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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.
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.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
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.
Cooking 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
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
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.
Each roll is just 82 calories.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve this dish with other Chinese food (such as shrimp and broccoli). For a healthy meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Spring Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz (175g) pork butt, cut into thin strips
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 6 oz (175g) 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
- 3 dashes ground white pepper, or to taste
- 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. Add the pork and stir-fry until the surface turns white. Add the cabbage and stir a few times before adding all the ingredients for the seasonings.
- The filling is ready when the cabbage becomes somewhat dry, not wet (wet filling will make the spring rolls soggy and not crispy). Transfer the filling to a large bowl and let it cool.
HOW TO WRAP SPRING ROLLS:
- To wrap a spring roll, place a spring roll wrapper on a flat surface. Spread about 2 tablespoons of filling lengthwise along 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, making sure the filling is packed tightly. Roll the spring roll tightly until it reaches the other end of the wrapper. Ensure the spring roll is sealed tightly with no leakage. Repeat the steps until all the filling is used up.
- Heat 2 to 3 inches (5-7 cm) of oil in a wok or small saucepan to 350°F (176°C) for deep frying. Gently drop the spring rolls into the oil and fry in batches. Deep fry until golden brown.
- Remove the spring rolls using a strainer or slotted spoon, draining the excess oil onto a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is there a way to bake the lumpia after it is all put together. I really don’t need the calories from frying but once I start eating them I can’t stop!
You can bake but it’s not lumpia if they are not fried.
What is jicama anyway? We dont see this in the supermarket any simpler recipe?
Jicama is a root vegetable that you can find at Asian restaurants. You can use cabbage instead.
I have lived in Nanning for 2.5 years never have seen egg rolls or spring rolls here.. My Chinese wife has never seen egg-rolls or spring rolls either. She makes dumplings. I finally found someone who will cut the dumpling wrappers to egg roll size. Supermarkets and fresh air markets have no idea what I am asking for nor has my wife had any luck. Can I use the dumpling wrappers for egg rolls and is there some place or magic word word I can use to find the wraps for spring rolls or egg rolls? Even if it is in Mandarin the stalls and the markets recognize me and I often copy from Google Translate a Mandarin word for what I am looking for.and show them. Any other suggestions?
I like it. Thanks!
In the 2nd photo is that the finally shredded jicama that looks like noodles in your spring roll?
Yes, they are sliced into thin match sticks, or julienned.
What is the size of the wrappers you’re using?
When I lived in Japan, a lot of the Filipina wives would have lumpia parties where they all got together and made mounds and mounds of lumpia. They would divvy it up at the end of the party, sharing not just the laughs, but also the goods made that day. I know they froze most of the lumpia, but I don’t know at which stage they did that. Do you know if we could freeze these spring rolls the way they did? If so, at what stage? I would guess after rolling (duh…), but before frying. Is that right?
Yes correct.
I want to make some and freeze them ahead of time, but not sure if once frozen they can go directly into the oil or if it needs to be thawed. My fear is, if I thaw them they will get soggy, but if I transfer them from the freezer to the hot oil they will explode or will cook too quickly on the outside while the inside is still frozen or cold. Any tips on how to cook frozen spring rolls?
Thaw.
hey rasa malaysia…thanks for the great recipe!
WMV,
Thanks for your compliment. Yes, they are my favorite too!
My favourite! (I have lots of favourite food! Ha Ha…) Love your pixs!