Freezing Egg Rolls

November 14, 2022 6:37 PM

I'd like to make a big batch of egg rolls and freeze some of them to eat later. Do I cook them before freezing or can I freeze them raw? Or maybe I should not do this. If you've tried it, I'd love to hear about your experience.
posted by entropyiswinning to Food & Drink (6 answers total)

Freeze them raw in two stages. First lay them out on a sheet tray with parchment paper with enough room between them so they do not touch. Once they are fully frozen you can put them in a ziploc bag. If you put them straight into the bag to freeze they’re more likely to freeze together and that’s no fun on the other side.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 7:03 PM on November 14, 2022 [5 favorites]

I’ve frozen homemade, cooked egg rolls and they’ve been fine. I froze them in gallon ziplock bags and didn’t have any issues with sticking together. Just don’t use a microwave to thaw/reheat or they get soggy.
posted by bookmammal at 7:37 PM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

My mother is famous for her eggrolls and she always freezes them cooked. They reheat perfectly in an oven with a convection setting or an air fryer. A normal oven or toaster oven will also do the job. Heating in the microwave produces soggy sadness (which I still eat). Actually, I usually microwave for 30 seconds or so for speed and then transfer to an oven for crispiness. The best of both worlds!
posted by defreckled at 8:00 PM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

My experience is with Filipino lumpia, not technically egg rolls. But I think they are reasonably similar?

Freeze them raw on a sheet tray, break them up once frozen and then you can throw them all haphazardly in a bag if you like.

Can be fried from frozen, just make sure to make the oil not too hot (risk of burning the outside, while inside remains cold). Also make sure you have a good splatter guard, as the icy bits will inevitably make the hot oil splatter!
posted by tinydancer at 8:59 PM on November 14, 2022 [3 favorites]

I prefer to freeze after cooking for food safety purposes. When reheating from frozen, you don’t have to worry if they’re cooked through, just reheat in the oven or air fryer and eat.
posted by gnutron at 3:37 AM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Are egg rolls the same a spring rolls?

How do you want to reheat them - deep fat fry or oven/ toaster-oven/ air-frier?

If the former, freeze raw. The latter, freeze after deep frying. Reheat without defrosting (~12 minutes, flip, 8 minutes @ ~dunno, 425-450'F?).
posted by porpoise at 3:50 PM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]