These air fryer southwest egg rolls are the vegetarian version of Chili’s famous appetizer. Crispy on the outside and filled with a mixture of spices and veggies, they’re perfect with my zesty ranch dipping sauce.
These bring back so many college memories for me. I don’t know about you, but in my college town (almost 20 years ago…my goodness) Chili’s was the hot date night place. And my favorite thing to order was the southwestern egg rolls. Then they came out with the triple dipper and I swear I would have gone on a date with just about anyone to get one of those.
I don’t know why it took me so long to try to recreate this, but I’ve been trying to think of fun ways to use my air fryer and this seemed like a good idea. However, I really wanted to test it both ways - the air fried and with the traditional fryer to see which one was better.
Ingredients
I’m pretty sure Chili’s uses chicken in their recipe, and you can, but I really didn’t miss it for these. They tasted pretty much exactly the same omitting them. And what’s nice too is if you left out the cheese, this is a completely vegan recipe. However, these vegetarian southwestern egg rolls hit the spot.
What I used:
- Fresh red bell pepper
- Frozen corn (this is just easier to keep on hand frozen, especially in the winter months)
- Canned black beans (I always have these in the pantry)
- Fresh spinach (frozen works too, although cut the amount in half)
- Green onions/scallions
- ½ jalapeno just for some spice (you can omit this too)
- Fresh cilantro
- Shredded American cheese from Andrew and Everett
- Frozen egg roll wrappers (you can find this in the frozen/ethnic food section with wontons and pre-made frozen egg rolls)
Add in some pantry spices and garlic and you’re ready to go. The Andrew and Everett white American cheese is such a great quality and melts very well. I know Boar’s Head has had some melting issues lately, but I think it’s been fixed. Some other good brands are Organic Valley, Horizon, and Land O Lakes. Definitely don’t go with the fake kinds.
Egg Rolls in an Air Fryer
I have the instant pot air fryer lid so that’s what I used for this recipe, but any air fryer will do. I really wanted to see if these would get just as crispy and good as traditional fried egg rolls.
The perfect method seemed to be to coat the egg roll wrapper with oil by brushing vegetable oil all over before placing it in the air fryer, preheated to 375 degrees F.
Then place them seam side down and “fry” it for 8-9 minutes on the first side till nicely golden brown. Flip, seam side up, and fry for another 4 minutes on the opposite side.
As they cool, they’ll crisp up even more!
As a comparison, I also fried some of these in vegetable oil on the stove. While they are more similar to the traditional southwestern egg rolls, both were just as crispy. In fact, I think the air fryer ones had slightly more crunch to them.
Both were delicious, so you really can’t go wrong either way. If you have an air fryer, save some calories and use it. If you don’t, try the traditional frying method.
Frequently Asked Questions
About 13 minutes total, 8-9 minutes on the first side and 4 on the next. You want them to be golden brown. They'll crisp up as they cool.
Yes, they only take about 1-2 minutes per side to fry in vegetable oil.
No, but I used an Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid, which only fits a few in at a time. A larger air fryer can cook more egg rolls faster.
Yes! Just leave out the cheese. They will still be delicious and flavorful.
I would recommend using the Southwestern Ranch recipe from my cookbook (pg70), the Creamy Cilantro Sauce, or this traditional Ranch.
How to Wrap
Probably the most challenging part of this whole recipe is wrapping the egg roll but once you get the hang of it, it becomes rather simple.
- Start with laying your egg roll wrapper in a diamond shape (1).
- Spoon in about 2-3 tablespoons of filling. You don’t want to overfill these or they’ll break apart (1).
- Begin by wrapping up the bottom of the diamond, then fold in the sides so it looks kind of like a letter. Brush both sides with oil and pinch them together so they stay (2-3).
- Begin to roll the egg roll towards the unwrapped top, pressing in the sides as needed, and brush with oil at the top corner to secure the wrapper (4).
- Place on a baking sheet and brush the entire egg roll with vegetable oil.
How to Reheat
These southwestern egg rolls reheat extremely well in the oven, no matter how you fried them. From the fridge, I baked them at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes and then let them cool.
You can freeze these by wrapping them in cling wrap and then storing them in a freezer safe bag. If you individually wrap them, there is less chance they'll stick together in the freezing process.
To reheat these from frozen in the air fryer, cook at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes per side.
Other Vegetarian Appetizers
For other appetizers that are vegetarian, check out these recipes:
Arichoke Hummus
Caramelized Shallot Dip
Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip
Endive Boats with Goat Cheese
Butternut Squash Crostini
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram. And please leave a review below!
Air Fryer Southwest Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- ½ cup diced green onion
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 cup frozen corn (or fresh)
- ½ jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ cup canned black beans, drained
- 1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- ¾ cup good American cheese (see post for recommendations on brands)
- 10-11 egg roll wrappers, defrosted
- mild oil like vegetable, avocado, or canola
Instructions
- In a large saute pan coated with 2 teaspoons of oil, combine the green onion, red bell pepper, corn, and jalapeno over medium heat. Saute for about 3-4 minutes until cooked through, then add the minced garlic and stir for another minute. Add the canned black beans and spinach, till spinach is wilted down. Then add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Once combined, turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro and American cheese. Preheat air fryer (if using) to 375 degrees F. Meanwhile place an egg roll wrapper to make a diamond shape. Add about 2-3 tablespoons of the southwestern filling and fold up the bottom. Then fold in both sides, making an "envelope" shape. Brush all the edges with oil. Continue to roll the bottom of the envelope towards the top of the diamond, folding in the sides as needed. Brush oil on the top of the egg roll flap to secure it and place seam side down. Brush oil over the entire surface of the egg roll.
- Place in the air fryer in a single layer, seam side down, and cook for 8 minutes until golden brown. Flip and cook another 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the air fryer and allow them to cool before serving with dipping sauce.
Notes
- To fry these the traditional way, coat a heavy bottomed pan with vegetable or canola oil till it's about ½"-1" deep. Heat over medium heat till hot. Fry for about 1 minute each side till golden brown. Drain on paper towels and allow to cool.
- These can be made vegan by leaving out the cheese. You can add in more vegetables to make up that ¾ cup.
Wonderful recipe! I first made them for the Super Bowl, and have craved them ever since. I added Whole Foods fresh ground sausage, and they were delicious that way. I paired them with the Southwest Ranch from the cookbook.
These are wonderful. I look forward to keeping them in the rotation. Very flavorful.
Thank you Melissa!!
LOVE. Cooking times were exact for me too
Alicia knocked it out of the park with this one. Another recipe that I’ll be adding to the rotation. I love that ingredients can be swapped and that it’s really easy to make. Highly recommend this one!
Absolutely delish.
My husband and I tried this recipe with wonton wrappers because egg roll wrappers were sold out and they turned out just as amazing. Thanks again Alicia. Your recipes have made my VM more tolerable. 🙂
Thanks so much Sarah!!
These are so delicious! This recipe inspired me to get an air fryer and I’m hooked on both! I’m craving them again and I already had them for dinner!
I’m always looking for recipes to use my new instant pot/air fryer. These were delicious! They will definitely be part of our regular dinner menu. They were so easy to make, too! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you so much, Lori!!
I really enjoyed making these! I remember ordering them at Chili's too!
They are a real treat!
Haha they really are! Thanks, Donna!
Best thing I ever put in my mouth!
This was excellent! My whole family enjoyed them! Thank you for all you do to make living with migraine more manageable. I basically live by your cookbook and website!
Hi! These look amazing! Do you think you could you bake these instead of frying them initially? I don't have an air fryer and was just thinking of avoiding the traditional fry method if possible. Thanks!
Hey, I haven't tried them baked yet so I'm not sure. I would try a higher heat - like 400 degrees and a longer time - like 20 minutes total. Flip halfway through. They just probably won't be as crispy.
I will try it. Thank you! Looking forward to them. ????
Follow up: Baking them worked great! They were very tasty and were perfect with the southwest ranch from the book.
Ah thanks Amanada!! I love hearing that. Feel free to share what worked for you!
Five stars!! I baked them as well, and they were fantastic. I'm sure they would be much better fried, but baking is a great option knowing they won't be as crispy.
THESE ARE AMAZING AND ARE BTTER THAN CHILIS! Thank you!! We'll be making them for the Super Bowl
Delicious recipe! Fun to make and turned out just as depicted. The whole family enjoyed! Thanks Alicia!