Southwest Air Fryer Egg Rolls
Love dipping? These Southwest Air Fryer Egg Rolls, can be the perfect quick savory snack or even a meal.
I blame Chili’s restaurant for introducing the idea that egg roll wrappers can be a vehicle for just about any combo of ingredients.
Today we harness the power of these blessed mini-burrito shells from the east to create a snackable feast.
Pictured here are these Southwest Egg Rolls made with delicate and flaky Spring Roll wrappers. However, Egg Roll wrappers work just as well, are a bit heartier, and provide a nice bubbly crunch.
We prefer to make these Southwest Egg Rolls in the air fryer, but you CAN make them in the Oven too. (*See Oven directions in the recipe card below)
Why Air Fryer is Best For Egg Rolls
The air fryer gives you the golden crispy fried texture you want, without the grease and all the associated unpleasantness of deep frying.
- Hot grease danger? Nope.
- Dedicated deep fryer hardware (thermometer, large quantities of oil, baskets, and dripping racks)? Nuh-uh.
- Want to spend an hour cleaning up millions of tiny oil droplets from all over your kitchen and exhaust filters? I didn’t think so.
Check out all of our great Air Fryer Recipes here!
The air fryer is basically a precision toaster oven, but it circulates the hot air all around your food for an EVEN cook. (Unlike your stupid slot toaster that doesn’t even toast a bagel evenly. YOU HAVE ONE JOB AND A DEDICATED BAGEL BUTTON!!! Grrrr).
Food from the Air Fryer comes out hot, crispy, and heated through. Need Proof? Exhibit A: these Air Fryer Hot Dogs, Exhibit B: these Air Fryer Chicken Thighs.
Most foods have enough oil or fat in them to crisp up just fine, but for these southwest egg rolls, we’re going to use just a touch of cooking spray and then let the air fryer work it’s magic.
Trust me though, this appliance is “on the level” enough to make these Air Fryer Tortilla Chips, so it can probably provide you all the crispy crunch you crave without the oil.
How to Make Southwest Egg Rolls
- First let’s make the filling. It’s basically taco meat with a few extras so you could use ground beef, but we actually prefer ground turkey here. (Less grease)
- You’ll brown the meat, cook in some chopped onion and bell pepper, add garlic, green chiles, spinach, corn and seasonings.
- Now to the roll wrappers, add a row of shredded cheese and a few spoonfuls of the filling to each.
- Fold three of the corners over the filling like an envelope, and then roll toward the last open corner to complete the roll up, sealing the top flap with a dab of water.
How to Cook Egg Rolls In Air Fryer
Each roll should be sprayed with a little cooking spray, spaced evenly in your air fryer, seam side down and then cooked at 350ยฐF for about 5 minutes per side.
How to Save Egg Rolls for Later
You can cook these southwest egg rolls in the air fryer, and they will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring them back to life with about 3-4 minutes in the air fryer at 350ยฐF.
You can also Freeze the cooked rolls in a plastic freezer bag. Frozen rolls will take about 8-10 minutes to crisp up again at 350ยฐF.
What Goes With Air Fryer Egg Rolls?
Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer can make the perfect dinner side dish to this Glazed Asian Chicken, a Tuna Sushi Bowl, or a 30 Min Beef Ramen Stir Fry.
Or… these Southwest Egg Rolls can be the main course! Just add a veggie side like this 10 minute Spicy Asian Zucchini, or some Sauteed Garlic Green Beans, and don’t forget the Chinese Donuts for dessert.
You can even bring these to a tailgating party or potluck! They’ll fit right among the finger foods like these Puff Pastry Pigs in a Blanket, or alongside a Knorr Spinach Dip bread bowl.
Southwest Egg Rolls in Air Fryer
Egg rolls stuffed with spiced ground turkey, chiles, corn, and spinach are crisped in the air fryer then dunked in an incredible avocado lime sauce.
Ingredients
For the egg rolls:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cans diced green chiles
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Cooking spray
- 20 spring roll wrappers
For the dipping sauce:
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 avocado
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- Salt to taste
Instructions
For the filling:
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add the turkey and cook until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until onion and bell pepper are softened, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
- Stir in the garlic cloves, green chiles, spinach, and corn, then season with cumin and chili powder. Stir until spinach is wilted, 2-3 minutes, then set aside.
To assemble and roll the egg rolls:
- Place a wrapper on a smooth surface, with one of the corners nearest you. Sprinkle a few Tablespoons of cheese down the center of the wrapper, followed by a few small spoonfuls of the filling.
- Fold the corner nearest you up and over the filling, about 2/3 of the way up to the top of the wrapper. Fold the two side corners in, forming what looks like an envelope. Roll from the bottom, over the envelope folds, to the top corner. Seal the top corner with a dab of water.
To air fry:
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees. Spray the rolls on both sides with cooking spray. Place as many rolls as can fit without stacking in the air fryer. Air fry for 5 minutes, flip, then fry another 4-5 minutes or until crispy. Serve with dipping sauce.
To bake:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Add the egg rolls on top, seam side down, and spray the tops with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through.
For the sauce:
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 453Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 475mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 21g
Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.