Air Fryer Egg Rolls Recipe

Egg rolls are a popular Chinese restaurant appetizer, but for some, they don't seem like the kind of thing you'd typically cook at home. They're actually not too hard to make, though, especially if you use store-bought egg roll wrappers. Recipe developer Miriam Hahn says she likes to use the air fryer to cook them, too, explaining, "You get the crispy end result without frying in oil, making them so much healthier than fried egg rolls." She also adds that this cooking method is "less labor intensive since you are not standing over the stove."

This recipe is for vegan egg rolls (no, there's no egg in them) as Hahn likes to use tofu as the protein in her filling. Once you have the basic process down, though, Hahn says "you can definitely use a meat filling [like] chicken, pork, or shrimp." With tofu, though, you don't have to worry about cooking certain ingredients to a particular point before diving in. Speaking of which, let's get to it!

For the filling, Hahn uses an onion, mushrooms, green cabbage, and tofu. To season the filling she uses soy sauce (or tamari), rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. You'll also need a bit of oil (something neutral — Hahn uses refined avocado oil) to cook the filling in. The last ingredient is the egg roll wrappers — something that turns what would otherwise be a tricky dish into a recipe easily within reach of most home cooks.

Heat the oil in a pan on a medium burner, then add the vegetables and cook them for 10 minutes. Crumble the tofu into the pan at this point. Stir the soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger into the filling, then cook it for 5 minutes or until the tofu is heated through.

Taking 1 wrapper at a time, wet the edges, pile about 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle, then fold the edges in and roll up the wrapper to make an egg roll shape. (Hahn notes that the packaging for many egg roll wrappers includes a diagram that explains the process in more detail.) Use a little more water to seal the bottom seam of the egg roll, then set it aside. Repeat the process until all of the filling or wrappers (or, with any luck, both) have been used up.

Cook the egg rolls in the air fryer at 400 F for about 12 minutes or until they are golden brown. You may need to cook the egg rolls in batches so as not to overcrowd the air fryer basket. Once the egg rolls are done, you can garnish them with scallions. If you'd like a dipping sauce, typical ones for egg rolls include Chinese mustard and duck sauce, although Hahn also likes to use either plain soy sauce or a mixture of sour cream and Sriracha.

As far as leftovers go, Hahn recommends using the same method to reheat them as you do to cook them. As she tells us, "These reheat great in the air fryer ... [it] just takes a few minutes to get them warm and crispy."