Spring Rolls With Beef
Published May 28, 2024
Updated Sep 07, 2024
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These Spring Rolls With Beef are crispy on the outside and filled with a highly flavorful ground beef and vegetable filling. These golden rolls beat any restaurant version and are a hundred percent worth making. The perfect appetizer, snack, or party food!
You can enjoy these beef spring rolls as part of a main dish. They taste amazing with Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice, Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry , and Garlic Butter Green Beans.
Or, make a large plate or platter of them to serve at a party! You can serve them with assorted sauces in ramekins for a nice presentation.
They are also just yummy for the kids to enjoy as an after-school snack! One thing is for certain: they are versatile, and youโll be happy you gave them a try.
Why This Recipe Works
I had to keep my family away from eating these beef spring rolls so I could photograph them. They are just irresistible! Apart from being hard to resist, this recipe works for other reasons:
- Special treat: If you want to treat your family to something special, you can make this incredible spring rolls with beef recipe. Usually, spring rolls are one of those foods you might only enjoy when you go out to eat. But they donโt have to be!
- Can be made in just over an hour: Yes, you read that right! You just need a little over an hour to make these spring rolls entirely from scratch! It doesnโt get much better than that.
- Easy to make: You can make them in the comfort of your own home and pair them with soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, sweet and sour sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce. I make these for my kids every couple of months, and it is always a special occasion every time!
Deep Fried Spring Rolls With Ground Beef
There are many versions of spring rolls, such as spring rolls containing chicken, pork, or beef. If youโre familiar with Vietnamese cooking, you might expect the Vietnamese dish โGแปi cuแปnโ with this recipe.
Those types of Vietnamese fresh spring rolls have prawn and pork and are made with a fresh rice paper wrapper that isn’t fried. They are often served with creamy peanut sauce.
However, mine are different. These delicious spring rolls are deep-fried; they are essentially the beef version of classic crispy spring rolls!
Since they are spring rolls made with beef, it really makes them unique and gives such a savory flavor. If you want some other ways to enjoy ground beef, make sure to try my African Meat Pies or African Meatballs. Now, letโs get into the recipe, shall we?
Ingredients
This recipe has a few unique ingredients but not to worry, you can them from your local Asian market or the Asian/International aisle of your grocery store.
Here are a few of the main ingredients and some notes about them:
- Garlic: Youโll need fresh garlic for the best flavor! It pairs with the soy sauce and helps give the spring rolls an umami taste. Make sure to grate or mince it.
- Ground Beef: This recipe calls for 1 pound of ground beef. Although you can use lean ground beef, I suggest regular since it is juicier and more flavorful.
- Mushrooms: Shiitake mushrooms help elevate the recipe, providing a nice, meaty texture and earthy taste. Make sure to slice them so they can fit nicely when you roll the wrapper.
- Spring Roll Wrappers: Use defrosted spring roll wrappers. You can defrost them the night before in the refrigerator or simply remove them from the freezer an hour before beginning the recipe.
- Cabbage: Thin slices of cabbage are a traditional ingredient and provide a pleasant texture to the spring rolls.
All of the ingredients and their measurements are in the recipe card, which you can find by scrolling down to the bottom of the post.
If you have trouble finding the spring roll wrappers, you can often find them in the freezer section of your local Asian market.
Recipe Variations
- Rice Vermicelli: You can add rice noodles to the filling if you wish. Youโll need to soak them in hot water to hydrate them and cut them into tiny pieces before you include them in the filling.
- Make an orange glaze: You can make an orange glaze to brush on the rolls after frying. Reduce some orange juice with sugar, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and ginger until thickened. It will have a nice sweet and tangy flavor to complement the egg rolls!
- Air fry them: If you donโt want to cook the spring rolls in oil, you can air fry them instead. Spray them with cooking spray and use a moderately high temperature so the rolls get nice and crispy, around 380ยฐF โ 400ยฐF. They should only take about 5 minutes! Remember that the beef mixture is already cooked, and you just need the wrappers to cook.
- Bake them: You can also bake them in the oven at 400ยฐF, and they will take about 30 minutes. Use the same method of spraying them beforehand, and make sure to leave space in between the rolls.
- Add more veggies: Crunchy vegetables are delicious in spring rolls, which is why I include carrots and cabbage. You can add any other veggies you’d like if you want to make your own variety!
Substitutions
- Soy Sauce: If you donโt have soy sauce, you can use tamari instead. The next best choice would be oyster sauce using a 1:1 ratio, even though it is slightly thicker, it doesnโt affect the recipe too much. Keep in mind it has a less salty taste and is sweeter.
- Green Onions: You can use spring onions in place of green onions, but they will have a more pungent flavor.
- Shiitake Mushrooms: Itโs okay to use rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms instead of fresh. You can also substitute other kinds of mushrooms like baby bella.
How To Make The Filling For Spring Rolls with Beef
- Cook the beef mixture: Heat some oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the beef, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and white pepper. Stir occasionally while it cooks. Once cooked, remove the beef from the pan.
2. Cook the veggies: Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the veggies and a portion of the soy sauce. Cook until softened.
3. Add the cooked beef back to the pan and stir to combine. Drizzle on the sesame oil. Cool the filling before assembly.
How To Assemble Spring Rolls with Beef
As preparation, combine the flour and water in a small bowl to form a thick slurry. Then assemble the beef spring rolls following the directions below.
- On a clean work surface, place a sheet of spring roll wrapper toward you so it looks like a diamond. Add about two tablespoons of filling about 2 inches above the bottom corner of the egg roll wrappers.
- Fold the bottom corner over the filling and wrap tightly about halfway up.
- Fold the right and left flap (the sides of the wrapper) over the filling to make an envelope.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the top flap with slurry, then finish rolling it to seal.
- You have a spring roll! Ensure the seams are properly sealed. You can gently press if they aren’t.
P.S. Toothpicks are used in the photo above for demonstration purposed only. You don’t need toothpicks when assembling spring rolls.
6. Repeat the process to make more spring rolls.
Struggling with assembling the spring rolls? Follow this guide on How To Wrap A Chinese Spring Roll.
How To Fry The Spring Rolls
- Deep fry: Add oil to a pot set on medium-high heat. Heat the oil to about 350 to 355โ. Add the spring rolls to the oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Fry for about 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown, while flipping from time to time for even cooking.
- Place the spring rolls on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- Serve after it cools with sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce.
Use a candy or deep fry thermometer to ensure your oil stays hot enough at all times. If it dips below the suggested temperature, the spring roll wrapper will soak up all of the oil and be greasy.
Expert Tips
- Serve these spring rolls with beef with sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce for dipping and sprinkle some sesame seeds in the sauce for a nice, pleasant crunch! You can also garnish them with sliced green onions.
- Add a dash of hoisin sauce in addition to soy sauce for more flavor depth in the filling.
- While assembling the spring rolls, it is important to protect the other wrappers so they donโt dry out. To do so, cover them with a damp paper towel or linen.
- When filling the spring rolls, you can use a slotted spoon for the beef mixture if it has excess liquid for some reason. This will keep the wrappers intact and ensure the rolls donโt get soggy.
- Make sure to thinly slice the cabbage and carrots, as they can throw off the overall texture of the spring rolls if they are too chunky. You want very thin strips.
- Store any extra spring rolls in an airtight container, or make sure the container is wrapped tightly with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator.
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Spring Rolls With Beef
Equipment
- 1 Pastry Brush
- 1 Deep Fry/Candy Thermometer
Ingredients
Beef Spring Rolls Filling
- 2 Tablespoons oil divided
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce divided
- 4 garlic cloves grated/minced
- 2 inches ginger root grated/minced
- ยผ teaspoon white pepper powder or freshly ground white pepper
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms sliced, sub with rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 cups cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ยฝ cup green onions diced
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
Spring Rolls
- 20-25 spring roll wrappers defrosted
- 2 Tablespoons flour for sealing rolls
- 3 Tablespoons water for sealing rolls
- Oil for frying e.g. vegetable oil
Serving
- Sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Cook the beef: Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add the beef, soy sauce, grated garlic, grated ginger, and white pepper. Cook, stirring from time to time and breaking up the beef as it cooks, for about 5 minutes. Remove the beef from the pan.
- Cook the veggies: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, green onions, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Cook until softened, for about 5 minutes. Add the cooked beef back to the pan and stir to combine. Drizzle on the sesame oil.
- Cool filling: To cool the filling quickly, spread it on a baking sheet and refrigerate until cool. Do not make spring rolls with hot filling.
- Make the slurry: Combine the flour and water in a small bowl to form a thick liquid, like a runny pancake batter.
- Assemble spring rolls: Place a sheet of spring roll wrapper toward you so it looks like a diamond. Add about two tablespoons of filling about 2 inches above the bottom corner of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner over the filling and wrap tightly about halfway up. Fold the right and left flap over the filling to make an envelope. Using a pastry brush, the top flap with slurry, then finish rolling it to seal. Repeat the process to make more spring rolls.
- Deep fry: Add up to about one and a half inches of oil to a pot set on medium-high heat. Heat the oil to about 350 to 355โ, measured with a deep fry/candy thermometer. Add the spring rolls to the oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. I cook about five spring rolls at a time. Fry for about 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown, while flipping from time to time for even cooking.
- Place the spring rolls on paper towels to absorb excess oil or on a paper towel-lined baking sheet with an oven rack on top.
- Serve after it cools with sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce.
Video
Notes
- While wrapping the spring rolls, cover the remaining spring roll wrappers with a damp paper towel so they do not dry out.
- Instead of deep frying, you could spray the spring rolls with cooking spray and bake or air fry them.
- The filling is quite hot when the spring rolls come out of the oil. Allow them to cook before enjoying.