Reheating food can always be quite tricky as you want it to be sufficiently reheated while also retaining the texture and quality that it possessed when it was initially cooked. Egg rolls can be especially difficult to reheat as they are prone to becoming soggy and losing their textural integrity. It is important to know how to reheat egg rolls properly so that you can enjoy them the day after cooking them without any noticeable differences.
Table of Contents
- What are Egg Rolls?
- Reheating Egg Rolls
- What is the Best Way to Reheat Egg Rolls?
- FAQs on Reheating Egg Rolls
What are Egg Rolls?
Egg rolls are a delicious appetizer that is served most commonly in American Chinese restaurants. They are fried eggs shaped into a cylinder with fillings in the middle and a wheat flour-covered exterior. They are most typically fried in hot oil to give them a crispy texture and are eaten with the hands after being dipped in a variety of sauces. While the sauces are personal preference, the most common choices are soy sauce, duck sauce, or plum sauce.
As you can imagine, egg rolls are quite delicious. They’re the type of food where you order or make quite a few and eat them until you are full. This leads to a lot of leftover egg rolls, which can be easily reheated to their former glory if you know what you are doing.
Reheating Egg Rolls
The main issue with reheating egg rolls is that it is difficult to sufficiently heat the fillings, while simultaneously ensuring that the deep-fried crispiness is intact.
This can be quite difficult to balance as you are rarely going to perfect both of these aspects. While it is arguably better to have warm fillings instead of a crispy texture, there is nothing better than perfecting both of these.
Microwave
A microwave is trusty and easy to use with minimal setup or cleaning. And while this may be the case, that does not mean it is the perfect tool for reheating every dish.
While it is incredibly easy, unfortunately, a microwave is one of the worst methods to choose when it comes to reheating egg rolls.
The crispy texture is unachievable in a microwave and the egg rolls can come out feeling very stale instead of being fresh and delicious. It is helpful if you are in a rush or have limited options, but overall a microwave is not an ideal choice.
- To heat egg rolls in a microwave, you will want to place 2-3 egg rolls on a paper towel-lined plate. Space them apart so they are not touching. Any more than 3 egg rolls can overcrowd the microwave and cause them to be even soggier when they come out.
- After this, set your microwave to 15 seconds.
- Blast them for this amount of time in intervals until you are happy with the heat of them.
Oven
The oven is quite a good choice for reheating any type of food. The only downfall being that it takes some time to heat up.
- To properly heat your egg rolls up in an oven, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a wire rack, you can use this easily. However, if you only have a baking tray, also preheat that in the oven. This way, the egg rolls are on a heated surface.
- Allow your egg rolls to cook for 10 minutes.
- Flip them halfway through to make sure that they are evenly cooked.
- If you are heating egg rolls that are filled with a lot of food, it can be helpful to cook them in the microwave for 15 seconds. This way, you guarantee the insides are warm.
Deep Fryer
Deep frying your egg rolls is a brilliant way to make them super crispy again. They’ll be as close to their initial glory as they once were.
The only issue with using a deep fryer as a way to reheat food that has already been deeply fried is that it will be twice as unhealthy.
When food is deeply fried, the oil is absorbed into the food and increases the calories by a lot. When reheating food that has already undergone this process, you are essentially adding a second serving of oil to the food and increasing the calories even more.
It works well, but if you are worried about your calorie intake or your health, maybe choose a different method.
- To properly reheat egg rolls with a deep fryer, you will want to heat your oil to 350 degrees F. This will be hot enough to cook them in as they are covered in the heat entirely. Ovens are less effective even if they are producing the same heat. It is mostly because a deep fryer submerges the food in a consistently heated liquid.
- Once at 350 degrees, lower your egg rolls into the oil and let them cook for 30-45 seconds.
- When they turn golden brown and crispy, remove them immediately from the oil.
- It is best to drain the excess oil off of them and pat them dry with a paper towel.
Air Fryer
Air frying egg rolls will give you a result almost as good as the deep fryer, without the added calories. An air fryer is especially good at reheating food. It is consistently hot and a direct heat source without cooking the food for ages and drying it out.
- To reheat your egg rolls in an air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F .
- Fry them for 5 minutes.
- Check on them after around 3 minutes to see if they are brown and crispy.
- Once they are done, serve them up.
It is important to space your egg rolls apart in an air fryer as this can help them evenly cook. If any rolls are touching the other rolls, the points of contact will rarely cook as well as they are meant to.
Skillet
While a skillet is not a direct heat source (such as a deep fryer or an air fryer), it is still especially good at letting the egg rolls get crispy without burning them.
- To properly reheat your egg rolls in a skillet you will want to place it on your stove. Set the heat to medium.
- After this, add a tablespoon of your preferred oil to your skillet and wait for it to heat up.
- Once your oil is added, place your egg rolls in the skillet and let them sit for 1 ½ minutes. This will heat them up very well and now all that is left to do is crisp them.
- For the crisping, flip them over every 30 seconds until they are as crispy as you want them to be.
- Before serving, make sure you get excess oil off of them with a paper towel if there is any on them. They may not always be oily afterward, but it is good to check just in case.
What is the Best Way to Reheat Egg Rolls?
The best way to reheat egg rolls really depends on your situation in terms of time, choices, and energy.
An oven is a pretty common household item so it is accessible but takes a lot of time. An air fryer is incredibly good but not everyone has one. A deep fryer is incredibly rare to find in a lot of homes and also takes a lot of effort. However, the deep fryer also has one of the best results.
Think about what situation you are in and then decide which method suits you best.
FAQs on Reheating Egg Rolls
How do you warm up leftover egg rolls?
You can easily warm up leftover egg rolls by frying them in a skillet for a minute or two over medium heat. Adding a tablespoon of oil to the pan is a great way to ensure they get crispy again.
How do I keep my egg rolls crispy?
There is not much to do to keep your egg rolls crispy, yet when you reheat them, you are able to crisp them up again. The best way to do this is to use an air fryer, deep fry them, or fry them in a skillet with some added oil.
How long to reheat egg rolls in an air fryer?
Egg rolls can be reheated in an air fryer for around 5 minutes at 350 degrees. They will be ready at the 3-minute mark but you can keep checking on them after this to make sure they are as crispy as you want them to be.
How long to reheat egg rolls in a microwave?
Microwaving egg rolls can take a varying amount of time depending on how good your microwave is. The best way to do this is to place the egg rolls on a plate that is lined with a paper towel and cook them for 15 seconds at a time until they are hot enough for you.
What temperature to reheat egg rolls in an air fryer?
The best temperature to reheat egg rolls at in an air fryer is 350 degrees. This is high enough that they will heat up quickly and become crispy but it is not so high that they will be dehydrated and dry when they are done.
How to reheat egg rolls for the next morning?
The best way to reheat egg rolls for the next morning is to either deep fry them at 350 degrees for 30 seconds or fry them in a skillet for a couple of minutes.
How to reheat pork egg rolls?
Pork egg rolls can easily be reheated by frying them in an air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 350 degrees. If you are wanting them to be crispier, you will want to wait until closer to the 5-minute mark.
How to reheat restaurant egg rolls?
Restaurant egg rolls are easy to reheat as long as you have a skillet and some oil. Turn your stove on to medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil to your skillet. Once this is all warmed up, place your egg rolls on the skillet for a minute, and then start flipping them every 30 seconds until they are as crispy as you want them.
How to reheat mini egg rolls?
Mini egg rolls are best reheated in a skillet with an additional tablespoon of oil. Fry them for a minute to warm them up and then flip them every thirty seconds until they are as crispy as you want them to be.
How to reheat homemade egg rolls?
Reheating homemade egg rolls can be done in an air fryer by cooking them at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes. They will be sufficiently warmed after 3 minutes but can keep being fried to become crispier if you choose for them to be.
