If you love crispy, crunchy, and easy-to-make spring rolls, then these Fried Spring Rolls are right up your alley. And the best part…they’re freezer friendly!
When making an Asian-themed dinner, serve up these shrimp tempura sushi rolls and Asian chicken salad as appetizers, too.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love these Fried Spring Rolls! They are so tasty, and everyone from kids to adults adore them. They work as a snack, an appetizer, and for bringing to potlucks.
- TASTE: These spring rolls are savory and full of flavor. The chicken, cabbage, onion, celery, and carrots are seasoned with just a hint of salt and pepper.
- TEXTURE: These Fried Spring Rolls are crunchy on the outside with a delicious mix of juicy chicken and sauteed veggies inside. The delicate wrapper is perfectly crisp.
- TIME: This recipe takes about an hour and 30 minutes.
- EASE: These rolls are really quite easy. The images and instructions will show you how to prep the filling, roll the wrappers, and fry these to golden perfection.
Ingredient Notes
- Wrappers- You’ll need spring roll wrappers for this recipe. These are thinner than those for egg rolls. They also come gluten-free if preferred.
- Vegetables- Cabbage, carrots, onion, and celery are needed. You can use any vegetables you like, but these are a simple and classic combination. They add a delicious chew to the filling as well as great flavor.
- Bean threads- This ingredient is also known as glass noodles and have a mild flavor. You can also use rice noodles. These absorb the flavors of the chicken and veggies.
- Chicken- Ground chicken thighs are great for this dish. They’re juicy and the perfect texture and size to fit within the spring roll wrappers.
- Oil- Canola oil is best here. It has a mild flavor and high smoke point, so it’s a good frying oil.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute another meat- Besides ground chicken, you can also use ground pork or beef. It’s best to use a ground meat so the pieces are small enough to fit the wrapper.
- Add a sauce- Add some oyster sauce, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, or hoisin sauce to your Fried Spring Roll filling.
- Substitute different vegetables- Try this recipe with vegetables like mushrooms, water chestnuts, bok choy, and bean sprouts.
- Bake them- Place the spring rolls on a baking sheet and spray them with non-stick spray. Bake at 435 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, turning halfway.
How to Make Fried Spring Rolls
- Prep the cabbage and bean threads. In two separate heatproof bowls, submerge the shredded cabbage and bean threads in boiling water for about 5 minutes and then drain the water out.
- Cut the bean threads. Then cut through the bean threads about 30-40 times using kitchen shears or scissors.
Pro Tip: Use a fine mesh sieve to drain the water out of the cabbage. This is important so the spring roll filling isn’t soggy and the sieve is the most effective way.
- Cook the celery and onions. Saute the chopped onion and celery in a skillet filled with olive oil over medium-high heat. Then set aside.
- Mix the filling ingredients together. Now combine the ground chicken, shredded cabbage, bean threads, shredded carrot, sauteed vegetables, salt, and pepper.
- Fill your spring roll wrappers. Fill the wrappers with the chicken filling, roll them up tightly, and brush a little water on the top corner to help it stick and seal the spring roll.
- Fry them. Now fry each spring roll in a heavy bottomed skillet filled with canola oil over high heat for abut 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Place on paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Serve hot.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overfill the fried spring rolls- To make sure you can fully close these rolls, only use about 2 tablespoons of filling. Too much will either rip the wrapper or leave it too big to fully seal.
- Use water to seal them- A little water on the last flap of the wrapper as you roll these spring rolls will make it tacky so it will stick and seal the roll. This will avoid a burst egg roll in the fry oil.
- Absorb the excess oil- Place the fried spring rolls on a plate lined with paper towels so the extra oil can be absorbed. This will keep the rolls from getting soggy.
- Serve them with sauce- Add a dipping sauce when you serve these, like soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, peanut sauce, or hot Chinese mustard.
FAQs
Fresh spring rolls are cold Vietnamese rolls (obviously not cooked). They are made with rice paper wraps and are typically filled with cooked prawns, lettuce, carrot, Thai basil, mint, and cilantro. They are commonly dipped in peanut sauce.
While both are filled with a combination of meat and vegetables, fried spring rolls are made with a thin paper-like wrap (not rice wrap) and egg rolls are wrapped in a thicker dough-like wrap that contains eggs. The latter came from American Chinese cuisine.
Serving Suggestions
These crispy Fried Spring Rolls are versatile enough to be served with lots of meat dishes, salads, noodles, and grains. Here are some great dishes to try them with.
- Meats: Make these your appetizer before serving some Mongolian Beef, Pepper Steak, Bang Bang Shrimp, or Chicken Tempura.
- Salads: Serve them alongside Asian Chicken Salad, Kani Salad, Crab Salad (VIDEO), or Eggplant Salad.
- Noodles: Enjoy these Fried Spring Rolls with Chicken Chow Mein, Gluten-Free Stir Fry with Rice Noodles, or 30-Minute Shrimp Chow Mein.
- Grains: You can pair them with a plate of Pork Fried Rice, Wild Rice, Quinoa Fried Rice, or Wild Brown Rice.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can prep these spring rolls ahead of time and freeze them. Then when you’re ready to serve, place the frozen (uncooked) spring rolls into a heavy bottomed pot filled with about 2 inches of hot canola oil and cook over high heat until golden brown.
Storing: Store any leftover Fried Spring Rolls in the refrigerator once they’ve cooled, in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap. They can last for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Roll them up and place the uncooked spring rolls in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze until solid (about 4 hours) then place them into a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Tasty Asian-Inspired Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions
Fried Spring Roll Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken thighs
- 1/2 medium cabbage about 32 oz
- 1/3 cup celery diced
- 1 carrot shredded (about 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup onion
- 3 oz uncooked bean threads or rice noodles work too
- 35 spring roll wraps
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- Canola oil for frying corn oil worls too
Instructions
- Finely chop the cabbage and submerge it in hot water for 5 minutes as well. Drain the cabbage of all water and set it aside to cool. I recommend using a fine-mesh sieve to get all the water out.
- Place the bean threads or rice noodles in a heatproof bowl and submerge them in boiling water for about 4-5 minutes. Drain the water out using a mesh strainer and roughly cut through the noodles with kitchen shears.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a small pan and sauté the chopped onion until translucent.
- Add the chopped celery to the onion and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked bean threads, cabbage, shredded carrot, ground chicken thighs, and the sautéed onion and celery.
- Season with salt and pepper. As mentioned in the ingredient list, use less salt if you plan to dip the rolls in soy sauce.
- Begin assembling your spring rolls by laying out one spring roll wrap with a corner pointed toward you. Spread about 2 tbsp of the chicken and cabbage mixture in the middle and fold the bottom corner up over the mixture. Fold the left and right corners toward the center and continue to roll. Brush a little water on the top corner to help seal the spring roll.
- Fill a skillet with about 2 inches of canola or corn oil. Bring the oil to medium-high heat and fry each spring roll for 2-3 minutes per side. Place the fried spring rolls on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve hot with soy sauce or sweet chili sauce.
Notes
- Don’t overfill the fried spring rolls- To make sure you can fully close these rolls, only use about 2 tablespoons of filling. Too much will either rip the wrapper or leave it too big to fully seal.
- Use water to seal them- A little water on the last flap of the wrapper as you roll these spring rolls will make it tacky so it will stick and seal the roll. This will avoid a burst egg roll in the fry oil.
- Absorb the excess oil- Place the fried spring rolls on a plate lined with paper towels so the extra oil can be absorbed. This will keep the rolls from getting soggy.
- Serve them with sauce- Add a dipping sauce when you serve these, like soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, peanut sauce, or hot Chinese mustard.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on Mar 22, 2017, it has been updated since.
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Treva hammond says
Yummy! Was wanting one with cabbage!!
Dina says
Awesome! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Cuneyt says
Interesting recipe, I must try it as soon as possible.
Dina says
I hope you enjoy it!
Darlene Jones says
Can I freeze these after cooking?
Dina says
Hi Darlene, these can be frozen before or after cooking. Both ways work great 🙂
Sue says
My oven has an airfry function- can I spray these with avocado oil and airfry?
Dina says
Hi Sue, I have not tested this recipe in the oven so I am not too sure how long it will take to make sure that the raw meat is fully cooked inside.
Atiya Gazali says
Thanks for sharing the recipe. It sounds really tempting. Just one question. After sauteing the celery, u mix everything in a big bowl. When do we cook the ground chicken thighs? Or fo we add them raw? And the grated carrots are also to be added raw. Not steeped in hot water like the cabbage?
Please clarify. Thanks a million.
Dina says
Hi, great question! Yes, you add the shredded carrots raw as well as the ground chicken. The high heat from the hot oil will cook them perfectly. If you cook it beforehand and then cook the spring rolls in the oil, the chicken will be overcooked and dry. I hope that helps answer your question. Enjoy!
Karen says
My favorite spring rolls yet that are cooked. I use sweet chili sauce to dip. I made these for my son when he came to visit as an appetizer we loved it so thank you very much. Going to make another batch tonight.
Dina says
I am so happy to hear that you loved these fried spring rolls, Karen. You might want to make a double batch and freeze some so you have homemade spring rolls ready to fry up any time 🙂