Fried Egg Rolls are the perfect appetizer or side to any Asian meal! They’re filled with chicken and veggies and fried to perfection.
No Asian entrée is complete without a side of Fried Egg Rolls! We love to eat these with Honey Garlic Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, or even just dipped in some Sweet and Sour Sauce.
Do you like egg rolls??
My mom has been making Fried Egg Rolls for as long as I can remember, and they are one of my favorite appetizers!
We eat a ton of Asian food in our family and almost always have these egg rolls to go with our entrees because they are the perfect side for any Asian dish.
This particular recipe makes egg rolls that are a little wider than the ones you get at a restaurant, but they are so simple and so addicting, you may be resentful that we are showing you how to make egg rolls from home.
How to Fry Egg Rolls
These bad boys are easier to make than you’d think. Just a few steps!
COLE SLAW. Begin, by sauteeing the cole slaw in a pan with a little olive oil until it is limp.
CHICKEN. Add shredded chicken breast and stir for a few minutes until all mixed. Season with salt & pepper.
WRAP. Add the slaw and chicken mixture to the middle of your egg roll wrapper. Fold up the sides one at a time. For the last fold add a little water so the the wrapper will seal like an envelope.
FRY. Fry your egg rolls until golden brown. Serve warm and with dipping sauces like soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, or Sweet and Sour Sauce.
Air Fried
SPRAY. Lightly spray the air fryer basket or brush with coconut or olive oil.
Place egg rolls in the basket and spray the wrappers with oil. Be sure they’re not touching.
FRY. Cook at 350°F for 6-8 minutes.
Oven Baked
If you are trying to be a little healthier, you can also try baking your egg rolls.
SPRAY. To do that, lightly coat them with cooking spray and place them, seam side down in a greased baking sheet.
BAKE. Bake at 425°F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and enjoy!
Frying tips
Oil. When frying, you’ll need to choose an oil that has a high smoking point. Peanut oil, vegetable oil and canola oil are great choices. Don’t crowd the pan as too many egg rolls will lower the oil temperature too much.
Drain. Once the egg rolls are crisp, transfer them to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels to drain and cool.
Pan Fry. Heat up a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Place the egg roll, seam side down, and fry each side until golden brown. Add more oil as needed to fry the remaining egg rolls.
Deep Fry. Use a deep fryer or a deep frying pan add 2 inches of oil and heat. If the oil is not hot enough then the egg roll will become saturated and create soggy egg rolls. Maintaining a temperature of about 270 degrees will produce the best cook. Once you add the egg rolls, fry for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown all over.
Fill it however you like!
As with any of our recipes, they can be modified based on your liking.
ADDITIONS. Add green onions, bean sprouts and more to your favorite cabbage and carrot slaw mixture.
SUBSTITUTIONS. Substitute the chicken for shredded or ground beef, shredded or ground pork.
Changing up the filling is so easy. In fact, we have a Bacon Avocado & Cheese version and even a Cheesecake Factory Copycat Avocado Egg Roll version. Both are seriously SO good!!
Here are some sweet and savory egg roll fillings that would be great:
- Buffalo Chicken – shredded chicken + buffalo sauce
- Apple Pie version – apple filling + cinnamon
- Breakfast version – eggs, cheese & bacon
- Southwest version – corn, beans, chicken, spices
- Cherry Cheesecake version – cherry pie filling + cream cheese
- Bacon Mac n Cheese – bacon + macaroni
storing info
Make ahead of time. Assemble the egg rolls and keep them covered in the fridge, up to 24 hours, until you are ready to fry them. Keep unfried egg rolls in the freezer.
- Once you have assembled the egg roll, wrap each one with plastic wrap and place them in a freezer safe storage container.
- Thaw them for pan frying, but if you wish to deep fry them, they can go straight from the freezer to the deep fryer.
- Be sure to cook them on a medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes before turning the heat up to 270 degrees and frying them to a golden brown.
STORE. Place leftover egg rolls in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 3-4 days.
FREEZE for up to 2 months.
REHEAT. Reheating in the microwave is good if you’re in a hurry, but the texture won’t be as crisp. Use the oven for a better result. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spray a baking pan with cooking spray, put egg rolls on the pan, and place in the center of the oven.
If thawed, bake for 10 minutes turning half way. If frozen, bake for 18-20 minutes. Flip rolls after 9-10 minutes.
For more Asian recipes that this goes well with, check out:
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken
- Honey Sesame Chicken
- Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
- Quick and Easy Chicken Stir Fry
- Crock Pot Cashew Chicken
- Fortune Cookie Recipe
- Teriyaki Sauce
Fried Egg Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (16-ounce) package tri-color coleslaw mix
- 3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (16-ounce) package egg roll wrappers
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add coleslaw and sauté until limp.
- Add shredded chicken and sauté for 2–3 minutes, until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper and turn off the heat.
- Place an egg roll wrapper in front of you, angled so it looks like a diamond. Add ¼–⅓ cup slaw and chicken mixture horizontally across the middle of your egg roll wrapper. Fold in the left and right sides of the wrapper, then roll up from the bottom to enclose the filling. Add a little water to the edges of the wrapper to seal so it sticks.
- Fill a medium frying pan with ¾ inch oil and heat over medium-high heat to 350–375 degrees F.
- Working in batches if necessary, fry egg rolls in the hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Serve warm with your dipping sauce of choice.
I do not see the baking instructions for the egg rolls
They are towards the bottom of the post. Or if you click “Jump to Recipe” it will take you to the recipe card with ingredients and instructions.
Wanting to make these egg rolls for a vacation trip. Can I make them 3 days in advance? If I can, would it be best to make them, fry them up and vacuum seal them or make them up, vacuum seal them and then on the 3rd day, fry them? I have a lot of cooking to do for the trip, so any advance cooking would be helpful, I just don’t want to mess them up.
Do you use a bag of come slaw without any dressing? Doesn’t seem like the plain slaw and plain chicken would have much flavor?
Yep, just the plain bag of Cole slaw. You could certainly throw some spices in there when sauteeing with olive oil. The cooked chicken can also be seasoned to your preference. And then of course, we always dip our egg rolls in a sauce… Sweet and sour or soy sauce or even a sweet chili sauce. So that’ll give some flavor too!
I always add 1 tbsp to my filling. It adds a special flavor without making it taste like peanut butter.
Can you use rotisserie chicken? If so how many cups?
Absolutely!! I’d say 2-3 cups, depending on how much chicken you want in there.
Loved it! Simple was just what I was looking for!
Egg rolls were delicious!
If a recipe is by Lil Luna I KNOW it’s going to be a good one! Haven’t tried this one yet but I pinned it.
Oh thank you!! That means so much! Hope you enjoy the egg rolls!