These Southwestern Vegetable Egg Rolls are filled with spicy beans, sweet potatoes, and corn. Mixed with cheese and southwest spices makes these ultra snackable. I've included directions for baking, frying, and air frying these crunchy treats.
My daughter created this egg roll recipe
I cannot tell you how stinking proud I was watching her cook like a pro with fine-tuned culinary instincts. She wasn't following a recipe she just whipped these bad boys up. All I could think was — Yep, mama taught her something right.
God knows being a mom ain't easy, and sometimes we feel like failures more often than we ever say out loud. So, it's crucial to hold on to the moments that show you your babies are gonna be okay. This was one of those moments for me.
She is going off to college in the fall and at least I can rest assured she knows how to feed herself.I just sat there and watched her while we chatted and wrote down all of the ingredients so that I could share this recipe with you.
What you'll going to love about this recipe
- Super Easy: These easy to make baked vegetable eggs rolls are the perfect thing to snack on.
- Ultra Healthy: They're full of healthy vegetables and southwest spice. Plus, these eggrolls are baked and not deep-fried so you can feel good about them being healthy.
Recipe Notes
Making egg rolls in an air fryer is also a great option if you have one. I find that the air fryer gives you a crispier texture than baking alone. Of course, you can always fry these if you want to.
Ingredients for Southwest Egg Rolls.
- Egg Roll Wrappers: One package of egg roll wrappers.
- Veggies: Sweet potato, spinach, and corn.
- Protein: Black beans
- Seasoning: Cumin, chipotle chili, taco seasoning blend, and a smidge of cayenne.
- Aromatic: A bunch of cilantro (unless you're a hater).
- Cheese: Three cups of Mexican blend shredded cheese.
Step by Step Instructions
- Make the filling: Make the egg roll filling in a sauté pan, set aside to cool slightly.
- Fill the egg roll wrappers: Use a cookie scoop to fill the egg rolls. Roll and seal. Set the egg rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment until you are ready to start cooking them.
- Cook the eggroll: Egg rolls can be baked, fried, or cooked in an air fryer.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Making homemade egg rolls from scratch is easy if you know what you are doing. Here are some expert tips to get you off on the right foot.
Egg roll wrappers are usually in the produce section at the grocery store. They are lightly refrigerated. They are usually near the tofu!
Traditionally egg rolls are made with canola oil because it is relatively flavorless. However, my favorite oil to use for the egg roll recipe is avocado oil.
Use a little to sauté the vegetables and then brush a little bit of the avocado oil on the tops and sides of the egg rolls before you bake or air fry them.
The most important thing to remember is to use an oil with a neutral flavor. Stay away from olive oil in this case.
YES, you can refrigerate them, for a short period of time. But for the most part, it is best to refrigerate the filling and make the egg rolls right before you will cook them. They are pretty quick to roll up.
If your filling has a lot of moisture in it the moisture can cause issues with the egg roll wrappers. Also, even while you are preparing them do not stack them or they might stick to each other. This causes a big mess when you try to pull them apart.
Freezing uncooked egg rolls is a better option if you need to make them ahead or if you want to make a large batch and have leftovers that you can cook up another day.
Egg rolls are easy to freeze.
1. Start by placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Make sure they have space between them.
3. Freeze them on the baking sheet if possible.
4. Once they are frozen you can place them in a freezer bag and store them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.
1. Remove them from the refrigerator.
2. Let them thaw on a plate in the refrigerator.
3. Make sure they are not touching.
4. When they are thawed set them at room temperature for about 3o minutes.
5. Bake, air fry or fry in a mild oil until they are golden brown.
PRO TIP: If you have meat in your filling and you are worried if it is the correct temperature you can use a meat thermometer to check.
Yes, you can bake egg roll wrappers. In fact, the ones in this recipe are baked. You will get a crispier egg roll if you generously oil the outside of the egg roll wrapper. Bake egg rolls at 450℉ for 20 minutes.
An air fryer is a great option not only for reheating egg rolls but for baking them in the first place. An air fryer cook food by circulating hot air around it. Air frying is a fancy word for convection.
I have a fancy Toaster Oven that has an air fry setting. It works great for reheating anything that you want to be crispy and not soggy.
In my opinion, every egg roll should be served with a sauce or dip. Guacamole and Salsa Fresca seem like tow obvious choices. You can try my Chipotle Ranch or Avocado Crema for these.
Oh but you probably meant what real food should you eat with your egg rolls. That is very grown-up of you.
I always recommend a big salad. A Spicy Slaw is another great option. If you are looking for a side of protein you can try the Chipotle Chicken.
Other Snack Recipes You Make Love:
- Grilled Mexican Street Corn
- Classic Midwestern Deviled Eggs
- Deviled Eggs with Caviar and Potato Chips
- Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon
- Paleo Deviled Eggs made with Avocado
- Goat Cheese Tart with Fig and Bacon
- Buffalo Shrimp Jalepeño Poppers
- Fresh Shrimp Ceviche
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Southwest Egg Rolls - Vegetarian Baked Version
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling
- ½ White onion finely diced
- 1 medium Sweet potato peeled and diced
- 1 to 1½ cups Corn kernels Approximately 2 ears or corn.
- 1 can Black beans drained
- ¼ cup Fresh cilantro finely minced
- 1 cup Fresh spinach finely chopped
- ½ tsp Cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp Taco seasoning blend Foodology Geek Brand (see notes)
- 3 cups Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
- 1 pkg Egg roll wrappers
- 1 to 2 tbsp Avocado oil
Instructions
Making The Filling
- Dice the onion. Set aside.
- Peel and dice the sweet potato. Set aside.
- Cut the corn kernel off of the corn cobs. If you are using frozen corn, simpleymeasure out the corn and get ready to cook.
- Roughly chop the spinach. Set aside.
- Drain and rinse the black beans. Set aside.
- Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of avocado oil to a large skillet. Heat on medium-high heat.
- Add the diced onion to the pan and sauté for a few minutes until the onion is soft and slightly translucent.
- Add the sweet potato and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until they are slightly tender.
- Add the remaining veggies to the sauté pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and toss in the remaining ingredients.
Assembling the Egg Rolls
- Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Set out on egg roll wrapper and moisten the edges with a small amount of water. You can use your finger for this step.
- Using the cookie scoop, add one scoop of filing and fold the egg rolls according the package directions.
- Place the egg rolls seam down on a baking sheet.
- Make sure that you leave enough room so that they can evenly brown.
- Continue until all of the egg rolls are assembled and placed on the baking sheet.
- Brush each egg roll generously with the avocado oil.
Cook the egg rolls using one of the methods below.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 425℉Bake the egg rolls for 15 to 20 minutes. Flip once about halfway through baking.
- Fry: In a heavy-bottomed skillet add about an inch to inch and half of the oil. I like to use avocado oil for frying. Heat the oil to medium-high. Working in batches, place the egg rolls into the skillet and cook until they are golden brown. Turn the egg rolls as they brown on one side.
- Air Fry: Brush your egg rolls with oil and then place your egg rolls into your air fryer. Make sure you have one layer and no egg rolls are touching. Air fry at 350℉ for 5 to 7 minutes, then turn the egg rolls over. Continue to cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.
Laura's Tips + Notes
- Preheat the oven to 425℉
- Bake the egg rolls for 15 to 20 minutes. Flip once about halfway through baking.
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet add about an inch to inch and half of the oil. I like to use avocado oil for frying.
- Heat the oil to medium-high.
- Working in batches, place the egg rolls into the skillet and cook until they are golden brown. Turn the egg rolls as they brown on one side.
- Brush your egg rolls with oil and then place your egg rolls into your air fryer. Make sure you have one layer and no egg rolls are touching.
- Air fry at 350℉ for 5 to 7 minutes, then turn the egg rolls over.
- Continue to cook for another 5 to 7 minutes.
