Reuben Egg Rolls are made with corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut. They’re fried to golden deliciousness and served with Thousand Island dressing to make for the very best bite. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
Enjoy more of the best egg roll recipes like Cheeseburger Egg Rolls and Sweet Chili Chicken Egg Rolls.
Table of Contents
If you need the very best St. Patrick’s Day appetizer recipe, I’ve got you covered! These easy Reuben egg rolls are a hit every year that I make them. Crispy and fried to golden perfection on the outside, cheesy and loaded with corned beef and sauerkraut on the inside. I might just be drooling right now.
While they’re amazing all on their own, I LOVE serving these Irish egg rolls with some thousand island dressing on the side for dipping! That way you really get all of the classic elements of a Reuben Sandwich with each bite. If that sounds good to you, be sure to also check out my recipes for Reuben Dip and Reuben Nachos.
One of my favorite things about this Reuben recipe is just how easy it is. From start to finish, I can have a golden batch of homemade egg rolls ready in just 45 minutes! They’re great for tossing together just before the party starts. Grab yourself a Guinness and let’s get to work!
Ingredient Notes
Corned Beef – You can use deli sliced corned beef or cook your own. Check out my super easy recipe for the BEST 3-Ingredient Oven Baked Corned Beef or the Instant Pot Corned Beef.
Egg Roll Wrappers – You can find these in the refrigerated section of just about all grocery stores.
Swiss Cheese – You can get shredded Swiss cheese or get a block grate it yourself, for the very best flavor and consistency.
Sauerkraut – Make sure to drain and squeeze it before combining with other ingredients.
Egg White – This is used just to help seal the egg roll wrapper and keep it closed while it fries.
Thousand Island Dressing – use the dressing in both, the egg roll filling mixture and as a dip on the side.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Reuben Egg Rolls
Prepare the ingredients. Gently whisk the egg white in a small bowl and set it aside. Dice the corned beef as fine as you can, squeeze the juices out of the sauerkraut, and grate cheese if you’re using a block.
Mix it all together. Combine the corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and some thousand island dressing in a mixing bowl and mix everything until it’s evenly incorporated throughout (1).
Prepare for frying. Start preheating the oil to 350°F over medium heat. Prepare a cooling rack by lining it with a couple of paper towels to help soak up the excess oil.
How To Roll the Egg Rolls:
Place egg roll wrapper on a diamond. Spread about 2 tablespoons of Reuben filling in a line, leaving about an inch on each side (2).
Carefully fold the corner that’s closest to you over the filling mixture, and tuck under the filling (3).
Dip your fingers in egg white and run it all along the edges of the wrapper, this will help to seal the egg roll better. Fold both side corners toward center of wrapper. It will start to look like an open envelope (4).
Carefully roll up the egg roll (5). Repeat with remaining egg rolls while the frying oil is heating up (6).
PRO TIP: Make sure to fry the egg rolls right after rolling! The wrapping sheets dry very fast and crack, so make sure to cook right away.
Fry the egg rolls. Use metal tongs to add the egg rolls to the preheated oil (7). Fry egg rolls in batches, don’t over-crowd the pot, until golden brown (8). Make sure to turn once the bottom side turns golden.
Let them cool. Use long metal tongs to take each egg roll out of the pot (9) and onto the prepared cooling rack (10). Repeat until all egg rolls are cooked.
PRO TIP: It will take 4-5 minutes to fry. If the egg rolls are getting dark too fast, the oil is too hot. On the other hand, if the egg rolls are not darkening fast enough, the oil is not hot enough. Keep oil temperature at 350°F.
Recipe FAQs
You can make the filling ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Don’t wrap the egg rolls ahead of time! The egg roll wrappers are not meant to be out in the air and even covered they will not last. They will dry out and start to crack on the outside, while becoming soggy on the inside.
You may not have added enough “glue” or egg white on the edges of the wrapper. I usually run the egg whites in a thin layer all around the edges and a little in the middle where it does not have any filling to ensure that it sticks well when rolled.
I recommend using avocado oil because it has a nice and neutral flavor, high burn point, and it’s the healthiest option among other frying oils. Read more about this on the National Library of Medicine. The drawback of avocado oil is that is more expensive than most other oils. If this is out of your price range, use canola oil.
How to Air Fry or Bake Reuben Egg Rolls
Making egg rolls in an air fryer is a healthier alternative to frying. Just note that in all the trials I’ve done to find a difference between frying, air frying, and baking, the texture is quite different. Baking and air frying do not result in the same crispy texture as frying. Note that the texture will be less crispy (and little chewier) with the air frying method and even less crispy after baking.
To air fry the egg rolls: Simply place them into the basket of your air fryer in a single layer, making sure there’s a little bit of space between each of them. Air fry the egg rolls at 390°F for approximately 9-11 minutes, turning half way through.
To bake: Place the egg rolls on a parchment paper covered baking sheet in one even layer and make sure to leave space between each egg roll. Preheat the oven to 425°F and bake for about 15 minutes, until they are deep golden brown.
Storing, Reheating and Freezing
Storing – Make sure to cool the egg rolls to room temperature first. Place a paper towel in the bottom of the food storage container and in between the layers. Keep refrigerated in the airtight container for 3-4 days.
Reheating – You can easily reheat the egg roll in the air fryer at 350°F for about 2 minutes. Your goal is to just crisp up the outside and heat through the inside. The air fryer is also the best method to get the outside crispy again.
Freezing – You can freeze the egg rolls before or after cooking.
To freeze the egg rolls before cooking, make sure to do it right after you finish rolling them. Wrap the wrapped egg rolls in plastic wrap or another air-tight wrap and place them in a freezer zip-top bag. Get the air out, label, and freeze for about 3 months.
To freeze cooked egg rolls, you would follow the same steps but first make sure to cool them completely to room temperature before freezing.
To reheat or cook frozen egg rolls, you don’t need to thaw them. Cook frozen egg rolls in the fryer on medium-low heat first, for 3-4 minutes and then raise the heat to crisp and brown them during the last minute or so.
You can reheat frozen cooked egg rolls in the oven or air fryer at 350°F. In the oven, it will take longer, about 15-18 minutes, whereas in the air fryer it should take about 10 minutes.
More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
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Reuben Egg Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- 1/2 lb deli-sliced corned beef
- 4 oz shredded Swiss cheese (or grate off the block)
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut drained and squeezed
- 3-4 tbsp Thousand island dressing to mix in
- 1 egg white
- About 5 cups of oil for frying
- Thousand Island dressing to dip
Instructions
- Gently whisk egg white in a small bowl and set it close to you.
- Dice corned beef ad fine as you can, squeeze the juices out of the sauerkraut, and grate cheese if using a block.
- Combine corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and some thousand island dressing in a mixing bowl and mix everything until it's evenly incorporated throughout.
- Start preheating the oil to 350°F degrees over medium heat. Prepare a cooling rack by lining it with a couple of paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
- To roll the egg rolls: Place egg roll wrapper on a diamond. Spread about 2 tablespoons of Reuben filling in a line, leaving about an inch on each side. Gently and carefully, fold the corner that's closest to you over the filling mixture, and tuck under the filling. Dip your fingers in egg white and run it all along the edges of the wrapper, this will help to seal the egg roll better. Fold both side corners toward center of wrapper, it will start to look like an open envelope. Carefully roll up the egg roll.
- Repeat with remaining egg rolls while the frying oil is heating up.
- Fry egg rolls in batches, don't over-crown the pot, until golden brown. Make sure to turn once the bottom side turns golden. (It will take 4-5 minutes to fry. If the egg rolls are getting dark too fast, the oil is too hot. On the other hand, if the egg rolls are not darkening fast enough, the oil is not hot enough. Keep oil temperature at 350° degrees.)
- Use long metal tongs to take each egg roll out of the pot and onto the prepared cooling rack. Repeat until all egg rolls are cooked.
- Serve with Thousand Island dressing for dipping.
Video
Notes
- To air fry the egg rolls: Simply place them into the basket of your air fryer in a single layer, making sure there’s a little bit of space between each of them. Air fry the egg rolls at 390°F for approximately 9-11 minutes, turning half way through. (Preferred method for crispier egg rolls over baking!)
- To bake: Place the egg rolls on a parchment paper covered baking sheet in one even layer and make sure to leave space between each egg roll. Preheat the oven to 425°F and bake for about 15 minutes, until they are deep golden brown.
- Storing – Make sure to cool the egg rolls to room temperature first. Place a paper towel in the bottom of the food storage container and in between the layers. Keep refrigerated in the airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheating – You can easily reheat the egg roll in the air fryer at 350°F for about 2 minutes. Your goal is to just crisp up the outside and heat through the inside. The air fryer is also the best method to get the outside crispy again.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in February 2016.
Libby says
Can I make these the day before and fry day of event? I try to prep everything the day before so I don’t have to spend so much time in the kitchen during an event.
POLLY MARTIN says
THIS RECIPE WAS SO EASY TO FOLLOW AND WAS SO GOOD! THANKYOU FOR POSTING IT AND I WILL SERVE THIS AGAIN EVERYONE LOVED THEM!
LyubaB says
Yay! I love hearing that, Polly!
LisaB says
Made these tonight followed the exact recipe absolutely delicious!! We enjoyed them so much that I’m going to try them again in the air fryer just for a healthier option!
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked them, Lisa! Let me know how they turn out in the air fryer 🙂
Lorraine says
Can you bake these?
LyubaB says
Hi, Lorraine! Yes, you can, they won’t be as crispy but they will still be good. Spritz tops of egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Victoria says
How do you think these would work using an air Fryer?
lyuba says
Hi Victoria!
Personally, I haven’t gotten this “toy” yet 🙂
But, I did look up some instructions and it seems like you should be able to make these in an air fryer just fine!
I hope it works out well!
Missy says
Can you freeze them and fry later?
lyuba says
Hi Missy!
I haven’t tried freezing them but I did find this article that tell you how to freezer egg rolls. I hope this helps and you enjoy them 🙂
https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-freeze-egg-rolls-4116087
Judy says
What size wrappers do you use?
Jenny says
What kind of oil would you recommend to use for pan frying?
lyuba says
Hi Jenny! Sorry for the late response!
I usually use either canola or vegetable oil. Canola is lower in cholesterol so I prefer that one 😉
Linda Pedery says
These ae awesome thanks for the recipe!!! Family loved them!!
lyuba says
Yay! Love hearing that 🙂
Linda Pedery says
Can you put these in deep fryer?
lyuba says
Sorry I missed your question, Linda! I’m glad it all worked well 🙂
Pat Hopkins says
That looks SOOOO good 😎
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
The Reuben has got to be my favorite all time sandwich in Florida — I like it made with fish. But I’ve got to admit I can also be tempted with a Cuban. YUM. Honestly?? I try to order salads for lunch but when I do order sandwiches those two are my temptations.
lyuba says
Oh my gosh, I just saw a Mahi Reuben somewhere but I was a little scared to try it. If you say they are good, I will definitely give it a try 🙂