Whether you’re looking for more plant-based options or just craving takeout, you’ll love how easy it is to make vegan air fryer spring rolls with a sweet chili sauce right at home!
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Spring rolls used to be one of my favorite appetizers from our local Chinese restaurant. But once I tried these homemade air fryer spring rolls, I haven’t wanted to order takeout since!
I love that this recipe is vegan-friendly, made with wholesome ingredients, and uses much less oil than the restaurant version.
Best of all, these tasty bites can be ready in about 35 minutes! I don’t know about you, but that’s much faster than our local take-out spot.
Here’s what I’m going to teach you in this post:
- The best way to make homemade spring rolls in the air fryer in about 35 minutes
- Tips for making the best air fryer spring rolls
- Substitutions and variations if you want to try something a little different with this recipe
- How to store and reheat leftover spring rolls
This dish makes a fantastic appetizer or side. With the semi-homemade sweet chili dipping sauce as a tangy, fresh complement to the savory and crispy vegetable spring rolls, you get the perfect balance of flavor!
Trust me, you’ll want to make these crispy bites again and again.
How to Make Air Fryer Spring Rolls
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat and add the vegetable oil.
STEP TWO: Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the napa cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms. Stirring constantly, cook until the vegetables begin to slightly soften, about 2-3 minutes.
STEP THREE: Add the green onion, cornstarch slurry, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the vegetables are cooked down but still have a slight crunch.
STEP FOUR: Remove the vegetable mixture from heat, transfer to a large bowl, and set aside.
STEP FIVE: Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F.
STEP SIX: Meanwhile, prepare the spring rolls. Lay out a single egg roll wrapper, oriented in a diamond shape with a corner facing you. Brush some of the cornstarch slurry along the corner of the top half of the wrapper.
STEP SEVEN: Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the vegetable filling into the center of the wrapper.
STEP EIGHT: Fold the lower third of the wrapper over the filling, then fold in both the left and right corners over the filling so it resembles an envelope.
STEP NINE: Continue to roll the spring roll from the bottom up until it forms a baton-like shape. Press down along the seam gently to seal, brushing on more of the cornstarch slurry if needed.
STEP TEN: Repeat until you’ve used all the remaining filling.
STEP ELEVEN: Brush each side of the spring rolls with a thin layer of vegetable oil, then place them in a single layer in the air fryer basket, allowing roughly ½ inch of space between them. Work in batches if necessary.
STEP TWELVE: Air fry for 12-15 minutes, flipping the spring rolls halfway through.
STEP THIRTEEN: In a small bowl, mix together the Thai sweet chili sauce, white vinegar, and chopped cilantro. Once spring rolls are finished cooking, serve with sauce and enjoy!
You can also swap out the quick homemade sauce for the Red Hot Sweet Chili Sauce. I love to use it in a pinch!
Tips for Making the Best Spring Rolls in the Air Fryer
- Make sure to finely shred or chop the veggies to ensure they can cook more quickly. If the pieces are too big, they may end up crunchy in the spring rolls.
- Brushing the spring rolls rather than spraying them with oil gives them a more crisp, even brown. But if you prefer, you can spray them instead. Just make sure to spray the basket to prevent any sticking!
- Placing the spring rolls in the air fryer in a single layer is very important. You want to leave space between each one for them to fully crisp up.
- If you need to cook the spring rolls in batches, store the cooked ones on a wire rack in the oven set to 175 degrees F to keep them warm and crispy.
- I recommend the Mae Ploy brand for the Thai sweet chili sauce.
- Feel free to adjust the sauce based on your taste and preferences! You can add more vinegar for tanginess, more chili sauce for sweetness, or more cilantro for herbaceousness.
What Wrappers are Best for Homemade Spring Rolls?
When you’re buying spring roll wrappers, keep in mind that they may also be labeled as “egg roll wrappers”.
Make sure you are buying the kind that is made with wheat flour, not the type that is stiff, translucent, and made with rice flour (bánh tráng).
You want to avoid wonton wrappers as they are too small for this recipe. Find wrappers that are roughly 8×8 inches to 10×10 inches so you can add enough filling and still roll them easily.
Nasoya also offers a vegan option for spring rolls wrappers as well.
If you have wonton wrappers instead, make these air fryer wontons.
Substitutions and Variations for your Air Fryer Spring Rolls
- You can substitute the shiitake mushroom with baby portabella if you prefer.
- The napa cabbage can be substituted with green cabbage.
- If you don’t like cilantro, you can use chopped green onion in the sweet chili sauce.
- If you want to add some meat to this dish, I recommend adding ½ – 1 cup of shredded rotisserie chicken to the vegetable mixture before rolling the spring rolls.
Can You Cook Frozen Spring Rolls in the Air Fryer?
This recipe is great to make ahead and freeze so you’ll have spring rolls ready to air fry whenever you like!
After you’ve rolled the spring rolls, space them out on a baking sheet, cover with foil, and place in the freezer for 4-5 hours or until they’re solid.
After that, place the frozen spring rolls together in a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Once you’re ready to finish making your spring rolls, I would not recommend cooking them from frozen.
Instead, take the spring rolls out of the freezer and allow them to thaw completely at room temperature. After that, brush them with oil and follow the cooking instructions like normal.
How to Store and Reheat Air Fried Spring Rolls
These spring rolls are best eaten immediately.
However, if you do have extras, or if you have leftover spring rolls from your latest takeout order, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day.
To reheat, place the spring rolls in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry for 8-12 minutes at 400 degrees F until heated through.
Other Asian-inspired Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love:
- Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
- Frozen Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken
- How to Reheat Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer
- Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken in the Air Fryer
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Air Fryer Spring Rolls
Ingredients
For the spring roll filling:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts
- 1 cup finely shredded carrots
- 1 cup finely chopped shiitake mushrooms
- ½ cup finely sliced green onion
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water to thicken the mixture
- 1 ½ tablespoon white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For preparing the spring rolls:
- 8-12 square egg roll wrappers
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water to secure the spring rolls
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil for brushing the spring rolls
For the sweet chili dipping sauce:
- ¼ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2-4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Once the oil is heated and shimmering, add the napa cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms. Stirring constantly, cook until the vegetables begin to slightly soften, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add green onion, cornstarch slurry, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked down, but still have a slight crunch. Remove the vegetable mixture from the heat and set it aside in a large bowl.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While your air fryer is preheating, prepare your spring rolls. Lay out a single spring roll wrapper, oriented in a diamond shape with a corner facing you. Brush some of the cornstarch slurry along the corner of the top half of the wrapper.
- Scoop about 3 tablespoons of the filling into the center of the wrapper. Fold the lower third of the wrapper over the filling, then fold in both the left and right corners over the filling. It should resemble an envelope at this point.
- Continue to roll the spring roll from the bottom up until it forms a baton-like shape. Press down along the seam gently to seal, brushing on more of the cornstarch slurry if needed. Repeat for the remaining spring rolls.
- Brush each side of the spring rolls with a thin layer of vegetable oil and place in a single layer in your air fryer basket, allowing roughly ½ inch of space between them. You may need to cook them in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Air fry for 12-15 minutes, flipping the spring rolls halfway through.
- In a small bowl, mix together the Thai sweet chili sauce, white vinegar, and chopped cilantro. Taste and add more vinegar for tanginess, more chili sauce for sweetness, or more cilantro for herbaceousness. Serve immediately.
