Air Fryer Egg Rolls

Crisp egg rolls are a Chinese-American favourite: thin wrappers folded around a savoury filling, then cooked until shatteringly golden and served hot with a sharp, salty dip. This air fryer version keeps the familiar pork, cabbage and carrot filling, seasoned with garlic, ginger, light soy sauce and sesame oil, but uses a light brushing of oil rather than deep-frying. Cooling the filling before wrapping helps the pastry stay crisp, while turning the rolls during cooking gives even colour. They work well as an appetiser, party snack or sharing plate, especially with the quick soy and rice vinegar dipping sauce.
Cuisine style Chinese-inspired appetiser
Flavor profile Savoury • Umami • Gingery
Techniques Sautéing • Rolling • Air-frying
Key equipment Air fryer • Large frying pan
Cooking style Make-ahead friendly • Crowd-friendly
Time commitment Under 1 hour

Why this recipe works

  • Crisp without deep-frying: A light brushing of oil helps the wrappers brown and blister in the air fryer while keeping the finish lighter than traditional frying.
  • Aromatic filling: Garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil season the pork and vegetables directly, so the filling tastes savoury and well-rounded before wrapping.
  • Bright dipping sauce: Rice vinegar lifts the salty soy sauce dip, cutting through the richness of the pork and crisp wrapper.

Get the most out of this recipe

Texture tips

  • Cool the filling first: Let the cooked filling cool until just warm before rolling; trapped steam can soften the wrappers and make them harder to crisp.
  • Leave space in the basket: Arrange the egg rolls in a single layer so hot air can circulate around each one. Cook in batches if needed.
  • Oil the outside evenly: Brush the wrappers lightly all over so they brown evenly rather than developing dry, pale patches.

Common mistakes

  • Overfilling the wrappers: Too much filling makes the rolls difficult to seal and can cause them to split during cooking.
  • Skipping the turn: Turning the egg rolls halfway through air-frying helps both sides brown evenly.
  • Season with the dip in mind: Taste the filling before rolling, but avoid making it too salty as the soy-based dip will add extra seasoning.

Make-ahead tips

  • Prepare the filling in advance: The pork and vegetable filling can be cooked ahead and cooled before wrapping, which also makes assembly easier.
  • Freeze cooked egg rolls: Cool completely, freeze in a single layer, then bag up once firm so they do not stick together.
  • Re-crisp in the air fryer: Reheat chilled egg rolls at 180°C (355°F) until piping hot and crisp; frozen egg rolls can be reheated from frozen at the same temperature.

Ingredient notes

  • Cut the vegetables finely: Thin cabbage, fine carrot matchsticks and sliced spring onion cook quickly and make the rolls easier to shape.
  • Keep the filling fairly dry: If changing the vegetables, avoid very watery additions unless they are cooked down well, as excess moisture can soften the wrappers.
  • Use pliable wrappers: Egg roll wrappers should be flexible enough to fold without cracking; keep them covered while you work so they do not dry out.

Equipment you'll need

Ingredients
Instructions
Print
  1. Finely shred the green cabbage, cut the carrot into fine matchsticks, and thinly slice the spring onions. Finely grate the ginger and crush the garlic. Whisk the egg with 1 tbsp water in a small bowl for sealing the wrappers.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the minced pork and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, breaking it up, until no longer pink. Stir in the cabbage, carrot and spring onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened but still with a little bite.
  3. Stir in the light soy sauce and sesame oil and cook for 1 minute so it coats the filling. Tip onto a plate and spread out to cool until just warm; this helps prevent soggy wrappers. Taste and adjust with a little more light soy sauce if you like, keeping in mind the dip is salty too.
  4. Lay out an egg roll wrapper with a corner pointing towards you. Spoon filling onto the lower third, fold the bottom corner up over the filling, fold in the sides, then roll up tightly; brush the final corner with the egg wash to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
  5. Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (390°F). Brush the egg rolls lightly all over with the remaining 1 tbsp vegetable oil and arrange in the basket in a single layer. Air-fry for 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway, until deep golden and crisp.
  6. Stir the rice vinegar into any remaining light soy sauce to make a quick dip. Serve the egg rolls hot.

Made this recipe? Rate it — a comment is optional.

Recipe notes

Tips

  • Let the filling cool until just warm before wrapping so steam does not soften the egg roll wrappers.
  • Do not overfill: a tight roll seals better and crisps more evenly in the air fryer.
  • Food safety: if serving to young children, older adults, or pregnant people, use a pasteurised egg for the wash.

Substitutions

  • Replace rice vinegar with white vinegar for a brighter, sharper dipping sauce.
  • Replace spring onion with more green cabbage for a simpler filling (keep the total vegetable amount similar).
  • Replace sesame oil with vegetable oil for a milder flavour.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 2 days
  • Cool completely, then refrigerate in a sealed container. Reheat in the air fryer at 180°C (355°F) for 4 to 6 minutes until piping hot and crisp; freeze cooled egg rolls in a single layer, then bag up and cook from frozen at 180°C (355°F) for 10 to 12 minutes.

Ratings & reviews

Liked this recipe? Share your feedback to support our cooking community.

Tried this recipe?

Choose 1–5 stars. A comment is optional.

If you leave a comment, use 10–500 characters.

Stay inspired

Discover new recipes, seasonal favourites and cooking inspiration every day. Follow JustRecipes on Pinterest and Spillt.

Recipe overview

  • Servings: 4 servings
  • Total time: 55min (35min active)
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Cuisine: Chinese
  • Allergens:
    Eggs Gluten Soybeans Wheat
Freezer friendly Kid friendly

Plan your meals and get a complete grocery list automatically.

Add to meal planner

Equipment you'll need

Advertisement

Recommended tools for this recipe

Best overall

Misen 8-Inch Chef Knife

Sharp modern chef knife
  • AUS-10 steel
  • Balanced design
  • Less traditional feel

Got ingredients left?

Find recipes using ingredients from this recipe or what you already have at home.

Find recipes with these ingredients →

Make this recipe easier next time

Advertisement

These tools help you get better results with less effort.

Best overall

Misen 8-Inch Chef Knife

Sharp modern chef knife
  • AUS-10 steel
  • Balanced design
  • Less traditional feel
Best value

Titanium & PP Double-Sided Cutting Board

Easy-clean double-sided board
  • Separate surfaces for meat and produce
  • Resists odors and stains
  • Harder on knife edges than wood or plastic
Top quality

All-Clad HA1 Hard Anodized Nonstick Fry Pan 12 Inch

Premium nonstick performance
  • Top-tier build quality
  • Excellent heat distribution
  • Expensive
Best overall

OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Cutting Board Set

Practical everyday board set
  • Two useful sizes with reversible cutting surfaces
  • Dishwasher safe and easy to clean
  • Plastic surfaces will show knife marks over time

Browse alphabetically

Looking for a specific recipe? Choose a letter below to jump directly to recipes starting with that letter or number.

Enjoy cooking with JustRecipes?

Add JustRecipes as one of your preferred Google sources to discover our recipes more easily across Google Search.

Add JustRecipes to Google

Every recipe on JustRecipes follows the same structured editorial process. Learn how recipes are created, validated, translated, illustrated, and continuously improved across the platform. How we create recipes.