Take the filling from your favorite egg roll recipe, saute it all together in a skillet, and you’re left with an Egg Roll in a Bowl. This recipe skips the wrappers and deep frying, leaving you with a much healthier, 30-minute meal.
This low-carb recipe is packed with flavor and prepared all in one skillet. Pair it with an easy Asian Cucumber Salad or this Mandarin Orange Salad.
Egg Roll in a Bowl
One of the most frequent requests I received via email last year was for more low-carb recipes. Egg Roll in a Bowl perfectly fits that bill. With a few adjustments, this recipe can be adapted for a Keto or Whole30 diet, and I’ll provide those modifications later in this post.
Even if you’re not following a low-carb regimen (shoutout to carb lovers!), you’ll want to include this dish in your rotation. Though I’m a die-hard carb enthusiast, I can’t get enough of this flavorful, easy-to-make meal. With just one skillet and under thirty minutes, you can have a delicious dish ready. Keep reading for details about the ingredients, the sauce, and tips to expedite the preparation.
Egg Roll In A Bowl Ingredients:
- Red onion: I like the flavor of red onions best in this dish, but yellow onion or shallots would also work.
- Garlic: Try finely minced cloves or use jarred, minced garlic for quicker prep.
- Ginger: Again, finely minced or ginger paste make for quicker prep. If you have neither on hand, try adding 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
- Ground pork: We like ground pork best in this egg roll in a bowl, but any ground meat would all work for this recipe.
- Red bell pepper: Any sweet pepper works or use a different veggie entirely, such as mushrooms, water chestnuts, or bean sprouts.
- Green cabbage: If you’re looking for super-quick prep, I recommend grabbing a bag of coleslaw mix instead of chopping up the cabbage yourself.
- Matchstick carrots: If you’re cutting your own cabbage, add matchstick carrots; otherwise, the coleslaw mix already has carrots in it.
- Soy sauce: Use reduced or low-sodium so this dish isn’t too salty.
- Chicken broth or stock: Again, I recommend low-sodium so you can control the salt.
- Cornstarch: This helps thicken the sauce. Here is a list of substitutes, if needed.
- Sesame oil: For a great authentic flavor, sesame oil really delivers.
- Rice vinegar: This balances the sauce and adds a subtle tang. Rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar are two ways to say the same thing.
- Brown sugar: Here’s another balancing ingredient. Light or dark brown sugar will work; honey will also do the trick.
- Sriracha sauce: Use this to add heat and flavor. You can, of course, reduce (or even omit entirely) if you’re not a fan of heat.
Quick Tip
Make sure to use a really large skillet or wok. There is a lot of volume in this egg roll in a bowl recipe, so you’ll have a hard time mixing everything together if you’re working in a small skillet. I recommend a 12-inch skillet or larger.
How To Make Egg Roll in a Bowl
(The step-by-step photos below correlate to the numbered descriptions.)
- Sauté the thinly sliced onions in a skillet for a few minutes.
- Add in the garlic and ginger.
- Brown the ground pork (or other ground meat).
- Integrate the crumbled, browned ground pork with the onion, garlic, and ginger.
- Mix in the bell pepper, chopped cabbage, and matchstick carrots (or coleslaw mix). Cook down for a couple of minutes.
- Drizzle in the sauce and continue to cook until sauce is distributed well and veggies are tender. Enjoy your egg roll in a bowl!
Dietary concerns
- Egg Roll in a Bowl, Whole30:For a Whole30-compliant Egg Roll in a Bowl: Replace vegetable oil with canola oil and ensure your Sriracha and mayo are compliant. Swap soy sauce for coconut aminos, skip the cornstarch and brown sugar, and use compliant ground pork or another meat. While sesame oil’s inclusion varies by individual preference, it’s generally advised to limit it. Serve over cauliflower rice, not white rice. Check out more Whole30 tips here.
- Making it Keto friendly: Make sure the Sriracha is compliant, or use Frank’s Red Hot® sauce instead. Use lite tamari or Bragg’s Aminos® instead of soy sauce, and leave out the brown sugar in the sauce. Skip the red onion.
Storage
Can you freeze the egg roll filling?
Yes! To freeze, place leftovers in an airtight/freezer-safe container, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop. Thawed egg roll filling isn’t quite as crisp as when it was originally made, so you may want to add in a bit of fresh cabbage when reheating.
Store any leftover egg roll in a bowl in an airtight container in the fridge. This is a great recipe for meal prep; if you are meal prepping, divide leftovers and store them in separate meal prep containers in the fridge. (Reheat leftovers in the microwave or in a skillet.)
More Easy Dinner Recipes:
- Chicken Ramen in less than 30 minutes
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup Olive Garden copycat
- Stuffed Peppers another low-carb option
- Chow Mein readers favorite
- Chicken Burrito Bowls all made in one pot
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons lite soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons chicken broth (or stock)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (or black)
"Egg Roll"
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion (~1/2 large onion)
- 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 1 pound ground pork (or ground turkey or ground chicken or ground beef)
- 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (~1 pepper)
- 1 package (16 ounces) coleslaw mix or 16 ounces chopped cabbage plus 1 and 1/2 cups matchstick carrots See Note 1
- 2-3 green onions, for garnish
- Serve over: white rice, and with Sriracha mayo optional. See Note 2
Instructions
- SAUCE: Start by whisking together the sauce. In a small bowl,use a fork to whisk together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Once smooth, add in the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons chicken broth, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon Sriracha sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- VEGGIE PREP: Prep the rest of your veggies, because the cooking goes quickly! Cut a red onion in half and thinly slice one of the halves. Finely mince the ginger and the garlic. Open the coleslaw mix or chop the cabbage (Note 1). Remove the stem and seeds from the red pepper and slice very thinly slice the red pepper and then halve the slices horizontally. Thinly slice the green onions.
- COOK PORK: Heat a wok or large, deep saute pan (12 inches minimum) over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and swirl to coat. Once the oil is shimmering, reduce heat to medium and add in the onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium high. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute (or until fragrant). Return the heat to high, push the onions to the edges of the pan and add the ground pork to the center of the pan. Let it cook without stirring for 30 seconds. Then, use a wooden spoon to break apart the meat into crumbles and cook until it's no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Integrate the onions, garlic, and ginger into the pork.
- COOK VEGGIES: Reduce the heat to medium high. Add the red pepper and the entire bag of coleslaw (or the chopped cabbage and matchstick carrots). It will seem like a lot, but it cooks down quickly. Stir-fry for 2 minutes and then pour in the sauce. Continue to cook, stirring and mixing the ingredients, for about 2-4 more minutes or until sauce is absorbed into the mixture and the veggies are all crisp tender.
- FINISHING: Taste and add additional soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, and pepper and/or salt as needed. Top with green onions. Serve as is or over rice if desired. You can also add some sriracha mayo if you like a creamy element. See Note 2
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This came together quickly which makes it great for a weekday dinner. There’s a lot of flexibility in the sauce for those that want more or less heat, more or less soy. I used a Tbsp of Dark Soy along with 2 of lite for a little more umami. Really liked it and will be making again.
So thrilled to hear this Egg Roll in a Bowl was a hit! Thanks Karl!
I made this recipe for mother’s Day for my whole family they absolutely loved it I added mushrooms bean sprouts and I used shrimp and pork… I served it over rice and I had crunchy noodles to go with๐ I’m making it next for my husband’s family picnic I hope they like it too ๐
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Christine! ๐
Hands down great recipe! I made this for dinner with homemade pot stickers and everything was great, the stir fry came together fast and was very easy to accomplish being everything was ready before hand.
Thanks for the recipe
So thrilled to hear you enjoyed this! Thanks! ๐
Tried this tonight. We loved it. Thanks for sharing.
So thrilled you enjoyed! Thanks Ida! ๐
I made this tonight using the cabbage mix. It was so easy, fast and very flavourful! We all loved it. I ended up using veggie broth since I already had one opened. For the amount it called for, I don’t think it made a huge difference. Will definitely make again.
Thanks so much Jenn! I’m so thrilled you all enjoyed!
This was wonderful. My landlord lives next door. And he has cancer so I drop him meals once or twice a week. I live in a efficiency apartment. I do not have a stove or a hot plate. I can do this on my saute function on my instapot. He declared ‘THIS IS A KEEPER” Thank you for sharing.
I am so thrilled to hear this! You sound like a really great person! Thanks Jody! ๐
This recipe is one of my familyโs favorites! Iโve made it several times and itโs amazing every time.
Thanks for sharing it!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Lisa! ๐
This is so good ๐ Thanks for posting!!!
So thrilled you enjoyed! Thanks Heidi! ๐
Great recipe. Used ground beef as my family doesnโt like ground pork. Added water chestnuts and doubled the sauce. Everyone thinks this recipe is a keeper. Thanks
So happy to hear that! Thank you Brenda! ๐