These air fryer vegetable spring rolls have a crisp pastry wrapper and a simple cabbage-and-carrot filling. They are made with flour-based spring roll pastry sheets and cooked with a light coating of oil instead of being deep fried.
The vegetable filling is cooked briefly, cooled and then wrapped before air frying at 180°C | 355°F. Serve the spring rolls warm with sweet chilli sauce, sriracha or your favourite dipping sauce.
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How to make veg spring rolls in air fryer? (Recipe video)
Ingredients
You need the following ingredients to make homemade vegetable spring rolls in the air fryer:
- Cabbage, finely shredded
- Carrots, finely shredded
- Spring roll pastry sheets
- Cooking oil for the filling and brushing the rolls
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cornflour and water, mixed into a smooth slurry for sealing
- Green onions, optional
refer to recipe card for details.
Use flour-based spring roll pastry sheets rather than rice paper wrappers. One 21 × 21 cm sheet makes one large spring roll. Larger 25 × 25 cm sheets may be cut into four equal squares to make smaller spring rolls, but use less filling in each one.
Remove only the number of pastry sheets you need and thaw them according to the packet instructions, usually for about 10 minutes. Keep the sheets covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel while working so they do not dry out. Return any unused sheets to the freezer promptly.
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Wide frying pan
- Pastry brush or oil spray
- Grater, knife or food processor
- Small bowl for the cornflour slurry
Step by step instructions
Prepare the vegetables
Finely shred the cabbage and carrots into thin, short strips so the filling is easy to roll. Thinly sliced green onions may also be added.
Cook the filling
Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the shredded cabbage and carrots.
Season with salt and black pepper. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables soften slightly but are not watery.
Transfer the filling to a plate and allow it to cool completely before assembling the rolls. Warm or watery filling can soften the wrappers and prevent them from becoming crisp.
Fill the spring roll sheets
Mix the cornflour and water in a small bowl until smooth. Place one pastry sheet on a clean surface with one corner facing you.
Add approximately 2 tablespoons of cooled filling near the bottom corner, leaving space around the edges. Use less filling when making mini spring rolls.
Roll and seal
Fold the bottom corner firmly over the filling and roll it forward once.
Fold the left and right corners towards the centre, keeping the filling enclosed.
Continue rolling tightly towards the final corner. Brush the corner with the cornflour slurry and press gently to seal.
Repeat with the remaining sheets and filling. Keep the prepared rolls covered while assembling the rest so the wrappers do not dry out.
Air fry the spring rolls
Preheat the air fryer to 180°C | 355°F for 5 minutes, or follow the preheating instructions for your air fryer model.
Lightly brush or spray all sides of the spring rolls with oil. Arrange them in the air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving a little space between each roll.
Air fry at 185°C | 365°F for 10 minutes. Turn the spring rolls, lightly brush any dry patches with oil and continue air frying for another 6-8 minutes, until crisp and evenly golden.
Smaller spring rolls may cook sooner, so begin checking them after 14-15 minutes. Cooking time can vary depending on the thickness of the wrappers and the air fryer model.
Serve the air fryer vegetable spring rolls immediately with sweet chilli sauce, sriracha, peanut sauce or another favourite dipping sauce.
Tips for crispy air fryer spring rolls
- Allow the cooked filling to cool completely before wrapping.
- Make sure the filling is not watery.
- Do not overfill the pastry sheets.
- Roll the wrappers firmly so there are no loose air pockets.
- Seal the final corner properly with cornflour slurry.
- Lightly oil all sides of the spring rolls before air frying.
- Leave space between the rolls so hot air can circulate.
- Turn the spring rolls during cooking for even browning.
Variations
The basic cabbage-and-carrot filling can be adjusted with other finely chopped vegetables. Keep the filling fairly dry so the pastry remains crisp.
- Add thinly sliced green onions.
- Add finely sliced capsicum.
- Add a small amount of grated ginger or garlic.
- Add crumbled firm tofu for extra protein.
- Cut large pastry sheets into smaller squares to make mini spring rolls.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerating cooked spring rolls
Allow the cooked spring rolls to cool completely, then refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
How to reheat spring rolls in the air fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 180°C | 355°F. Reheat the spring rolls for 3-5 minutes, turning once, until hot and crisp. A small amount of oil may be brushed onto the wrapper if it looks dry.
Preparing the filling ahead
The vegetable filling can be prepared in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Allow it to come close to room temperature before assembling the spring rolls and drain any excess moisture.
Air Fryer Vegetable Spring Rolls
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Wide frying pan
- Grater or food processor
- pastry brush
- small bowl
Ingredients
For the spring rolls
- 8 spring roll pastry sheets 21 × 21 cm, thawed according to the packet instructions
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or peanut oil for brushing
For the cornflour slurry
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 1 tablespoon water
For the vegetable filling
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cups cabbage finely shredded
- 1 cup carrots finely shredded
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the cornflour and water to a small bowl. Mix until smooth and set aside. This slurry will be used to seal the spring rolls.
- Finely shred the cabbage and carrots into thin, short strips so the filling is easy to roll.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the shredded cabbage and carrots. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Stir-fry the vegetables for 3-4 minutes, until slightly softened but not watery.
- Transfer the filling to a plate and allow it to cool completely. Warm filling can soften the pastry sheets.
- Place one spring roll sheet on a clean surface with one corner facing you. Keep the remaining sheets covered so they do not dry out.
- Place approximately 2 tablespoons of the cooled filling near the bottom corner. Use less filling when working with smaller pastry sheets.
- Fold the bottom corner firmly over the filling and roll forward once.
- Fold the left and right corners towards the centre, keeping the filling enclosed.
- Continue rolling tightly towards the final corner. Brush the corner with the cornflour slurry and press gently to seal.
- Repeat with the remaining pastry sheets and filling. Keep the prepared spring rolls covered while assembling the rest.
- Preheat the air fryer to 185°C | 365°F for 5 minutes.
- Lightly brush all sides of the spring rolls with oil.
- Arrange the spring rolls in the air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving a little space between each one. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Air fry at 185°C | 365°F for 10 minutes.
- Turn the spring rolls, brush any dry areas lightly with oil and air fry for another 6-8 minutes, until crisp and evenly golden.
- Serve immediately with sweet chilli sauce, sriracha or another favourite dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
- Use flour-based spring roll pastry sheets, not rice paper wrappers.
- Remove only the number of pastry sheets you need.
- Keep them covered with a slightly damp kitchen towel while assembling the rolls so they do not dry out.
- Make sure the vegetable filling is completely cool and not watery before rolling. Do not overfill the pastry sheets, as they may split during cooking.
- If using 25 × 25 cm pastry sheets, they can be cut into four equal squares for mini spring rolls.
- Use a smaller quantity of filling in each one.
- Cooking time will vary depending on the wrapper thickness, spring roll size and air fryer model.
- Reheat leftover spring rolls at 185°C | 365°F for 3-5 minutes, turning once, until crisp.
FAQs
Allow the filling to cool completely, avoid overfilling the wrappers and lightly oil all sides. Arrange the rolls in a single layer with space between them and serve them soon after cooking. If they soften, reheat them in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes.
Yes. Fill and seal flour-based spring roll pastry sheets, lightly brush them with oil and arrange them in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Do not air fry empty pastry sheets because they may move around in the circulating air.
Spring rolls are commonly made with flour-based pastry wrappers and cooked until crisp. Summer rolls are usually made with softened rice paper wrappers and served fresh without frying.
Many packaged spring roll pastry sheets are vegan and contain flour, water, oil and salt. Ingredients vary by brand, so check the packet for egg, dairy or other animal-derived ingredients.
The vegetable filling in this recipe is vegan. The complete recipe is vegan when the pastry sheets and dipping sauce do not contain egg, dairy or other animal-derived ingredients.
Preheat the air fryer to 180°C | 355°F and reheat the spring rolls for 3-5 minutes, turning once, until hot and crisp. Brush them lightly with oil first if the wrappers look dry.
Conclusion: You will never get enough of this recipe. Perfect crunch just right!
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