pork and the vegetables for the filling)
Large mixing bowl (for mixing the pork and other filling ingredients together)
Large baking sheet (for quickly cooling the filling before wrapping in egg roll wrappers)
Small bowl (to put water in so you can dip your finger in it and run it along the edges of the egg roll wrappers to seal them)
How to Make Homemade Egg Rolls from Scratch
When we say we’re making egg rolls from scratch, we’re not including the egg roll wrappers. You’ll need to buy those at the store. You can usually find them in a section at any grocery store with the refrigerated produce.
1.The first thing you’ll want to do is get your cabbage and carrots ready.
The cabbage needs to be shredded, which you can do with a large, sharp knife, or in a food processor with a grating attachment.
The carrots also need to be shredded/grated, which you can do with a hand grater or in your food processor with a grating attachment.
If you don’t have a grating attachment for your food processor, you can just toss the cabbage and carrots in there (cut the carrots into large chunks first). Then pulse until everything is chopped, but not pulverized! Set the cabbage and carrots aside while you cook the pork.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook your pork until no pink remains. If desired, you can strain any excess fat. Add some soy sauce, Mirin (optional), sesame oil, Asian chili sauce, salt and pepper, and stir.
3. Add your grated carrots and cabbage to the pork and cook for one or two minutes, just until the cabbage begins to slightly wilt.
4. Remove from the heat. Chop up your water chestnuts and green onions and add them to the pork/cabbage/carrot mixture.
5. Transfer the cooked pork and vegetables to a large baking sheet (you can line it with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup) and put in the refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes.
Alternately, you can transfer the filling to a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Store in your refrigerator overnight until ready to assemble the egg rolls.
6. When ready to fill the egg rolls, fill your electric skillet, Dutch oven, or large pot with 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil. Heat on medium-high heat until oil reaches 350 degrees F. (If you’re not using an electric skillet or fryer where you can control the temperature, you’ll want to use a kitchen thermometer to check and see if your oil is the right temperature).
How to Assemble the Pork Egg Rolls
1.Get out your egg roll wrappers and lay out about ten at a time.
2. Add about four tablespoons of the pork mixture (1/4 cup) to the bottom third of the wrappers, where the points of the wrappers are at the bottom, top, and sides.
3. Using your finger, dip it into a small bowl of water and stroke your finger along the edges of the egg roll you’re about to roll.
4. Fold the bottom triangle up over the top of your filling.
5. Fold both sides in over the top of your filling. It should look like you’re creating an envelope.
6. Now roll the egg roll from the bottom to the top, making sure to seal the moistened edges of the wrapper so that no filling can leak out.
7. Repeat with each egg roll, placing each finished egg roll on a plate. You may want to loosely cover your prepped egg rolls with a slightly damp cloth so they don’t dry out before frying.
How to Deep Fry Egg Rolls
1.Add no more than three egg rolls to the hot oil at a time. (If you add more, the temperature of the oil will lower and you won’t get a nice crispy exterior).
2. Gently turn the egg rolls with tongs so that all sides become golden brown. This will only take a minute or two.
3. Remove the egg rolls and place them on a wire rack over a paper towel, or on a paper towel-lined plate. Try not to stack them, or the steam from neighboring egg rolls will cause them to lose their crispiness.
That’s it! Now dip them in your favorite Asian sauce, like Asian chili sauce, Hoisin sauce, or soy sauce.
For more answers to questions about egg rolls, scroll past the recipe.
This recipe adapted from Homemade Egg Rolls on Carlsbad Cravings.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 20 egg roll wrappers
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (like Sriracha)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 small head green cabbage, shredded
- 3 medium carrots, grated
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
Instructions
- Add 1 pound of pork to a large skillet and cook on medium heat until no pink remains. Drain any excess fat.
- Add the tablespoon of soy sauce, teaspoon of sesame oil, teaspoon of Asian chili sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Stir.
- Add the remaining ingredients (cabbage, carrots, onions ginger, garlic, and water chestnuts) and stir fry for about a minute. Set aside to cool for about fifteen minutes. (It's ideal if you can spread the filling out on a cookie sheet and place it in the refrigerator. If we make the egg rolls while the filling is still steamy, that can make the egg rolls soggy and cause the wrapper to tear).
- Get out a large cutting board, or prepare a clean surface on your countertop.
- Lay out about ten egg roll wrappers at a time (or as many as will fit on your surface).
- Get a small bowl of water and have it nearby. You will need the water to seal the egg rolls so the filling doesn't leak out during frying.
- Add about 1/4 cup of the filling just above the bottom corner of the wrapper, and spread it out in a line almost to the edges of the sides of the wrapper.
- Dip your finger into the bowl of water and run it along the edges of the wrapper.
- Fold the bottom corner over the top of the mound of filling. The fold each side toward the center. At this point, it will look like you are creating an envelope.
- Start rolling the bottom of the wrapper toward the top. Add more water with your finger to the edges if necessary to create a good seal.
- Set the prepared egg rolls aside on a plate or cookie sheet (preferably lined with foil or parchment paper to prevent sticking). If not frying immediately, cover with a slightly damp cloth.
- In an electric skillet, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees F. (If you don't use an electric skillet where you can control the temperature, make sure to use a digital thermometer to test the temperature of your oil).
- Once the oil has reached 350 degrees F., gently place no more than four egg rolls at a time into the oil using tongs. (If you fry too many at a time, it will lower the temperature of the oil).
- Fry until golden brown, turning gently with tongs as necessary.
- Remove to a wire rack placed over a cookie sheet, or a paper towel-lined plate. But sure not to stack, or the steam from the hot egg rolls will reduce the crisp exterior.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (like Mae Ploy sauce).
Notes
Be sure to look at the pictures in the post that show you how to fill and roll the egg rolls.
Choose your favorite to pin!
What is the difference between egg rolls and spring rolls?
Basically, egg rolls are attributed to Chinese cuisine and are fried. The wrapper is made from wheat flour.
Spring rolls are attributed to Thai or Vietnamese cuisine. The wrapper is made from rice and is translucent. Spring rolls can either be fried, or eaten un-fried. They also often have a vegetable filling, rather than a filling that includes meat.
What other ingredients can I use in egg rolls?
Egg rolls are super versatile! In place of the ground pork, you could use ground chicken or turkey.
You can add extra vegetables, like mushrooms and bean sprouts.
Are there eggs in egg rolls?
Some egg roll wrappers have eggs as an ingredient, but many do not. Additionally, eggs are rarely used as filling ingredients for egg rolls.
Can you roll egg rolls ahead of time?
It’s best to roll egg rolls just before you plan to fry them. Otherwise, the wrappers can dry out and crack. If you want to prep as much as possible beforehand, just make the filling (including cooking the pork and the vegetables) and refrigerate it until ready to fill and roll your egg rolls.
How do you keep egg rolls crispy all day?
Unfortunately, this is not really possible to do, unless you leave the egg rolls out at room temperature, which will then create problems with bacteria growth.
Your best option is just to refrigerate any leftovers, and then reheat egg rolls in the toaster oven to get the skins to crisp up again.
How to reheat egg rolls
Add a single layer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Place in a 350-degree oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes, until the skins are sizzling and crispy.
What oil is best for frying egg rolls?
Vegetable oil, peanut oil, or canola oil. Avoid olive oil (it has a low smoke point and is not good for deep-frying things).
What to serve with pork egg rolls
Egg rolls are a great thing to serve with any kind of Chinese dish. Here are my favorites!
Easy Wonton Soup Recipe
Chinese Fried Rice
Chinese Pork Tenderloin with Honey Garlic Sauce
What to dip pork egg rolls in
The easiest and quickest dip for pork egg rolls is Asian chili sauce. One of the most common types is Mae Ploy Sauce.
