How to Make Thai Egg Rolls

Crunchy authentic Thai spring rolls that bring you back to the streets of Bangkok with every bite of crispy shell, slippery noodles, and flavorful pork paired with a Thai sweet and spicy spring roll dipping sauce. Drool worthy!

What are Thai egg rolls made of?

There are many different versions of Thai fried spring rolls, but often Thai egg rolls are made with these ingredients below, which is also how I like to make them!

2 servings bean vermicelli noodles

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 lb ground pork (or any ground meat of choice)

4 cups shredded green cabbage (napa works too!)

1 tbsp, or more, to taste Thai thin soy sauce or Thai mushroom soy sauce (my fav)

1/2 tbsp sugar, or more, to taste

20 Spring roll sheets (6 in. or 8 in., whatever size you prefer)

6 cups frying oil of choice (we like peanut, but canola or vegetable works too)

How to Make Thai Egg Rolls

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Typically, I put 2 noodle servings in a noodle strainer in boiling water, and keep an eye on it for about 1-2 minutes, and once it’s soft, drain it. 

Warm a wok or pan of choice over medium-hight heat. Add a few tablespoons of cooking oil to coat the pan.

Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then push the garlic to the side of the pan or wok, and add the ground pork.

Stir-fry the pork, and when the pork is almost done, then add the cabbage, and stir until cabbage is soft, and meat is no longer pink and cooked through, just a few minutes.

Grab big sections of the noodles, and cut into about 5 inch long strips, so it’s easier to eat them once in the spring rolls.

Add the noodles to the ground pork and cabbage, and mix until combined. Add soy sauce and sugar to taste.

Let noodle mixture cool to room temperature before adding to the spring roll wraps because the egg roll wraps can fall apart if the mixture is too hot.

Place a small bowl of water and brush to the side of a cutting board. 

Put a Thai spring roll wrap on the cutting board, and lay it so it’s like a diamond (take a look at the pics above). Take about two tablespoons of the noodle, pork, cabbage mixture, and add to the corner closest to you, about a 1/2 inch or so from the tip of the spring roll sheet. Spread the filling out into a log-shape, leaving a little room on either side of the sheet. 

Starting with the side closest to you, roll it up, tucking over the sides as you go, as super tight as you can, so oil doesn’t get inside. 

Lightly brush the unrolled egg roll wrapper with water as you roll to help secure it. Press firmly at the end to seal it. Continue until you’ve reached the amount of spring rolls you want. You may have some extra filling. 

Heat oil in a wok, fryer, or Dutch oven to 325 to 350 degrees F.

To test to see if it’s warm enough without an instant read thermometer, put in a wooden, unvarnished chopstick, and when bubbles start to stream up next to the chopstick, you know it’s warm enough. 

Or drop a little corner of the spring roll shell in, and if it bubbles up right away, it’s ready.

Place a baking sheet lined with paper towels next to the cooking area. Using tongs, fill the pot with as many spring rolls that will fit without overcrowding, and fry until golden brown.

If the oil is hot enough, it will cook quickly and just take a few minutes.

Since everything is cooked inside the spring roll, you don’t have to worry about the inside cooking, so once it’s golden all over on the outside, use tongs to take it out and add the next batch.

Keep an eye on it, since it can go from golden brown to dark brown very quickly. 

Serve warm with Thai spring roll dipping sauce you bought online or at the store, or use my Thai egg roll dipping sauce recipe listed below!

How to Bake Thai Egg Rolls

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F. 

Put the spring rolls, seam side down, spaced out on a baking sheet, and brush each one with frying oil of choice.

Bake until crispy, 20-25 minutes.

How to Air-Fry Thai Egg Rolls

Air frying is my fav option on nights when we aren’t up for the mess of frying.

Preheat the air fryer to 375F and set the timer for 12 minutes.

Brush both sides of the Thai egg rolls with oil of choice.

Arrange the egg rolls in the basket of the air fryer so that they aren’t touching (usually I have to cook them in 2 batches so they aren’t over crowded). 

Cook for 6 minutes.

Brush the egg rolls again with oil. Use tongs to flip the egg rolls, and then brush the other side with oil.

Cook another 6 minutes or until golden brown on the second side.

Thai Egg Roll Dipping sauce

If you want to just buy Thai spring roll dipping sauce, this is our favorite brand. Find it online or at your local Asian grocery store.

Or if you want to make your own at home, this is our favorite homemade Thai fried spring roll dipping sauce recipe:

1 cup white sugar

½ cup water

½ cup white vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1-2 fresh Thai red chilies, minced (to spice level preference)

2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Where did the name Thai egg roll come from?

Thai egg rolls, aka Thai spring rolls, originated from China, but no one really knows for sure where the term “egg roll” came from. 

A Washington Post article shared that either the name egg roll stems from how the Chinese word for “egg” sounds very similar to the Chinese word for “spring” or that Chinese chefs in the South relied on using actual eggs when trying to make the thin noodle skin from flour and water.

The term “spring roll” comes from how spring rolls were traditionally eaten in China during Spring festivals and filled with spring vegetables.

Are Thai egg rolls gluten free?

Thai fried egg rolls aren’t gluten free since the wrappers have wheat in them, but Thai fresh spring rolls are gluten free since they are made with rice paper wrappers.

What are Thai egg rolls called?

Thai egg rolls are also called Thai fried spring rolls, and in Thai the name is เปาะเปี๊ยะทอด – pronounced poh pia tod.

What’s the difference between Thai egg rolls and spring rolls?

The difference between Thai egg rolls and Thai spring rolls is that egg rolls is the egg roll wrapper is usually thicker and bubbles up after being fried more than spring roll wrappers. But really that’s the only difference.

I use the terms Thai egg roll and Thai spring roll interchangeably in this recipe since Thai egg roll is the more common term Westerners use when looking up Thai fried spring rolls.

What is the difference between Thai spring rolls and Vietnamese spring rolls?

Most countries in Asia have their own versions of spring rolls. The difference between Thai and Vietnamese spring rolls is that in Vietnam fresh spring rolls are more commonly found, and in Thailand usually more fried Thai spring rolls are common. The fresh Thai spring rolls found in Thailand are more of a recent Thai dish that has its roots from Vietnam.

Are Thai egg rolls served hot or cold?

Thai egg rolls are served hot, and Thai fresh spring rolls are served at room temperature. 

How do you eat Thai egg rolls?

Usually Thai egg rolls are served with a Thai spring roll dipping sauce, which is listed in this post. 

Thai egg rolls are often served as an appetizer or in Thailand they are served as a snack that you buy on the street, as shared in my story below!

Sherri’s Crispy Thai Spring Roll Story

Walking down the street in Bangkok and just hearing the ploppity, plip, plat of Thai spring rolls frying up to golden perfection made my mouth water. 

I couldn’t resist buying a little baggy of them, and hearing that loud crunch after my first bite into their crispy layers as the tender steaming hot goodness of bean vermicelli noodles, shredded cabbage and ground pork flooded my mouth.

The Thai sweet spicy spring roll dipping sauce would dribble down my chin, but I didn’t even notice because I was so entranced with the wonder before me of fried Thai spring rolls. 

My favorite place to order them in Bangkok was at Pisces, a hole-in-the-wall tiny restaurant on a soi (alleyway) near the Siam BTS station. 

It was a few steps away from Wendy’s House, a hostel where I’d first met one of my best ex-pat British friends, who lived there when we taught in Bangkok. 

We taught at different schools, but during teaching breaks, we’d text, “Let’s meet up tonight for Thai spring rolls at Pisces!” 

After our classes ended, and Bangkok night life was just waking up, we’d meet up in front of Pisces. We’d give big hugs like we hadn’t seen each other in forever even though it was usually just a few days since we’d last met.

Then we’d sit at the rickety faded red plastic table and chairs and chat about a hidden gem of a Thai beach our friend had just visited that we should definitely explore together on the next school holiday, and laugh about our fun Thai students who had nicknames like Time and Beer.

Then we’d crunch on our Thai spring rolls and declare how they must be the best in Bangkok, or were they the best because we found them near the nostalgic spot where we first became fast friends? 

Now, 13 years later, that same ploppity plip plat of frying up Thai crispy spring rolls that I used to hear on the streets of Bangkok is heard in my own kitchen. 

My Thai friend Nan who I worked with in Bangkok visited me in Boone recently, and while wandering at the Asian market we saw Thai spring roll wrappers in the refrigerated section and the drooling commenced!

She taught me this Thai Spring Roll recipe that her mom taught her: her mom who spent all her life cooking at the small restaurant they owned in Bangkok. It was my first time making them at home, and my kids couldn’t get enough of them.

I’d love to hear your Thai spring roll story! Where was your favorite place you’ve ever had them? And if you made them with this recipe, who did you make them for?

My favorite place to hang out is on Instagram, so send your pic to me @thaifoodie, and I’d love to share it in one of my Instagram stories!

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