Vegetarian Egg Rolls Recipe

As far as we're concerned, no Chinese take-out order is complete without egg rolls. They're rich, golden, crunchy little bites that are packed with flavor and a variety of textures. If you have ever thought about making this addictive appetizer at home, you're in luck — it's incredibly simple and pretty quick, too! Thanks to the minimal ingredient list and store-bought wrappers, this egg rolls recipe is super easy to incorporate into your kitchen repertoire.

For this vegetarian version — from Alexandra Shytsman of the plant-based blog The New Baguette — you'll use fresh shredded cabbage and carrots for the filling. And instead of the traditional ground pork, you'll use finely diced shiitake mushrooms to impart a similarly savory taste. The vegetable filling is seasoned with classic Chinese flavors, including garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. And, of course, the outer shell will have that perfectly crunchy, golden crust that makes an egg roll so undeniably delicious.

To start, you'll need some green cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Egg roll wrappers are widely available in supermarkets these days and can typically be found in the freezer section. Pro tip: If you want to speed up your prep time, buy pre-shredded coleslaw mix instead of the cabbage and carrots!

Shred the cabbage and carrots, and finely dice the mushrooms. If you have a food processor, use the shredding attachment to make this step go exponentially faster.

Heat up a bit of cooking oil and sesame oil in a large saucepan, and add all of the vegetables. Cook them for just a few minutes — you want them to collapse a little but still retain some crunch. Remember, the vegetables will continue cooking in the egg rolls while they're frying.

Before filling the wrappers, allow the vegetables to cool a bit, otherwise, the rolls might fall apart. When you're ready to roll, take a wrapper and place it in front of you in a rhombus shape. Scoop on 2 tablespoons of the filling about an inch away from the bottom corner. Fold the bottom corner over the filling and tuck the filling tightly. Then fold over the right and left corners and roll up. Wet the top corner of the wrapper with a bit of water and finish rolling (the water will seal the roll). Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Heat about ¼ cup of canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Gently place the egg rolls into the hot oil, being careful not to splash it. They should sizzle right away; if they don't, the oil isn't hot enough. If they're browning too quickly, reduce the heat. Fry until they're golden on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Then transfer them to a paper towel lined tray to drain the excess oil.

Egg rolls are best served right away, while they're still warm and crispy. These are delicious with duck sauce or hoisin sauce. Of course, an egg roll is also a great precursor to a larger meal, like orange chicken or some sesame beef.