An Authentic Chinese Egg Roll Recipe like your favorite takeout Restaurant! Not spring rolls! I’m talking the deep-fried thick and chewy, blistered-skinned wrappers filled with pork and cabbage! Homemade egg rolls are easy to master and you don’t even need a deep-fryer to achieve crispy skins! 

Authentic Chinese Egg Roll Recipe like Takeout

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We have a huge collection of Copycat Recipes from our favorite restaurant dishes that can be made at home! Our family-favorite Chinese dishes include Take-Out Lo Mein, Crab Rangoons, and Chinese Fried rice! All of which you can make at home easily!

Egg Rolls

I love Chinese egg rolls but have never come close to the ones from Chinese Restaurants, until now! After buying a package of Wing Hing Egg Roll Wraps, I discovered a recipe on the back of a package. It had so many ingredients listed I decided to narrow it down and tweak the recipe to make it simpler and easy. To my surprise, it tasted just like the ones you’d order!

Watching calories? Make egg roll in a bowl and ditch the wrappers! Use chicken and cheese and make an in-house sauce with Chinese flavors! An Air fryer will cook the egg rolls with a fraction of the oil if you still want to use egg roll wrappers!

Chinese egg roll recipe like takeout

Secret Ingredient

If you have ever wondered what distinctive taste was lacking in homemade egg rolls–it’s the white pepper! Simple ingredients make Chinese egg rolls including pork, cabbage, and julienned carrots! You do not need a list of lengthy ingredients to make egg rolls at home. This recipe is easy and quick like Chinese Rolls from your favorite take-out place!

filling of a Chinese egg roll: cabbage, carrots, pork, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper

Egg Rolls vs Spring Rolls

The difference is in the filling and wrappers that you use. Egg roll wrappers are made with wheat flour and egg. They’re tougher and designed to be filled with heavy fillings such as pork and cabbage.  The dough blisters up when deep-fried creating air bubbles that no spring roll can create.

Spring Roll wrappers are thin rice wrappers made from rice flour. They’re recognized more in Vietnam and Thailand cuisines and are much thinner and lighter in filling. Common fillings are shrimp and raw vegetables. Both kinds of wrappers are deep-fried and have different skins once fried–either ultra-smooth and flakey like Baklava or Chewy and blistered like classic egg rolls.

 FAQ:

What is an Egg Roll?

Egg Rolls is an American Chinese dish made from wheat flour and egg wrappers. It’s a deep-fried appetizer recognized for its cylindrical shape as the fillings are rolled up then fried in hot oil. A classic savory roll from a Chinese Restaurant is made with pork and shredded cabbage. The restaurant dish can be made with other fillings but is a favorite menu pick due to its thick wrapped and blistered skin.

  • Frugal- so much cheaper than ordering at a Restaurant!
  • Easy Recipe– simple ingredients and you know what goes in!
  • Make-ahead for meal prep throughout the week or future meals by freezing uncooked egg rolls then frying later from a frozen state.
  • Freezer friendly- Freeze the egg rolls for a quick appetizer or mid-day snack. Nothing wrong with making Chinese dinner at home and serving egg rolls as a side!
  • Versatile-  Top your wrappers with any fillings!

How To Make Healthier Egg Rolls?

There are a few ways to make leaner egg rolls without excess oil! 

  • Ditch the wrappers and make an egg roll in a bowl. 
  • Cook egg rolls in an Air Fryer
  • Use ground chicken instead of pork
  • Make vegetable rolls
  • Bake the egg rolls.

Ingredients Needed?

  • Egg Roll Wrappers- I used Wing Hing brand (little panda icon.)  
  • Water- to seal the wrapper edges. 
  • Apple Cider Vinegar- can use white distilled or rice vinegar. 
  • Vegetables- can use 1 cup of coleslaw mix or 2 cups of shredded cabbage and 1/2 cup of grated carrots. 
  • Oil- preferably a mild kind without a strong aroma. I like to use soybean oil but canola or vegetable will work.
  • Sugar- sweetens the filling from the salty soy sauce.
  • Soy Sauce- works like salt and gives it the classic Chinese flavor.
  • White Pepper- the secret ingredient to make authentic Chinese egg rolls.
  • Garlic and Ginger- give Asian flavor.

How To Make Egg Rolls Step-By-Step:

You can watch how I rolled the egg rolls in the recipe box instructions. Chinese egg rolls are easy to make at home and require no special rolling equipment, just some water! 

  1. Prepare the egg roll filling by frying the pork and adding the vegetables and spices. Sautee until pork is cooked and veggies wilted. 
  2. Place the filling on the bottom of one corner from an egg roll wrapper. 
  3. Roll and seal the sides.
  4. Deep fry in hot oil until crisp and golden.
  5. Serve with Duck Sauce. 

Note: Use egg roll wraps not spring roll pastry sheets. 

How Many Egg Rolls Does One Package of Wrappers Make? 

A one-pound package of Egg Roll Wraps has 16 dough sheets, thus making 16 egg rolls. 

How to Freeze Egg Rolls?

Cooked or uncooked? The good news egg rolls can be frozen either way! If I’m going to be frying rolls I might as well fry all of them since I’ll have the oil nice and hot. These go quickly if everybody eats 2-3 at one sitting. Which, makes them more of a main dish than an appetizer! 

  1. To freeze Cooked egg rolls: Cool completely. This helps minimize the vapor from condensation and can help with frost build-up. Place into bags and freeze for up to 3 months or deep freeze for up to 6 months. To Reheat toast in the oven or air fryer.  
  2. To Freeze Uncooked egg rolls: arrange uncooked egg rolls into a single layer on a tray or baking sheet. Flash freeze then transfer rolls into a freezer bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months. You can fry frozen rolls right into the hot oil. Additional time may be required. 
  3. Microwave- one frozen egg roll 2-3 minutes over high. It will not make the shell crispy but works. 

Storing Bread: cooked egg rolls keep in the fridge well. Store in the fridge for 3 days then freeze any leftovers. If possible thaw cooked egg rolls before toasting. Uncooked rolls can be deep-fried frozen. 

How To Make-Ahead?

Follow freezing instructions and reheat to the preference of choice.

How To Serve Egg Rolls:

Egg rolls are best served warm with an Asian dipping sauce such as duck sauce or a sweet chili sauce. Chinese rolls are typically ordered as a side to fried rice or Lo mein, however, you can make it a main dish by serving it alone. 

The Best Egg Roll Wrappers:

An authentic egg roll recipe is wrapped in egg roll wraps not spring roll sheets. Spring Roll wrappers are thin rice wrappers made from rice flour and egg roll wraps are made from wheat flour and eggs. If you want the crispy and chewy egg rolls like the Chinese Restaurant you’d want the egg roll wraps, it’s how you get the blistered air-bubbly skins! 

Egg roll wrappers can be found in the freezer section of some stores or fridge aisles. You want to look for the title “Egg Roll.” The brand I bought was by Wing Hing and I purchased it from Restaurant Depot. Egg roll dough sheets typically come in 8×8 squares. 

Tools Needed:

Here are the tools I used:

How To Wrap Egg Rolls: 

Wrapping an egg roll is as easy as folding in some sides and rolling it up! 

  1. Fill each egg roll sheet with a heaping 1/4 cup of filling across the center of one corner. 
  2. Take the tip of the bottom corner and fold overfilling. 
  3. Fold in the sides and seal the edge with water. 
  4. Roll up. 

Can I substitute the Meat? 

An authentic Chinese Egg roll is made with pork and vegetables. Here are some other ways to use ground meat. 

  • ground turkey
  • diced shrimp
  • ground chicken breasts or thighs. 

BEST Tips for Egg Rolls:

  1. Work with a few wrappers at a time and cover the rest to prevent the sheets from drying out. Once the sheets are dried it’s hard to seal. 
  2. Heat the oil to 350°F and keep it regulated so rolls cook evenly, without soaking up excess oil or browning too fast. 
  3. Securely roll all sides so the filling doesn’t escape when frying. 
  4. Keep fried rolls warm in the oven on a wire rack until the rest are fried. Nobody wants a soggy egg roll. 

More Appetizer Recipes:

How to Make A Chinese Egg Roll Recipe: 

Egg Roll Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Deep-Fry: 16 minutes
Total Time: 26 minutes
Servings: 16 egg rolls
Author: Alyona Demyanchuk
An Authentic Chinese Egg Roll Recipe like your favorite takeout Restaurant! Not spring rolls! I'm talking the deep-fried thick and chewy, blistered-skinned wrappers filled with pork and cabbage! Homemade egg rolls are easy to master and you don't even need a deep-fryer to achieve crispy skins! 

Equipment

  • deep-frying pot
  • non-stick skillet

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb egg roll wraps
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 4 cups coleslaw mix (or mix 4 cups of shredded cabbage and 1 cup grated carrots)
  • 2 celery ribs (shredded)

Egg Roll Sauce:

  • 4 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 tsp dried ginger
  • 1/2 cup oil (for frying)

Instructions

Instructions:

  • how to make Authentic Chinese egg rolls step by step
    Fry the pork in a medium skillet until browned and no longer pink. Add the veggies and sauce. Saute over high until the liquid evaporates and remove from heat.
  • Place a heaping 1/4 cup full of filling across the center of one angle. Roll up egg rolls folding in the sides and sealing the edges with water.
  • Heat oil in a medium saucepan and fry egg rolls a few at a time until done. Place fried egg rolls onto paper towels. And continue to fry the rest.
  • Serve warm egg rolls with duck sauce or sweet chili sauce. To reheat: toast in the oven until hot.

Nutrition per serving

Serving: 1egg rollCalories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 8gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 264mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

 

 

 

 

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3 comments

    • Tolii

    Fire egg rolls ALONNNA !!!!!

    • Carl

    We use mushrooms instead of cabbage for some of the egg rolls. They come out great as well. I bake at 375 for 12-15 min or until golden brown. Spray top and bottom lightly with cooking spray and start with seam down. Flip over about halfway through. They brown fine and crispy without frying.

      • Alyona Demyanchuk

      Good to know, Carl!

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