Try our super-crispy Cantonese style Air Fryer Spring Rolls. Traditional spring roll wrappers are filled with shrimp, ground pork, thin sliced vegetables and then air fried for a healthy dim sum treat. Dip them in a spicy sauce for an extra kick of flavor!
If you enjoy the crispy texture of fried spring rolls but don’t want the oily mess and calories, you are going to love this quick and easy air fried Chinese spring roll. Unlike our sweet dessert air fryer Banana Spring Rolls, our shrimp and pork spring rolls are a savory favorite – perfect as an appetizer, or as a snack.
If you do not have an air fryer, no worries. We have also included our original baked spring rolls directions for your convenience.
Jump to:
- Tasty Asian Dim Sum Appetizer
- Menu Planning - Chinese New Year
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- How to Make Shrimp and Pork Spring Rolls
- Freezing and Storing
- Expert Tips
- Equipment and Supplies
- How to Serve?
- Healthier
- Vegan Options
- Gluten-Free Options
- Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
- More Chinese Appetizers and Dim Sum
- Air Fryer Spring Rolls
Tasty Asian Dim Sum Appetizer
Deep fried Spring rolls are very common in across Asia. The various regions have different names for them and they are all prepared a little differently, depending on the region.
- In the parts of the Philippines and Indonesia, these rolls are called lumpia.
- Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong, call them “cheun gyun” (春卷). A very popular dim sum dish and is generally served with a dipping sauce.
- Mandarin speakers call these Chūnjuǎn (春卷). Normally they will have finely sliced or shredded pork and rehydrated dried mushrooms in the filling.
- In Vietnam, they deep fry rolls using rice paper wrappers and they are called “cha gio”. In addition to pork and vegetables, they might have glass noodles inside too.
- They also serve “fresh” rolls in Vietnam like our fresh Summer Rolls with Chili Lime Dipping Sauce made with rice paper. These are not fried.
- In Korea, they fry rolls with a nori (seaweed wrapper) for a fun twist on a spring roll.
- Thailand has their own version of a spring roll called “paw pia tod”. They usually add glass noodles and serve with a sweet and spicy Thai sauce.
- And many more around the world.
Menu Planning - Chinese New Year
Have you started to plan your Chinese New Year (CNY) menu?
Heck, we are not just planning our menu, but have already started the cooking preparation for the celebration! Did you know that you can fill these spring rolls, freeze them and then air fry them later? These shrimp and pork spring rolls can be filled and rolled up to 2 months in advance. Then when your guests arrive, you can pop the frozen spring rolls in the air fryer for few minutes for a hot crispy appetizer. Brilliant, right?
Why wait to last minute when you have so many other things to prepare. Did you know that Vegan Chinese Radish Cakes can also be steamed, frozen and then pan fried when ready to serve? If you haven’t tried this already, Sweet Sticky Rice Chinese New Year Cakes can also be steamed, cut into sections, frozen and pan fried in egg when you are ready to serve as well.
In addition, you may want to check out our 10 Fun and Easy Recipes for Chinese New Year and Chinese New Year Category for more recipe inspiration. We know you will find something you enjoy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This Hong Kong Style recipe may look like it has a lot of ingredients in the recipe card. Do not worry! Some the ingredients are used more than once. We listed the ingredients more than once in the recipe to make it easier for you to understand.
Spring Roll Wrappers – are made with wheat flour, water, vegetable oil and salt. They are thinner and crispier than egg roll wrappers. In a pinch, you can also use egg roll wrappers for this recipe if you are having wrapper inventory issues.
Please do not confuse spring roll wrappers with the thin rice paper wrappers that we use to make Summer Rolls with Chili Lime Dipping Sauce. They are 2 completely different products. For the gluten sensitive, we have seen a few gluten-free spring roll wrappers on the market, if this is something you need.
Shrimp – peeled, deveined, and chopped. They give shrimp rolls a nice texture and flavor profile. However, if you need to keep this recipe vegan or vegetarian, please substitute with mushrooms. Dried shiitake mushrooms that have been soaked and sliced very thin are delicious in this recipe.
Pork - ground pork is the easiest option. However, you can also finely julienne pork if you prefer.
Vegetables – like carrots, Napa cabbage, bean sprouts and green onions are delicious. You may also try adding mushroom, bamboo shoots or any vegetables you enjoy.
Shaoxing wine - (绍兴酒 ) is a Chinese cooking wine we use to marinate the shrimp and pork. You can use a dry sherry as a substitute if desired.
Sesame oil – very traditional and gives the air fryer spring rolls a delicious sesame flavor.
Soy sauce – or tamari work as a lovely seasoning for this Chinese dim sum recipe. We also use a little salt and white pepper too.
Aromatics – green onions, ginger, and garlic- of course are delicious additions.
How to Make Shrimp and Pork Spring Rolls
Are you excited to make these at home? These crispy Cantonese spring rolls are super addictive because of the flaky crunchy air fried wrapper and delicious filling. This recipe makes 16 spring rolls but who can eat just one, right?
Prepare and Cook Filling
- Put the ground pork and minced shrimp to a bowl. Add in white pepper, salt, cornstarch, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine. Set aside to marinate. Marinating proteins, as it was done in the Spicy Pork and Bamboo Stir Fry, is a very common practice in Chinese cooking.
- Chop up Napa cabbage, slice spring onions and any other vegetable your heart desires.
- Grate carrot and slice bean sprouts.
- Put a little oil in your pan and add ginger and garlic. Add in the ground pork and shrimp mixture and stir fry until the pork is no longer pink and the shrimp are no longer translucent.
- Add chopped Napa cabbage, spring onions, carrots and bean sprouts to the pork and shrimp mixture in the pan and cook until slightly softened.
- Drain the filling mixture well and set aside.
FUN FACT: Did you know that bean sprouts last longer if you store them in a sealed container covered with fresh water? Wash well, drain and change the water every day. They will last up to a week. Bean sprouts or sprouted mung bean are living so they love being in water. If you have leftover sprouts, be sure to try them in our Beef Noodles with Spicy XO Sauce.
Assembly
- Lay one spring roll wrapper on a cutting board on an angle.
- Put about 2 tablespoons of filling inside on one edge of the wrapper.
- Roll spring roll wrapper over once. Then dap the edges of the wrapper with a little bit of the cornstarch slurry with your fingers. Fold over one edge of the spring roll to the center.
- Then, fold over the other edge of the spring roll to the center. Gently squeeze and roll.
- Place a little more of the cornstarch slurry on the remaining edge of the spring roll and roll up to the end to secure. Repeat this process for the remaining spring rolls.
- Spray the air fryer basket with oil. Then, spray both sides of the assembled spring roll with oil.
- Air fry or bake according to the directions below in the recipe card
Freezing and Storing
The best part of this recipe is that you can make the filling, wrap the spring rolls and then freeze them before air frying. First, we like to freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet for a couple of hours. This prevents them from sticking together. Then, store the frozen uncooked spring rolls in a sealed plastic container or freezer safe bag in the freezer. Spring rolls can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
When you are ready to eat, just preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F (206 degrees C) and air fry until golden brown about 10 minutes on both sides. Do not thaw out the spring rolls. Just place the frozen spring rolls directly into the air fryer sprayed with a little oil first. It takes a little bit longer as they are cooking from a frozen state instead of from room temperature.
You can also freeze air fried spring rolls for up to 2 months and then just reheat before serving.
Expert Tips
- Thinly slice vegetables and proteins all around the same size so it is easier to eat,
- Drain your filling well after cooking so the spring roll wrappers stay crispy and do not get soggy.
- Please cover your spring roll wrappers with a damp tea towel to prevent cracking when you are not using them. This prevents cracking of the thin delicate spring roll pastry.
- Do not over fill your spring roll wrappers or it will be very difficult to roll up and seal. You only need a couple of tablespoons for each spring roll.
- Use a thick cornstarch slurry to seal the rolls. A cornstarch slurry is cornstarch and water mixed together to form a paste. Sometimes you have to stir occasionally as the cornstarch has a tendency to float to the bottom.
- Spray your rolled spring rolls well on both sides before placing them in the air fryer or oven (if baking)
- Do not over crowd your air fryer tray with too many rolls. Spread them out. You may need to air fry them in more than one batch depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
- Turn your spring rolls over about 10 minutes into the air frying process or about 15 minutes into the baking process to be certain they are browned on all sides.
- Place a lined baking tray under the air fryer basket to collect any drips from the air fryer spring rolls if you do not want to clean up any messes.
Equipment and Supplies
Great news! You can make this delicious Chinese New Year dim sum in an air fryer, convection oven or in a regular oven. We have included directions for both in the recipe card below.
Air Fryer: Our air fryer spring rolls were air fried in a COSORI Air Fryer Toaster 12-in-1 Countertop Convection Oven. You can make your spring rolls in any type of size air fryer. However, you may not be able to cook all 16 spring rolls at the same time, due to space issues. Please make sure that your spring rolls have room and are not touching so that the air fryer can work as a mini convection oven.
Strainer or Colander: To strain the filling
Damp Tea Towel: To keep spring roll wrappers from drying out.
How to Serve?
Don't forget the tea! Dim sum or tea time (yum cha) is not complete without tea. However, tea is not complete without dim sum. The two go hand in hand.
If you love small little plates of Chinese deliciousness, be sure to try our Vegan Chinese Radish Cake, Hong Kong Style Egg Tarts and our Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce.
Air fried spring rolls are also delicious as a tasty appetizer before a Chinese dinner. Keep your family and friends happy while you are putting the finishing touches on your Spicy Sichuan Hot Pot preparations, Asian Steamed Fish or Stir Fried Crab with Chinese New Year Cake.
Healthier
Air Frying instead of deep frying is a much healthier option. Unlike deep fried versions that have been soaking up and swimming in a wok of oil, the air frying method has just a light spray or brush of oil.
The best bonus of air frying is less cleanup. After all, who wants to be stuck cleaning the up the kitchen after a messy and oily deep fry.
Vegan Options
You can easily make spring rolls vegan by swapping out the pork and shrimp with mushrooms and add more vegetables. We love thin sliced rehydrated dried mushrooms. In addition, be sure to try bamboo shoots and other vegetables of choice.
Gluten-Free Options
Unfortunately, traditional spring roll wrappers are made from wheat. There are many new gluten-free wrappers on the market. However, we have not tried any of these. Alternatively, you can make a Vietnamese spring roll (Chả Giò) using soaked rice papers. Allow them to dry first. Then coat Vietnamese rolls in a little spray oil and air fry.
Alternatively, you can serve the shrimp, pork and vegetable filling over rice to make a spring roll bowl. You could also roll up the filling in a lettuce wrap for a gluten-free and low carb version.
You will also need to swap out the soy sauce with a tamari sauce to keep this recipe gluten-free.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Air Fryer Method: Reheat spring rolls in the air fryer at 400 degrees F (204 degrees C) for about 3 to 4 minutes or until toasty warm.
Oven Method: Reheat spring rolls in the oven at 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until toasty warm.
We do not suggest reheating in the microwave as this makes them soft and soggy.
The main difference is in the type of wrapper.
Egg roll wrappers are made of wheat and eggs and is thicker than a spring roll wrapper. When an egg roll is cooked, the wrapper gets golden and the skin gets these little bubbles under the skin that are crispy but a little chewy at the same time.
Spring rolls wrappers are a thin pastry sheet made of wheat flour, salt, vegetable oil and water. Unlike egg rolls which are thicker and are made from flour and eggs, spring rolls are thinner and get extra crispy when fried, baked or air fried. When it is cooked the wrapper gets flaky and the layers of the pastry melt in your mouth. They are not chewy but instead very crispy.
More Chinese Appetizers and Dim Sum
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Air Fryer Spring Rolls
Equipment
- air fryer or standard oven
- colander or strainer to strain filling
- damp tea towel to prevent spring roll wrappers from drying out
Ingredients
Spring Roll Wrapping Supplies
- 16 Spring Roll pastry sheets (approximately as it depends on how much filing you are using and the size of your spring roll wrappers)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch to make a cornstarch slurry
- 2 tablespoon water to make a cornstarch slurry
- spray oil or brush on light flavored oil
Shrimp and Pork Mixture
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound shrimp raw, shelled and deveined and chopped
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or sherry
Vegetables Mixture
- 2 cups napa cabbage sliced and chopped or regular cabbage
- ½ cup green onions chopped
- 1.5 cups bean sprouts (sprouted mung beans) fresh cut in thirds
- 1 medium Carrot peeled and grated
Combined Shrimp and Pork with Vegetable Filling Mixture
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 inch ginger peeled and grated fresh
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- shrimp and pork mixture from above (pork and shrimp that has been marinating)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- white pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari to taste
- vegetable mixture from above (shredded carrots, napa cabbage, bean sprouts, green onions)
Ginger Tamari Dipping Sauce (optional)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated fresh
- chili Optional- bird chili sliced thin, if you like a little heat
- 1 teaspoon green onions finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons Black Chinese Vinegar optional
Instructions
Spring Roll Wrapper Preparation
- Take the spring roll wrappers out of the freezer and allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Another option is to place frozen spring roll wrappers in the refrigerator to unthaw for about 2 hours. Keep sealed and do not open package or otherwise they will dry out. (If your spring rolls wrappers have been refrigerated and not frozen, you can skip this step)
- Combine the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and stir well to make your cornstarch slurry. Set aside.
Marinate Shrimp and Pork Mixture
- In a medium bowl add your ground pork, chopped shrimp, white pepper and salt, cornstarch, sesame oil and Shaoxing wine. Stir well and set aside to marinate.
Prepare Vegetables and Aromatics
- Slice and chop napa cabbage. Finely slice green onions. Grate carrot or finely julienne cut. Cut bean sprouts into thirds. Set aside
Stir Fry and Prepare Filling
- In your wok/frying pan add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat to a medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic until fry until aromatic. Add the shrimp and pork mixture, more Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, white pepper and soy sauce to taste. Stir fry until pork is no longer pink and the shrimp are no longer translucent, about 2 minutes. Add prepared cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts and green onions to cooked shrimp and pork mixture in the wok and cook just until the vegetables start to give out the juice or about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Strain cooked filling mixture in colander/strainer to remove the moisture and press down to remove the excess juice from the mixture. Set aside strained filling mixture to cool. (Save the strained juice for a soup or pitch)
Roll Up Spring rolls
- Remove the spring roll wrappers from the package. Carefully remove slowly and carefully peel away one spring roll wrapper and lie on your clean working surface. Place the rest of the unused spring roll wrappers under a damp clean cloth or tea towel so they do not dry out (very important step). Stir your cornstarch slurry mixture again and have it near you.
- Place the spring roll wrapper with one of the pointed edges towards you, like a diamond. With a brush or your finger paint the outsides with the cornstarch slurry to help the spring roll stick.Place one to two tablespoon of delicious pork, shrimp and veggie filling mixture on to the pointed edge. Then, holding the spring roll firmly but gently, roll the edge over the filling mixture once. With your fingers, dab a little of the cornstarch slurry on each of the edges to help seal the spring roll. (Remember to stir the cornstarch slurry first as the cornstarch has a tendency to fall to the bottom of the bowl.)Fold in the sides and keep the spring roll tight as you gently squeeze and roll away from you.Brush another thin layer of cornstarch slurry on the back half and continue to roll tightly until sealed. Continue the same process with the remaining spring rolls wrappers and filling. (Don't worry if the first few spring rolls you try to roll look like a disaster. Practice makes perfect and you have about another 15 or so spring roll attempts to get it right)
Air Fryer Spring Roll Directions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C)
- Spray air fryer basket with a little oil spray. Spray or brush oil on all sides of the prepared spring rolls.
- Place the spring rolls in the air fryer basket making sure they are not touching. Depending on the size and model of your air fryer, you may have to cook your spring rolls in batches.
- Air fry spring rolls between 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown on all side. Turn spring rolls midway in the cooking process. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Baked Spring Roll Directions
- Preheat your oven to 190 degrees C (or 375 degrees F)
- Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and a little spray oil.
- Spray or brush the spring rolls gently on both sides with a little oil. Bake seam side down for about 10 minutes. After the first 10 minutes turn the spring rolls over and brush on a little more oil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before eating. Enjoy!
Dipping Sauce (optional)
- In a small bowl add soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, green onion, Chinese black vinegar (optional) and if you like it hot a little chopped bird chili. Mix well and serve as a dipping sauce for spring rolls. Also delicious with a little homemade Garlic Chili Oil, Sriracha sauce or plain.
Video
Notes
- First, we like to freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet for a couple of hours. This prevents them from sticking together.
- Then, store the frozen uncooked spring rolls in a sealed plastic container or freezer safe bag in the freezer. Spring rolls can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- When you are ready to eat, just preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F (206 degrees C) and air fry until golden brown about 10 minutes on both sides. Do not thaw out the spring rolls. Just place the frozen spring rolls directly into the air fryer sprayed with a little oil first. It takes a little bit longer as they are cooking from a frozen state instead of from room temperature.
- You can also freeze air fried spring rolls for up to 2 months and then just reheat before serving.
- Thinly slice vegetables and proteins all around the same size so it is easier to eat,
- Drain your filling well after cooking so the spring roll wrappers stay crispy and do not get soggy.
- Please cover your spring roll wrappers with a damp tea towel to prevent cracking when you are not using them. This prevents cracking of the thin delicate spring roll pastry.
- Do not over fill your spring roll wrappers or it will be very difficult to roll up and seal. You only need a couple of tablespoons for each spring roll.
- Use a thick cornstarch slurry to seal the air fryer spring rolls. A cornstarch slurry is cornstarch and water mixed together to form a paste. Sometimes you have to stir occasionally as the cornstarch has a tendency to float to the bottom.
- Spray your rolled spring rolls well on both sides before placing them in the air fryer or oven (if baking). Alternatively, you can also brush oil on all sides.
- Do not over crowd your air fryer tray with too many spring rolls. Spread them out. You may need to air fry them in more than one batch depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
- Turn your spring rolls over about 10 minutes into the air frying process or about 15 minutes into the baking process to be certain they are browned on all sides.
- Place a lined baking tray under the air fryer basket to collect any drips from the air fryer spring rolls if you do not want to clean up any messes.
Coffee and Crumpets says
I've always wanted to bake these rather than fry but never knew how they'd turn out. These look great, Bam! I'm going to do this from now on since I hate frying! Love spring rolls though 🙂
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I've never had a baked spring roll but I sure do love spring rolls. I can't see any difference in yours and what I buy at the Chinese restaurant down the street. Wow!
Russel Ray Photos says
Happy new year and best wishes to you and yours for health, happiness, peace & prosperity in 2015!
David Crichton says
My favourite part of a Chinese meal, Bam. Plus they're baked, you could never tell.
Amira says
I've never tried baked spring rolls before... I always go for the fried ones :). This is so good for the new year's resolution. Thanks for sharing and I love your sauce so much.
allthatsjas says
healtier option for the favorite food is always a plus! I'm in love with your red tea set 🙂
Culinary Flavors says
I love spring rolls and always order them in Chinese restaurants! The baked ones sound even better with less fat and calories!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
I have spring roll wrappers in my freezer at home and have still not got around to using them! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Juliana says
I love spring rolls, but do not make it often because of the deep fry problem...next time I will try your version...thanks for the recipe Bobbi.
Oh! Before I forget...Happy New Year!
Dawn says
YUM!! I am so hungry right now, I could climb right into the computer and grab a bunch!!
bentodays says
I love fried spring rolls and this baked version looks great! Definitely hate the mess of frying, shall try this recipe!
Robyn says
Wow, Bobbi, such a fabulous idea! I cannot wait to make these! I will use the same ingredients you have because these look irresistible. Love the dipping sauce as well. Your photos are simply stunning. I feel like those gorgeous rolls are sitting here on my desk, lol. Sharing all over :). Talk soon!
thatskinnychickcanbake says
All the same delicious flavors without the calories and mess from deep frying! Sure looks like a winner of a recipe!!! xo
hotlyspiced says
I have to say I've only ever had fried spring rolls before. I'm lucky in that I can easily get spring roll wrappers here and I usually make Thai spring rolls. These little parcels of yours have turned out so well and there'd be no case of the guilts in demolishing the entire platter xx
Mary Frances says
A healthier version of an old favorite! I love it!