Whenever I whip up a batch of my Mom’s famous Chinese egg rolls, it feels like a special family gathering, even if it’s just a Tuesday night! They’re perfect as a great snack or appetizer to wow a crowd. And guess what? They’re surprisingly easy to make! I’ve got step-by-step photos to guide you through, making it an easy recipe to follow for the best egg rolls at home.
Authentic Chinese egg rolls should be smooth, light, crisp-crackly skin and small enough to enjoy in 4 bites. The filling should also be light, and you should be able to taste and distinguish every single ingredient in the filling. The beauty of these homemade egg rolls is that they freeze beautifully, making them a convenient make-ahead treat. So, let’s dive into the world of classic egg rolls and bring a bit of my family’s kitchen into yours!
Why This Chinese Egg Rolls Recipe Is So Good
- Authentic Family Recipe: This isn’t just any recipe; it’s Mama Ruthie’s authentic Chinese egg rolls recipe. Handed down through generations, it’s steeped in tradition and packed with the kind of love and care only a family recipe can offer.
- A Crowd-Pleaser: There’s a reason why egg rolls are a super popular classic in Chinese food. They’re universally loved, making them the perfect dish for parties. Whether your guests are familiar with authentic Chinese cuisine or not, they’re sure to fall in love with these.
- Perfect for Big Gatherings: The best part about these crispy egg rolls? You can batch make a ton! They are ideal for large gatherings because they can be made in advance and easily frozen, ensuring you’re always party-ready.
- Crispy Perfection: Forget the massive, chewy spring rolls you might find at some Chinese-American takeout joints. These homemade rolls are all about crispy perfection. They boast a light, delicate skin that crackles with each bite, and a non-soggy filling that’s just divine.
- Ideal for Quick Snacks or Meals: Not only do they taste incredible, but these crispy egg rolls also freeze exceptionally well. You can cook them straight from frozen, making them a convenient option for when those cravings hit. It’s a hassle-free way to enjoy the best results, with simple ingredients and minimal prep whenever you want a taste of authentic Chinese cuisine.
Ingredients
- Spring/Egg roll wrappers
- Cornstarch
- Cooking oil (canola oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil work great)
- Soy sauce
- Ground pork
- Cabbage
- Shitake Mushrooms and carrots
- Garlic, ginger
- Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- Sugar
- Sesame oil
- Black
How To Make This Egg Rolls Recipe – Step By Step
To Make the Filling
- In a large bowl, mix together the soy sauce, cornstarch and pork. Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots using your food processor or by hand. Slice the mushrooms into very thin strips (or you could use your food processor and pulse a few times to get a fine dice.)
- Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the marinated pork and stir fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, push the meat to one side of the pan.
- Add the garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger and the mushrooms and stir fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir fry for another minute.
- Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts and will allow all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Wrap Egg Rolls
- Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Now, you’re ready to wrap (see step by step photos in the post for instructions on how to wrap).
- IMPORTANT: Only use 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each egg roll. These are slender egg rolls, the width of the egg roll should only be 1.25″ diameter.
- Keep the rolled egg rolls in neat, single layer and covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.
To Fry the Egg Rolls
- Fill a wok or large pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.
- NOTE: To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4 to 6 at a time. Add an additional 1½ minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.
Mama Ruthie’s Chinese Egg Rolls Recipe Rules
Mama’s Rule #1: Your egg roll filling ingredients must be drained of excess moisture and cooled before rolling. Soggy, hot filling makes soggy egg rolls.
Mama’s Rule #2: Use the right kind of Chinese spring roll wrappers. The size I get is 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm) around and come 25 wrappers to a package. These wrappers are light, paper-thin and fry up to a shatteringly crisp crunch. Oh yes, before I forget – “spring roll” and “egg roll” are interchangeable and mean the same thing. Sometimes my big-name local grocery store will have “spring roll pasta sheets” that are in the refrigerated produce section. Do not use those – they are way too thick! Let’s just say that if it has Italian writing on the package, it probably ain’t the good stuff for Chinese egg rolls.
Here are photos of my 2 favorite egg roll wrapper brands, found in most Asian markets.
Mama’s Rule#3. Treat the wrapper right. You also want to keep the wrappers covered with a damp towel at all times to prevent the edges from drying and cracking.
Mama’s Rule #4: Roll small and tight! Sloppy and loosely rolled egg rolls will break apart and allow oil to seep into the inside of the roll. Mama says baaaad. One time I was watching a celebrity chef on television making monster egg rolls the size of a cola can. Who in the heck can wrap their mouths around that thing? It looked hideous. Mama’s egg rolls are elegant and skinny. Don’t be too greedy and overstuff them! And roll them tight so that the filling doesn’t fall out while frying! Remember the days when you were younger and rolled your own… um… cigarette? Channel those rolling skills back.
Mama’s Rule #5: Lay the rolled egg rolls neatly with a piece of parchment, foil or wax paper in between each layer if you are stacking them on top of each other. Keep them covered with plastic wrap or a towel to prevent drying. If you are freezing, freeze them in like this first. Once frozen, you can gather them up and transfer them to a plastic freezer bag. If you roll them out and jumble them all together in a big pile, they’ll eventually stick to each other and you’ll tear the delicate skin trying to pry them apart.
How To Wrap Egg Rolls
The printable Chinese Egg Rolls recipe is below, but here are step by step photos on how to wrap. This Chinese egg rolls recipe is specifically for ground pork egg rolls, but as you can see in these photos, the filling is very flexible. I’ve used chopped shrimp, ground chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, very thinly sliced pork (almost like matchstick sized). In these photos, I used crawfish and diced Chinese sausage!
These photos are just a guideline to teach you how to wrap (and the wrong way to wrap Chinese Egg Rolls!)
After you fry the filling, you’ll want to spread it out to cool on a baking sheet. Tilt the baking sheet and prop it up so that all the juices and excess oil accumulate. You’ll discard this as well. Too much juice in filling makes soggy egg rolls.
Lay the wrapper on a clean, dry surface as shown. Spoon just a heaping tablespoon of filling near the bottom corner. Resist the urge to over stuff with too much filling!
Lift the bottom point up and begin rolling until you reach halfway up from the edges of the wrapper.
Fold over the left side, and then the right side towards the center.
Continue folding up with a tuck-roll-tuck-roll motion. Dip your fingers into the cornstarch slurry and brush all over the final top corner. Finish up the roll, seal and place seam side down.
See how tightly the egg roll wrapped? Any holes or large air pockets will allow oil to seep in, resulting in a greasy egg roll! The width or diameter of the egg roll should ONLY be 1.25-inches. If you make them any larger (i.e. too much filling) you’ll end up with less egg rolls.
Wrong Ways to Roll
A common mistake is to not fold over and tuck good enough. Oil seeps in and will make your egg roll greasy. Plus, big holes = your egg roll will fall apart while frying.
Can You Freeze These Egg Rolls?
If you want to freeze the egg rolls, lay the rolls in a single layer inside a gallon freezer bag. If they overlap, they might freeze and stick together. They can touch side by side, but try not to overload bag. When ready to cook, do NOT defrost, or they will be a soggy, deformed mess. Fry the egg rolls frozen (see below).
You can make a big batch of them and freeze them. I usually call a couple of my girlfriends over and we have an egg-rollin’ party where we’ll make a massive batch of them, enjoy them fresh that night and have enough for all to take home and freeze. If you are making these with friends, I’d suggest doubling the recipe so each person has some to take home to freeze. I promise you they will taste just as good fried after frozen and you will never taste better egg rolls than these.
Top Tips For These Egg Rolls
- Lay the cooked filling ingredients out on a baking tray, so they cool quickly. You don’t want your filling hot when wrapping your egg rolls, or the rolls will be soggy.
- Do not over stuff your rolls or they will burst.
- These freeze well, make a big batch!
- You can pop the frozen rolls straight into the fryer.
More Asian Recipes To Explore
- Red Lantern Vietnamese Spring Roll Recipe Cha Gio
- Vegetable Spring Rolls Recipe (Egg Rolls)
- Firecracker Shrimp with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
- Chinese Spring Rolls with Chicken
Mother's Famous Chinese Egg Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers about 2 packages, defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup of cool water to seal egg roll
- Cooking oil for frying
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ head of cabbage about 11 ounces
- 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms stems discarded
- 1 cup julienned carrots
- 2 cloves garlic very finely minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To Make the Filling
- In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, cornstarch and pork. Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots using your food processor or by hand. Slice the mushrooms into very thin strips (or you could use your food processor and pulse a few times to get a fine dice.
- Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the marinated pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, push the meat to one side of the pan. Add the garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger and the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts and will allow all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Wrap Egg Rolls
- Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Now, you're ready to wrap (see step by step photos in the post for instructions on how to wrap).
- IMPORTANT: Only use 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each egg roll. These are slender egg rolls, the width of the egg roll should only be 1.25" diameter.
- Keep the rolled egg rolls in neat, single layer and covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.
Want to Freeze?
- If you want to freeze the egg rolls, lay the rolls in a single layer inside a gallon freezer bag. If they overlap, they might freeze and stick together. They can touch side by side, but try not to overload bag. When ready to cook, do NOT defrost, or they will be a soggy, deformed mess. Fry the egg rolls frozen (see below).
To Fry the Egg Rolls
- Fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.
- NOTE: To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4 to 6 at a time. Add an additional 1½ minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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It’s been a while since I made egg rolls, had to search for this recipe to show my college bound son. He’s finally into learning how to make dad’s food.
This is the best I have ever used and the only one since. Momma Ruthies’s cool and drain technique is the best secret ever! My brother and I always struggled with soggy bottoms, cooking more was not the solution. Less cooking total draining. Loved the original article the came with this recipe.
Hi Oscar,
We are happy that you love our Article. Enjoy cooking!
Thank you
Steamy Kitchen Team
I followed the recipe exactly and they were perfect. I also bought the same egg roll skins, and I was extremely pleased with them. They were very easy to work with, they didn’t care, and they did not blister when fried.
1 tbsp
Have made these twice in the past 3 weeks. I use shredded rotisserie chicken for the meat and they are a HIT!!!!! Thank you SO much!
i havent tried this recipe yet but i make awesome egg rolls…my daughter wanted me to go into business by selling them on the side of the road.i told her im disabled im not sure how long i could do it.but i cant wait to try your mommas recipe cause i know when i do mine they are the bomb
Recipe was kind of confusing. Overall, they came out delicious. I will definitely be making them again.
I meant to give this recipe stars… 😉
Great recipe Jaden, I cheated and used a bag of coleslaw with green a red cabbage and carrots mixed in too. My husband & I loved them. The freezing, I’m excited to see how they will come out, Will try that later. Thank you & your Mother…
Happy Chinese New Year!
This was a delicious recipe! I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but Mother was wrong for saying that ‘spring roll’ and ‘egg roll’ are interchangeable terms that mean the same thing. It’s like saying that ‘planet’ and ‘moon’ are synonymous terms that mean the same thing. Egg rolls and spring rolls are VERY different. Egg rolls tend to be much larger and bulkier than spring rolls. Depending on where you are from, egg rolls may also be dipped in batter before they are fried. Let’s face it: these are Mother’s SPRING ROLLS!
Love this recipes. My granddaughter requests it A LOT and after frying I freeze them on a sheetpan and then put in gallon ziplock bag when done. Then we just take them out as we want them and reheat them in the air fryer to crisp up. No thawing necessary.
Good article . The way how you explain this strategies. Is very professional.
Your article was great, but even tho I am not asian, I have been making egg rolls for over 50 years…my family just loves them!
J’ai trouvé cette page très bonne. Je partage également des informations sur cette magnifique page
I made these for Chinese New Year last weekend (even though I’m Irish lol) and they came out great! I had never made them before but I followed your recipe exactly and they were great! Thanks
My mouth may have watered while reading this post!! I LOVE Egg Rolls! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe. I’m definitely going to try these.
Great , very easy to take these recepices when we r getting hungry to make it fast and easy and also when we take it’s snake time
Great recipe, however, egg roll and spring roll are NOT the same thing. This recipe uses spring roll wrappers which are thinner, smooth, and lighter than egg roll wrappers.
OMG it’s Tina again are we supposed to freeze before or after we cook them? I fried first then thinking we freeze. Did i mess up?
Hi Tina – no, just fry! You can freeze if you don’t want to cook all of them.
Thank your grandmother for me. My sister turned me on to the recipe, but i have a hard time with the wraps drying out. I keep a moist paper towel over the wraps and eggrolls but they still feel dry. They come out real greasy. I have some filling left over and i roll tighter. How can i make wraps moist again. Please help. People love them but too greasy.
Hi Tina – I have a solution for you: Take a damp towel (like a kitchen towel), cover and wrap around a stack of a few egg roll wrappers. Microwave on medium for 20 seconds. The steam from the towel should revive the wrappers.
If your rolls are too greasy, then increase the oil temperature when frying. I found that if my oil is not hot enough, the egg rolls will just sit and soak in oil instead of frying.
The convection air dryers are the way to go for reheating. Fry in mixture of coconut and olive oil. It won’t seem greasy or bad but instead deliver need good oils.
I am very impressed with this recipe for egg rolls – pork. DELICIOUS!!! I love to cook, always looking for homemade recipes. I made the 50, of course i froze the majority for later snacking or appetizers. Im already planning for my next 50, my husband and kids love them also. We like them with a bit of heat so i added some serrano peppers to some. Thanks again.
Thank you so much Sandra!! -Jaden
Can I assume that the first amount of Soy sauce (1 tablespoon) is for the marinade & the second amount of soy sauce (1 1/2 tablespoons) is to go into the vegetables when stir frying?
SO many awesome reviews that I’m excited to try this when I can find the proper wrappers!
Yes
I made a single bowl of egg-drop style soup from the leftover juices in the pan. It was TOO good to toss!
Love the recipe! A secret that I do…. is save that juice from cooking and use to enhance ur dipping sauce! Add chili sauce, or ur preferred dipping sauce. All the flavors from the drippings ramp up the flavor! Love EGG ROLLS!
Thanks!
What oil is best? What did you use?
I use Canola or Vegetable oil.
Can I possibly fry these in peanut ? I can’t wait to try these tonight!! Thank you
Absolutely!
I have made these eggrolls 2 weeks in a row now because I crave them! So yummy and delish! I love Momma’s tips too. Great read and tasty recipe! Tell Momma our family said thanks!
Thank you Kasy!
this is good
Haven’t made in a few years and they are always a hit.
Great snacks, apps and side with meals.
Can’t wait to make!
I’ve made these yummy little deliciousness several time and they always turn out spectacular.
Thankyou for the directions and step by step recipe.
I’ve shared your site with Friends and family they love them also.
Thanks to your momma
I agree that the Spring Home TYJ Spring Roll Pastry wrappers are very good. They’re my favorite. I like to keep some in the freezer to make crispy strips tossed with coconut oil in my convection oven. Great for snacking and to add a crunch to salads, etc. If I am making rolls, I’ll buy a new pack just for that. Gee, I think I feel some holiday projects coming on! Already made a zesty plum sauce and a ginger and Birdseye chili sauce. Thanks for the inspiration!!
I just tasted one and it is excellent, it is better than anything I have ever bought! I will be making them all the time now. I had a little trouble rolling the first few up and had to look again at the photos and I ran the mixture lightly through my food chopper (as another comment suggested) and that made it really easy. They are light and crispy, not greasy at all and the cost to make them is cheap. Thanks again, you made me extremely happy today and saved me a ton of money!
Thank you so much V!
I have been buying spring rolls from a lovely lady at work, I pay $25. for 40 which I feel is pricey but I gladly pay it. I have tried numerous brands from the Asian markets and various vendors at the Farmers Market which all have gone in the trash. I tried making them once and they were horrible, an Asian friend told me I bought the wrong wrappers, so I tried wonton wrappers and they were a failure also.
Yesterday I decided to give it another try after reading your blog, but it was mainly the comments from others that gave me the incentive to try it again. The filling is currently in the fridge cooling and I will deep fry them shortly. If these actually turn out I will be overjoyed and grateful both to you and all the people who took the time to comment. My wallet will like you also!!
To be honest, $25 for 40 is actually pretty reasonable. The thai restaurant I worked for a long time ago you could buy 4 vegetarian egg rolls for $5.25. The current restaurant i go to here, they give you 2 vegetarian egg rolls in their appetizer for $3.95, chicken egg rolls are $4.95 for 2. They are long so they cut it in half at an angle so it looks like you get more. Another restaurant gives you 3 vegetarian egg rolls for $4.95.
Doing the math, most charge at least a $1 for each egg roll. Technically you paid aound $0.63 per egg roll whereas the first place I worked at charged $1.31 per egg roll, the next place I mentioned charges $1.97 – $2.48 per egg roll and the last place I mentioned charges $1.65. Even with the lowest charge at $1.31 per egg roll, you would be charged $52.40 for 40, whereas the highest $2.48 per egg roll would be $99.20.
This is just a guesstimation, but ultimately, unless you managed a ton of deals, you would at least spend $10 for ingredients, I spend about $12 – $15. At least $4 for the meat, cabbage is around $2 as well as $2 for a bag of carrots, plus 2 packages of egg roll wrappers that comes to about $4 plus glass noodles. She probably bought the ingredients costing around $15, charged $10 for her time and energy, which I think is pretty reasonable. Egg rolls can be pretty labor intensive.
More power to anyone who learns to make new foods and recipes but dont tote around that it was pricey when she truly didnt charge you all that much.
Used your recipe basics but changed so much. First time making egg rolls. Added a dinner plate of chopped chicken, 1 cup sliced celery, 6 cups cabbage and one can of sprouts, used sesame oil to sautee and no mushrooms. Tasted like a chicken wrap but was so crunchy delicious. Oh the chicken was leftover from a roaster and for added flavor I added the jell chicken broth to the mixture at the end.
Fantastic! I love how you made it your own 🙂 jaden
I have been making this recipe so long now that I think it’s my own. But, it gives me joy to share this recipe with other families because it is so delicious and easy to make. This is a kid friendly recipe. My nieces and nephews take turns reading the instructions to measoout the ingredients, and then we huddle around the table to roll. Needless to say we are still working on having the perfect, neatly rolled egg rolls depicted here. Thank you Jaden for sharing this recipe with detailed instructions and helpful tips. The fact that they are good when I follow this recipe makes me wonder just how amazing they surely are when you or your grandmother makes them.
Thank you so much Shea! So great to hear from you 🙂 jaden
I make these a lot. My daughter requests them for her birthday every year. I have to get moving because her birthday is in two days and she has invited more friends to come enjoy! Thanks for this recipe.
Made these last night, and I just had comment. This is by far the best recipe for egg rolls that I’ve ever had. It is to PERFECTION. My family & I absolutely loved them, and the kids sure enjoyed helping in the kitchen to roll them. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it’s definitely a new family favorite of ours! 🙂
Thank you so much Brandy!
I found your recipe looking for egg roll filling. I had some (shh, the thick, pasta-like wrappers you warn against) egg roll wrappers left over so I made your filling except for finely diced chicken instead of the ground pork. I then had filling left over. I turned it into a quiche and added a little parmesan (you have to have cheese in a quiche, but cheddar just didn’t seem right). It turned out great. The egg rolls were delicious as well, even if they had the wrong wrappers.
Thanks Carol! -jaden
We bought a air fryer to eat healthier. So, to fry them in oil is what we want to avoid. Is there a way to fix them in a air fryer and keep them moist? I fixed some making up a recipe for a breakfast of ham and eggs; experimenting. The edged were crispy and the roll was a bit dry tasting. Want to make some with your recipe (without cabbage, don’t like cabbage) but want them to be moist.
Hi, this is probably too late in response to you, what I usually do is I lightly coat the egg rolls in an olive oil or vegetable oil before putting them in an air fryer, this helps tremendously and so that it doesn’t dry out.
Thanks for tip David!
Hello. I plan to make these next week. I have a couple questions. After rolling, can I freeze without frying the rolls? Or should I fry then freeze? Also, I have a commercial style deep fryer, I notice you mentioned to fry in a pan with 2 inches of oil, would I be able to fry them in my deep fryer where they will be submersed in oil? Thank you so much!
Hi Jason, after wrapping the rolls, put them in a freezer bag, in a SINGLE layer, then freeze. When ready to fry, fry them direct from freezer, but just be careful, the ice crystals + hot oil will splatter a bit…use tongs and gently slide them into the hot oil. Any deep fryer will be fine!
I have made this many times & it is awesome! But, for God’s sake, DO NOT discard the accumulated juices! 🙂 Throw some pre-packaged stir fry-type veggies in a walk or a pan & add the lovely, flavorful accumulated juices to it & you have another amazing meal in a nanno second.
sorry…wok,
My kids are allergic to soy so I replaced it with some fish sauce. These turned out great! I had always used the refrigerated pasta-like wrappers, which had been my biggest mistake. Thank you for emphasizing the importance of finding the thin wrappers, and how to keep them from cracking. Do you have a dipping sauce recipe? The egg rolls were so awesome that no one asked for sauce (shocking, because one kid requires ketchup on basically everything), but I tossed together a quick sauce for one of my kids which I normally use for mandoo. Thank you (and your mom)!
Mayploy makes a sweet chili sauce that pairs very well with these!
Candace – Try replacing soy sauce with coconut aminos. It’s a little sweeter than soy sauce, so you might want to add a bit of salt, or fish sauce. Check out nomnompaleo.com for some other non-soy, Asian inspired dishes.
Hello….I had an Asian friend make a large batch of these for me to take to a weekend event. Question, though, she did not precook/fry the pork. I have them in the freezer now. Would I still want to prepare them in the oil right from the freezer? I’m worried that the meat was not cooked first. Thank you!!
Hi Mary! I would fry up one of the egg rolls (direct from frozen) and cut it open. Is the pork cooked through? If not, continue frying your batch (direct from frozen). Place a wire rack onto your baking sheet. Place the fried egg rolls on the rack, cover all loosely with tin foil. Bake the egg rolls in 350F oven for 10 minutes. That should finish cooking the pork!
Not surprisingly, these were absolutely delicious! I tried a different (“Effortless”) recipe yesterday, but they don’t compare. I painted a light coating of sesame oil and baked at 400F for ~12 minutes. Had to freeze most before cooking so I wouldn’t eat them. haha
Thank you so much Sheila! -jaden
Excellent. We ate several even though we weren’t hungry. Frozen the rest after cooking in oil and having some for lunch today. Sorta experimenting on how long to cook in oven to reheat.
425 degrees and about 5 minutes on each side. They were excellent again.
Thank you Jerry! -jaden
I’m going to try and make these tomorrow . Can I use rice noodles with these and use other vegetables like carrots , onions , beanspruts, water chestnuts cabbage ect . Oh and would that already cooked bbq pork be good?
Yes! Absolutely to all of your suggestions. I like water chestnuts too 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe. I haven’t found one as authentic as yours. Very detailed and I love your tips. I agree the massive and bland egg rolls generally sold is not appealing nor true to the original. I will reiterate your comment that the cooked texture of egg rolls aren’t supposed to be bubbly, bumpy, or soggy. Thanks again. Yummy eats!
I’m Chinese/white (mostly white) but my grandma is very Chinese haha.. We call these (something like.. pronounced) ji-ya.. I know this recipe but I am just stuck trying to figure out how to spell it lol. She is Chinese but from Vietnam, so it may me Vietnamese pronunciation but I don’t think it is because it doesn’t sound like it and it seems to be a Chinese recipe. I am very culturally confused so I may be wrong. But does anybody else use that name, and if so, do you know how it’s spelled? Thanks lol
Chả Giò (it’s the Vietnamese name for egg rolls and how you phonetically spelled it in your comment).
Can I bake these instead of frying? And if so how?
Hi Mallisa – I haven’t baked them, but I have used an air fryer which works GREAT. Here are pics.
Will precooking the filling make it dry tasting when you fry them? I remember my aunt did it this way for her party and her eggrolls were really dry because of her precooking the filling. Is there any way of preventing this from happening?
No, not at all! As long as your filling is tasty, it will be just fine. We’ve been making egg rolls this way for the past 50 years!
Can you post a picture of the wrapper packaging?
No prob! I just uploaded 2 package photos.
Planning on making these this weekend but am confused on the prep time, is 60 hours correct. it looks more like 60 minutes but I may have missed some marinading time
60 minutes LOL! oops!
Thank you for sharing, you had me laughing too! This is my year, I’m a rooster according to my birth year so I hope it is a good one!
Hi Jaden. For a first timer, would you suggest this one or the Spring Rolls with Chicken? I know they have fairly similar ingredients, but is one tastier than the other?
Hi Agnes – Both are amazing haha! Start with this recipe 🙂 Pork is the traditional meat in this dish.
Making these tonight! (Only with salad shrimps [caught them on sale!])
Question, though, what about frying them first, then freezing them?
I intend on giving a couple to my coworker, but idk if she’ll go through with frying them.
What would recommended heating procedures be then?
Yes, you can fry and then freeze. When ready to eat, just pop them frozen (don’t defrost) into toaster oven 350F for 10 minutes.
I used left over BBQ ribs (deboned and shredded) I didn’t add extra sauce because it would be to wet instead I served with a BBQ dipping sauce. I have done a lot of different left overs this way it makes a great quick snack for the kids after school or on those nights everyone is headed in a different direction like ball practice dance class and gymnastics. I can make them ahead pop a few meat ones in with a few veggi ones and I at least know that while the kids are munching in the back of the
van I did my best to feed them something not only great tasting but healthy too!
What a great idea . Thanks
Hi.. This looks so good.. I’m from Zamboanga, Philippines. We don’t call them egg rolls there. We call them lumpia. Where I was from in Del Norte we didn’t fry them though. I want to try this. Thank you so much 🙂
I added 1/2 an onion, minced; a can of water chestnuts; and a couple of tablespoons of minced red bell pepper to the filling, and was generous with the garlic and ginger measures. I didn’t have cornstarch on hand, but arrowroot powder worked fine. Also used honey in place of sugar, and added a splash of nuoc mam (fish sauce) to the soy sauce mix to boost the umami (savory) flavor. The filling is very meaty; I think next time I’ll double the veggie amounts, and easily make twice as many egg rolls. I find the wrapping is easier if the filling is well minced, not chunky (and hence bumpy), so I pulsed the raw veggies in the food processor a few times and did the same to the meat after it was cooked. The filling came out nice and dry and didn’t need draining, maybe because I minced the veggies ahead of time and they sat in a bowl in the fridge overnight before cooking? I only had one package of the refrigerated Nasoya wrappers—the ones you’re specifically not supposed to use, but I live in a rural area and was lucky to find even those—so I used about two heaping tablespoons of filling for each and it worked out perfectly; they’re still only about half to two-thirds the heft of a standard restaurant egg roll—so neither elegantly thin nor obscenely overstuffed, but a nice satisfying size. And the important thing—they’re delicious! I usually make a dipping sauce of soy sauce mixed with a little rice vinegar and minced scallion, sometimes with a little honey, chili sauce (sambal oelek), and/or whole grain mustard mixed in as well.
My mom and I attempted this recipe and they turned out so great! Not only was it tons of fun but it was a great bonding experience rolling them together. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
I just made for the first time , Yaki Mandu, a Korean pot sticker that my aunt taught me last weekend, she was born and raised in Korea , came to the US when she married my uncle . It’s been a family favorite for 40 yrs and while I was with her for a Family wedding she made us Pepper Steak and Yaki Mandu ..woo…hoo…we were all excited…so I come home and I’m going to try to make them , ok…wow…they came out sooo good …then I thought, I made 3 dozen pot stickers and still have enough for an other 3 dozen…why not try to make egg rolls out of the meat mix? Its ground meat, ground pork, garlic, green onion, onion, tofu, bean sprouts , salt/pepper and egg and combine like a meatloaf and fill a won ton wrapper ….so I think I can make egg rolls by adding a little more bean sprout , green onion and garlic ? deep fry them ..my cousin adds ginger but I didn’t add it…I think I’m going to try it instead of freezing the extra meat mixture 🙂 I have a Korean store down the street so I’m going to pick up their egg roll wrappers …she uses Korean won ton wrappers and I store bought mine and I noticed they burned in the deep fryer too fast and I had to turn the temp down and watch them…they did bubble like You said they would…my aunts came out golden Brown and we were eating them right off the paper towel and plate…lol…never made it to the table .
What do you mean by “to seal the egg roll” when Mixing the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water? I dont even see in the recipie where you use this.
There are step by step photo instructions – outlining every single step, including sealing the egg roll.
I use ground pork ,water chestnut ,carrots ,green beans ,celery and green onions in my filling…cabbage and bean sprouts seems to go sour in my filling
My daughter and I made these today and they are awesome!
We followed the recipe exactly and read ALL of the instructions thoroughly.
One person said that she was disappointed with the recipe and went on to slam almost everything about it.
Why on earth would one complain about a recipe for which they didn’t follow the instructions?
The instructions say specifically to not use egg roll wrappers from your supermarket’s refrigerated section, but rather to go to a specialty store and get the paper thin frozen wraps.
I had no idea where to get these myself (this is the first time I have made any Asian food) , so I Googled “Asian food market” for my town/zip code. Turns out there was a market 5 miles from my home that I wasn’t aware existed.
Use the 350 degree instruction for your electric wok as a guideline (she does state “or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds”). I ended up at 400 degrees (with no splattering or smoking of oil) and will go even higher with my next batch.
This is due to variations in cooking appliances, and not a suggestion that the recipe is wrong.
I have been looking for a recipe that would give me a crisp and yummy egg roll, and I’m so happy to have found this one!
Thank you so much Carol!
Jaden, you are very pretty.
I made my second batch today. Wonderful recipe! I’m definitely going to pin this for future use. Everyone was waiting in the kitchen for them to cool down enough to eat. Thanks to your mom for sharing the recipe!
Thanks Clara! I’ll let her know. 🙂 jaden
I made this today for a Marine Corps moms’ luncheon I attended. They went quickly. My favorite Asian specialty store recently re-opened and I picked up the frozen spring roll wrappers. Previously, I used the refrigerated ones in the grocery store. Big difference! Thank you for a fabulous recipe – it’s going in my binder of favorites.
Thank you so much Deb!
Sorry, but there is a big difference between egg rolls and spring rolls…namely the wrap that is used. That is why you will find two types of wraps in the grocery store, eggroll wraps and spring roll wraps. The biggest difference is in the consistency of the wrap once fried. Eggroll wraps when fried are not smooth, spring roll wraps are smooth.
Not true. The terms are used inconsistently across brands.
Actually true. Egg is an essential ingredient in egg rolls, whereas it has nothing to do in spring rolls. Egg rolls are always fried whereas spingrolls are either fried or not.
I have made this recipe 3 times so far. Twice for myself and a very large batch for my friend to sell in her pub. They are awesome!! Making again today and my mouth is watering already. I find the Nasoya wrappers found in the produce section of my local grocery store work well.
How do you think these would taste if I made with just the vegetables? I love your Vegetable Spring Rolls, they just aren’t as exciting as these. Maybe the s vegetable spring roll with this seasoning. These are the best I have found anywhere! YUM!!
I would love your thoughts. Thank You!
Hi Caroline – they’ll be just fine! Add any type of vegetable you want. We’ve done this with shredded brussels sprouts and green peas 🙂 jaden
First time making egg rolls! Omg! Delicious and directions were on spot! Thank you so much for sharing a fantastic recipe!!!
Thanks so much!
Made egg rolls and tried my best to follow your Mom’s golden rules. My past attempts were not as successful as I overstuffed the rolls and they were not rolled as tightly as per your Mom’s rule.
I used my own filling which consisted of thinly sliced onion, julienned jicama and carrots, shitake mushrooms, ground pork and shrimp.
Thank you for the recipe.
What dipping sauces are best with Mother’s Famous Chinese Egg Rolls?
If you want a sweet sauce, I like using Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (most stores will carry this). My parents use a dribble of Chinese black vinegar.
OK, so it has probably taken me two years since I found this recipe to actually get to try it…. it was worth the wait, and these are definitely the best HOME MADE egg rolls I have ever tried. I have had some amazing ones in the past in restaurants, but this is the closest I have ever seen in something coming out of a normal kitchen. I think that the tips were definitely helpful – particularly about making sure that your filling is cool and (relatively) dry before rolling, and also about not over-stuffing them. I suspect that in order to get a “perfect” egg roll you have to deep fry it, and that is why I get a blistered, multi-colored finish. But they taste GREAT, and I was able to get both of my kids involved with the rolling, which suddenly turned it into a very successful family activity. I really appreciate all the time you put into your OUTSTANDING website. Thanks!
Thanks so much! So happy you and your family love the recipe. -jaden
My only comment is when reading the directions the first thing it says to do is marinate the pork? Marinate in what? All the other ingredients are used further along in the recipe.
Thank you
Hi Bernice! The marinade ingredients are there – under “FOR THE PORK”
Sorry for the formmating earlier – somehow the internet ate up my formatting and paragraph breaks in the recipe! It’s fixed now.
I was scrolling through the comments to find the answer to this exact question. It is still not clear to me. Would you please list what ingredients are used for marinating the pork?
I am having the same problem understanding and wondering if I’m missing something?
Thanks!
Tyler – sorry about that – my formatting on the site went all wonky! It’s fixed now.
Hi. What a wonderful blog! I appreciate the detailed instructions and the wonderful way with words! My family loves crispy egg rolls and I have tried many recipes, but this one here at Steamy Kitchen will be my next attempt.
The problem is my confusion about exactly which wrappers to buy!
I live in a very rural area so I must order from online sources. Please recommend some specific brands?
There are some made of rice flour with water and tapioca starch, but the package instructions say they must be first softened by soaking in warm water. I don’t know if these are the kind that is needed for the Steamy Kitchen recipe. Other wrappers list wheat flour as the main ingredient.
There are some that say “egg roll wrappers” on the label, and others that say “spring roll wrapper”.
Please list some specific brands of wrappers that would work with this recipe? Or list the ingredients?
Thank you so much!
Hi Mimimee – Wheat will be the first ingredient in the wrappers. Sometimes it’s “egg roll wrappers” and sometimes it’s labelled “spring roll wrappers.” Confusing, I know! My favorite brand is Wei Chuan (red and yellow packaging) and Spring Home.
The ones that are made of rice flour and need soaking are for Vietnamese spring rolls. Those wrappers can also be used for frying – it will have a different texture and taste. Vietnamese spring rolls are here.
We too live in a rural area with one grocery store (next large one is 3 hours away), is there a link to buy the wrappers online? Thank you
Hi Pennie – Not sure you can buy online, since it’s a frozen item.
I love the detailed instructions — esp. about not buying the wrappers in the refrigerated case! You probably saved me from making a disaster. I was taught to make egg roll wrappers by my neighbor from the Philippines. It’s a little time consuming so for small batches of lumpia (Filipino egg rolls) I prefer store bought. Now I must return to the store for the frozen wrappers. Thank you!
I noticed the DIRECTIONS for this recipe are repeated. I’m sure that was just an oversight. Thought you might want to correct it since it’s a little confusing — or daunting to anyone looking for a recipe with fewer steps.
WOW! Have made these twice now and I can’t get enough. Some work is involved but they are soo worth it! Made a double batch this time and froze them. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
wow its look delicious and easy to make, i want try to make at home ,thanks
Thank-you for sharing this recipe! I’ve made egg rolls many times in my life and used the wrappers in the product section of the grocery store. They never turned out great………..and my filling flavor was always a little off.
Finally, at long last I can make incredible egg rolls at home, your recipe and directions are prefect! We’re so happy, thank-you!
One question though, there were several different Asian cabbages at the store so we weren’t certain which one to buy (your recipe doesn’t specify). We went with the “Taiwan Cabbage”, is that correct?
Hi Wendy – you can use any cabbage. I actually prefer regular cabbage because it has less water content than napa cabbage or Taiwan cabbage. Less water content in cabbage = more flavor and less water to drain after the stir fry. But use whatever you prefer!
I believe Mary Anne was using the egg roll wrappers and not the spring roll wrappers that this recipe, and that the pictures indicate is intended for. Egg roll wrappers are a bit thicker and most definitely need more filling, but as far as the technique goes, everything is similar. A-1 recipe!
Sorry if this questions has already been asked: Why is the preparation time 60 hours? Before embarking on this recipe, I want to make sure that’s a typo!
Hmmm, it shouldn’t be – it’s 60 minutes.
Jaden, I have never made homemade egg rolls before. Your directions and advice were so clear that I decided to take a chance. I am so glad that I did because these are the best egg rolls that my husband and I have ever eaten! Thank you for sharing your mom’s recipe.
Thank you Lou!
Oh dear. Looks like its time for a trip to one of my most dangerous places – our local Asian market. If you get a shiver later this week Jaden, that will be me muttering your name under my breath while I try to make room in my refrigerator and cupboards for all the items that I suddenly HAVE to have!
My best friend is Asian and we (my husband and I) are invited to Chinese New year every year at her house where her dad cooks up a storm for everyone. I made this eggroll recipe last year and fried them up at her party. Her Dad, Mr. Wong, declared them the best eggrolls he’d ever tasted and said he would never roll another one. I have been appointed the official Eggroll Queen for Chinese New Year going forward. They really are amazing. The tipping of the pan for the juices to run out is ingenious and really makes the difference. THANK YOU so much for sharing your mom’s recipe.
Thank you so much Yvonne! Tell Mr. Wong I said hello 🙂
I love the filling of these and I can’t wait to fry some. It would be helpful for people to know that the Spring Roll Skin (which are round and not square) do not fry properly as they are very gummy and the dough bubbles and busts open and also causes the ingredients to burn. I wish I’d known that before I bought so many packs lol but you live and learn so I wanted to make sure people knew those are definitely not the ones you’re talking about. I thought you weren’t talking about the other ones because the only other ones I knew about were the ones that were refrigerated. You don’t happen to have a picture of the correct ones to use, do you?
Thanks for the great recipe and the time you took to show the proper and improper ways to roll!
I cannot find frozen egg roll/spring roll wrappers. Where do you get them???
You’ll have to go to an Asian market. Do you live near one?
Looks delicious ! Do you have a recipe for the egg roll dough? i would like to try this making myself 🙂
What a disappointment! Now given I used the wrappers from the refrigerated section, but they would have worked fine if I had put in around 3 tablespoons of filling, like I usually do. One tablespoon was lost in the thick, heavy wrapper that was rolled so small that it was just a hard tube. The filling itself was bland and flavorless. On top of it all, after making and cooling the filling to the recipe, I opened the egg roll wrappers and found basically the same recipe inside the package, but only 1/4 lb of pork so enough to make a normal sized batch. No special, super duper deal here. Since I made the filling according to the directions, I have enough left to do about 3-4 more rounds. The rest will be mixed with lots more seasoning and I might find the spring roll wrappers and try it with those. Should have read more recipes and opened the wrappers before making this one.
If you over cook the filling it will be bland. If you like zing then ginger or some other spice. I personally find that shrimp is a much better filling than pork. The egg roll wrappers are best spring roll wrappers are thinner but with a much different texture which for me does not work well.
Is there a dipping sauce you prefer to use? If not store bought, I would LOVE your recipe!
Steamy Kitchen is a great cookbook. Made the eggrolls and they are super delicious. Mixed in chopped shrimp with the pork and skipped the mushrooms. They cook so quickly that they really don’t need to be made ahead and reheated at time of serving. I fry eight at a time. Try these eggrolls; you will not be disappointed I guarantee. Thanks, Jaden, for some delicious recipes.
This may be covered somewhere in the comments, but there are too many to read through all of them. If using different meats, such as shrimp or chicken, are they also cooked like the ground pork, or are any mixed into the veggies raw?
If using different meats, cook first like the pork. If using seafood, stir fry first until just barely cooked through, remove from wok. Cook vegetables, and when the vegetables are just about ready, add shrimp back in and mix well. This ensures you don’t overcook the seafood.
Thanks! I love the recipe as is, but I think I’d like to try adding a bit of shrimp next time.
As an aficionado of fine cake, now I am an aficionado of fine egg rolls. Froze half the batch, and can’t wait to make them again!
I cannot find egg roll wraps. But I am in China! Nanning. People look at me as if I was nuts, even with pictures. I am thinking of buying dumpling wraps and pasting then together or making a big ball and rolling them out. Any suggestions?
No. Egg rolls are meant to be fried. Also the wrappers discussed are for spring rolls. My mother was taught to make these in 1967 by our Asian neighbor. Dump the carrots add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts for proper egg rolls. We always fried all of the egg rolls at once and put what was set for later into plastic bags in the freezer. Just heat them in a toaster oven later which is much easier than frying another batch.
find them in the produce section of your grocery store.
Actually, Dottie, the wrappers in the grocery store are the type this article advises not to use, and she is right. They are thicker, chewy, and bubble up when fried.
Love love this recipe and the great tips. Awesomely authentic. I need to make rolls ahead of time. Can I half fry them and then fully fry/ brown them at serving time?
or
If I fully cook/ fry them, how should I reheat the rolls at serving time to make sure they are crisp?
I wouldn’t want to ruin a fine recipe, but I’m wondering… can these be baked instead of fried?
Thanks so much…
I’ve never baked egg rolls before!
i always bake my egg rolls less calories and just as crispy
My first time, I made some egg rolls using refrigerated wrappers. I cooked the meat (pork and shrimp) plus added and sauted the other ingredients. i like bean sprouts so it was added to the cabbage, carrot, onion, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce mixture.
I decided to bake them in my toaster oven but first brushed olive oil on all over the outside (Peanut oil might have been a better choice) . They browned up nicely, but in hindsight frying them might have been better.
One thing I might have done different is use less filling in each egg roll. Mine resembled fat cigars and prone to rip.
I made these for a family gathering and everyone loved them. My mom froze the leftover rolls that were uncooked. They were still great cooked as needed. Planning on making them again today. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
I agree that all the vegetables should NOT be cooked before stuffing egg rolls. I get a much better esilt this way ands am assured of a dry filling
FOr me when im making rolls, I prefer not cooking it and especially when there are vegetables added. I like the taste better when the filling is not cook. Because when i deep fry it, it is cook all the way through. To avoid it from being oily, i use 3 layes of tissue ina bowl and place the cooked rolls vertically
Hi. I make spring rolls quite similar to this every year before Ramadan, the Islamic calenders month of fasting. We are brown and love deep fried goodies to end the fast!!! My friends sister in law, who is chinese, shared her version so i thought i would share that with you too. whatever the meat filling you want to use.. i prepare mine the same way… minus the wine but (here is the time saver) i absolutely do not cook the vegetables.i let the meat cool, mix with all the shredded vegetables, season with salt pepper sugar and soy sauce, toss well and fill immediately… then freeze!!! and its crisp and delightful to eat. I urge you to try it this way!
After You freeze THE eggrols do You unthaw it snd then fry
Can You also semy fry THE eggrols then freeze and then put it in THE oven before You eat it or di yiu have to fry it
Freeze them after rolling (don’t fry).
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and fry while frozen (and add a minute or two to the cooking time).
These were amazing! One of my favorite egg roll recipes so far. I doubled the recipe so I had a decent stash in the freezer.
Good job faithful
I made these back in July. They’re the best eggrolls I have ever made or eaten. Anywhere! So, I will be making them again for Superbowl! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
I made these last night and they were fabulous! My husband said they were the best he has ever had. The only snag I ran into is that we live in a small town of roughly 12,000 people in a rural community. We don’t have an Asian specialty store. The best I could get was the “international foods” aisle in Walmart that in all reality, is seriously lacking… The only option I had for egg roll wrappers were in the refrigerator section by tofu products. So of course, they were the gooey ones that bubble up when fried. It did all turn out great even with the restrictions we had to deal with. I just wish we had more options in our area.
I brought wonton wrappers from the store. Is that the same as the egg roll wrapper?
Wonton wrapper is much smaller and thinner than egg roll wrapper. Wonton wrappers are used to make wonton dumplings like this:
Wonton Noodle Soup Recipe
Fried Wonton
Pork & Spinach Wonton
These came out very tasty but I was only able to find the thicker egg roll wraps which I was leary of but had all the other ingredients so decided to go ahead. I also attempted to make my own wrap as I will probably have to travel too far to find the kind of wrap desired. There are some tutorials out there but if you could included the how to for making wraps from scratch that would greatly help us out here in the boonies.
I TOTALLy agree that it would be great if it were possible to make the wrappers at home, but i have tried numerous times, and while I won’t go so far as to say that all the results have been dismal, none of them have been great. And I have tried LOTS of different types of batter and flours as well as rolling techniques. The best results were probably with a very hard dough and taking it down to the thinnest setting on my pasta machine (which is a TON OF WORK), and they still weren’t very good – not at all crisp, and no where near as good as what we get at restaurants. Sorry to not be more helpful, but from what I can tell there is either a real “art” that is required to do it correctly (by hand pressing the mass of wet, sticky dough onto the surface of a hot dry pan), or some kind of high-pressure industrial process that is need to get them to come out right. That said, if you manage to figure out a good way to do this, PLEASE SHARE THE INFORMATION.
Thanks and regards, BZ.
The techniques I found basically call for making a sticky dough ball (couple various recipes) and taking that dough ball in hand and to simply put smearing it in the bottom of a non stick pan on medium heat so that it leaves behind a film of the dough. Cook for few seconds not browned & then set aside. I only got 3 usuable wrappers (only tried it once) so practice is a must and I think my dough was too runny. Search on youtube for some videos. Good luck.
With soy sauce do you mean sweet or salt? I have the Indonesian thick sweet soy sauce, called ketjap and the Kikkoman salt soy sauce. Thank you.
Jayden,—can you use other contents such as water chestnuts, bamboo shoots? What type of cabbage did you use? Regular green cabbage, Chinese, or red? Did you use peanut oil for frying, or vegetable?
You can use either type of cabbage. As for other veg fillings, YES to all! Water chestnuts and bamboo shoots add crunch. Yum!
This is a great recipe. I used shrimp and regular Egg roll wrappers, Spring roll wrappers are preferred. I will be prepared and make sure I find them first. Will definitely make again.
Thank you for your mother’s tips! I bought some rice paper to use for my son who can’t have wheat or corn. I originally bought them for “Mexican”, i had no idea how to use them and would have broken many of Moma’s rules. We are enjoying many new creations, that’s a big deal to a child who can’t have wheat, soy or corn.
This receipe is definitely a keeper. I’ve made these egg rolls twice using Jaden’s tips and technique. It produces a nice, tasty egg roll with a crispy crunch. These egg rolls freeze very well and my squirt regularly asks for them in his lunch.
This is the most amazing and accurate tutorial! I have attempted egg rolls in the past with the vague directions and recipes on the back of the wrapper package. Unfortunately, they all were meals quickly tossed in the trash and we had to go to the mess hall for dinner. My hubby was waiting to leave again for dinner last night, but we stayed at the table and we both filled up on these! This was a great recipe for someone with no Asian food cooking experience and it satisfied my picky husband who has lived in many Asian countries. I followed the recipe precisely, except i omitted the mushrooms for personal preferences. This recipe is definitely a keeper, has wonderful authentic flavor, was simple to follow, and offered thorough instructions. Thanks!
Can I say I made these a while back for new years and I somehow lost the recipe and was so delighted to find it, 2 years later. I think this is the best recipe and most informative I have ever found. Being an ol’ white American born girl I did not have anyone teach me how to do this and making the filling ahead of time and draining is the key for sure. Now I can make a mean batch of pork ribs and sauerkraut, being of German descent. HA HA HA
I have been wanting to make these for a while now, they sound so delicous! I finally have the time to get to work on them, but I am having trouble finding Chinese Rice Wine. Is it located in the cooking section or where the regular alcohol is. I cant seem to find it.
You can use sherry. I have used port as well. Either of them are fine. They aren’t the exact same as Chinese wine, but they serve the same purpose, and I would be hard pressed to think that it will make a HUGE difference in the outcome.
I just made these and they came out amazingly! Thank you so much for the great recipe and proper rolling instructions!
See my execution of the wonderful egg rolls here: http://iwantham.wordpress.com/2013/06/22/egg-rolls/
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Another successful night! We use this recipe and do not stray on even 1 ingredient or measurement. LOVE THIS!
can you bake these in the oven? also if cook from frozen do you defrost at all or just fry frozen? thanks
Hey Zana,
I REALLY do know what I am talking about, haha. My entire family is from Korea, moved to America in the seventies. My best friend’s family moved here from China and owns a very popular chinese restaurant. Being surrounded by about the most authentically cooking group of asians you could meet, I am most definitely correct. I have also been on several trips back to different parts of China and Korea and you absolutely do not see these anywhere except Americanized restaurants here in the US. They may be delicious, but they’re not authentic.
Kate – You have no idea what you are talking about!!
Jaden – Thank you for the recipe! I want to make eggrolls for my daughter’s birthday party coming up, but I would be so lost doing it alone. My mom just has no time to teach me to make the filling. I am so glad you are here!
I really love your recipes! I stumbled across you blog looking for a Pho recipe. (it was amazing by the way) Since then I have bought your cookbooks and am on a “roll”. I had a hard time finding the frozen wrappers too but when I did, I bought a lot of them. These are just fabulous. I would also suggest the firecracker shrimp, I could eat 50 of those bad boys by myself. Thank you so much.
I have been looking for a good egg roll recipe, I plan on trying this next weekend. My best friend from my school days was born in Taiwan. His father was stationed there with the US military. His mother learned to make her eggrolls there. During my teen years in the 70’s, I spent more time at their house than my own, they were like my 2nd family.
It was always an event when she made her egg rolls, they were amazing! She made hers with stir-fry oriental beef, which was very tender. For the past 35 to 40 years, I have never had egg rolls as good as those, nothing close to them. My buddy’s mom died many years ago & I’ve lost contact with the family, so I have no way to get her recipe. So getting & making an authentic Taiwanese egg roll recipe seems to be my solution to re-creating something from my youth that I remember so fondly. I’ll have to follow up when I make them to let you know how they turned out.
Oh Jaden! These look marvelous!
I have made egg rolls using the rice wrapper typically used for spring rolls in the U.S. The question on my mind is: Are there any other gluten free wrapper options?
Thanks in advance for your response.
You are amazing, and you Mom obviously is too. ; )
Jen
Hi Jen! I think there is a Chinese wrapper that’s made of rice too. I can’t think of the name for it, but I’ve seen it at the store. It’s round, solid white, paper thin, and kind of reminds me of thick paper as it’s very flexible. The wrapper has frayed edges. You’ll have to check the ingredients list though, but I think it’s rice based.
The recipe above is more of a Vietnamese style fried spring roll, not a Cantonese style egg roll, which blister up when cooked and are slightly thicker than a spring roll wrapper.
It’s both. The thick, bubbly wrapper is found in AMERICAN-Chinese restaurants.
In China, Hong Kong, and actually all over SE Asia too, you’ll find these spring roll/egg rolls that are smooth, thin and extra crispy.
Just wanted to say a huge thank you!! This was something I had thought about making for a long time but simply never gotten around to it. I was looking for recipes a couple of weeks ago and stumbled across yours. I’ve made them twice now and everyone that has tried them absolutely loves them!!
The first time I had to settle for the only wrappers I could find (in the local grocery store) since making them was somewhat of a last minute decision. They were great but they were even better today when I took your advice and visited our local Asian market on Sunday. We go there five or six times a year anyway but had never looked for these wrappers before. They have several different types so we tried a couple of them and they were both far better than our local ones. We also found that if we make the meat as you described (only add some garlic and ginger) and use it (uncooked) to fill dumpling wrappers, then boil (and pan fry if you choose) they are awesome as well.
Again, thank you (and thank your mother!!).
I love cooking all sorts of cuisine and have attempted to make egg/spring rolls many times, unsuccessfully. My sister is an Asian food finatic and for her 21st birthday in oct. she requested egg rolls. I happened upon this recipe and decided to use it. IT WAS A BIG SUCCESS! So much so that my father asked me to make them for his birthday four months later. Thank you for the recipe and the rules of successful egg roll making!
Freezing takes moisture out of fried food, and can enhance crispiness upon reheat–but reheat using a toaster or regular oven, not more oil, not saute–maybe like 375 for 10-15 minutes after slightly thawed.
These were excellent, I followed the recipe with no variation. Why is this the best recipe of many I surveyed and have made before? The rules truly capture the nuance and techniques that must be abided by… so many recipes did not preach the rules. Thank you so much, this is a big contribution to anyone who wants to make their own egg rolls. BTW: not even top asian restaurants have egg rolls this good… I guess it’s the care that goes into it.
How can I store crispy eggrolls to keep them crispy for lunch the following days.
Tonight I made this recipe for the hundredth time, mostly to freeze for the lazy nights! Okay, slight exaggeration in that number, but I love this recipe; thank you for sharing. I most appreciate the details that help you understand the recipe beyond the steps and measurements.
Some notes for you:
Spring rolls are not the same thing as egg rolls. At all. They are completely different; different wrappers, different fillings, and they even come from different countries.
Traditional egg rolls are sealed by painting a light coat of beaten egg before rolling (not corn starch); hence the name, egg rolls.
Why do i see crawfish tail meat in the photo of the filling but not in the list of ingredients?
If you would have actually read the text right above the photo, you’ll see that I explained why.
These are soooo amazing! My sister and I make them all the time. I don’t like pork, so I use chicken and they come out really good. We always make a double batch and freeze half for later use. We also put them in containers and freeze them for easy lunches.
The one thing is, I never have good luck frying. What kind of oil do you use? We tried to make them a little healthier by brushing them with oil and broiling them in the oven. They still came out fairly crispy and really good but was curious of the best type of oil to fry them in.
Thanks so much for this awesome recipe (and pass the thanks along to your mother!)
Excellent recipe!! Made this a few times and it’s ALWAYS a hit. We love serving this to our guests during Chinese New Year so being able to prepare and freeze them weeks ahead saves us much time (and sanity!) during one of the busiest times at home 🙂
I had a heck of a time finding the frozen egg roll wrappers, but just as I thought I’d never find them a new Chinese/Vietnamese/Mexican grocery store opened up! They also had the rice wine, so I made the recipe exactly as you wrote it. OMG…..these are the absolute BEST egg rolls I’ve ever had! Apparently I had them wrapped tight enough because there was absolutely no grease on the inside….in fact they weren’t greasy on the outside, either! These things absolutely rock….they’re going to be my new go to appetizer. Made 2 batches so I have a bunch in the freezer just waiting to be fried. Thanks so much for this most excellent recipe!
Great point about the 2 types of egg roll wrappers! I like the “western” ones, too, but whose idea was it to sell burrito wrappers for egg rolls! I have to find the crispy ones. So right, they are way better with the flaky crust. Try using pizza cheese and toppings as filling. Schwanns Food Service sells “pizza wonton rolls” that are very tasty, but expensive. I’m sure you can simulate them with the crispy egg roll wrappers by substituting the pizza ingredients.
MAMA knows best!!! This was so easy to edke. Everyone loved them
I did not any mention of how you seal the egg rolls… water, egg white, other…? Egg roll wrappers do not seal themselves, so the egg roll will unravel in two inches of oil, and quicker in a deep fryer.
The cornstarch slurry is in the recipe, but you’re right, it’s not explained well enough. I’ve added a couple of lines to clarify. Thanks!
I just finished the first batch and I want to say thank you for this recipe and tutorial. They are perfect. Of course I made mine bigger, but they were the same size as they serve in my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I made two batches together and even with to much filling tasting, I got 47 eggrolls. I fried up two odd lenght ones so I know they are really good.
I just finished the first batch and I want to say thank you for this recipe and tutorial. They are perfect. Of course I made mine bigger, but they were the same size as they serve in my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I made two batches together and even with to much filling tasting, I got 47 eggrolls. I fried up two odd lenght ones so I know they are really good.
I had to go across town to a oriental market to be sure to get the right wrappers. I wish I’d gotten my ground pork there because when I went to my regular maket it was over a dollar more per pound. I wish I’d been a bit braver and done all the shopping for the project at the oriental market. But it was close to closing and I felt out of place. I couldn’t find rice cooking wine at my regular market so I substituted white cooking wine. It took a bit of practice and a little template for me to get them all the same length. I’m sure with a bit of practice, it will go a lot faster.
I’m glad I got enough supplies for three more recipes. I’ll make these up and freeze them and take them to my next local food swap. I know they’ll go over well. This is a keeper recipe.
These are fantastic!! This time I did not have all the ingredients but tried a couple of variations: chicken & shrimp in one and pulled pork in the other. Thank you so much for sharing. I love to try authentic recipes and this is truly so. Cheers.
Dear Jaden, HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I followed your recipe for the filling pretty much to the letter (within reason) and it came out GREAT! I am really happy with it. I think that the “draining and cooling” stage was definitely key. Here’s the problem. Where I live (Buenos Aires) they don’t sell egg roll wrappers at the Chinese markets. They sell wonton wraps, but they are tiny. So I decided to make the wrappers myself. I used a fairly hard dough (two parts flour to one part water by weight and a bit of salt) and they I rolled them out in my pasta press. I got them REALLY thin, and the dough held up beautifully – it didn’t tear at all. I then cut the eight inch wide sheets into squares, and rolled them up quite tightly as per your instructions (also very helpful). I got the oil up to around 350, and fried them. They looked great! However, they were NOT at all crisp. Not even slightly. They didn’t bubble too much on the outside, and the color was nice and golden. However, they were more soft than crispy, and what I am looking for (obviously) is the “shatteringly crisp crunch” which you mentioned. Can you help me? Is it possible to make these wrappers from scratch? Please please please! Thanks!
As the lovely and talented Ms. Jaden Hair stated in her recipe, the filling mix is really flexible, and there are lots of different ingredients you can try. My personal fave is the classic ground pork and chopped shrimp mix with green onions, but there are lots of great combinations to try. Her technique to “drain” and cool the filling mix is a GREAT idea, and solved a problem that I have had for a long time. Unfortunately, I can’t by egg roll wrappers were I am currently living (Argentina) so I have to make my own, and this is a LOT more work.
Thanks for the tips BZ! I’m trying to start getting into freeze ahead meals to just pop out on days I don’t feel like cooking & I thought egg rolls would be a good idea & this recipe sounds delish.
Meg B, in the past I have quite successfully frozen raw egg rolls. It is a good idea to freeze them individually (on wax paper) so that you can then put them in a ziploc bag and easily use the number you need. It also makes them easier to prepare, because you can just toss them in the hot oil – no need to defrost. Good luck!
Quick question about making a bunch of these egg rolls and freezing. Would I fry them
And then freeze them or freeze them and then fry them when I want them. If I do fry before freezing how would I reheat? Or if I don’t fry till I need them would I defrost & then fry, or fry frozen? Thanks for any answers you can give me! Also if you have a good method for packaging them up to be frozen, that would be great! Thanks in advance. 🙂
These look soooo good I can’t wait to try them. Hopefully I’ll be able to do them justice. Thanks for the recipe.
I havent been brave enough to try making these, but with your recipe and pictures, I think I may try it 🙂 Love the humor too.
It all depends where you are located – most towns/cities have Asian food stores. If you have none in your neighborhood, try to find a recipe by googling – but please note that there is quite a difference between the results of egg roll wrappers and spring roll wrappers.
I think you found the perfect solution if you are watching your weight. The filling above and the one I have are just as delicious when eaten with rice – even pita or tacos.
Cooking sherry is a good substitute. Or sweet white wine. Not exactly the same, but for those of us in countries without access to certain Chinese products (I am in Argentina), these are the best substitutes. But if you can’t get the Chinese cooking wine, I am surprised that you can find the egg roll wrappers. Good luck!
buy*
The recipe is amazing! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the egg roll wrappers that you were talking about… Where do you busy them?
Dear Jaden, thank you very much for your posting about this egg rolls. I tried it yesterday, also each step how to make it. It’s truly delicious! And my friends like it very much. I post it to my blog and link the source to your web, I hope you don’t mind. This is my posting link: http://www.justtryandtaste.com/2012/06/lumpiaegg-roll-crispy-isi-daging-ayam.html#more
Thank you so much for this very informative article! My other half and I have been having a lot of difficulty with making these and we finally see that it was because we didn’t drain and cool the inside ingredients so they kept coming out soggy, and we weren’t rolling them tightly enough and they where oily inside. Defiantly retrying next week!
OMG! These eggrolls were super easy and delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe, my family loved them 🙂
I use one of those old school electric skillets. I set it at 350* and as long as you’re only frying 6-8 egg rolls at a time it’s perfect!! Ask your Moms’ if they have one stashed somewhere and get it!!
As a side note, I cook my cabbage separately and once it’s cool I squeeze it to remove any extra moisture.
P.S. You may have a preference but peanut oil is probably the best for frying. It has no flavor and does not take on the flavor of the food being fried; plus– it has a high smoking point. Although– you will not want to fry something other than fish if re-using the oil in which you have fried fish before.
If deepfrying eggrolls, it’s wise to invest in a thermometer. Don’t let the oil get above 350 degrees F.
I’m glad you pointed out that it is very important to drain the filling completely, especially if the spring rolls are going to frozen. I also pat it dry with paper towels. I took two Chinese cooking courses and have a delightful filling recipe myself but do intend to try your mother’s (came across it just tonight).
By the way, egg rolls are so called because there are eggs in the wrapper dough. Spring- and Shanghai roll wrapper dough does not and is much thinner. The wrappers, sold as Spring Roll Shells, also retain a much more even, smoother surface when deep fried.
And thank you so much for all the delicious recipes. The mussels recipe is my favorite right now. I have tried cooking it so many different ways. When I saw your recipe, I immediately took a package out of the freezer and cooked it for dinner that same day. I absolutely love it. I cooked it twice already, and another package is thawing on my counter right now. I eat it with warm baguettes and paired with either Chardonnay or Zinfandel.
These sound so awesome! I’ve been fishing for an egg roll recipe, and this one looks like the ones I have been envisioning.
@ lady EVA
I appreciate u, thanks u very much u have give solution to my problem i don‘t have any question again now but the only what i need now is how to make samosa if u can assist me i will be happy because in my country here i make chapman in an occation then i have my waiters and waittress so i want to perfect in spring rolls and samosa then if they need waiters and waittress in ur country we can travel to any where u can even check my profile on facebook, SAMOSA RECIPE
Lekan,
Check your local market if they sell ground pork – it will save you some time. Here in the US, they sell all kinds of ground meat. But if you prefer to grind the pork yourself, you do not need to boil it first.
Here is exactly how I prepare the ingredients:
Any vegetables that you want to use should all be shredded or chopped, like what Ms. Jaden said in her instructions. If you want to add corn or peas, they don’t need to be chopped. Put all these aside on a big plate.
Heat up your pan and put some oil – just enough to fry the onions, garlic, and pork.
Fry the pork until no longer pink – about three minutes. Again, like what Ms. Jaden said, lower the fire to medium low so you do not burn the meat. Add the garlic and fry for about a minute. Then add all the ingredients that you have already prepared and saute until they are softened. Do not over-cook; shredded and chopped vegetables cook very fast. Add all your seasonings – salt, pepper, soy sauce, and whatever Ms. Jaden has in her recipe. You do not need to add the rice wine if you do not have it.
Transfer everything in a shallow pan and tilt it to drain the excess fluid – look at Ms.
Jaden’s picture. I have a mesh metal colander, and that is what I use to drain the excess fluid. I let it sit on the counter for about thirty minutes. The draining is really important. If it is too wet, your wrapper will rip and fall apart.
From here on, follow exactly what Ms. Jaden showed in her instructions for wrapping. That is exactly how I do it. Put all your wrappers, fillings, and your egg mixture or corn starch for sealing on your kitchen table so you can sit down comfortably on your chair while wrapping. (I tried wrapping on the counter while standing up and I never did it again – my legs were so tired.)
I use a small brush to dip into the egg mixture and a table spoon for scooping the filling into the wrapper.
Do not put the wrapped rolls together – they will stick and it is almost impossible to separate them. So, give a little space between them while you are wrapping everything. By the time you have finished wrapping, the sealer would have dried already.
If you made just enough to eat at the time, you can fry them right away. I do not know anybody who makes just enough for eating at one sitting. It is so laborious, so people who make egg rolls usually make a lot and put the rest in the freezer.
If you have enough for future use, put them in a plastic container. Put a plastic film between layers so they do not stick together.
Instructions for frying:
Use a deep frying pan. Put enough oil to cover the rolls. I usually put six at a time between batches. It’s very important that you watch your fire so the rolls do not burn. Do not use high heat. I always put my stove on medium and I adjust it to medium-low if the rolls are cooking fast. Your rolls should look exactly like the rolls in Ms. Jaden’s pictures – beautiful golden brown.
Lekan, Ms. Jaden showed a complete and perfect instructions for this recipe. Keep reading it, especially the instructions on wrapping. Do not rush up the wrapping process. I usually have a glass of wine while wrapping and I really enjoy the process. Once you have become an expert wrapper, you will enjoy experimenting with all kinds of fillings.
Here are some of my combinations:
1. Shrimp, chicken and chives
2. Ground beef, potato, corn and green peas
3. Salmon, potatoes, and green onions
4. Shrimp, cabbage, bamboo shoots, and
mushrooms
5. Pork, cabbage, green beans, and carrots
There are so many combinations that you may want to experiment with.
Please let me know how you are doing with this recipe. I know that some people don’t like to cook it but love to eat it.
Do this recipe when you have some lazy days.
You cannot do this when you are in a rush.
If you have any more questions about this recipe, just post it here.
I really hope that you will make an effort and try to master this recipe. It is really worth it.
Lekan, most people prefer vegetable oil for frying because it has a higher heat tolerance than olive oil. The only reason why I use olive oil is because I do not make this recipe all the time, and I do not do a lot of fried foods. I also do not like to keep the vegetable oil on the shelf for a long time, so I just use the oil that I regularly use, which is olive oil.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Eva
Thanks for all the great info Eva!!
@ EVA thanks very much for reply and God will continue to bless u, the recipe that u wrote for me i want u to give step by step from starting to finishing, then back to this site recipe do i need to boiled the pork before grinding it?
Courtney,
Aside from the oil use in frying the egg rolls, there is hardly any fat in this recipe. The protein comes from the pork, chicken or shrimp; and the carbohydrates – both complex and processed come from the vegetables and the wrapper. Unless you have an allergy to carbohydrates – in this case the wrapper – whatever concerns you may have about this recipe is really very minimal. I consider this recipe to be both nutritious and delicious.
Eva
Do you have nutritional info for this recipe? Specifically fat, carbs, protein and fiber?
thanks
Lekan,
Any Asian store will carry rice wine. Also, rice wine is not a requirement to make egg rolls, so you can omit this ingredient. I never use it. You can make any fillings that you want in your egg roll. A great combination is chicken and shrimp. (I boil the chicken breast first and them chop them.) You can add carrots, green beans, green peas, cabbage and corn.
Also, for sealing the egg roll, I use egg instead of cornstarch as I find that it seals better.
Last night, I made salmon and potato with green peas egg rolls.
I use olive oil for frying as it is the only oil that I use in cooking.
If you have any more questions, just post it here.
Eva
My question again where can i buy chinese rice wine in lagos nigeria
Darn it! I bought the thick gooey egg roll wrappers from the refrigerated section of my local Safeway. I wasn’t close to the asian market where there are options galore (and they didn’t have any frozen options). Any way to cook these so they come out smooth and not raw on the inside?
Where can i get chinese rice wine in lagos nigeria
I use peanut oil.
I use peanut oil (watch out for allergies). The US Navy uses it on submarines because it safe at high temps. without no smoke or fumes.
you can only get spring roll wrappers at an asian grocery. I have looked everywhere else. But they are so thin and light, that they are worth the extra trip.
Just made these…..FANTASTIC! Super easy to do as well. Left out the mushrooms ’cause we don’t like them, but everything else was done to the t. And Jill–cornstarch/water mixture is to seal the wrappers, the other cornstarch is added when to the soy sauce before marinating.
I think I figured it out – is the 1 T & water for the slurry to seal the egg rolls at the end?
Excited to make the egg rolls, but have a couple questions. Does the tablespoon of cornstarch/water mixture go in with pork to be “marinated” before cooking? Then a little farther down, there is another 1 teaspoon or cornstarch.
Where did you find your wrappers? I can’t find these anywhere, only the reg. kind at store.
What type of oil do you use for deep frying? Canola, vegetable, peanut?
These egg rolls were Awesome! Very easy to make. Entire family loved them! Will be making again today to freeze so we can eat them in an instant:)
Wow! Those are beautiful-visually, they are identical to my Mom’s! The only difference is that she cut her spring roll wrappers in half (I guess to get double the amount, she was so thrifty) and she didn’t pre-cook the meat in her filling, just the vegetables. She never taught me, but mine taste pretty close to my moms except they never look as beautiful because I’m always worried I’ll under cook the pork. If it wasn’t midnight, I’d be running into the kitchen right now to make more! Thank you so much!
Is it better to deep-fry a newly made (fresh) spring roll or a frozen spring roll? Will they be equally crispy? Thank you! 🙂
Both will be equally crispy, but of course fresh is best 🙂
I found some spring roll wrappers in the Asian food section of our grocery store this week but they are round. Is the wrapping instructions the same for round?
Yes!
Need your advice on how to keep the rolls crispy for a few hrs before the party.will be making them at home first and driving a good hour to the venue.thanks
You can recrisp them in the oven – put a baking rack on top of a baking sheet. Put the egg rolls on top of the rack and crisp them in a preheated 375F oven for 10 minutes or so.
I do not like cooking with wine or sherry or any alcohol. could that be left out or use something else that is not alcohol based?
Just leave the alcohol out – no need to substitute with anything else.
Just had to let you know that I made these, and they came out perfectly. I made a batch of 50 for Thanksgiving with my husband’s family, and my brother-in-law (who’s a professional chef) deemed them “excellent,” and he’s not easy to impress with food. And they really weren’t that time-consuming to make. I managed to roll all 50 by myself in less than an hour with a toddler underfoot. My family has requested these again for Christmas! Thanks for the great recipe.
Thank you Thank you Thank you..I have been praying for a original egg roll recipe for years. Our neighborhood family owned Chinese Rest has been closed for over 20 yrs now and I have not had a good egg roll since..Ive tried many many recipes and they were no where near good. This one does look very good!
So Happppppppy!
Peace
I love egg rolls and lumpia. I got a recipe from a Filipino restaurant for their Lumpia dipping sauce. It is equal parts of Banana Ketchup, sugar and vinegar. Just stir to dissolve the sugar. No cooking. It is sooo gooood to dip the egg rolls or lumpia in. Enjoy!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I *love* Banana Ketchup – my kids put it on everything.
I believe your comment about egg roll and spring roll being interchangeable is incorrect. An egg roll includes a blend of BBQ pork, bean sprouts and a dash of curry with a thick layered (egg based) enclosure. Spring roll is a Vietnamese appetizer with pork, black fungus, glass noodles, carrot in a smaller lighter wrapper.
I love these egg rolls and when I have company they tell me these are the best I ever had. I add some fresh shrimp with them.
Anyway – the reason Im emailing is that I went to make these again and lost my recipe that I printed when you first put this out. I checked your website and noticed you had lost the original. I checked my files again and you know what, I have the original posting with the photos saved in a word document. If you would like it back just give me an email address to send it to.
Regards
Dan From Green Bay
just emailed ya!
Thank you for publishing this recipe. I especially appreciate the photos and comments regarding the folding technique. I made fresh lasagne dough and am going to experiment with that. Can’t wait.
I am wanting to make these for my family but my daughter can’t have soy or dairy. I have a recipe for soy free soy sauce but am wandering if the egg roll wrappers or dairy/soy free? What are they made of?
You should be fine – egg, flour, water. But please check the ingredients first!
I would like to tell you that this recipe is absolutely delicious! I tried it over the weekend and it turned out perfectly. You really did a great job of presenting everything that needed to be done – and the pictures you post make it impossible to not try this yourself!!
I do drain my filling before rolling the egg rolls, but I save the liquid and use it in place of the water in the slurry. If I have way too much liquid, I reduce it and let it cool before making the slurry. It is ashamed to pour all that flavor out when it can be utilized. I don’t have any problem with the sealing of the egg roll.
Great idea Sherry!
Oh my goodness. The absolute bes thing! I was so proud of myself. And they were delicious. I tweaked a bit here and there, but stayed the course for the most part. Finding the wrappers was the most challenging thing. But once found it was worth the effort. So now I have a new item to add to my appetizer, party treats, quick snack…….
also if you dont mind sharing, which chinese sausage? I baught one, boiled it and its reddish in the center. I was boiling it for a long time so it must be cooked but it tastes weird and its soft in the center. Am I missing something? Also I couldent find crawfish at my grocery store
Do you mind telling me how you made the crawfish/chinese sausage egg rolls? Did you cook the sausage first?
Wow and thanks. I’ve tried so many times to make egg rolls that cooked the wrapper before burning it and have always failed. Until today. I cooked the filling then allowed it to drain and DRY before wrapping it, took several hours of drying but well worth it. These were the best egg rolls I’ve ever made (I’ve been making mediocre ones for 29+ years).
Thank you so much for the tip to use cool and dry filling. I feel like a nice face-palm would be appropriate at this moment. It’s a good thing that the hubby is asleep cuz if he saw me scarfing these down he’d never think of me as sexy again.
loved it! i made this for my boyfriend he loved it!! we have been up all night making another batch. his family is comeing out for labor day and he wanted me to teach him. so fun. i did have a hard time finding the thin rice wrapers but my local asian market had just what i needed. thanks this is something i will make again and again!
I had a hard time finding Chinese Rice Wine. Can I use rice vinegar instead?
Sub with dry sherry.
Is there a way to make the eggrolls and bake them instead of frying?
wow what a great article. i also have a blog that i attempt to teach others how to make chinese food. i sell my egg rolls to individuals via word of mouth advertising.
I think you are doing a great job with your blog. The photos should help your readers a great deal. I think your awesome.
My first time making egg rolls and this recipe made it a joy! The secret is in the seasoning, I think. I used leftover fried chicken (without the coating) and didn’t have any problems with sogginess. Cooked 12 of them in the oven after brushing with veg oil, 25 mins, and they were pretty good. Will be better fried but baked worked well enough. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Very nice instructions .. Delicious recipe.. I like it
Can you prefry then freeze? then reheat in the oven
They turned out great! Must be because I used extra lean ground pork leaving no grease behind. I use a deep fryer to fry them; I do however have a hard time evenly browning them. For some reason once they first are placed in fryer they start to brown all around except for the top surface. As much as I try to keep rolling them over they roll back. What can I do to avoid this from happening? I like using the electric fryer because it keeps track of the oils temperture. Last question: Which kind of oil do you feel works best for frying? Thanks!
Turn the heat lower – you oil is probably too hot. I like using canola oil for frying.
Thank you, Yummy! No other egg rolls compare. This is the third time I make them. My family kills for them:)! Only one question, this last batch I just made did not drain any liquid, when I tilted pan for 15 minutes. Did this ever happen to you? I tried letting it sit longer and still no drainage. I will fry them now and will see how they turn out.
Made these last night. My first time making egg rolls and they came yum. The thin wrappers from local chinese store along with the process of tightly wrapping them did it. My wife loved them.
I’m looking at the filling and I see some bell peppers and shrimp as well, is that correct?
I wrote above that the photos are from a different batch (a crawfish batch) but I wanted to show you how to wrap the eggroll.
Very nice tips and recipe! Finally, an authentic Chinese recipe on the web 😀
However, a small note. Spring roll and Egg roll may be interchangeable words for Americans, but they are actually two different types of food stuffs. The difference is in the wrappers.
Spring roll wrappers are lighter and sleeker when fried, while Egg roll wrappers are thicker and produces “bumps” when fried.
In Chinese, spring rolls are the yummy stuff listed above, while egg rolls are the sweet cookie-like sticks.
Happy eating~
I am wanting to try this recipe. I am not experienced at all with making egg rolls. I am confused about something in the recipe that I’m sure is self explanatory but don’t want to take a chance and mess them up…. When you cook the pork filling and push it to the side then cook the vegetable filling and add the wet ingredients. Do you add the the soy sauce, rice wine to the vegetable side, saute then mix the pork ingredients together with the vegetables? I know this is a dumb question, but could you please answer anyway? Thank you.
Add to the veg side.
i tried it with cheese n chicken… every1 loved id….
Thank you for sharing! My spring rolls always ended up soggy, greasy, and chewy. X(
There is a difference between egg rolls and spring rolls though- Egg rolls you use a thick wrapper, like for pasta shells, and seal with an egg/water mixture. Spring rolls are made with rice wrappers and are much smaller.
Thank you, thank you! I only wish I could have found the thin wrappers…I asked 3 workers at the grocery store! Hope you don’t mind that I went ahead and posted about them with the “fake” pasta wrappers….I’m definitely going to be keeping my eye out for the thinner ones. Are they rice wrappers, by chance?
These look so good…I will be making these this evening.
If you have a 99 ranch market near you, please check out the different sizes of spring rolls wrappers in the freezer section.
jaden … what is your preferred/recommended dipping sauce(s) for your Mother’s Chinese Egg Rolls?
thx.
Chinese Black Vinegar. If you don’t have this, try regular balsamic vinegar – but not the expensive, highly aged stuff. You want one with a good tang with slighty sweet edge.
Take a bite of the egg roll, hold it upright.Then dribble a few DROPS of the black vinegar inside the egg roll.
See if you can find Chinkiang Black Vinegar: http://store.ethnicfoodsco.com/grocery/ProdDesc.CFM?itemid=CHVI120
Jaden, I’ve made these several times, and had to drop by and thank you for inspiring me.
The first time, just for the experiment, I made them just as written, but since then I’ve made them basically to use up whatever protein I have around. Shrimp, chicken, leftover pork chop, barbeque, it all seems to work quite nicely.
I don’t seem to have found the larger sized wrappers that you mention, though, but they’re still quite tasty.
I’ve experimented with several of the varieties I can find, and don’t have any complaints beyond the rather wimpy size of the wrappers. The grocery store fresh ones remind me of the first egg rolls I ever ate as a little kid, the lumpia are so elegant, but harder to work with (I think the ones I’ve found aren’t all that fresh).
Love the recipe, but generally these are called Spring rolls. Egg rolls are dipped in egg, via the name egg roll, also they are generally bigger in size made with a larger type dough. Just one of my pet peeves.
Hi Debbie,
I’m sorry I didn’t write down the recipe, I just sorta threw it all together in the wok! I’ll definitely write down a recipe next time I make.
Jaden
does anyone have the recipe for the crawfish filling recipe for the egg rolls? It looks amazing
This brings back memories of making spring rolls with my own mother and eating a few before they reached the pan because I couldn’t control myself. Thanks so much for sharing and I can’t wait to make these again!
These egg rolls are amazing! I made a batch of 50 and went to bed. When I woke up in the morning my teenaged sons had eaten all but 4!!!!!! As we say in New England….”Wicked Good!”
Ohmygod, these were so so so delicious. I made them for my sister and her kids, and my sister wouldn’t even wait for me to roll them, she loved the filling so much. Thanks for sharing, and Mama’s rules for rolling served me well. According to my sister, this is the best egg roll she’s ever eaten.
Thanks so much Brenna!
Thank you for sharing the recipe and step by step directions! I made these for our CNY dinner and everyone loved them! I will be making these for a long time to come. Xin Nian Kuai Le!
Jaden, thanks so much for sharing your recipe! I made these yesterday with shrimp and my family loved them! I will definitely make these again!
YUMMY, and so easy, just made these for my SuperBowl party and the reviews are outstanding! The filling was so good, we ate more of that before I started rolling that I only ended up with about 35 rolla. Thanks for the tip about keeping the wrappers covered and moist. This is the same technique I use when preparing items with filo dough. Putting this in my favorite recipe files and am sure I will make these for many years to come, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Very well written!! Thanks for the recipe and especially the instructions!! I tried making egg rolls last weekend for the first time and they sucked. Soggy, fat and full of oil!! This will definitely help on my next attempt this weekend… Thanks!!
Jaden, I made these tonite, Feb 3… for the beginning of Chinese New Year for my family.. WOW! What a hit! I had never attempted egg rolls before, and a deep frying virgin also. Your step-by-step instructions made it go so smoothly. I can’t wait to break this recipe out for family gatherings and pot-lucks. This will be one that is passed down to my girls! My 10 year old helped me and did an awesome job!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for sharing your family recipe!
Thank you Andrea! I’ll let my mom know – she’ll be happy!
Will try these this weekend for the supper bowl game can’t wait. (:
Horray! I’ve been on the search for a good egg roll recipe! These look so deliciously crunchy and petite…just the way I like them! Thanks!
These do look fantastic. My first attempt at this failed miserably, but I take all the blame. I broke one of my own cardinal rules when trying a recipe, I did not follow it to the letter. I believe that before “changing it up”, one must know what the author intended. I’m making these again tonight, and will be following the recipe religiously.
Would you care to share your crawfish filling recipe that is pictured in the photos? That looks very appealing. Thanks for the great cooking journeys.
I made these egg rolls for a New Years Eve party & they were a hit! Unfortunately at the time I didn’t have access to authentic wrappers & had to go with ones from Safeway. Since then I made them for home to put them in the freezer & take out when needed this time with good wrappers. Wow what a difference!!! They went from great to magnificent. Heading to a 40th Bday party with the same crowd & this time they’re going to get the good wrappers. I bet they blow everyone away. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe!
Oh, this is beyond cruelty. I am about to have a baby, but I HAVE to make some of these TODAY and get ’em in the freezer so we can enjoy them later. Take about a pregnancy craving!
Jaden, These are absolutely beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing. Happy New Year!
Bookmarking and trying these beauties, J. Exceptionally good photo tutorial (even for your blog, which says a lot!).
wow! i’m officially homesick. these look so similar to the egg rolls i had growing up…with all my aunties, mom, grandma together stuffing, rolling and frying. *sniff, sniff*
awww….we should have a food blogger egg roll party!
Very simple and yet It looks very delicious! I will have to try this weekend. I really enjoy the weekend time with my daughters in the kitchen making different delicious foods, especially the dishes I have never tried out.
OMGosh! These look and sound fab and I can’t wait to try them out. I’ve never done eggrolls, but I LOVE THEM!!! Thank you for your excellent photos and teachings! 🙂
A friend recommended your site and I am DROOLING over these. I love Asian food. I love egg rolls/spring rolls. I have made them at home and they are good, but I didn’t have your recipe or tips. Next time, they will be BETTER! :o)
I just started making my own egg rolls. I always thought they would be hard, but they were so easy and we LOVE them! I can’t wait to try these.
Oooooh…these look yummy.I’ve always been afraid to try and make egg rolls but these look too good to pass up. Thanks Jaden!
wow the perfect rolls. brava !!!!!!!!
ciao ciao
These look so great!
Oh Jaden – YUM!!! These look absolutely perfect. I can’t wait to try them. Thank you!
My fiancee and I made this tonight, and we ran into some problems. First, as Bob mentioned above, where does the ginger come in? Second, somehow the recipe for 50 made only 17 rolls! I think we were supposed to use more cabbage. Also, is this supposed to be napa cabbage, or american cabbage?
In the end, they did taste delicious! We shared them with our friends, and they all thought we bought them from the store! 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
It really doesn’t matter which cabbage you use. Napa has more water. I use either cabbage. You should have had way more than 17 rolls, but it depends on how much filling you put in each roll. As you can see in photo, I don’t put very much filling in each roll.
Glad your friends loved them! 😉
Just curious. Where does the ginger come in?
Sorry about that – I fixed recipe.
I looked 3 times and still can not find how much soy to add.
Yay! So many good tips I can surely make an awesome batch next time I try! This is a great post 🙂
Wow, thank you so much! I love authentic, family recipes. And a recipe for egg rolls? Even better! I can’t wait to try making these. Thanks for the detailed instructions and photos, I’m sure they’ll come in handy since I’ve never made egg rolls before.
These sound and look delicious. I’ve never made them before, but I think I’m ready to try!
Thank you for finding the recipe. I have a batch in the freezer now.
Those look sooooo good. At first I thought they were spring rolls. The filling sounds especially wonderful.
You know where you say: “Do not use egg roll wrapper found in the refrigerated section (usually near tofu) in Western supermarket – they make starchy, thick, gooey egg rolls with big bubbles on outside when you fry.”
Yes!! Those are the classic NY “Cantonese Style” egg rolls of my youth! Sure I now love and appreciate real Chinese food from all regions… I eat in Monterey Park, CA and Flushing NY… but sometimes I yearn for those big bubbled thick starchy egg rolls that say “Sunday night in front of the TV watching 60 minutes eating Chinese takeout”.
Now I know how to make them.
Is it possible to use the rice paper wraps to make these gluten free? If not, what would you use instead? Thanks for posting these!
Yes you can!
I agree with you that making egg rolls is laborious but yeah you could freeze it and it always come in handy when you need/crave for it. But I think it’s all worth it, as store bought egg rolls are way too salty.
I hope you have a good Saturday!
Malou
Nice step by steo instruction!! when i want healthier egg rolls, i bake them with pam. the skin is still crunchy and very light.
These look perfect. Thanks for showing how to fold the wrapper the “right” way!!
They look so yummy!! I can’t wait until the next time I vist my parents, my mom makes awesome spring rolls. Or I can just try to make some myself with this recipe 😀
Can’t wait to try these!