Air Fryer Spring Rolls are crispy, crunchy, and just as delicious as their deep-fried cousins without the mess of deep frying. These are filled with a savory pork and veggie filling that everyone will love.
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These spring rolls are filled with a savory pork filling that’s loaded with veggies. Garlic, green onions, soy sauce, and a few dried spices give them loads of flavor.
If I’m being honest, I’m a pretty lazy cook (okay, maybe I’m just lazy!) and this is the kind of thing I want to be able to whip up quickly with little effort. Using bagged coleslaw mix in this recipe makes that possible.
From muffin pans and racks that fit inside your basket to oil sprayers, tongs, skewers, racks, and more, these are the accessories we use the most with our air fryers.
Is there a difference between Chinese spring rolls and egg rolls?
The names Egg Rolls and Spring Rolls are used pretty much interchangeably these days, but there is actually a difference between egg rolls and spring rolls!
Chinese spring rolls are made with thin wheat wrappers that are shatteringly crisp when deep fried. Egg rolls, on the other hand, are an American version of spring rolls, invented by a Chinese chef in New York City in the 1930s.
Unlike the very thin spring roll wrappers, egg roll wrappers contain egg, in addition to flour and water, making them thicker and chewier than spring roll wrappers.
Spring roll wrappers are widely available in supermarkets, usually in the produce section alongside tofu and other vegetarian proteins.
You can also buy egg roll wrappers, but they are harder to find.
The filling for Chinese spring rolls and American-Chinese egg rolls is usually a similar mixture of vegetables like shredded cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts and often shrimp, pork, or other meat.
Ingredients you need
For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.
You won’t believe how flavorful these crispy spring rolls are, even though they don’t have a ton of ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- Oil—You can use any type of oil you like or have on hand.
- Sesame seeds—These are optional.
- Ground pork—You can substitute ground turkey or chicken if you like, or even diced Air Fryer Pork Belly.
- Green onions and garlic—These add flavor and the green onions add a bit of color too.
- Spices—onion powder, black pepper, ground ginger,
- Soy sauce—This gives the egg rolls umami. You can substitute Japanese tamari if you like.
- Coleslaw mix—I like to use the tri-color coleslaw mix. I love that it’s pre-sliced, which saves me time.
- Spring roll wrappers—You can find spring roll wrappers in almost any supermarket, usually in the produce section, alongside tofu and other vegetarian protein options.
These Air Fryer Spring Rolls are so easy to make! Here’s how:
Toast the sesame seeds in oil and then add the meat and cook until it is fully browned. Add the spices, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and green onions.
How to make them
For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.
Air fryer spring rolls are super easy to make. Here’s how:
- Place a spring roll wrapper on the work surface in front of you, in a diamond orientation, and then place two to three spoonfuls of the meat mixture in the center (arrange it in a line parallel to your body).
- Use a bit of water to wet the edge of the wrapper and then fold the sides over the filling. Fold the bottom point of the wrapper up over the filling and then roll up, squeezing out the air and making sure it is a tight roll.
- Use a bit of water to seal the wrapper shut, then place it seam side down in the air fryer basket Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, arranging the wrapped spring rolls in the air fryer basket in a single layer.
- Brush or spray the spring rolls with oil.
- Cook for 8 minutes on 380°F, flipping halfway through cooking, until the spring rolls are crispy and golden brown on all sides.
- Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Tips for success
Once you get your filling prepared, set up your mise en place so that you are ready for filling and wrapping spring rolls. Place the spring roll wrappers, a little dish of water, the filling, and the air fryer basket (with a parchment paper liner if you like) near your cutting board or work station.
Don’t overfill the wrappers. About 3 tablespoons is the right amount of filling.
If you want to make them earlier in the day, you totally can. Make the filling, fill and roll the spring rolls, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 12 hours until you are ready to cook them.
You can also freeze homemade spring rolls. Arrange the uncooked spring rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze. Transfer the frozen spring rolls to a resealable plastic bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To cook frozen air fried spring rolls in the air fryer, take them from the freezer and put them into the basket of the air fryer. Spray or brush with oil, and then cook as directed in the recipe, adding a few extra minutes if needed to get them golden brown and crisp.
If using spray oil, be sure to use the kind that is 100% oil without any propellants, which will erode the nonstick lining of your nonstick air fryer basket.
What to serve with them
Serve these air fryer spring rolls sweet and sour sauce, Chinese hot mustard, or Thai sweet chili sauce.
Serve these as part of a snacky spread for game day, a casual party, or family movie night. I love to offer an assortment of air fryer snacks including Air Fryer Wontons, Air Fryer Taquitos, Air Fryer Empanadas, and Air Fryer Jalapeno Popper Bites.
You can also serve them as an appetizer to a Chinese meal. I like to serve them as a starter for Szechuan Shrimp, Kung Pao Chicken, or Salt and Pepper Chicken.
Air Fryer Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups of tricolor coleslaw mix
- 8 spring roll wrappers
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the sesame seeds. Once the seeds turn golden brown, add the meat and cook, stirring, until browned. Add the onion powder, pepper, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and green onions. Cook until most of the juices evaporate. Add the cabbage and cook about 2 minutes more, until wilted.
- Lay a spring roll wrapper in a diamond orientation. Place 2 to 3 spoonfuls of meat in the center, in a line parallel to your body.
- Lightly wet the edge of the wrapper with water. Fold left and right corners into the center, over the filling.
- Fold the bottom corner up and roll the wrapper around the filling, squeezing the air out as you roll. Lightly wet the exposed corner to seal it down.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil and arrange the spring rolls in the basket. Spray the spring rolls with oil.
- Cook on 380°F for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking, until the spring rolls are crisp and golden brown on all sides.
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Hi,
How do I update the serving size to make more? This recipe calls for 8 only. I need to make at least 20 spring rolls.
Tx
Connie
You can just multiply times 3 (to make 24)!
These were so good, I’m most definitely making more tomorrow 🙂
Our ingredients were Indonesian (different spicing). We used Chinese Spring Roll wrappers. In our Ninja Foodi, we cooked them on the “Air Broil” setting (450F) for 4 minutes on each side. Browned to perfection and non-greasy!
Thank you for the recipe.