If you love crispy, crunchy, and easy to make spring rolls, then this fried spring roll recipe is right up your alley. And the best part…they’re freezer friendly!
When making an Asian themed dinner, these spring rolls, shrimp tempura sushi roll, shrimp tempura, and Asian chicken salad are always on the menu for appetizers.
How to make spring rolls
- Saute the chopped onion and celery in a skillet filled with olive oil over medium-high heat. Then set aside
- In two separate heatproof bowls, submerge the shredded cabbage and bean threads in boiling water for about 5 minutes and drain the water out.
- Then cut through the bean threads about 30-40 times using kitchen shears or scissors.
- Now combine the ground chicken, shredded cabbage, bean threads, shredded carrot, sauteed vegetables, salt, and pepper.
- Fill the spring roll wrappers with the chicken filling, bush the edges tightly and roll them up tightly.
- Now fry each spring roll in a heavy bottomed skillet filled with canola oil over high heat.
What are fried spring rolls?
Fried spring rolls are made with a thin paper-like wrap (not rice wrap) and are usually filled with a combination of meat and vegetables. They are then deep-fried or pan-fried. They also sometimes referred to as lumpia. You can find spring roll wraps at most Asian food markets.
What are egg rolls?
Egg rolls are also filled with meat and vegetables but are wrapped in a thicker dough-like wrap. Egg rolls can either be baked or fried.
What are fresh spring rolls?
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.
Can I bake spring rolls?
If you prefer not to fry spring rolls, you can bake them instead. Place them on a baking sheet and spray them with non-stick spray. Bake at 435 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, turning them halfway through baking.
Can I freeze spring rolls?
Yes, you can freeze spring rolls. 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.
How to cook frozen spring rolls
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.
Fried Spring Roll Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken thighs
- 1/2 medium cabbage about 32 oz
- 1/3 cup diced celery
- 1 carrot shredded (about 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup onion
- 3 oz uncooked bean thread or rice noodles
- About 35 spring roll wraps
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- Canola oil for frying
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Finely chop the cabbage and submerge it in hot water for 5 minutes as well. Strain the cabbage of all water and set it aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine 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 oil. Bring the oil to medium high heat and fry each spring roll 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.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on Mar 22, 2017, it has been updated since.
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Mary says
what are bean threads and what do you do with the rice noodles?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Mary, you can use bean threads or rice noodles. They are very similar in taste and texture. Bean threads are also known as cellophane noodles which are made from a variety of starches. They are often made from mung bean starch. I hope this helps!
Paige says
These are hands down the best fried spring rolls I’ve ever had. My Filipino friends actually call this lumpia. The outside it so crispy and the inside has so much flavor! It’s so delicious with the sweet chili sauce 😋. Thank you for this recipe! My whole family is obsessed now.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Paige, thank you so much for the sweet feedback. Yes, they are very similar to lumpia! 🙂 I am so happy that you loved this recipe!
Dra.Zanahoria says
Which sauce do you use at the end? Do you have any recipe of these sauce?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi, I dipped the fried spring rolls into sweet chili sauce. Pretty much all grocery stores have this sauce available.
Kishin says
How do you make spring rolls wrappers ??
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kishin, I do not make my own spring roll wrappers. These are store bought.
Soum says
hello, it’s chicken legs that you use or chicken breast
Merci
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Soum, I used ground chicken thighs in this spring roll recipe.
Soum says
😉😉
Kat says
I’ve never tried fried spring rolls as we always make them fresh. But I bet these are so good. They remind me a lot of egg rolls that we make with cabbage filling.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Kat, the fresh type of spring rolls are definitely lighter and healthier, but there is something about that irresistible crunchiness of fried spring rolls! So good!
Julia F says
Thank you for such detail directions on how to fry spring rolls. I’ve only baked mine in the past but would like to try the real deal! Nothing bits crispy exterior!
simplyhomecooked says
I hope you love this fried spring rolls recipe Julia! That crispy exterior is everything! I am curious if an airfryer would give similar crispiness. Definitely should try that.
NatD says
I am excited to make those crispy spring egg rolls. I wonder how they would turn out in airfryer, definitely would test it.
simplyhomecooked says
Oh, NatD that sounds like a genius idea! I would love to know how the spring rolls turn out in an airfryer!
SUSAN says
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your recipe. If you freeze the uncooked rolls as you have suggested, do you thaw them before frying? Or place them in the hot oil from frozen?
Thanks
Susan
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Susan, I just place them into the hot oil right from the frozen form, so no thawing required 🙂
Wendy Hall says
Would these work in an air fryer?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Wendy, I’ve never tried them in an air fryer so I can’t say much about how they will turn out.
Helen says
Hi
Can you tell me are the spring roll wraps gluten-free and if so do you know where in the New York area I can get them?
Thanks very much
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Helen unfortunately, I don’t think they are gluten-free. They can be found at almost any Asian food market. I believe H Mart should have them.
Diane says
Can you freeze these after they are made…before you cook them?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Diane, freeze them all rolled up (uncooked). I like to lay them on a baking sheet and freeze them solid, then transfer them to a ziplock bag and place them back into the freezer. This will prevent them from sticking together 🙂
Amy says
How much of the bean threads do you use? This Is is not in the recipe
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Amy, if you scroll down to the recipe card below it says to use 3 oz total. n
PAT says
Can you freeze these? Best way raw or precook? Thanks
simplyhomecooked says
Hey Patty, yes you can freeze them. Lay the uncooked rolled up spring rolls flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 2-3 hours. Then place them in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Flor cecilia says
Deliciosa….que receta!!!! Gracias
Allie says
Super excited about these – durring my pregnancy, I’d wake up at tthree in the morning craving spring rolls! Should the chicken be pre-cooked in any way? Thanks!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Allie, I’m glad you’re looking forward to this recipe 🙂 nope no cooking the chicken. It gets cooked when you fry them.
Daphne says
What are bean threads – I live in Canada and not all ingredients in US recipes are available here
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Daphne, bean threads are a type of cellophane noodle that are transparent and made from starch and water. If you don’t have a local Asian market that sells these noodles, you can use rice noodles instead. Most grocery stores should have rice noodles (in dry form).
Nadia says
I’ve been looking for a good lumpia recipe..I’m super excited to try this! I have a Filipino friend and I’m still waiting on the promised lumpia cooking session from her!!! Lol I’ll give them a try this week, thank you for sharing!
simplyhomecooked says
No problem Nadia! Enjoy 🙂
Angie says
Wow what a great recipe! My sister used to make lumpia for us! I am going to give this a try! Thanks
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Angie! 🙂