These homemade vegetable egg rolls make a great appetizer or side to an Asian-style meal like fried rice and beef and broccoli. In this recipe, the egg rolls are stuffed with a combination of cabbage and carrots and flavored with a savory sauce.
For this take-out classic we use a coleslaw mix that includes green cabbage, red cabbage and shredded carrots. Using a prepackaged mix instead of shredding our own vegetables takes some work out of making our own egg rolls.
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Ingredients
- Vegetables – We purchase a coleslaw mix made with shredded cabbage and carrots instead of starting from scratch. We find it in the refrigerated section of the produce aisle. We’ll also need garlic and green onions.
- Pantry and spices– From the pantry we will need cornstarch, low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger powder and crushed red pepper.
- Oil – Use a neutral (flavorless) oil with a high smoke point. We use canola oil.
- Egg Roll Wrappers – You should be able to find these at larger supermarkets, usually in the refrigerated produce section (for us they’re in the vegan section). If you can’t find them at the market, try a specialty store or any Asian markets in your area.
- Egg – To seal the wrappers
You will also need:
- Pastry brush – to brush the egg on the wrapper (if you don’t have one use your finger)
- Baking sheet or large platter – to place the egg rolls when they are built and after they are fried.
- Paper towels or clean kitchen towels – use damp ones to keep the wrappers from drying out and dry towels to place the vegetable egg rolls after they are fried.
- Parchment paper – to prevent sticking
Recipe tips
Making egg rolls is fairly easy. If you’ve never done it before, you might mess up one or two, but after a couple you’ll be a pro! Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Make sure the mixture is completely cool before using it. The wrappers are delicate if the mixture is hot, or even warm, they will tear.
- Cover the unused wrappers and the finished egg rolls with a damp (not wet) paper or kitchen towel. The wrappers dry out very quickly and will tear or crack. If the paper/kitchen towel dries out while you’re still working dampen it again.
- Don’t overstuff the wrapper because it will tear when you try to roll it.
- Line a baking sheet or platter with parchment paper to place your rolls after wrapping. Give them their own space, don’t let them touch. They stick something awful and will tear when you pull them away.
- When frying, remove the skillet from the heat between batches so that the oil temperature does not continue to rise. When you are ready to resume place the skillet back over the heat.
- It may also be necessary to lower and raise the heat as needed for the second and third batch. Not much just a notch or two to keep the oil at around 350°F.
Prep Work
- Use a small grater to breakdown the garlic, or finely mince it.
- Slice the green onions, use kitchen scissors to make quick work of this.
- Gather and measure out the remaining ingredients.
- Make the sauce: Add the cornstarch, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper to a small jar or bowl. Stir well with a fork or small whisk to combine. Also, stir the sauce right before using; cornstarch tends to settle on the bottom.
- Add the egg to a small bowl and beat with a fork or whisk.
Cook the filling
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shredded cabbage mix and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Lower the heat to medium. And add the prepared sauce (remember to stir it right before adding) and cook, stirring almost constantly for 2-3 minutes until everything is combined and the vegetables are crisp tender.
Off the heat, stir in the green onions an ½ teaspoon of salt. Let the filling cool, then refrigerate until completely cooled.
Build the egg rolls
- Work with one wrapper at a time. Lay it diagonally in front of you (like a diamond). Then, add about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling in the middle. Arrange it so that it’s not mounded, don’t go all the way to the edges.
- Cover the filling with the corner closest to you and use the end of the wrapper to tuck in the filling.
- Use a pastry brush to moisten the exposed, triangle shaped area.
- Bring in the sides. At this point the egg roll should resemble an opened envelope.
- Now, roll it away from you and press the edge lightly to ensure the seal.
If there are any open ends use a little bit of egg to moisten and press or tuck to seal. Place it on a parchment lined pan or plate and cover with a damp paper or kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and mixture.
Fry
Cover the bottom of a large, deep skillet with about ½ inch of oil. Heat the over medium to medium high heat. Get the oil to 350°F.
Add 4-6 rolls to the skillet. How many to add will depend on the size of the skillet you’re using, do not overcrowd. Fry the egg rolls for 3-5 minutes turning them every minute or so to get them golden brown on all sides.
Remove them from the oil and place on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack or a paper towel lined plate. Makes approximately 18 vegetable egg rolls
Make ahead and storing
You can build the egg rolls up to one day ahead. Make sure to place them on parchment paper without touching. Do not stack, place them in a single layer.
If you must stack them because you don’t have enough space, or a large enough pan place a piece of parchment paper in between the layers and stagger them so that the top egg roll is set between two of the bottom egg rolls. Cover with another layer of parchment paper and wrap well with plastic wrap.
Store leftover cooked egg rolls in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
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📖 Recipe
Vegetable Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Powder
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves grated or minced
- Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper optional
- 2 tablespoons Oil plus oil for frying (enough to cover the bottom of a large skillet with about ½ inch of oil) Use a flavorless oil with a high smoke point. We use canola oil.
- 24 ounces Coleslaw Mix combination of shredded cabbage and carrots
- 2-3 tablespoons Green Onions sliced
- ½ teaspoon Salt plus extra to sprinkle over the egg rolls after they are fried (we use kosher salt)
- 16 ounce Package of Egg Roll Wrappers about 18-20 wrappers
- 1 Egg beaten
Instructions
- You will also need: Pastry brush, baking sheet or large platter, paper towels or clean kitchen towels, parchment paper
Make the sauce
- Add the cornstarch, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper to a small jar or bowl. Stir well with a fork or small whisk to combine. Also, stir the sauce right before using because the cornstarch tends to settle on the bottom.
Cook the filling
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the slaw mix.
- Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Lower the heat to medium. And add the prepared sauce (remember to stir it right before adding) and cook, stirring almost constantly for 2-3 minutes until everything is combined and the vegetables are crisp tender.
- Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the green onions an ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Allow the filling to cool. You can help it along by stirring occasionally to release some to the steam. Transfer it to a bowl when it has cooled down a bit. If there is any sauce or liquid left in the skillet use a slotted spoon to transfer the filling to a large bowl. Refrigerate the mixture until completely cool.
Make the egg rolls
- Add the egg to a small bowl and beat with a fork or whisk.
- Work with one wrapper at a time. Lay it diagonally in front of you (like a diamond). Then, add about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling in the middle. Arrange it so that it’s not mounded, don’t go all the way to the edges.
- Cover the filling with the corner closest to you and use the end of the wrapper to tuck in the filling.
- Use a pastry brush to moisten the exposed, triangle shaped area.
- Bring in the sides. At this point the egg roll should resemble an opened envelope.
- Now, roll it away from you and press the edge lightly to ensure the seal.
- If there are any open ends use a little bit of egg to moisten and press or tuck to seal. Place it on a parchment lined pan or plate and cover with a damp paper or kitchen towel.
- Repeat with the remaining wrappers and mixture.
Fry
- Cover the bottom of a large, deep skillet with about ½ inch of oil. Heat the over medium to medium high heat. Get the oil to 350°F.
- Add 4-6 rolls to the skillet. How many to add will depend on the size of the skillet you’re using. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the egg rolls for 3-5 minutes turning them every minute or so to get them golden brown on all sides.
- Remove them from the oil and place on a baking sheet lined with a cooling rack or a paper towel lined plate.
Notes
- Cool the mixture completely before making the egg rolls. The wrappers will tear if the mixture is hot, or even warm.
- Cover the unused wrappers and the finished egg rolls with a damp (not wet) paper or kitchen towel. If the paper/kitchen towel dries out while you’re still working, moisten it again.
- Keep the oil at around 350°F, remove the skillet from the heat between batches and/or raise and lower the heat as needed.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
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