I have been making different versions of Chinese egg rolls both in restaurant kitchens and at home for years now. The classic recipe is stuffed with veggies, baby shrimp, and chunks of succulent Chinese roast pork, and we still love that version, but we’ve been receiving requests for a veggie egg roll recipe, and having less meat in our diets is a good thing for our health and for the earth!
How do you make vegetarian egg rolls?
Everything you ever wanted to know Making vegetarian egg rolls is easy when compared to the meat version. When you leave out the meat, you can use any variety of vegetables. In this veggie egg roll recipe, we use garlic, Shiitake mushrooms, and bell peppers for flavor, glass noodles for additional texture, and a couple types of cabbage (regular green and Savoy cabbage) as a crunchy base. My father used to say frying egg rolls is a foolproof task. Guess who usually was that fool? That said, my years working the Holiday Inn line (with its half Chinese menu) and eventually at my parents’ Chinese restaurants required making, folding, and frying a LOT of egg rolls. Which means I caught on eventually, and you’re in good hands here!
Is this recipe vegan?
It can be! Just a couple modifications are needed. The only ingredient that’s not vegan in this recipe is the egg used when wrapping the egg roll skin and the egg roll wrappers themselves. But these days, it’s easier to find vegan egg roll wrappers right alongside the classic version, and you can use a slurry of cornstarch and warm water to seal them.
Can you make your own egg roll wrappers?
Yes! But don’t. We’ve had this question from readers before. You could try making your own egg roll wrappers, but we don’t recommend it! The process is long and tedious, and it’s all too easy to buy perfectly good egg roll wrappers in supermarkets these days, as well as Asian grocery stores.
How do you wrap egg rolls?
Feel free to watch our step-by-step video as many times as you need (video is available ad-free above the recipe card below!). We have simple step-by step pictures and a video in this post (above the recipe card) on how to fold a perfect egg roll. You can also see more photos showing how to wrap an egg roll in our Classic Egg Roll Recipe and our article on How to Fold Egg Rolls.
Can you bake egg rolls?
Yes! Baking your egg rolls in the oven is a healthy and easy alternative to deep frying. I’ll be honest with you though. The skin won’t crisp and puff up like they do when deep-fried, and in this Chinese guy’s opinion, they don’t taste quite as good. That said, you do use significantly less oil and they are healthier/less guilt-inducing that way. We’ve included instructions in the recipe for baking these vegetable egg rolls instead of frying.
Can they be frozen for later?
Of course! You can freeze your egg rolls and reheat them at a later date, but we highly recommend that you cook the entire batch prior to freezing. Although the wrappers themselves can be frozen for later use, once the egg roll is wrapped, uncooked wrappers tend to dry out and crack in the freezer. (NOTE: This principle doesn’t apply to Spring Rolls, however, which should be frozen before cooking, and can be added directly to hot oil from the freezer without thawing first.)
How do you reheat egg rolls?
You have several options! In restaurants, egg rolls are cooked and then reheated to order by placing them in the fryer at 325 degrees F until the skin is crisp once again and the egg roll is warmed through. Reheating egg rolls in an oven, toaster oven, or a cast-iron skillet works well too. If you have an air fryer, that’s another good option. But again, for purists, they come out the best when deep fried. Now that I’ve answered all your questions, on to the egg rolls! And if I haven’t, be sure to leave a comment below!
Vegetable Egg Roll Recipe Instructions
1. Prepare your dried shiitake mushrooms
Place your dried Shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of hot water. Cover and soak for 1 hour or until fully hydrated. Once hydrated, cut off the stems and sliced them into strips. You can also use fresh shiitake mushrooms, but dried mushrooms are more fragrant!
2. Prepare your mung bean glass noodles
Soak the mung bean noodles in lukewarm water for 10 minutes until rehydrated. Use kitchen shears to cut the noodles into 1 to 1½-inch lengths.
3. Cook the vegetable egg roll filling
Heat your wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons peanut oil to the wok, and add the minced garlic and Shiitake mushrooms. Stir-fry for 15 seconds. Next, add the carrot and the red bell peppers. Stir-fry for another 15 seconds. Turn up the heat to high, and add both of the cabbages. Toss everything together for 1 minute. (Note, our wok is very large––if your wok is smaller, you may have to cook the filling in 2 batches). Next, add the mung bean glass noodles, Shaoxing wine, salt, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper and five spice powder, if using. Stir-fry for another minute, mix in the chopped scallions, and transfer to a large bowl. Cool completely. Don’t overcook your filling, because it will continue to cook and soften while cooling and when you fry the egg rolls! Here are some additional tips for cooking the vegetable egg roll filling:
How long you cook the vegetables is a personal preference. Longer cooking time = softer filling; less cooking time = a slightly crunchier texture, which is what we recommend! If your wok is too small, you may have to cook the filling in two batches.Taste your filling after removing it from the heat, and re-season to your own taste, but be careful about over-seasoning, since you are making a large batch and many people tend to enjoy their egg rolls with duck sauce or hot sauce! You can also add other spices or sauces if you want a personalized spin on our basic veggie egg roll recipe.
4. Fold the egg rolls
It may take a couple tries, but once you get the hang of it, folding egg rolls is easy. Here are some basic steps:
Place one egg roll wrapper flat with a corner toward you, so it looks like a diamond shape.Measure a spoonful of filling (55g), placing it near the corner closest to you.Fold the corner closest to you over the filling, and press the wrapper in so it hugs the filling.
Fold the two opposite corners inwards so it looks like an envelope.
Brush some egg wash on the opposite corner, and don’t miss any spots!
Fold the egg roll forward, ensuring the roll stays tucked tightly. The egg wash should keep the egg roll together.
To make sure all the steps above are a success, here are some extra tips:
Let the filling cool completely. Don’t try to wrap your egg rolls with hot filling!Weigh the filling on a kitchen scale and divide the weight by the number of egg roll skins you bought. Some packages have 20 and some have 24. Mine turned out to be 55g of filling for each (I had 20 wrappers), which worked nicely. You can use a scale with a small bowl on it to weigh the filling for individual egg rolls. Remember to zero out the scale with the bowl before adding the filling. You can also eyeball it, if you’re feeling confident!
Use your hands to grab the filling out of the bowl and gently squeeze the filling to place on the egg roll wrapper. The filling stays together better using this method. You can also just use a spoon to press it together.
Check the video for wrapping egg rolls before and after you start if needed! You’ll have the hang of it in no time!
5. Deep fry the egg rolls
In a small pot, heat your frying oil to 325 degrees F/160 degrees C. You don’t need too much––just enough to submerge the egg rolls. Whatever size pot you’re using, make sure you only fill it halfway, so oil does not overflow when you are frying. Hot oil near open flames can be extremely dangerous and flare up! Carefully place a couple egg rolls at a time into the oil. Fry for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Keep them moving in the oil to make sure they fry evenly. My father used to tell me that frying egg rolls was a fool-proof task. You just slide them gently into the oil, and keep them moving while they are frying. When they’re done, they’ll “call” you with a slightly louder sizzling noise. That splattering noise is signaling that the filling is getting hot inside. The steam is escaping, causing the oil to bubble up. Pretty smart, huh? Once the egg rolls are done, place them on a wire rack to let them drain and cool slightly.
6. How to bake your egg rolls in the oven
If you’d rather bake your egg rolls instead of frying: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F/220 degrees C. Place the egg rolls on a baking sheet coated with oil or non-stick aluminum foil. Lightly brush the egg rolls all over with peanut oil or vegetable oil, and bake until golden brown for 15-20 minutes. The bottoms should also get crispy, but you can turn them once halfway through for maximum crispiness. Serve these vegetable egg rolls with some of our homemade duck sauce!
VIDEO: How to Fold These Egg RollS
