This spring rolls recipe guarantees light and crispy rolls with a delicious chicken and mushroom filling. Don’t miss our incredible dipping sauce, either!
These spring rolls are fried (or air-fried) until perfectly light and crispy. They are more similar to Chinese spring rolls or Filipino lumpia and are not Vietnamese-style fresh rolls made with rice paper wrappers. We use flour-based wrappers for these rolls (similar to the wonton wrappers used to make our wonton cups).
Our ground chicken filling is outrageously flavorful, thanks to lots of garlic, green onion, mushrooms, oyster sauce, and fresh veggies. These taste so good it’s hard to stop at one (or two). Prepare yourself! For more recipes like this one, see our crab rangoon (so good!), or for something different, these BLT rice paper rolls. This recipe also helped inspire our popular egg roll in a bowl (such an easy dinner).
Key Ingredients
- Aromatics: The base of the filling for this spring rolls recipe is a combination of garlic, shallot, green onion, and shiitake mushrooms cooked in avocado oil and toasted sesame oil. The combination is amazing! If you cannot find shallot, use yellow or sweet onion. If you cannot find shiitake mushrooms, use cremini mushrooms.
- Chicken: You need ground chicken (or ground turkey). Look for chicken with a little fat for the best texture and flavor. Lean or ground chicken breast works, but it will turn out a bit less tender and flavorful.
- Fresh Veggies: You’ll toss shredded raw cabbage, carrots, and cilantro with the cooled cooked chicken. These cook ever so slightly once wrapped up in the spring rolls, but keep some crunch. We also love the color they add!
- Oyster Sauce: This gets added to our filling and gives it a savory, rich flavor. We really like Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce (there’s a picture of a boat on the front). We also use oyster sauce to make our egg roll bowls.
- Wrappers: Use square “spring roll” or “lumpia” wrappers made with flour. Avoid rice paper wrappers, which are often round and will not work in this spring roll recipe. You can use egg roll wrappers, but they will be thicker and may bubble. Flour-based wrappers are the secret to incredibly crispy spring rolls and have a lighter texture after frying.
- Noodles: Look for “rice vermicelli” or other thin rice noodles in the Asian food section of most grocery stores—sold next to the noodles we suggest when making homemade pho. Alternatively, you can use the noodles from a single-serving packet of My Thai Kitchen packaged instant rice noodle soup, discarding the seasoning packet (a tip from our friend and Chef, Richard!).
- Spring Roll Sauce: We weren’t going to share these without a homemade dipping sauce, and the one shared in our recipe is a banger! It combines honey, oyster sauce, Chinese mustard, Gochujang, and rice wine vinegar. Chinese mustard really makes this sauce, so we highly recommend it. If you need a substitute, use English mustard. Gochujang is a Korean fermented chili paste (we use it in our homemade hoisin sauce). If you don’t have it, use sriracha.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Spring Rolls
- Make the filling by cooking aromatics and chicken in a skillet.
- Soften the rice noodles in hot water, then roughly chop them for easier mixing.
- Toss the cooled chicken mixture with the noodles, fresh veggies, and fresh cilantro.
- Fill and fold the spring rolls (our tips for rolling are below!)
- Fry the spring rolls until golden brown and crispy, or cook them in the air fryer.
- Stir together the quick homemade sauce and serve alongside the hot, crispy rolls.
Our Secrets for Making the Very Best Spring Rolls
Tip 1: Making the tastiest spring roll filling. Before cooking the ground chicken for this spring roll recipe, you’ll start with all the aromatics and mushrooms. They cook for just under 10 minutes in sesame oil, which builds in a lot of flavor. As the mushrooms cook, they get much smaller. When the aromatics and mushrooms are cooked down, add the chicken and use a wooden spoon to break it into small crumbles as it cooks in the pan (this way it’s easy to add to the wrappers).
Tip 2: Roughly chop the noodles. Rice noodles are usually pretty long, and since we are using thinner ones, they tend to stick to each other. Cutting the noodles into thirds (or similar) helps when mixing the noodles into the filling for your spring rolls.
Tip 3: Mix the filling really well. You’ll only be adding a small amount of filling to each wrapper, so make sure that the filling is well mixed. That means that the noodles, fresh veggies, and the cooked filling are all combined. Since those noodles tend to stick, you might need to pull them apart with your fingers a bit as you mix.
Tip 4: How to roll a spring roll. It took us a few practice runs before we got into a groove, so expect your first few to be less than perfect. As you go through the batch, though, you’ll start to get the hang of it! Here’s how we roll them.
Place the wrapper in front of you with the corners facing you (like a diamond). Add a basil leaf (or two) to the bottom third of the diamond closest to you, then spoon a bit of filling on top. Brush egg wash around the edges.
Pull the wrapper’s bottom corner over the filling, pulling it back slightly to create a snug roll. Firmly fold in the sides and roll up. Don’t be surprised if you see the occasional rip. As long as more wrapper covers it, you should be fine.
Tip 5: Fried spring rolls are best, but you can air-fry them. We have offered two cooking methods in the spring roll recipe below (fried and air-fried). For spring rolls that look like the ones shown in our photos, fry them. If you want to skip the oil and air-fry instead, just be aware that they won’t be nearly as light and crispy (they still taste great, though).
Our Favorite Spring Roll Sauce
As delicious as these rolls turn out, they get 1000% better when you dip them in our easy spring roll sauce. You’ll make it by simply stirring together a handful of pantry ingredients—it only takes 2 minutes. It’s thin, a little sweet, and works perfectly with the ground chicken and mushroom filling.
More Asian Inspired Recipes
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Easy Fried Rice
- Crab Rangoon
- Thai Chicken Salad
- Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
Crispy Spring Rolls
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
It’s hard to eat just one of these homemade spring rolls! They are everything we want in a spring roll: a super flavorful filling, a thin, crispy wrapper, and the most delicious sweet-and-tangy dipping sauce. For the absolute best results, fry these, but if you are opposed to frying (we get it), you can cook these in your air fryer. They will not be nearly as crispy, but they will still taste great!
You Will Need
For Spring Rolls2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
5 garlic cloves, minced (heaping tablespoon)
1 medium shallot, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
6 ounces (170 g) shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup finely shredded cabbage (about ¼ small cabbage)
½ cup grated carrot (from 1 medium carrot)
½ cup chopped cilantro (about ½ small bunch)
1 pound (450 g) ground chicken
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (we prefer Lee Kum Lee)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 ounces (56 g) thin rice noodles like vermicelli noodles
1 large egg for egg wash
1 (12-ounce) package square spring roll wrappers, also called lumpia wrappers (not rice paper wrappers)
Basil or Thai basil leaves, optional
4 cups peanut oil if frying
Spring Roll Sauce6 tablespoons (125 g) honey
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese mustard
1 teaspoon Gochujang, Korean fermented chili paste
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Directions
- Make the Rolls
1Heat the avocado oil and toasted sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, shallot, green onion, and shiitake mushrooms. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms reduce and brown, about 8 minutes.
2Add the ground chicken, then use a wooden spoon to break it into small crumbles as it cooks. Once it is no longer pink and cooked through, stir in the oyster sauce and salt. Cook for 2 more minutes, then remove the skillet from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
3Meanwhile, place the noodles in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them stand for 3 minutes, then drain. Roughly chop the noodles in half so they are easier to mix into the filling.
4Combine the cabbage, carrot, cilantro, drained noodles, and cooled chicken mixture in a large bowl. Toss everything thoroughly, making sure to pull the noodles apart so they spread evenly throughout the filling.
5Whisk the egg in a small bowl to use as an egg wash.
6Open the wrapper packaging, then cover them with a damp paper towel so they do not dry out while you work.
7Place one wrapper on your worktop with a corner pointing directly toward you, like a diamond. If using basil, place 1 to 2 leaves across the bottom third. Spoon a portion of the filling onto the basil or directly onto the wrapper. Lightly brush the egg wash along all four edges of the wrapper.
8Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper over the filling, pulling back slightly to make a tight roll. Fold the left and right sides inward, as if closing an envelope, then roll it up until you reach the top corner. Press firmly to seal the roll closed. Keep the rolls covered with a damp paper towel while you roll the rest.
- Make the Dipping Sauce
1Stir the honey, oyster sauce, Chinese mustard, Gochujang, and rice wine vinegar together in a small bowl.
- Cook the Rolls
1To fry (recommended): Heat the peanut oil in a deep pot to 350°F (177°C), leaving several inches at the top to prevent overflow. Carefully drop 2 to 4 rolls into the oil and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining rolls.
2To air fry: Preheat your air fryer to 390°F (200°C). Lightly spray the rolls with cooking spray and air fry until crispy, 10 to 15 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Make-ahead filling: Make the filling up to 2 days in advance. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Freezing instructions: Cool completely after cooking. Place fried or air-fried spring rolls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (make sure they are not touching each other). Freeze for 1 to 2 hours or until hard, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in a 375°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or air-fry at 375°F for 6 to 12 minutes (or until heated through).
- Wrappers: Use square “spring roll” or “lumpia” wrappers made with flour (usually 8-inch squares). Avoid rice paper wrappers, which are often round and will not work in this recipe. Egg roll wrappers can be used, though they will be thicker and may bubble. Flour-based spring roll wrappers are much more crisp and have a lighter texture after frying.
- Working with the wrappers: They will be thin, so they stick together well! I find a corner and slowly peel one away from the rest of the stack. Keep them covered with a damp paper towel when you are not working with them so they do not dry out. They are pretty elastic, but you will have a tear or two when rolling. As long as the tear is covered with another roll of the wrapper, it’s fine.
- Noodles: Look for “rice vermicelli” or other thin rice noodles in the Asian food section of most grocery stores. Alternatively, you can use the noodles from a single-serving packet of My Thai Kitchen packaged instant rice noodle soup, discarding the seasoning packet.
- Frying tips: I used my Fry Daddy to fry my spring rolls (pictured above). I don’t fry often at home, but when I do, I like the ease and safety of it. It’s not very expensive and is sold online.
- The nutrition facts below are estimates. We did not include the oil, as you can fry these in oil or use an air fryer.
Love all the recipes especially the spring rolls! So delicious & easy to prepare.Thank you for sharing.
Yay! So happy you loved the spring rolls 🙂