Reuben Egg Rolls
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.
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Amazing. No egg roll wrappers. Had to do with lumpia. Worked but didn’t wrap/roll tight enough.
Chopped mozzarella, as our preference, vs. Swiss. Used leftover vinegar coleslaw and roasted cabbage in frig vs. kraut.
A hit!
I’m so glad the Rueben egg rolls were a hit, even with some creative substitutions! 😊
These were absolutely delicious!!
I am so glad you liked it, Diane!
These look amazing! Can the eggs rolls be made the night before and fried the next day?
Excellent. Saved a couple to try reheating so I might be able to make ahead.
Yum! Let me know how it works out, maybe the air fryer would crip them back up.
These were amazing and fairly simple for what you get as a result. I diced up corned beef from the deli counter, shredded some Jarlsberg, drained the saurkraut, rolled them up & fried them. Next time I’m going to try them in the air fryer.
I am glad you liked them, Shelia!
You can reheat them but they won’t be as crispy,. I think the best way to reheat them will be an air fryer the oven won’t get them as crispy. If using the oven I would cook at 450 for 5-7 minutes depending on how thick you make them.
Thank you
These sound wonderful but can you fry them earlier in the day and reheat them in the evening. There is so much other food prep going on right before the meal it wouldn’t be practical to fry them right before serving. If that is possible, directions for reheating please and thank you.
Could you use canned corn beef?
I can’t say for sure I’ve never used canned corned beef so I am unsure of the flavor or texture. You could use deli corn beef though instead of making the corn beef yourself.
Yes, I’ve used canned before and still tastes great!