Egg rolls are one of the most popular dishes in Chinese cuisine. You can serve this delicious dish as an appetizer/starter, a snack, or even a main dish. You might need to prepare many of them for a party or family gathering, and you will need to freeze either or both cooked and uncooked eggs rolls. But you might be wondering, what is the best way to freeze egg rolls?
Freezing both uncooked and cooked egg rolls is pretty easy but in the case of the latter, once cooked, you’ll need to give them at least 1 to 2 hours to cool down before freezing.
Generally, you can just take frozen egg rolls out of the freezer and drop them into a deep fryer straight away. But remember to use a medium-to-low heat to fry them first then turn the heat high for a couple of minutes until the egg rolls have turned a nice golden color with a crispy texture on the outside.
For the Uncooked Egg Rolls
- Line a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper on a freeze-proof tray.
- Line up the uncooked egg rolls on the parchment paper with some space between them. Some people might coat the egg rolls with a little bit of corn flour just stop them from sticking together. I personally think as long as they have some space between them they should be fine without the corn flour. But this is entirely up to you.
- Wrap the egg rolls with cling film. Remember to wrap them really tight so there is no cold air to dry up the egg roll wrappers during the freezing process.
- Leave the egg rolls for 1 hour and check if they have turned hard. If they are hard you can then store them in a freezer bag. Make sure you try to squeeze out as much air from the freezer bag as possible.
- When ready to serve, you just need to take the egg rolls out of the freezer bag and pop them into a fryer to deep fry. But remember to use a medium-low heat to fry them first. If you use high heat to fry frozen egg rolls the wrappers might pop open. Usually, I use a medium-low heat to fry the egg rolls for 3 to 5 minutes but this depends on the size of your egg rolls. I will then turn the heat right up which will give the egg rolls a lovely crispy texture and an even nicer golden color on the outside.
For the Cooked Egg Rolls
- You must wait for the cooked egg rolls to completely cool down before you store them in a refrigerator or freezer.
- Once the cooked egg rolls have cooled down, wrap them with cling film tightly.
- Place the wrapped egg rolls in a plastic bag and freeze.
- Reheat the egg rolls in the oven or fry again without thawing. If you choose to deep-fry them, make sure you use a medium-low heat first to cook the egg rolls through then cook them at high heat to crisp the wrapper. This will make sure the wrapper won’t pop open during cooking.
FAQs
To freeze:
Deep fry in 375 degree oil until lightly browned, cool completely. Place in Zip-lock freezer bag; seal tightly and freeze. Thawed rolls can be reheated at 300 degrees - I'm sorry but there's not a time given!
How do you store egg rolls so they don't get soggy? ›
Store uncooked vegetarian egg rolls in the freezer with flour or cornstarch. If you're making egg rolls from scratch and you prepared too many of them, you can store them in the freezer for 2-3 months. Get an airtight plastic food container and sprinkle flour or cornstarch along the bottom of the container.
Should frozen egg rolls be thawed before cooking? ›
Without thawing them first, place your frozen egg rolls into the hot oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pot. Fry for about 3 to 5 minutes. You can pan fry instead of deep fry if you prefer using the same oil temperature and fry time as above.
How do you keep egg rolls from bursting? ›
Try adding a little bit less filling, and make sure you have either cooked the moisture out of the filling ingredients or drained them so the filling is relatively dry. As Jeffrey said, steam inside the wrapper could be causing them to burst. You might also want to adjust the temperature you are frying them at.
How to reheat cooked frozen egg rolls? ›
FROZEN: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place egg rolls on baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Let cool for a few minutes before eating.
How do you unfreeze egg roll wrappers? ›
The right method would be thaw the wrappers overnight in the fridge before using. But you are looking for a quicker one. Then I would say try to microwave them a few seconds (within 10s) and check, make sure they are not too wet or overheated, and repeat the procedure until they become soft and you can separate them.
How do you defrost rolls without them going soggy? ›
Wet a few paper towels and then wring out so that they're damp, but not soaked. Cover the rolls with the paper towel, making sure that the tops are completely covered. Microwave for a minute at a time, checking after each minute to ensure that the rolls are defrosting, not cooking.
How do you thaw and bake frozen rolls? ›
The Refrigerator Thaw Method
- Spray your pan with cooking spray.
- Place frozen dough on your pan. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap to keep from sticking to dough while rising.
- Place your pan in the refrigerator overnight or all day long. ...
- Remove the plastic wrap and bake according to package instructions.
Thaw uncooked egg rolls in the bag in the refrigerator before deep-frying. If you've already fried your egg rolls, wait until they have cooled before freezing!
Should I double wrap my egg rolls? ›
Make sure that you moisten every seam of the rolls with water and press them together until they 'stick'. Double wrap the egg rolls to ensure that they bake crispy and are more sturdy. Place completed egg rolls on the pans. Spray both sides of the rolls with non-stick cooking spray.
Avoid Excess Moisture in the filling
Any extra water will result in your Egg Rolls being soggy and dark spots forming on your Egg Roll wrappers. The #1 culprit for watery filling is usually the rehydrated noodles. Make sure to SQUEEZE your noodles to get rid of as much water as possible.
What holds egg rolls together? ›
Egg rolls are deep-fried savory rolls with a thick wheat flour skin that may or may not actually contain egg. We do use beaten egg to seal them—perhaps that's how they got their name!
Do egg wraps freeze well? ›
Yes! egglife wraps can be frozen for up to 3 months. To prepare, thaw your package of egglife in the refrigerator overnight. We recommend heating the wraps on a skillet for 10-15 seconds after thawing or blotting with a paper towel to eliminate any excess moisture.
Should you freeze spring rolls before or after cooking? ›
Prepare the spring rolls as normal and then place them into a freezer bag or airtight container in a single layer and freeze until ready to enjoy. When you are ready to cook, the frozen spring rolls can go directly from the freezer to fryer, no thawing necessary.
How do you freeze rice paper egg rolls? ›
I do not recommend freezing the egg rolls with rice paper as the paper will harden and turn bristle in the freezer. Reheat: To reheat the egg rolls, air fryer at 360F (182C) for 6 minutes or bake at 425F (218C) for 10 minutes. There's no need to spray the oil.
Can I vacuum seal egg rolls? ›
These egg rolls were super tasty and a welcome addition to our freezer! Yep, you can bake these now and then vacuum seal and freeze in portions for enjoying later!
