Spring Roll Recipe
Everyone loves spring rolls. It’s a delicious Chinese appetizers filled with shredded vegetables and deep-fried to crispy goodness.
There are many recipes and almost every country in Asia has its own version of this iconic appetizer.
In the Philippines, they are called lumpia and come in smaller packages.
Vietnamese spring rolls are called Cha Gio. They are made with rice paper and filled with ground pork and cellophane noodles.
There are also fresh spring rolls with no deep-frying involved, for example: Popiah in Malaysia and Summer Rolls.
Spring Roll Wrappers
There are two types of wrappers in the market: thin wrapper and thick wrapper.
The thin wrappers are made of wheat flour, water, oil and salt. They are packaged and frozen. This wrapper produces crispy results after deep frying.
The thick wrappers are pale yellow in color. They are specifically made for egg rolls, which are thicker rolls popular in Chinese-American restaurants.
How to Make Spring Rolls?
The recipe calls for a three-step process. First, make the filling with the following ingredients:
- Shredded cabbage
- Pork
- Seasonings such as oyster sauce, salt, pepper and sesame oil
Next, assemble and wrap the rolls with the wrappers. Please refer to my recipe card for the step-by-step picture guide on wrapping.
The final step is deep frying. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.
Cook’s Tips
For the best Chinese restaurant quality results, please follow my cooking tips below:
- Use a vegetable with lower moisture content, for example: cabbage. This will ensure that the filling is not wet.
- Use thin wrapper to make crispy rolls. Avoid egg roll wrapper at all cost.
- For the best flavors, use pork and shrimp with shredded cabbage in the filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Spring Roll vs. Egg Roll
The former are crispier and smaller in the size. They are made with thin wrapper and the taste is more authentic.
Egg rolls are the bigger, fatter version of spring rolls. They are made with thin wrappers and the ingredients might include eggs.
After deep frying, egg roll wrappers will appear rough with little bubbles on the surface. Please see the picture below for the difference between the two.
Dipping Sauce
Americans love a watery and pink color sweet and sour sauce as the dipping sauce. This is not authentic but made popular by Chinese-American restaurants in the United States.
For authentic flavors, serve without the dipping sauce. If you like, you may serve with a mild chili-garlic sauce or sweet chili sauce.
How Many Calories Per Serving?
Each roll is just 76 calories.
What to Serve with this Recipe?
Serve this dish with other Chinese food. For a healthy meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Spring Rolls Recipe
The crispiest and best spring rolls filled with vegetables and deep-fried to golden perfection. This spring roll recipe is easy, authentic and 100% homemade.
Ingredients
- 6 oz. (170 g) pork butt, cut into thin strips
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 6 oz. (170 g) cabbage, sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons Chopped scallions
Seasonings:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
- 1 packet frozen spring roll wrappers, thaw to room temperature
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
Instructions
- To make the Filling, heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Ad the pork and stir fry until the surface turn white. Add the cabbage, stir a few times before adding all the ingredients in Seasonings. The filling is ready when the cabbage becomes somewhat dry and not wet. (Wet filling will make the spring rolls soggy and not crispy.) Transfer the filling to a big bowl, let cool.
HOW TO WRAP SPRING ROLLS:
- To wrap a spring roll, place a piece of spring roll wrapper on a flat surface. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the filling lengthwise onto the center of the wrapper. DO NOT OVERFILL. Using a small brush or your index finger, dab the beaten egg around the outer edges of the wrapper.
- Fold the bottom part of the wrapper over the filling.
- Fold the left and right sides of the wrapper over the filling. Make sure the filling is packed tightly. Roll the spring roll over until it reaches the other end of the wrapper. Make sure the spring roll is sealed tight and there is no leakage. Repeat the steps until you use up the filling.
- Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a wok or a small sauce pan to 350°F (176°C) for deep frying. Gently drop the spring rolls into the oil and deep fry in batches. Deep fry until golden brown. Remove the spring rolls using a strainer or a slotted spoon, draining excess oil on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.
Notes
I recommend a mild chili sauce or sweet chili sauce as dipping sauce.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size
24 rollsAmount Per Serving Calories 76Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 13mgSodium 161mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 4g
Penny Vardis
I absolutely love your recipes, every recipe, every time is a huge success! Thank you!
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks Penny!
Samantha Tannarome
Super good!
Recipe is delicious !!!!!
Nyx
So that’s why my spring rolls got those shingles. The egg wrappers are the culprit. Massive info. Thank you!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, don’t use egg roll wrappers.
Yvonne
I followed this recipe, exactly, last night and they are delicious!! I put all of the ingredients together in bowls and lined them up next to the wok. It made it so easy to toss the ingredients in at the right moment. We ate some and froze the rest. Perfect!! We wouldn’t change a thing!
Angela Fitzgerald
Do you have to defrost all the wrappers in a packet and if so, can you freeze the spring rolls you’ve made before cooking them?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes.
Angela Fitzgerald
Thanks
Theresa
Can the shrimp filling be ground then wrapped raw? Then fried?
Rasa Malaysia
Shrimp is raw. Yes.
John
Disappointed to see you are using frozen spring roll wrappers, would have liked to see recipie for making own
Rasa Malaysia
Spring roll wrappers? Really? I don’t think you can expect me to make everything from scratch, it doesn’t make sense to make spring roll wrappers from scratch when even restaurants and professional chefs don’t make them scratch!
Anna
You’re a douche bag for saying that. No one makes homemade spring roll wrappers except the companies that make the spring rolls wrappers.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Anna, well said. Thanks for your support!
Anne
Its easy to find a recipe for home made ones as well
LA
If I wanted to add cut up carrots and cut up glass noodles to the spring roll would it still work or would it become soggy?
Rasa Malaysia
It might be soggy. If you want carrots and cut up glass noodles, please try Vietnamese spring rolls: https://rasamalaysia.com/vietnamese-spring-rolls-cha-gio-recipe/
Greg
K-9
I’ve had eggrolls with glass noodles and grated carrot made by an Asian Indian woman, they were delicious.
Greg
I meant to say spring rolls.
Dolbabes
Yummy we always cooked this spring rolls as traditional food any day of the year
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Sweet sweet bardillon
I would love to accept recipes from 5ime to time because I am very much fond of cooking and saving recipes. Much so that my daughter’s didn’t like any other lumpia but Shanghai. I’d like to give them other authentic taste that they will crave more for vegetables.
Sydney85
I am having a hard time finding the spring roll wrappers. I have only found egg roll wrappers. I live in Chicago. Any ideas? The egg roll wrappers were at H Mart. Is there another name I should be looking for?
I am really enjoying your recipes. Many thanks.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Sydney, egg roll wrappers are thick and it will look like the egg rolls in Americanized Chinese restaurants. You can try Chinese food stores, they are in the frozen section. Good luck!!
Greg
I’m fortunate, here in California most supermarkets carry dumpling, spring roll and egg roll wrappers in the refrigerated section next to the produce.
Mary
I find them unfrozen in the international section of my grocery store. You just need to get them a little wet to make them pliable
Roxanne
Can rice paper be used in replacement of the frozen wraps,
Christine
Sydney, I don’t know how long ago you posted your question. Have you had any luck finding spring roll wrappers yet? Try heading to Uptown/Argyle on the north side. There are some Asian grocers around Broadway & Argyle. I don’t live there anymore, but that’s where I always got mine. Good luck!
Natalie
THANK YOU FOR SHARING!! I have been looking forever for an easy and well-explained spring roll recipe… and this is it!!! Love your blog <3
Stella
Made these for my daughter and her friends. Big hit. Easy, Delicious, Fun to assemble, Crunchy goodness. Four teens and two happy adults today! Thanks a bunch.