Everyone will love these delicious air fryer spring rolls! They are so easy to prepare in the air fryer (or on your stovetop). With a crispy, crunchy outer shell filled with a juicy char siu pork, noodle and veggie filling, they make a tasty appetiser or side to complement your favourite Asian inspired foods.
Why you’ll love this recipe
I love a good air fryer recipe! These tasty spring rolls are perfect for your air fryer, but can also be deep fried on the stovetop, if you prefer. They make delicious appetisers, filled with juicy pork, shredded vegetables and noodles, fried to crispy, golden perfection.
If you are craving a larger feast, they go perfectly with miso pork ramen, fried rice, prawn gyoza and cashew chicken.
- Freezer friendly. Frozen spring rolls are so easy to heat up in the air fryer, perfect for snacking or dinner in no time at all!
- Easy to follow with helpful tips.
- Healthy. Cooking spring rolls in an air fryer uses significantly less oil than frying them on the stovetop. The filling is also packed with pork mince, veggies and noodles.
- Packed full of flavour. Enjoy them with your favourite dipping sauce.
- Perfect for dinners or entertaining.
- Avoid expensive takeaway and make your own at home for a fraction of the price!
Ingredients you will need
* This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
- Spring roll wrappers. Made with wheat flour, spring roll wrappers can be found in the frozen and/or refrigerated of most supermarkets and Asian grocers. While they are stuck together in the package, once thawed they are quite stretchy and easy to handle. (See my tips below on how to wrap spring rolls and avoid tearing). And while I prefer using store-bought for convenience, you can also try making your own!
- Bean thread vermicelli noodles add to the texture of the pork and vegetable filling.
- Vegetables. Spring onion and shredded cabbage help to bind the pork filling and provide moisture. You can also add 1-2 grated carrots.
- Hoisin sauce is a rich, salty and sweet sauce that is used to make the Chinese BBQ sauce in these spring rolls. It can be found in most supermarkets and Asian grocers.
- Chinese wine (Shaoxing) is a type of Chinese rice wine. It is a key ingredient in many Asian dishes and will help to create the authentic flavour that you may find difficult to replicate at home.
Step by step guide
Prepare the BBQ sauce; place all of the sauce ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Cook the pork filling in a hot wok or frying pan over high heat. Add the vegetables and sauce and simmer until sticky (make sure the sauce doesn’t catch and burn on the bottom of the pan). Stir through the noodles. Once cooked, the mixture should be thick and sticky, but not wet. (Wet filling makes a soggy spring roll!).
Allow the filling to cool for around 5 minutes. **A hot filling will make the ends of the spring rolls split.
While the mixture is cooling, carefully separate the spring roll wrappers. Keep them under a damp towel to prevent drying.
Place the wrapper smooth side down. Place some filling into the bottom corner of the wrapper and roll to the middle. Tuck in the sides and then finish rolling. Use a little water (or a slurry of cornflour and water) to seal the edges.
Place the spring rolls into the air fryer basket and cover with oil spray. (Or deep fry if preferred. See instructions below).
Air fry the spring rolls as per the recipe card instructions below and serve with your favourite dipping sauces and sides.
Full ingredient list and instructions are found in the recipe card below.
Air frying vs. deep frying
Here is a comparison of air fried vs deep fried. The left side are the air fried spring rolls and the right side are the pan fried spring rolls. You can see that the air fried version is lighter in colour, while the fried are darker and more golden. The taste between the two is very similar and although the air fried version is slightly lighter, you still get a lovely, crispy crunch from the pastry.
Frying spring rolls means that they will soak in excess oil, so using an air fryer can significantly cut down on the amount of fat used.
Expert tips
- Many store-bought spring roll wrappers are purchased frozen. They need to be thawed before using, so sit them on your countertop at room temperature for 60 minutes, or until they are pliable. To avoid frustration and torn pastry, make sure they are fully defrosted before you attempt to separate the layers.
- Drain the excess liquid from the pork mince before adding the sauce. The filling should not be watery. (Watery filling makes soggy spring rolls!). The filling should become slightly sticky as you simmer, from the BBQ sauce.
- Allow the filling to cool slightly before adding it to the wrappers. Hot filling will cause the ends to split and filling to spill out while cooking.
- Cover the pile of spring roll pastry with a damp tea towel or paper towel while wrapping, or they will dry out and split. Split wrappers will leak filling while cooking (or take in oil if you are deep frying).
- To freeze. After rolling the spring rolls (but before frying them), place them into a freezer bag or airtight container in a single layer and freeze for up to 2 months. When you are ready to cook, you can go straight from freezer to fryer, no thawing necessary. Spray the frozen spring rolls in the air fryer basket and coat with oil spray. Cook in the air fryer at 200 °C/392 F for 10-12 minutes, or until crisp and heated through.
FAQs
Spring rolls taste better on the day that they are made, but they can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. They will soften in the fridge, so will need to be re-crisped in the air fryer or oven. Store them in an airtight container and when ready to eat, heat them in the air fryer at 200 °C/392 for 8-10 minutes, or until crisp and heated through.
Spring rolls can be easily cooked in an air fryer without the need to thaw. Place the frozen spring rolls into the air fryer basket in a single layer, allowing space between each roll. Cook in the air fryer at 200 °C/392 F for around 10-12 minutes, or until crisp and heated through.
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Air Fryer Spring Rolls
Ingredients
For the BBQ sauce
- ⅓ cup hoisin sauce
- 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese wine Shaoxing
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ tsp Chinese five spice
To make the spring rolls
- 70 grams vermicelli noodles
- 500 grams pork mince ground pork, full fat is recommended but lean pork will work too
- 2 spring onions chopped
- 2 cups cabbage shredded
- 30 sheets spring roll pastry fresh or frozen, thawed
- canola, olive or vegetable oil spray for frying
For sealing the pastry
- water mixed with a little cornflour
Instructions
- If using frozen spring roll pastry, set it out at room temperature for at least 60 minutes to thaw.
- Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Place the dry noodles into a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water until soft. Drain and set aside. Before adding the noodles to the pork filling, use a pair of scissors to cut them into very small pieces.
- In a large frying pan, heat a little oil spray over medium heat. Add the pork and brown while stirring. Drain any excess liquid and add the spring onions and cabbage. Stir over the heat until the cabbage has softened.
- Add the BBQ sauce and heat until the sauce reduces and starts to become sticky. Stir through the noodles until combined. Remove from the heat and allow the pork to cool slightly.
- Prepare the spring roll pastry on a clean, dry bench. Keep the wrappers covered with a damp tea towel or paper towel to prevent drying. Spoon a small amount of pork filling into a corner and roll to halfway. Fold in the corners and continue rolling to the end. Use a little water mixed with cornflour to seal the edges. Continue until all of the spring rolls are wrapped.
Air fryer instructions
- Place the spring rolls in one layer (with space between each spring roll. Cook in batches if required) in an air fryer basket and cover generously with oil spray. Cook at 200°C/392 F for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway, until golden, crisp and hot in the middle. Remove from the basket and serve immediately with your favourite dipping sauce.
Deep frying/pan frying instructions
- Heat vegetable or canola oil in a large frying pan. Add the spring rolls to the oil when hot. Cook the spring rolls in batches, turning halfway, until they are crispy and golden on the outside. Remove from the heat and serve immediately with your favourite dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
- Spring roll wrappers. Made with wheat flour, spring roll wrappers can be found in the frozen and/or refrigerated of most supermarkets and Asian grocers. While they come stuck together, once thawed they are quite stretchy and easy to handle. (See my tips below on how to wrap spring rolls and avoid tearing).
- Many store-bought spring roll wrappers are purchased frozen. They need to be thawed before using, so sit them on your countertop at room temperature for 60 minutes, or until they are pliable. To avoid frustration and torn pastry, make sure they are fully defrosted before you attempt to separate the layers.
- Drain the excess liquid from the pork mince before adding the sauce. The filling should not be watery. (Watery filling makes soggy spring rolls!). The filling should become slightly sticky as you simmer, from the BBQ sauce.
- Allow the filling to cool slightly before adding it to the wrappers. Hot filling will cause the ends to split and filling to spill out while cooking.
- Cover the pile of spring roll pastry with a damp tea towel while wrapping, or they will dry out and split. Split wrappers will leak filling while cooking (or take in oil if you are deep frying).
- To freeze. After rolling the spring rolls (but before frying them), place them into a freezer bag or airtight container in a single layer and freeze for up to 2 months. When you are ready to cook, you can go straight from freezer to fryer, no thawing necessary. Spray the frozen spring rolls in the air fryer basket and coat with oil spray. Cook in the air fryer at 200 °C/392 F for 10-12 minutes, or until crisp and heated through.
- Storage; Spring rolls taste better on the day that they are made, but they can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Store them in an airtight container and when ready to eat, heat them in the air fryer at 200 °C/392 for 8-10 minutes, or until crisp and heated through.
- Cooking from frozen; Spring rolls can be easily cooked in an air fryer without the need to thaw. Place the frozen spring rolls into the air fryer basket in a single layer, allowing space between each roll. Cook in the air fryer at 200 °C/392 F for around 10-12 minutes, or until crisp and heated through.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the recipe being made into 30 spring rolls, with one spring roll being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only.
- This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary
Nutrition
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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in April 2019, but was re-published with new information, helpful tips and photos in October 2021.
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