This Southwest Egg Roll recipe in the air fryer is a quick and delicious appetizer or meal that everyone will love. Made with leftover chicken, black beans, and veggies these are air-fried crisp to dip in your favorite sauce.
Crispy Southwest Egg Rolls in Air Fryer
Southwest Egg Rolls in the air fryer are the perfect way to turn leftover chicken and pantry staples into a crispy, crave-worthy snack or quick dinner.
These are stuffed with chopped chicken, black beans, spinach, corn, and melty cheese – all wrapped in a double layer of egg roll wrappers and air fried until golden brown and crunchy. Dip them in ranch, salsa, or chipotle sauce and you’ve got a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Here’s the best part: everything gets tossed in one bowl, rolled up, and crisped in under 10 minutes in the air fryer. It’s a smart way to use leftovers but feels like something totally new.
🩷 xo, Ana
How to Make Southwest Egg Rolls
Mix up the filling
Grab a big bowl and toss in the cooked chicken, corn, black beans, red bell pepper, green onions, and spinach. Sprinkle in the spices and salt, then fold in the shredded cheese until everything’s evenly coated.
Sprinkle in the spices and salt, then fold in the shredded cheese until everything is evenly coated.
Wrap the egg rolls
Lay one egg roll wrapper on your counter and lightly brush the edges with water. Place another wrapper on top (double-wrapping is key here!). Scoop about ⅓ cup of filling into the center,
Then fold in the two sides of the wrapper. Fold the top and tightly roll up the egg roll. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat making egg rolls with the remainder of the chicken mixture.
Crisp them up in the air fryer
Preheat your air fryer to 380°F. Lightly brush the egg rolls with olive oil and place them in the basket in a single layer (don’t overcrowd).
Air fry for 5 minutes, flip, brush with a little more oil, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
What can I dip my Southwest Egg Rolls in?
Like all good Tex-Mex, I think, you’ve gotta dip these in something! Luckily, there are plenty of great options:
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Enchilada sauce
- Taco sauce
- Spicy ranch dressing
- Sweet onion dressing
- Chipotle mayo
I’m a big fan of mixing my sauces together to make something new! Try mixing:
- Sour cream and BBQ sauce
- Sour cream and salsa
- Mayo, cotija cheese, and chili powder
- Sour cream and taco seasoning
- Taco sauce, cream cheese, and sour cream
Ana’s Recipe Tips
- Make sure you double-wrap these egg rolls. The filling is too thick and hearty for just one wrapper, and it will likely break the wrapper if you only use one.
- This recipe is easy to customize so feel free to leave out anything you don’t love or replace it with someone else. You can double the cheese, leave out the beans, add in extra chicken… whatever you’d like!
- The secret to great egg rolls is the crunchy outside! You want these to come out as they’re getting nicely browned, but you don’t want them to get too crispy. Keep a close eye on them.
Serve
Serve them hot with your favorite sauces like creamy avocado dip, ranch, or spicy salsa.
How to Store Leftover Southwest Egg Rolls
Southwest egg rolls can easily be stored and eaten another day. Put them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you used leftover chicken, these might go bad sooner, so consider how old your meat is and use your own judgment.
If you want to freeze your leftovers, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, then lay them in a Ziploc bag. When you’re ready to reheat, take out what you’d like and place them back in the air fryer for about 7-10 minutes until hot through.
You can also assemble and freeze these before cooking to use another day. Wrap each assembled egg roll individually in plastic wrap, then lay them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag, and freeze for up to three months.
Print recipe:
Southwest Egg Roll in Air Fryer
Equipment
- air fryer
- mixing bowl
- stir spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- tongs
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded or diced
- ⅓ cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- ⅓ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup green onion, sliced
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1 package egg roll wrappers
Instructions
- Combine the chicken mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced chicken, corn, black beans, red bell pepper, green onions, and spinach. Stir in cheese and the seasonings and blend well.
- Make the egg rolls. Lay an egg roll wrapper onto the work surface, brush water around the outside of the wrapper and lay another wrapper on top to make it double thick. Scoop ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture into the center of the egg roll wrapper. Brush water around the outside of the outside wrapper. Fold the bottom of the wrapper up, then fold in the two sides of the wrapper. Fold the top and tightly roll up the egg roll. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat making egg rolls with the remainder of the chicken mixture.
- Air Fry. Preheat the air fryer to 380°F. Lightly brush each egg roll with olive oil. Place egg rolls on the air fryer pan in a single layer and not touching. Cook for 5 minutes in batches if needed. Use tongs to flip the egg rolls and brush oil on the top of the egg rolls. Continue cooking for an additional 3-5 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.
- Serve. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces.
Notes
-
- Make sure you double-wrap these egg rolls. The filling is too thick and hearty for just one wrapper, and it will likely break the wrapper if you only use one.
- This recipe is easy to customize so feel free to leave out anything you don’t love or replace it with someone else. You can double the cheese, leave out the beans, add in extra chicken… whatever you’d like!
- The secret to great egg rolls is the crunchy outside! You want these to come out as they’re getting nicely browned, but you don’t want them to get too crispy. Keep a close eye on them.
- Storing: Let the egg rolls cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 3–4 minutes to crisp them back up. You can also freeze them before cooking, just wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for up to 2 months. Air fry from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the cook time.
Private Notes
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs
If your egg rolls are already soggy, you can try crisping them up in the air fryer again. Keep a close eye and place them in the air fryer for a few minutes. But to stop this from happening in the future, place your cooked egg rolls on a cooling rack after cooking rather than on a plate or paper towel for 5 minutes or so, then transfer them to a serving plate.
Yes. You should always preheat your air fryer. Your air fryer cooks quickly, so it’s important your food cooks evenly, and that requires a fully heated air fryer.
I think these would still cook ok if you didn’t flip them, but one side would be more browned than the other, and the bottom might end up a touch soggy. Flip these once during cooking for the best results.
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do! Please leave me a comment or question and I’ll get back to you asap. Stay well! 🩷 xoxo, Ana