I am such a sucker for egg rolls. No matter what kind of Asian food I’m in the mood for (and I’m ALWAYS in the mood for Asian food), a good egg roll or dumpling will always be my favorite. I love making these at home because you can so easily customize the ingredients, and make this into a meal!

Homemade Egg Rolls

These delicious Pork Egg Rolls are crisp and light and packed with all of the things we love about egg rolls! Cabbage, cellophane noodles, pork, green onions and shiitake mushrooms.

A perfect dish to serve either as an appetizer or a main course and add to your culinary collection.

Sometimes the task of rolling egg rolls can be a deal breaker if you don’t have some time. But don’t let that stop you. Once you get the hang of it, it goes fairly fast.

This can be a lot of fun if you enlist a few helpers. It’s a great learning experience for those who never have before. So grab a couple of willing participants and get rolling!

The hardest part of this is getting the hang of the rolling process. Once you have that down, these are amazingly fast. The secret to a fabulous egg roll at home is to pre-cook the filling. Then its just a matter of rolling and frying and enjoying!

How do you roll an egg roll?

This method is fairly straightforward and easy once you get the hang of it.  

You place your filling across the egg roll (corner to corner). You’ll be using around 1-2 Tablespoons of filling, so it won’t be too full to roll and will encase the filing completely.

Next pick up the bottom corner and roll a little until the filling is covered (try to roll tightly), then fold in the outer corners over each end so you have only one corner remaining open. Now you will use a cornstarch slurry to moisten the remaining corner, this will help the wrapper adhere and stay put.

Remember not to stack your egg rolls on top of each other before frying as they may stick together. Use parchment paper or waxed paper to separate your layers and give each one some room so they aren’t touching.

Can you freeze raw or cooked egg rolls?

Yes you can! If you choose to fry them first, be sure to allow them to cool completely before freezing. Then roll them individually in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag. If you prefer, you can place them on a freezer safe sheet pan, freeze until solid and then put them in a freezer bag.

I prefer to wrap them individually, as it protects each egg roll and maintains moisture so the wrapper doesn’t dry out while frozen.

Once frozen, you can grab one or two at a time, or the whole batch for a meal, pop the pre cooked ones in the oven or fry again unthawed and you have a quick lunch, snack or meal. For the raw egg rolls, you will want to fry them rather than baking, this will create the crispy fried wrapper you’re striving for.

I prefer to freeze these raw. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place them in a freezer bag.

How long can you keep these in the freezer?

If you have wrapped them properly (tightly with plastic wrap and then in freezer bags), these egg rolls retain the best quality when frozen for 1 to 2 months.

However, they will keep safe indefinitely if kept constantly frozen at 0 degrees in your freezer.

What kind of sauces should I serve with these egg rolls?

There are many, many different dipping sauces to pick from when it comes to egg rolls.

I LOVE a good sweet and sour sauce for mine. But you can find different flavors from sweet to spicy for these egg rolls. A simple really good quality soy or teriyaki sauce is a solid choice.

I’ve also seen soy ginger sauces, spicy peanut dipping sauces, hoisin almond, and spicy mango dipping sauces.

Pretty much take your pick!  Choose according to your guests and your own preferences and add one or two really different sauces to try. Who knows what will become your next favorite.

What other kinds of meat can I substitute for pork?

The great thing about egg rolls is their versatility. You can use pork, shrimp, chicken or make them vegetarian if you want. You can choose a variety of vegetables such as celery, carrots, or bean sprouts. Lots of possibilities.

What other kinds of foods can I serve with these egg rolls?

I have a list of some different Asian-inspired dishes that would pair perfectly with these pork egg rolls.

1. Shrimp Yakisoba – noodle stir-fry full of shrimp and vegetables!
2. Spicy BBQ Pork Tenderloin – SO easy, and so delicious. If you’re looking for something simple check this out!
3. Spicy BBQ Pork Rice Bowl – Expands on that pork tenderloin above. Includes rice, vegetables, and a fried egg on top!
4. Spicy Tonkotsu Miso Ramen – my ULTIMATE comfort food. This is a major time investment, but worth the wait.
5. Chicken and Eggplant Stir-fry – Yup. Stir-fry again, for.the.win. You have to try this.
6. Fried Wontons – Great for a “let’s make a meal out of appetizers” night. AKA, my FAVORITE kind of night.
7. Traeger Chicken Wings with Spicy Miso – WINGS. Lots of wings. Always and foreverrrrr. 
8. Coconut Shrimp – Jeremiah made this for an appetizer when we were hosting a whole bunch of people at our house, and they went SO FAST. You have to make these.

How to pre-cook egg roll filling for better homemade egg rolls

Precooking egg roll filling is the biggest tip I can give you for high-quality homemade egg rolls. It cooks the filling just enough so that you still have crunch, but it isn’t raw. 

Stir-fry the cabbage and vegetables

In batches, quickly stir fry the vegetables. You don’t want these completely cooked into mush, just slightly stir fried and softened.

Let the veggies drain so your filling is as dry as possible before you fry. I like to rest my egg roll filling in a strainer while it cools so that the excess moisture can run out of the vegetables.

Cook your meat

Cook your ground pork mixture, chopping it up into a fine mix. Drain and mix it into the stir fries veggies until everything is evenly distributed.

Make sure you do not place the unfried egg rolls on top of each other, as they will start to stick together and the wrappers will tear when you try and separate them. Use wax or parchment paper to stack uncooked egg rolls.

Need more Asian-inspired foods? I gotchu!

You can see more of my Asian-inspired (but definitely not “authentic”) recipes here in my Spicy Chili Garlic Stir fry Sauce, Honey Pecan Shrimp, 20 Minute Thai-Spiced Tonkatsu, Korean Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken and Vegetables, and my Fried Pork Dumplings, among many others.

Also, make sure to check out and follow some of my favorite food bloggers out there that specialize in some of my favorite foods!

• Korean Bapsang
• The Woks of Life
• Nut-Free Wok
• Kimchimari

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