Southwest Egg Rolls

These crispy southwest egg rolls are the perfect summer appetizer! Serve them with a simple 3-ingredient lime crema for fresh, zesty flavor.

If there’s one thing we can’t get enough of, it’s air fryer egg rolls. Our obsession started a few years ago with these cheeseburger egg rolls, and since then we’ve been dreaming of all the flavor combos we can try. 

I’ve always been a sucker for southwest egg rolls at restaurants, so we finally decided to make our own at home! Stuffed with shredded chicken, beans, corn, chilies, onion, and plenty of cheese, these little appetizers are simply irresistible. The flavor is so fresh – and that crunchy wrapper paired with a silky lime crema dip is just the best combo!

We love making these for a fun party appetizer or game day snack. We’ll definitely be adding them to our football Sunday rotation!

What This Recipe Entails

To make southwest egg rolls, you’ll need to cook and mix the filling, wrap all the egg rolls, and then crisp them in the air fryer. Wrapping egg rolls takes a bit of time, especially if you haven’t done it before, but once you get into a groove it’s easy!

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 18 minutes (plus time for cooking additional batches, if needed)

Ingredients

• Chicken – Plain shredded chicken works best in these egg rolls. We like to poach chicken and then shred it, but you can also use Instant Pot shredded chicken or a rotisserie chicken for an easy shortcut.
• Veggies – We like to use a mix of black beans, corn, diced green chiles, and red onion for southwestern flavor. Using canned beans, corn, and chiles makes this recipe come together quickly and easily.
• Cheese – Shredded Mexican cheese gives these egg rolls extra moisture and Tex-Mex flavor! We find that finely shredded cheese works best, as it melts into the filling most evenly. Thicker shredded pieces (like rustic cut blends) don’t mix in quite as easily.
• Seasonings – Garlic, lime juice, paprika, and salt make the flavors sing. Don’t skip these ingredients! Fresh lime juice is always best, versus bottled – it’s much more zesty and less sweet and sugary.
• Egg roll wrappers – You can typically find egg roll wrappers in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, usually near the tofu. Some stores also sell them frozen. Just make sure to allow them plenty of time to defrost if you buy them from the freezer aisle.
• Lime crema (for serving) – We love making a healthier crema to dip our egg rolls in out of plain Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice, and salt! It’s so creamy and delicious and really complements the flavor of this snack.

Equipment

Making egg rolls is a bit of a process, so it’s helpful to have some equipment ready before you start everything:

• Large frying pan – For cooking the veggies that go into the filling. Our 10.5-inch ceramic pan from our Caraway cookware set is the perfect size for this!
• Mixing bowl – To mix the filling. You’ll need to add the chicken and cheese to the cooked veggies, and it’s much easier to do in a bowl than in the frying pan. Plus, you want to remove the veggies from the hot pan so they don’t keep cooking.
• Parchment paper – You’ll want this to line your workstation! It helps the egg roll wrappers not stick as you work with them and as they sit before cooking.
• Paper towels – Damp paper towels are necessary to keep the egg rolls (and wrappers) moist as you work. They tend to dry out quickly if left exposed to the air.
• Large sheet pan – Placing the wrapped egg rolls on a parchment-lined sheet pan makes it easy to move them around your kitchen for cooking or freezing.
• Air fryer – We’ve found the best way to make crispy egg rolls at home is to air fry them! It works like a charm, especially for smaller batches.

How To Make Southwest Egg Rolls

1. Cook the filling. Heat the oil, garlic, and onion in a large frying pan over medium heat until the onion is slightly soft. Then add the beans, corn, and chilies and cook for another few minutes until the beans and corn are slightly softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in the lime juice, paprika, and salt, then transfer the filling to a large bowl.
2. Finish the filling. Add the shredded chicken and cheese to the filling, then stir well until everything is evenly combined and the cheese is somewhat melted. Set aside.
3. Set up your workstation. Lay out a piece of parchment paper where you want to work – this is where you’ll wrap the egg rolls. Grab a sheet pan and line it with parchment paper; place that near your workstation to put the egg rolls on as you wrap them. The sheet pan will help you easily transport them for cooking. Bring the filling and egg roll wrappers over to your station, along with a small bowl of water and a dampened paper towel.
4. Wrap the egg rolls. When you open up the egg roll wrappers, cover the stack with the damp paper towel to keep them moist. Working with one wrapper at a time, place the wrapper so one of the corners is pointing towards you. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling to the center of the wrapper, then fold the bottom corner up and over the filling. Gently press along the wrapper to the left and right sides of the filling to seal the ends, then fold them in towards the center, one at a time. Then, wet a finger and brush it over the inner part of the wrapper that’s still exposed, towards the top. Tightly roll the egg roll away from you, towards the top corner, until sealed.
5. Repeat this process until all the egg rolls have been made. Cover them with a dampened paper towel as you work to keep them moist.
6. Cook. Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray the basket, then add a single layer of egg rolls, leaving a bit of space between each one. Lightly spray them with cooking oil, then cook for 4 minutes. Gently flip them over, spray again, and cook for another 4 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Continue working in batches as needed to cook all the egg rolls, or optionally freeze some for later (see “Freezing” section below).
7. Let cool for at least 5 minutes – they’ll be piping hot straight from the air fryer. Serve with lime crema and enjoy!

Tip: Most egg roll wrappers actually have wrapping instructions inside them! Look for this on the bottom of the package when you open it up and remove the stack of wrappers. For more detailed instructions and photos on how to wrap egg rolls, check out our cheeseburger egg rolls recipe.

Freezing Egg Rolls

This recipe makes quite a few egg rolls, so if you don’t want to cook them all – or if you want to prep them a few days ahead of time for a party – you can easily freeze them before cooking.

Here’s what to do:

1. After wrapping the egg rolls, freeze them in a single layer (make sure they’re not touching) for at least 1 hour.
2. Transfer frozen egg rolls to a zip-top bag for storage. Freeze for up to 1 month. Any longer than that, and the wrappers start to dry out a bit.
3. When you’re ready to cook the egg rolls, cook them straight from frozen according to the recipe instructions, but increase the cook time to 5 minutes per side.

Serving Suggestions

Wondering what to serve with southwest egg rolls? Here are some of our favorite recipes that go great with these:

• Southwest chili lime salad – Pair a lighter salad with these egg rolls for a more satisfying dinner. We love this southwest flavor combo in the summer!
• Veggie tostadas – Add southwest egg rolls onto a veggie tostada dinner as an appetizer or side dish. So much delicious crunch in one meal!
• Chipotle lime burrito bowls – This is another lighter meal that we love pairing with a side dish or app like egg rolls. The Mexican flavors go great with southwest egg rolls!
• Cheeseburger egg rolls – Have an egg roll party! Make two kinds of egg rolls for a game day appetizer spread everyone will go crazy for.

But honestly, we could just eat these egg rolls as a meal (with lime crema for dipping, of course) and call it a day. They’re just that good!

If you try our recipe, let us know what you think by rating and commenting below!

Love this recipe? You may enjoy these other appetizer recipes, too:

• Buffalo Chicken Rangoons
• Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
• Avocado Chorizo Spring Rolls
• Air Fryer Cheeseburger Egg Rolls
• Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Taquitos