Name: Vegetable Egg Rolls with Roasted Pineapple Habanero Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 large bag or two small bags of your favorite prepackaged coleslaw, shredded cabbage, or broccoli slaw; 1/2 teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 1 tablespoon LIA Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1 jar of Roasted Pineapple Habanero Sauce; 1 pack of 20 Nasoya Vegan Egg Roll Wraps or similar

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5 from 9 reviews

Crispy and crunchy Vegetable Egg Rolls with Roasted Pineapple Habanero Sauce is our take on vegan-friendly veggie stuffed egg rolls. Cooked to golden perfection in the air-fryer, and served with a sweet and savory pineapple-habanero dipping sauce, you’ve got yourself the perfect homemade appetizer. We’re also talking about the fantastic combination of flavors in this tropical sauce, and explaining step-by-step how to cook takeout-style veggie egg rolls in both the air-fryer and the oven. What’s the difference between egg rolls and spring rolls? Let’s find out together.

Blog post contains affiliate links; Read our Disclosure Policy. Photographs ©Carlos Leo, Spoonabilities

Hello friends! Have I ever told you about my passion for Chinese food? It runs in the family. There’s something special about the extraordinary combination of sweet and savory flavors; it’s magic.

I usually feel very intimidated to cook Chinese food because it has a lot of ingredients and different steps that are involved. I tried a couple of times to cook stir-fry and chicken teriyaki but it was a failure.

Chinese food is famous for being overly complicated, especially if you’ve never made it before, but not every Chinese inspired specialty is laborious. Today we’re making golden and crispy vegetarian egg rolls filled with sautéed veggie slaw, and they’re super easy to put together.

My Chinese Roots

I thought that by nature I should know how to cook Chinese food because my grandfather was Chinese and he was an excellent cook. My father was also a master in creating delicious meals like lo mein, chow mein, and chofan - the Dominican version of fried rice. He used to cook those dishes for every special occasion. I remember times when he would cook some of his Chinese specialties and invite all his friends over to play dominoes. He loved to make people happy through his food and you could see how happy he was doing it.

My father was and still is a big influence in my cooking today. One of the most valuable memories that I have is when I would go home to visit my parents in the small town of Bani in Dominican Republic. My father was so excited for my visit and he used to make all my favorites dishes for me. Cooking was his way to express his love to his family. He passed away several years ago and we miss him so much. But I know that he is very proud of the man, and chef, that I have become.

Back to the veggie egg roll and a bunch of questions you are probably thinking about...

What is the origin of the egg roll?

Believe it or not, the exact origin of the egg roll is unknown. You would think it came from China, but it’s the spring roll that is served in China. The egg roll is an American-Chinese invention. The common consensus is that it was invented in New York City in the 1930s, when Henry Low included an egg roll recipe in his 1938 book Cook at Home in Chinese.

Do vegetable egg rolls have eggs?

Although they are called “egg” rolls, the egg roll traditionally doesn’t contain egg filling. To this day it’s still not apparent how the word "egg" ended up in the name since egg rolls are mostly made of cabbage, not eggs. The wrapper may or may not contain egg, but the wrappers that we are using for this recipe is vegan, so no eggs this time around.

What are vegetable egg rolls made of?

The egg rolls we are making today contain three simple ingredients:

Vegan egg rolls wrappers,
prepackaged coleslaw mix,
salt & pepper

and roasted pineapple habanero sauce for dipping.

Are vegetable egg rolls healthy?

I’m cautious about calling any food healthy. It will depend on the cooking method, the filling/stuffing, and the wrapper. This version is healthier than most because we use a tiny bit of LIA extra virgin olive oil to sauté the veggies, and we use the air fryer or the oven for cooking the egg rolls. No deep oil frying going on here.

Did I tell you that these egg rolls are vegan?

Yes, they are vegan and the egg roll wrap doesn’t contain egg nor does the filling. These egg rolls happen to be vegan, but not all vegetable egg rolls are.

Which is healthier; spring rolls or egg rolls?

In my personal opinion, I believe the spring roll is healthier. The wrapper is thinner, and the filling contains fresh vegetables. Of course, the kind of dipping sauce will affect how healthy it is.

As for what spring rolls and egg rolls have in common, aside from both being super tasty, both are served with dipping sauces. Sweet sauces, spicy sauces, or a combination of the two are always a good way to go.

And finally...

How to Make Vegetable Egg Rolls

Have you ever wrapped your own egg rolls? Manipulating egg roll wraps can be tricky for newbies, but after two rolls, you’ll get the hang of it.

Sauté the vegetables with salt and pepper until they are softened but still crunchy. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Place the egg roll wrapper down with one of the corners facing you, like a diamond.
Add some of the filling.

To wrap, moisten the edges of the egg roll wrapper, then fold the bottom into the center. Then tuck the right and left sides into the center. Then roll until sealed into the egg roll shape. If it doesn't seal shut, make sure your last edges are moist.

Once you pack those rolls tightly with your favorite filling, in this case, shredded veggies, you’re ready to cook them to a crisp, and here’s where today’s recipe gets interesting. I’m calling this recipe “egg rolls two-ways.” I’ll guide you through two different healthier methods to cook these rolls, all achieving our ultimate goal - pretty much the crispiest and tastiest two-biters you’ve ever had.

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Two Healthy Cooking Methods for crispy Vegetable Egg Rolls

The traditional method of how to cook vegetable egg rolls is to fry them in oil in a wok pan. The thing is, using this method might yield greasy egg rolls, which leads us to our two suggested healthier methods.

Air Fryer Veggie Egg Rolls

An air fryer is a wonderful investment, even if you only use it a couple of times a week. You use very little oil, if any, and end up with the most beautiful fried food ever. I have a crispy skin snapper recipe what I've been making in my air fryer ever since I got it.

Here's how to air fry your egg rolls:

Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 F.
Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray.
Place the egg rolls in the basket so they don't touch each other.
Spray the egg rolls lightly with the cooking spray.
Cook for about 7 minutes.

Oven Baked Egg Rolls

You can cook these egg rolls in the oven. Yes, you can bake egg rolls. The secret is preheating the oven for at least fifteen minutes before baking your rolls. This is how you can bake veggie egg rolls and they end up crispy and golden.

Pre-heat your oven at 350F and wait for 15 minutes before putting the egg rolls in.
Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

What to serve with these vegetable egg rolls?

That’s the right question, my friends. Roasted Pineapple Habanero Sauce is a game-changer. We've already made four other recipes with it, and all happy faces.

Close your eyes and picture the loveliest caramelized flavors of roasted pineapple. That’s a tropical treat right there, along with roasted red and yellow bell peppers, and onions. Now, feel the mild heat of ripe habaneros in the mid-palate. Fear not; the pineapple’s sweetness counters the fiery pepper, so don’t be scared of the heat. How’s that for a dipping sauce?

I’ll let you in on a little secret. This is the very same sauce I use for my Mexican-inspired pork carnitas, and I use it for cooking oven-roasted chicken thighs too. It goes without saying Geoffrey loves this sauce; I literally have to hide it from him.

I hope you get a chance to make this homemade vegetable egg roll recipe. It’s part of our collection of easy 1-2-3 entertainment recipes. It has just a few ingredients, is made in less than 30 minutes, and the best part is it only has 3 ingredients and a 3 step preparation. Your friends will love this party appetizer dish.

Did you make this recipe or another one of ours? Tag @Spoonabilities on Instagram or leave a comment or photo on the pin so we can find you!

More vegetarian and vegan appetizer recipes to try:

And we love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Carlos Leo
Your Recipe Concierge!