Bursting with flavor, these crispy little Southwest Egg Rolls are filled with veggies, Mexican spices and cheese. With a delicious cilantro lime ranch dipping sauce on the side, they are irresistible!
A fan favorite at the Chili’s franchise restaurants, Southwest Egg Rolls are one of my favorites. Made at home with egg roll wrappers and a great combination of veggies, spices and cheese, these can be deep fried or air fried and are just as delicious as the restaurant version!
* I use this corn, pepper & black bean mixture but if you can’t find it, just use a small bag (10 oz) of frozen corn with peppers and add a cup of canned rinsed black beans.
What you’ll need to make Southwest Egg Rolls at home
Southwest Egg Rolls
- Frozen corn, beans & peppers mixture
- Frozen spinach
- Diced green chiles
- Green onions sliced
- Shredded Mexican cheese
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Salt & pepper
- Avocado
- Lime juice
- Egg Roll wrappers
- Cooking oil (deep fryer) or Olive oil (air fryer)
Cilantro Lime Ranch Dipping Sauce
- Sour cream
- Mayonnaise
- Powdered ranch dressing mix
- Cumin
- Milk
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
The secret for Cooking Southwest Egg Rolls at home
I love Southwest Egg Rolls so when I first came across a recipe to make my own I was excited to try! The instructions suggested to assemble and then bake them in the oven.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t happy with the results. The filling was missing something, the dipping sauce was pretty bland and the egg rolls themselves just didn’t crisp up properly.
After I adjusted the filling and the dipping sauce and made them delicious, I had to accept that Southwest Egg Rolls are not meant to be baked!
But… Southwest Egg Rolls cooked in the air fryer or the deep fryer turn out crispy and delicious!
I deep fried half of this batch and I air fried the other half and shared the comparisons in the How To process shots below. It is possible to make Southwest Egg Rolls at home that taste just like the restaurant!
How to Make Southwest Egg Rolls
A delicious combination of veggies, spices and cheese wrapped up in an egg roll wrapper, Southwest Egg Rolls are absolutely bursting with flavor.
The air fryer or deep fryer cooks them up to crispy perfection and the dipping sauce is the perfect cool finish!
In a large bowl, combine corn mixture, green chilies, spinach, green onions, shredded cheese, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
In a small bowl, peel and mash a small avocado with a teaspoon of lime juice. Add this mixture to the large bowl and stir until combined.
Lay out an egg roll wrapper and place 1/4 cup of the filling into the center. Spread filling from corner to corner.
Fold the corner closest to you up over the filling and do the same to the opposite corner. Fold one of the remaining sides up.
Continue rolling into an egg roll shape, but do not roll all the way. Leave a small portion unrolled for now.
Dip a pastry brush (or your finger) into a small bowl of water and moisten the unrolled corner.
Finish rolling and press to seal closed.
Repeat with remaining egg roll wrappers and filling. Set aside until ready to cook.
Make the Cilantro Lime Ranch dipping sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.
Stir until well combined and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To cook in the Air Fryer: Spritz each egg roll with olive oil generously on both sides. Make sure they are well covered with olive oil. This will give them a crispy fried texture.
Cook in batches at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, flipping the egg rolls halfway through.
To cook in the Deep Fryer: Heat oil to 350 degrees, working in batches, cook 2-3 minutes per side until browned.
Remove to paper towels.
Serve immediately with Cilantro Lime Ranch Dipping Sauce. Enjoy!
Other Great Shareable Recipes
Baked Buffalo Chicken Dip – uses Deli chicken salad to add a delicious twist to a potluck favorite!
Easy Homemade Ranch Dip – just seven simple pantry ingredients to create a delicious and easy Homemade Ranch Dip!
Party Pretzel Bites – delectable buttery bites. Light, fluffy and dusted with kosher salt.
Quick and Easy Bruschetta – restaurant quality Bruschetta is hiding in the ingredients in your refrigerator!
Bite Sized Sausage Rolls – The perfect holiday or game day appetizer!
Southwest Egg Rolls
Equipment
- Air Fryer or Deep Fryer
Ingredients
Southwest Egg Rolls
- 12 oz frozen corn, beans & peppers mixture or 10 oz frozen corn/peppers and 1 cup black beans
- 5 oz frozen spinach (1/2 pkg) thawed & squeezed dry
- 1 can diced green chiles 4 oz
- 4 green onions sliced
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 small avocado
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 12 Egg Roll wrappers
- cooking oil (deep fryer) or olive oil (air fryer)
Cilantro Lime Ranch Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tbsp powdered ranch dressing mix
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine corn mixture, chilies, spinach, green onions, shredded cheese, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- In a small bowl, peel and mash avocado with lime juice. Add to large bowl and stir until well distributed.
- Lay out an egg roll wrapper and place 1/4 cup of the filling into the center. Spread filling from corner to corner.
- Fold the corner closest to you up over the filling and do the same to the opposite corner. Fold one of the remaining sides up. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape, but do not roll all the way. Leave a small portion unrolled for now.
- Dip a pastry brush (or your finger) into a small bowl of water and moisten the unrolled corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed.
- Repeat with remaining egg roll wrappers and filling. Set aside until ready to cook.
- Create the Cilantro Lime Ranch dipping sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until well combined and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- To cook in Air Fryer: Spritz each egg roll with olive oil generously on both sides. Cook in batches at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. To cook in Deep Fryer: Heat oil to 350 degrees, working in batches, cook 2-3 minutes per side until browned.
- Remove to paper towels. Serve with Cilantro Lime Ranch Dipping Sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition *
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Beth says
Mmm, these look so tasty! Just ANOTHER reason I need an air fryer … waiting for Black Friday … I so appreciate the amount of detail and number of photos you included in this recipe! These look delicious and I love how much less oil is needed for the air fryer.
Carrie says
These look delicious. I love my air fryer and this looks like a good one for it. I think my kids would really love these too! Thanks for the great idea!