With Seth away for a few days and friends visiting from North Carolina this weekend, I used the quiet time to get ahead on the blog so I could relax while they were here. The kitchen has been nonstop—three recipes in two days, all cooked, photographed, and written up. Since Seth isn’t around to polish everything off, the fridge is full, which has been a pleasant surprise. Coming home to leftover egg rolls was a real treat.
I have to admit I was skeptical about baked egg rolls at first. I couldn’t imagine an oven producing the same crispiness as a deep fryer. But I tried them anyway, and was thrilled to pull out perfectly golden, crispy egg rolls from the oven.
These baked egg rolls are just as satisfying as fried ones. The texture is slightly different, but they’re still delightfully crispy and flavorful. The filling is the star: start by browning ground pork, then sauté a mix of garlic, ginger, green onions, grated carrots, and shredded Napa cabbage in the same pan. Finish with a splash of rice vinegar and soy sauce, and you have a mouthwatering filling that tastes authentic and fresh.
They’re much easier to assemble than I expected—less fiddly than dumplings. Rolling the wrappers is almost like making little burritos: quick, satisfying, and even fun. If you love egg rolls but want a lighter version, these baked egg rolls are well worth trying. They keep the classic flavors while cutting back on the oil.
Here is the recipe:
Baked Egg Rolls
5 from 2 reviews
- Author: Annie Chesson
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 12 egg rolls
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
- 3 carrots, grated
- 4 green onions, sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned and cooked through.
- While the pork cooks, prepare the vegetables: shred the cabbage, grate the carrots, thinly slice the green onions, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger.
- Remove the cooked pork from the pan and set aside.
- Add the vegetables to the pan, season with a little salt and pepper, and sauté for 2–3 minutes until slightly softened.
- Stir in the rice vinegar and soy sauce.
- Return the pork to the pan and combine everything. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Set the pan aside to cool a few minutes so the filling is easier to handle when assembling.
- Lay out the egg roll wrappers in a diamond orientation. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to seal the wrappers.
- Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place it next to your assembly area.
- Spoon about 1/4 cup of filling onto each wrapper, slightly below the center.
- Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, then use a little water to moisten the remaining edges and corners.
- Fold the side corners in toward the center and roll the wrapper up snugly. Place each assembled egg roll seam-side down on the baking sheet.
- Repeat until all egg rolls are assembled.
- Spray the assembled egg rolls with cooking spray so all exposed surfaces are coated.
- Bake for 10 minutes, flip the egg rolls, then bake for another 10 minutes. Watch closely during the last few minutes to avoid over-browning.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack briefly before serving.
If you make this or any of my other recipes, share a photo on Instagram and tag it #thegarlicdiaries!