Vegan Egg Roll Recipe

These vegan egg rolls are easy to make and taste like the classic. They are customizable to what you like and make a great appetizer. 

I love to have rolled appetizers to serve if you're looking for other fun appetizers, check out my vegan cheeseburger egg rolls or my vegan pinwheel sandwiches.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Easy to make
• Full of flavor
• You can customize it
• Simple recipe

Ingredients and substitutions

Tofu

• Tofu- I prefer to use extra firm tofu here, but if you have just firm, that will work also. You don't want silken tofu. If you have time, you can press the tofu to get it more crispy, but I didn't choose to take the time to do that with this recipe.

• Garlic powder- this works great as a quick ingredient and helps give the tofu that "chicken" flavor I'm looking for.

• Onion powder does the same thing for the tofu as the garlic powder.

• Black pepper- gives it the perfect amount of spice, but not spicy at all.

• Cornstarch- helps crisp it up, you don't have to use this, but I recommend using it.

Vegetable mixture

• Coleslaw mix- you can also slice your cabbage or vegetables in your egg rolls. I just like the ease of buying everything pre-shredded.

• Ground ginger- I like the ease of using ground ginger, but you can use fresh if you prefer. The fresh ginger packs a lot more punch.

• Black pepper- helps add spice without making it spicey.

• White sugar- this adds a little bit of sweetness and helps balance out the saltiness. I would not leave this out if you want to use a different sugar that's fine.

• Salt- I know that soy sauce is already in this, which is super salty, but it still needed some extra salt to get the flavor right.

• Sesame oil- brings a nice flavor to the egg roll, but if all you have is olive oil, that works as well.

• Low sodium soy sauce- I always use light soy sauce; you can also use tamari or coconut aminos.

• Vegan egg roll wrappers- make sure you read the labels to confirm that they are vegan. Our grocery store only sells vegan egg roll wrappers. They do contain wheat if that is a concern.

• Oil- here, you can use vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, olive oil, whichever you prefer.

You will need additional oil if you choose to deep fry them. Peanut oil or canola oil works great for deep frying things. They have a high smoke point. Versus olive oil, you want to avoid using it for deep frying due to its low smoke point. And olive oil is a strong flavor.

Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.

Taste and Texture

These taste like a typical crispy egg roll you get at a restaurant.

How to make

Make the tofu

Step 1-

Get a non stick skillet and heat it with the oil on medium-high heat.

Step 2-

Take your tofu, squeeze out all the excess water you can, and then crumble it into the pan. Add your seasonings and cornstarch and stir until well-mixed.

Step 3-

Stir this as needed on and off for about 10 minutes until it starts to crisp up a bit.

Step 4-

Add your coleslaw, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, pepper, sugar, and salt, and stir until combined. Cook on high heat, stirring until the vegetables are the texture you want for egg rolls. *Some people like them fully cooked, and some like a little crunch.

Roll up your egg rolls

Get a small bowl of water and set it aside.

Step 5-

Start by placing the egg roll wrap flat and add 1-3 TB of filling, depending on how full you want in the wrapper's center. You don't want them overly full because they will puff up when the wrap gets cooked.

Step 6-

Take one corner and fold it over the mixture.

Step 7-

Now take the right side and fold it in, then take the left side and fold it in. Make sure the edges are square and not left open.

Step 8-

Then roll the wrap closed. You can now take a little bit of water and dab the opening close, but I never do, and it stays just fine. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Cooking them

You can either fry them in oil or cook them in the air fryer.

Step 9-

Frying-

The amount of oil you need will depend on how big your pan is. Heat the oil over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then place the egg rolls in a single layer with the flap side down, cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown, then flip, checking to ensure they aren't burning. Ensure all sides are cooked, then place them on a paper towel lined plate.

The paper towels help soak up the excess oil.

Air Fry-

Preheat the air-fryer to 390 degrees.

Spray the egg rolls with cooking spray and place the egg rolls not touching in the air fryer basket cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook for 3 minutes or until cooked through.

Expert Tips and Tricks

• These have the best color when they are deep-fried, but they taste just as good air fried.
• You can use mock meat if you'd rather in place of the tofu.
• Serve fresh so you don't lose that crispy texture.
• This makes a small batch which makes it perfect for dinner. If you're serving a lot of people, you will want to double it.

How to Serve

These are best served fresh because no one wants soggy egg rolls. They make a great appetizer or side dish. These would go great, along with vegan beef and broccoli or vegan fried rice.

How to store and freeze

Store-

These tasty egg rolls should be placed in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. To eat them, I would reheat them in the air fryer. They won't taste very good heated up in the microwave.

Freeze-

You can free these in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. I again would reheat them in the air fryer to crisp them back up.

Variations and Ad-ons

• Feel free to add different vegetables like shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, green onions, bamboo shoots, or whatever you love in your egg rolls.
• You can sub in vegan pork bites, or chicken strips cut into small pieces for the tofu.
• Using a dipping sauce makes them even tastier! Try peanut sauce, sweet chili sauce, plum sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or whatever you like with your egg rolls.

Recipe FAQS

Can I make these gluten-free?

The brand Mom's Place makes a gluten-free vegan wonton/ egg roll wrap. Then tamari or another gluten-free soy sauce will make this recipe fully gluten-free.

How do you seal egg rolls without eggs?

Water will do the same job. You only need a little water to run along the edges, which will seal to the bottom of the wrapper.

Recipes you may like

• Vegan Thai Peanut Noodles
• Pineapple Fried Rice
• Korean BBQ Tofu

If you loved this recipe, then give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment! I love to chat with you all. Please feel free to share on social media and tag #courtneyshomestead. I would love to see you over on Instagram or Facebook.