An easy to follow recipe to make tasty, homemade egg rolls from scratch. These Asian inspired appetizers will satisfy your cravings for Chinese take-out.

Every now and then, most of us get a craving for an Asian inspired meal. In the past, Kim and I would just order take-out and move on with our lives. Lately, we’ve been wanting to learn how to create those flavors at home. Take for example, our egg roll bowls, Ramen Noodle Salad and Mongolian chicken recipe.

Dinners like that certainly hit the spot when you have one of those cravings. With that being said, we still felt like something was missing. Fortunately, Kim figured it out, the egg rolls were what we needed. So, after some research, Kim figured out how to make homemade egg rolls.

She tested her recipe and here it is, hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as we do. Now, you might be wondering, what’s in an egg roll? Well, the answer to that question varies. Our recipe uses coleslaw mix, mushrooms, and carrots as the main ingredients.

You may have guessed, these are vegetable egg rolls, so there’s no meat anywhere in the recipe. If you want to make chicken or pork egg rolls, go ahead and use this recipe. Just make sure to toss in some cooked meat with filling. It’s just that simple. Speaking of simple, some people might also be wondering, how do you fold egg rolls?

Not to worry, we’re going to cover that in the paragraphs below. The process is a lot easier than you might think. I feel I’ve blathered on long enough, let’s get to real reason you’re here, how to make homemade egg rolls.

The golden brown egg rolls, served with sweet and sour sauce.

How to make homemade egg rolls:

First, gather up all your ingredients and put them close by. Go ahead and mince your garlic and slice your mushrooms and green onions.

As far as prep work goes, that’s it. Oh, if you have an pressure cooker, you could also whip up some white or brown rice to serve with the egg rolls, just a suggestion, though.

Okay, you’ve got everything ready, now it’s time to do some actual cooking.

The homemade egg roll ingredients, like garlic, slaw, carrots, and ginger.

Next, in a large skillet, combine the vegetable oil and sliced mushrooms over medium-low heat. Let the mushrooms saute for about 7-10 minutes or until they shrink down a little.

At this point, add the slaw mix, carrots, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, ginger, and salt. Once again, let everything cook for about 5-minutes, stirring occasionally.

The slaw should still be crunchy but also be somewhat soft and flimsy. Then, fill a large saucepan with vegetable oil and place it over medium-high heat.

The oil level should be about halfway up the inside of the pan. Please make sure there’s enough room for the oil to expand, when you fry the egg rolls.

Or it could spill over the sides and create a dangerous mess.

The carrots, mushrooms, and slaw, cooked in a large skillet.

How to Fold an Egg Roll:

Now, the filling is done, it’s time for the most important part, properly folding an egg roll. These instructions are pasted, word for word, from Kim.

“Place an egg roll wrapper on a hard surface with one of the points facing toward you. Fill the wrapper with 2-3 tablespoons of filling.

Don’t be tempted to overfill it. Dip your finger into the bowl of water and run it alongside all four sides of the wrapper, including the points. Start with the point closest to you.

Pick it up, and fold it over the filling (it will face the opposite direction after it’s folded).

Fold each side point into the middle, and roll the egg roll away from you to seal closed. Continue until all the egg roll wrappers and filling are used.”

Colorful, cooked vegetable filling placed inside the egg roll wrap.

Afterward, using tongs, place the egg rolls (3-4 at a time), into the hot oil and fry them for 3-4 minutes. Make sure to flip them over after about 1-2 minutes; otherwise, they won’t brown evenly.

Once the egg rolls are crispy and done on all sides, remove them from the pan. Repeat the cooking process over and over until all the rolls have been fried.

You can place them on paper towels to drain off any excess oil. That’s it, you’re all done. Simply serve them and enjoy.

For a vegetarian meal, combine these crispy little snacks with a Spring salad and you’ll have an amazing lunch on your hands.

A large photo of an egg roll cut in half, with sauce.

Tips for Homemade Egg Rolls:

For an extra crispy approach to this recipe, try using wonton wrappers instead of egg roll wrappers. Of course, it would change the final product into a spring roll, but I won’t tell anyone if you decide to make the substitution.
Unfortunately, these homemade egg rolls will get soggy in your fridge. So, you could prep them up and then freeze the egg rolls, uncooked. Then, simply fry the amount you need, anytime you have a desire for egg rolls. We haven’t tried this ourselves, however, I can’t think of reason why these rolls can’t be frozen. Give it a try and see for yourself.
To make your own sweet and sour sauce, combine orange juice, water, lemon or lime juice, and sugar (to taste) in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture to a boil, then stir in a cornstarch slurry. It won’t look and taste exactly like the store bought stuff, but it works in a pinch.
Feel free to add some leftover grilled chicken or shredded pork to the filling. The addition of meat will make the egg roll a little more filling.
Also, feel free to pair these with our homemade fried rice or our Instant Pot vegetable lo mein.
You can skip the frying method and bake them in the oven on 425ºF for about 15-20 minutes. But, keep an eye on them and flip the rolls half way through the process. They won’t be as crispy as frying, but it will cut down on the extra oil.

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