These Air Fryer Mac and Cheese Egg Rolls are super fun hand held bundles of delicious pasta and creamy cheese all wrapped in a crispy crunchy egg roll wrapper!
Roll some macaroni & cheese up in an eggroll wrapper, crisp it up in the air fryer, and you have a fun delicious snack or even a light lunch. And, these are perfect for tailgating snacks month!
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Recipe from The Big Book of Air Fryer Recipes
This fun and easy to make recipe comes from the great cookbook, (affiliate link) The Big Book of Air Fryer Recipes by Parrish Ritchie. I was given a copy of the book to review, but all my opinions are my own.
Quick Air Fryer Recipes
I’m super impressed with this simple straightforward large book.
Besides the recipe that I made, this book has delicious drool worthy recipes like Pizza Soft Pretzels, Stuffed Cream Cheese Bites, and Garlic-Parmesan Smashed Potatoes.
There are chapters for starters, breakfast, side dishes, main dishes (hello Garlic-Butter Shrimp & Asparagus Foil Packets!), and desserts.
It makes me laugh a bit that the first recipe in the book is the first one I choose to try. Maybe I’ll just have to make them page-by-page, and with over 240 recipes in the book, I have my work cut out for me!
In the book, Parrish gives us easy, fast, crowd-pleasing, and family favorite recipes to help make our lives easier. She also has a chapter with information about the air fryer, including some tips and hints. And you probably know already that the air fryer cooks food in half the time of a conventional oven ― plus you’ll get that crispy, delicious crunch you love without cups of oil. And the best part is that everything you put in the air fryer comes out tasting absolutely amazing!
Oh I just love my air fryer! I use it for everything from simple veggie side dishes to great little appetizer bites, and this book shares my enthusiasm for the kitchen appliance.
Mac & cheese
This recipe starts off nice and easy with prepared mac & cheese. This can be leftovers from last night’s dinner.
You can make fresh homemade mac and cheese. I have several great recipes: Oven Baked Mac & Cheese, Crock Pot Mac & Cheese, and Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese.
Heck, you can even use the blue box mac & cheese if that’s your favorite!
American’s have had a love affair with mac 7 cheese for a long time! Want to read about the history of this dish? Take a look at this Smithsonian Magazine article, A Brief History of America’s Appetite for Macaroni and Cheese.
Recipe notes
In the original recipe Parrish states to use 1-2 tablespoons of mac & cheese in the egg rolls. This would make 16 appetizer-sized egg rolls for the recipe.
I wanted my egg rolls to be a big bigger, so I filled them with a heaping 1/3 cup inside each egg roll, then I rolled them up. This made 9 egg rolls. I cut each egg roll in half, making about 18 servings that would be great as appetizers as well as a fun lunch!
Fill them with whatever amount makes you happy – smaller, appetizer sized rolls, or larger lunch sized rolls.
When you’re taking a wrapper form the package, make sure you have one wrapper. They have a tendency to stick together, making the egg roll wrapper super thick. So, make sure you have one wrapper per roll.
I like to keep my open package of wrappers covered with a soft cotton towel while I work so that the wrappers don’t dry out. The same goes for the prepared rolls, keep them under a towel so they don’t dry out while you work.
These have to be cooked in batches. Don’t crowd the air fryer, or the egg rolls will not crisp up properly. Base how many of the egg rolls you want to cook at a time on the size of your air fryer basket. I could fit 4 at a time in mine, and I have a large air fryer.
And, finally, another tip that she adds in the book: You can add bacon or chicken to these to take them from fantastic to out of this world!
Serve with dipping sauces
These are super fun when served with a lovely dipping sauce. Try BBQ sauce, ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or Buffalo sauce.
Or, go for a new flavor sensation by serving these bites with tamarind cashew dipping sauce, avocado sauce, or guacamole.
Can these be made ahead?
Yes, these can absolutely be made ahead.
Fill and roll all the egg rolls, and cover them tightly and keep them in the fridge so you can air fry them later in the day.
Also, they reheat beautifully. If you have leftovers, just pop them back in the air fryer at 390° F for about 6 minutes, and they will be hot and crispy (maybe not quite as crispy as the first time, but still great!).
They can also be reheated in a conventional oven at 350° F for about 10 minutes.
I tried them reheated from the microwave, and they just don’t get crispy again, but if you’re in a hurry, they still tasted great!
How to fold and roll these egg rolls
In case you’re a visual learner (and who isn’t?), here’s some pictures to make it a bit easier to understand how to fold and roll the wrappers to make it easier on you.
Kitchen tools you may need for this recipe
Note: these are affiliate links
A copy of The Big Book of Air Fryer Recipes for yourself!
Air fryer
box grater
tongs
mixing bowls
Spoon
Cotton cloth
small dish for water
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Air Fryer Mac & Cheese Egg Rolls Recipe
Air Fryer Mac and Cheese Egg Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups prepared macaroni and cheese 597 grams
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 120 grams
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese 56 grams
- 16 egg roll wrappers
- spray oil
- Kosher salt
- Buffalo sauce, barbecue sauce, or ranch dressing to serve
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the macaroni & cheese, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
- Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons (13 to 26 grams) of the mac & cheese mixture into each egg roll wrapper, and tuck in the ends of the egg roll wrapper.
- Moisten the edge of the egg roll wrapper with a bit of water, and roll the egg roll up.
- Spray the air fryer basket with the spray oil, and place the egg rolls, steam side down, avoiding placing them too close together.
- Spray the tops of the egg rolls with the spray oil, and sprinkle them with the kosher salt. Air-fry the egg rolls in a preheated 390° F for 6 to 8 minutes, flipping them once.
- Repeat this process with the remaining egg rolls.
- Serve the egg rolls with dipping sauce like Buffalo sauce, BBQ sauce, or ranch dressing.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Wow, look at them! The rolls look gorgeous and yummy. This is definitely a recipe that I will try sometime soon. Thank you for this!
We had some friends over for Sunday Night Football and I made these. Thanks for a great recipe! You made me look very impressive.
This was such a unique recipe that I just had to make it. We made this for lunch on Saturday and they were delicious. Perfect for tailgating or lunch!