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A super fun appetizer to serve at any tailgating game day! Air fried egg rolls stuffed with vegetarian southwestern filling. These Air Fryer Southwestern Egg Rolls will make you so happy!
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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Tailgating snacks
These Southwestern Egg Rolls are great on an appetizer bar! Serve them with some Homemade Guacamole, or some Nacho Cheese. Try my Candied Jalapeno Cheese Sauce for a sweet and spicy flavor kick!
Or serve these as a wonderful meal with some Mexican Street Corn Salad.
You can cook some pretty amazing appetizers in the air fryer. check out these beautiful Air Fryer Onion Bhaji.
Veggie ground crumbles
These egg rolls are vegetarian (like me), so I make them with vegetarian ground “beef” crumbles. There are lots of brands to choose from.
I head over to the frozen department of my grocery store and to the vegetarian meats section. There you might find some from (affiliate links) Gardein, Beyond Beef, or Quorn, to name a few brands.
I’ve also seen ground crumbles in the produce department of the store. You might find Smart brand or Yves there.
Any of these brands will work for these delicious egg rolls. Different brands will have different flavors and textures.
If you haven’t tried them before you may need to taste test some different ones until you find your favorite.
My favorite is the Gardein brand, in fact, they are my favorite for most vegetarian meat substitutes.
If you prefer to go with beef, yes, regular ground beef will work in these egg rolls. Just cook the ground beef first, then measure it out and use it in the recipe.
Recipe tips
Make sure that you grab one egg roll wrapper at a time. They have a tendency to stick together, and since they are very thin you may not realize that you have two. I find that if I use my finger and rub on the very side of the egg roll wrapper I can separate the two wrappers.
Keep the egg roll wrappers covered with a clean cotton towel while you work so they don’t dry out.
Make sure you don’t crowd the air fryer basket. Leave enough room for the air to circulate around the egg rolls so they get nice and crispy. Depending on the size of your air fryer you’ll either want to cook these in 2 or 3 batches.
How to roll an egg roll
A really nice thing about making these egg rolls in the air fryer, is if you do happen to rip the wrapper, or not seal it tightly, the filling won’t all spill out when the egg roll cooks. Since it’s sitting in the air fryer, the filling is still contained.
Place the filling in the egg roll wrapper. Brush the sides with the egg wash. (Water can be used instead of the egg wash to hold the wrapper together, but I really like the crispiness that the egg wash adds to the outside of the egg rolls.)
Fold up the bottom, and then fold the sides in.
Roll the bottom up and fold the top over. Then brush the egg roll with the egg wash to get it crispy.
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Air Fryer Southwestern-Style Egg Rolls Recipe
Air Fryer Southwestern Egg Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ cups veggie ground crumbles
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 4.5 ounce can chopped green chiles undrained
Egg rolls:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 6 egg roll wrappers
- 1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
Instructions
Prepare filling:
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic powder, and sauté 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add veggie crumbles, salt, cumin, chili powder, and green chiles, and cook 5 minutes.
Prepare egg rolls:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water, and cornstarch.
- Working with one egg roll wrapper at a time, place about 2 tablespoons shredded pepperjack cheese and about ¼ cup filling on each egg roll wrapper. Brush some of the egg mixture on the edges of the egg roll wrapper. Roll up the egg roll, folding in the sides so that the filling is contained. Brush the egg mixture on the outside of each egg roll.
- Repeat procedure with remaining egg roll wrappers, filling, and cheese.
- Preheat air fryer to 400° F.
- Place the egg rolls in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry at 400° F for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until brown and crispy. Serve warm with guacamole or queso if desired.
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.
Dan from Platter Talk
We made these tonght, using a savory chickpea and parsley filling! I’m in love with our new air fryer and this recipe gives me one more reason to feel that way! Thanks for the delicious idea. And we LOVE the new site deign; congrats to you!!!