Nothing says game day like pizza and this delicious snack is an awesome homemade version of the pizza rolls found in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store. Who wouldn't love Amazing Homemade Air Fryer Pizza Rolls on game day, with your favorite pizza toppings inside a crispy egg roll wrapper?
One of my favorite pizzas features spicy Polynesian sauce, ham, and pineapple. It is not the typical "Hawaiian" take-out pizza. This one has more zing, a sweet but spicy sauce, bacon, ham, and fresh vegetables. I decided to see if I could re-imagine it into an appetizer. I present my Amazing Homemade Air Fryer Pizza Rolls, sure to become a favorite for the whole family of pizza lovers.
No air fryer? No worries. This recipe includes instructions for baking in the oven or deep frying.
Because this is an appetizer recipe, it has not been adjusted for two servings. This one is meant to be shared!
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Ingredients for Amazing Homemade Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
- Egg Roll Wrappers
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Cooking spray for air fryer
- Deli ham or Canadian bacon
- Scallions
- Red Onion
- Tomatoes
- Pineapple tidbits
- Bacon
- Mozzarella cheese (or string cheese)
- Polynesian Sauce
- orange juice
- fresh ginger
- garlic
- olive oil
- salt
- brown sugar
- pineapple juice
- sweet chili sauce
- cornstarch
(See recipe card for precise measurements and quantities.)
Disclaimer: The Asian egg roll wrappers used in this recipe were provided by JSL Foods. The rest is 100% my own!
Pizza Roll Variations
This easy recipe for delicious air fryer pizza rolls is very versatile and substitutions can be made to create them with your favorite pizza filling with simple ingredients. Here are a couple of suggestions:
- Supreme Pizza Egg Rolls
- Pepperoni slices or mini pepperonis, sausage, olives, green pepper, with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, and extra pizza for dipping.
- Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls
- Shaved beef or ground beef with Italian seasoning,
Tips for working with egg roll or wonton wrappers:
- Keep egg roll wrappers covered with plastic wrap at all times. They dry out quickly if left uncovered. Take only as many as you need out of the package. I did two at a time.
- Do not overfill the egg roll wrappers. For best results and to avoid leakage during cooking, the edges must be sealed tight. Be gentle handling the wrappers. A little rip will leak when cooking.
- Wet the edges of the wrapper before sealing. Use a finger dipped into a small bowl of water or use the sauce to moisten the edges as in this recipe. Should any of the filling get in the seam, push it back in before sealing the edges.
- For deep frying, sacrifice one egg roll wrapper as your "oil temperature tester." Tear off a small piece and drop into the heated oil. If the dough browns too quickly, your oil is too hot. Turn the heat down and try again. The test piece of dough should sizzle when it hits the oil, float to the top and brown slowly.
- Keep fried egg rolls warm on a sheet pan with a wire rack in a 200-degree f oven while frying the remainder to keep warm until served.
Tips for filling the egg roll wrappers:
- On a flat surface cut the egg roll wrappers in half diagonally to create a diamond shape.
- Make sure all the filling ingredients are fairly uniform in size.
- Brush the sauce all the way to the edges or use water to moisten the edges.
- Fill the wrappers as seen below.
- Fold the wrapper over the filling diagonally bringing the top corner down to the bottom corner. Press the edges of the egg roll wrapper together firmly, keeping the filling inside.
- Use a fork to crimp the edges. Do not crimp the folded edge.
Pizza Roll FAQ's
Can pizza rolls be made ahead?
Yes, but for the best results, I recommend prepping the ingredients, filling and sealing the egg roll pockets, wrapping them tightly in plastic food wrap, and
refrigerating for up to a few hours or overnight. Allow the egg roll pizza pockets to warm to room temperature before cooking. Keep them wrapped in plastic until ready to cook. (The wrappers dry out quickly if left uncovered.)
Can homemade pizza rolls be frozen?
Homemade pizza rolls are best served fresh out of the fryer, oven, or air-fryer. If you have to freeze them, assemble the egg rolls, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and freeze them uncooked. When ready to cook, thaw them in the refrigerator, remove and allow them to come to room temperature. Fry, bake or air fry according to the directions in the recipe.
Do I have to deep-fry pizza rolls?
I have included instructions for making these in the oven and in an air fryer. My favorite is, of course, deep-fried. The air-fried and oven-baked were just as flavorful, with a bit less crispiness and without bubbles on the surface. See below for specific directions for each cooking method.
Instructions for Oven Baking:
- If baking in the oven, place the filled wrappers on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven. When the tops become lightly browned turn the egg roll pockets over and bake on the other side until slightly browned. Turn over again and bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes total.
Instructions for Air Frying:
- If air frying, line the bottom of the air fryer basket with parchment to prevent sticking if leakage occurs.
- Set the air fryer temperature to 325-350 degrees. Cook in the air fryer until the tops become lightly brown then turn the egg roll pockets over and cook until lightly browned. Turn over again and cook until the tops are golden brown.
Directions for Deep Frying:
- If deep frying, keep the egg roll pockets cover securely with plastic food wrap until ready to fry.
- In a heavy-bottomed pot or a deep fryer add 3" of vegetable, canola, or peanut oil.
- When ready to start frying, heat the oil to 300 degrees. If you do not have a candy thermometer use my tip from above to determine if the oil is at the correct temperature.
- If deep frying, sacrifice one egg roll wrapper as your "oil temperature tester." Tear off a small piece and drop it into the heated oil. If it browns too quickly, your oil is too hot. Turn the heat down and try again. The test piece of dough should sizzle when it hits the oil, float to the top, and brown slowly.
- Place the egg roll pockets into the oil taking care not to overcrowd them. I fried only two at a time. Allow them to become lightly brown on one side then flip over to brown on the other side.
- They might resist staying flipped, but you can use metal tongs to help hold them in place.
- Remove from the hot oil when lightly golden brown to a sheet pan lined with paper towels.
Recipe
Amazing Homemade Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Candy thermometer (highly recommended)
- Heavy bottomed pot, or deep fryer, or oven. Depends on which cooking method you use, deep frying, air free, or baking in oven
Ingredients
For the Polynesian Sauce:
- 2 TBS light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 TBS orange juice
- 3 TBS pineapple juice (divided) you can use the juice from the canned pineapple
- 1 inch fresh ginger small knob of ginger, peeled and quartered
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 dash salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 TBS sweet chile sauce
For the Pizza Pockets:
- 6 squares egg roll wrappers
- 3 scallions white and green parts, sliced
- ¾ cup pineapple tidbits cut in half
- ⅓ cup red onion diced
- 3 Roma tomatoes core and seeds removed, then chopped
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 oz deli ham sliced and cubed
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 scallion, sliced thinly for garnish
Instructions
For the Polynesian Sauce:
- To a small saucepan add the brown sugar, extra-virgin olive oil, orange juice, garlic, ginger and 1 TBS of the pineapple juice.
- Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, reduce to low heat.
- Add the remaining 2 TBS of pineapple juice to a small bowl and stir the cornstarch in until dissolved.
- Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the simmering sauce and stir constantly until it thickens and the cloudiness disappears. Remove from heat, stir in the sweet chile sauce, and allow to cool.
For the Pizza Pockets:
- Cook the bacon and crumble.
- Chop the vegetables and ham into a small dice. See picture for reference.
- Grate the cheese.
- Remove the egg roll wrappers one at a time to prevent them from drying out. Cut the egg roll wrapper in half, diagonally.
- Using a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of sauce to the wrapper, all the way to the edges.
- Take a little bit of the bacon, ham, veggies, and cheese and place on the egg roll wrapper, off to one side, staying away from the edges.
- Spoon a teaspoon of sauce over the filling ingredients.
- Fold the wrapper over the ingredients, and press the edges firmly together. Use a fork to crimp the edge to help it stay together. Continue until all the pockets are assembled and keep them covered in plastic until time to cook.
Instructions for deep frying:
- In a heavy bottomed pot or a deep fryer add 3" of vegetable, canola, or peanut oil.When ready to start frying, heat the oil to 300 degrees.
- If you do not have a candy thermometer use my tip from above to determine if oil is the right temperature. Sacrifice one egg roll wrapper as your "oil temperature tester." Tear off a small piece and drop into the heated oil. If it browns too quickly, your oil is too hot. Turn the heat down and try again. The test piece of dough should sizzle when it hits the oil, float to the top and brown slowly
- Place the egg roll pockets into the oil taking care not to overcrowd. I fried only two at a time.
- Allow them to become lightly brown on one side then flip over to brown the other side. They might resist being flipped, but you can use metal tongs to help hold them in place.
- Remove the pockets from the hot oil when lightly golden brown. Place on a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Continue untill all the pockets are fried.
Instructions for oven baking:
- If baking in the oven, preheat to 350 degrees. Place the filled wrappers on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place in preheated oven.
- When the tops become lightly browned, turn the egg roll pockets over and bake on the other side until slightly browned.
- Turn over again and bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes total.
Instructions for air-frying:
- If air frying, line the air fryer basket with parchment to prevent sticking if leakage occurs.
- Set air fryer temperature to 325-350 degrees. Cook 2-3 at a time in the air fryer until the tops become lightly brown, then turn the egg roll pockets over and cook until lightly browned.
- Turn over again and cook until the tops are golden brown. Continue until all the pockets are cooked.
For serving:
- Place the wrappers on a serving dish alongside the extra sauce for dipping. Garnish with sliced scallions if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Approximate nutrition information is provided as a convenience and courtesy only. You are encouraged to do your own calculations if precise data is required.
Disclaimer: The Asian egg roll wrappers used in this recipe were provided by JSL Foods. The rest is 100% my own!
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