Breakfast Egg Rolls
Breakfast egg rolls are filled with scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, and veggies, then fried to crispy perfection. A satisfying, savory breakfast that’s impossible to resist!
Move over breakfast tacos, breakfast nachos, and burritos! There’s a new fusion breakfast in town and it’s inspired by everyone’s favorite Chinese restaurant appetizer: egg rolls!
You might not have thought to stuff breakfast favorites like scrambled eggs and sausage into egg roll wrappers, but that’s okay because we did and now we’re here to share the recipe! This handheld breakfast is irresistibly crispy, super satisfying, and a winner with kids and adults alike.
About this breakfast egg roll recipe
We love classic buttermilk pancakes and French toast casseroles, but sometimes you want your weekend breakfast to lean more savory than sweet, which is when these breakfast egg rolls come in handy.
Think of them as a little bit like breakfast sandwiches, but with a crispy egg roll wrapper instead of an English muffin, bagel, or toast. And because you can make the filling and roll them up ahead of time, they’re an amazing option for a brunch or breakfast gathering—your guests will be so impressed with your creativity and culinary prowess!
Despite that, these little guys are actually pretty easy to make. Don’t let the frying intimidate you—use a deep pot and just enough oil to cover the breakfast egg rolls and you’ll be golden! (And your egg rolls will be golden too—golden brown, that is.) You can also make these in your air fryer!
If you love a savory breakfast, don’t miss our corned beef hash and breakfast quesadillas.
What you need
- Breakfast sausage – Ground turkey works, too.
- Eggs
- Heavy cream – While you can use half-and-half or whole milk, heavy cream gives the scrambled eggs the best texture.
- Salt & Pepper
- Paprika – Smoked or sweet; just don’t use hot unless you want your egg rolls spicy!
- Shredded cheddar cheese & shredded pepper jack cheese – Or, if you want to simplify things, just pick one variety of cheese.
- Red bell pepper – Green or yellow bell pepper may be used instead.
- Diced red onion – You can also use yellow onion or a sweet onion if that’s what you have on hand.
- Egg roll wrappers – You can often find these in the produce section of the grocery store, although sometimes they’ll be in refrigerated case with the tofu.
- Water – This is used to seal the egg rolls.
- Oil for frying – Peanut oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, or another oil with a high smoke point.
How to make them
Prepare. Fill a large stock pot with 3 inches of oil. Preheat it until it reaches 350ºF.
Tip: Using a thermometer to monitor the oil will help you make sure it’s just the right temperature. Too hot and your breakfast egg rolls will burn on the outside before the inside is cooked through; too cool and they’ll soak up the oil and get soggy.
Cook the sausage and eggs. Set a large skillet over medium heat and brown the sausage.
While the sausage cooks, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and paprika. Transfer the cooked sausage to a bowl or plate, drain any excess grease, and scramble the eggs.
Finish the filling. Once the eggs are cooked, add the sausage back to the skillet, along with the cheddar cheese, bell pepper, pepper jack cheese, and onion.
Assemble. Place the egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface, with one of the corners facing you. Put about 2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of the wrapper.
Fold the bottom corner up and over the filling, then fold the two outer corners into the center like an envelope.
Brush the remaining corner with water and roll up to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Cook your breakfast egg rolls. Place 4 egg rolls into the preheated oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until they’re golden. Remove the egg rolls from the oil and place them on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with the remaining egg rolls.
FAQs
While these breakfast egg rolls actually do have egg in them, a traditional egg roll does not—not even in the egg roll wrapper! So where does the name come from? It’s believed to originate with a 1917 Chinese-American cookbook which contained a recipe called Dan Gun, or egg roll, which had meat and vegetables wrapped in an egg. Somehow this morphed into the egg rolls we know and love today.
Egg roll wrappers are simply thinly rolled out dough, so they’re not particularly healthy or unhealthy.
How to make these breakfast egg rolls your own
Here are some ways to switch up this recipe and put your own spin on it.
- Make them with hash browns. You can cook hash browns and tuck them into the egg rolls instead of or in addition to either the eggs or the sausage.
- Make them vegan. Swap the eggs for tofu scramble, the breakfast sausage for your favorite plant-based sausage, and the cheese for dairy-free cheese.
- Make baked breakfast egg rolls or air fried breakfast egg rolls. You can spray the egg rolls with cooking spray or oil and bake them for 15-20 minutes at 400ºF, or air fry them if you want to avoid deep frying. (18 minutes at 400ºF should get the job done).
- Make them with bacon. Swap the breakfast sausage for cooked, crumbled bacon.
Make Ahead Ideas
You can make the filling in advance, or assemble the breakfast egg rolls up to the point of frying. They’ll keep in the fridge for a day or two in an airtight container.
Storage Suggestions
Leftover breakfast egg rolls can be stored in an airtight container or baggie in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating Tips
Reheat leftover breakfast egg rolls in the microwave until warmed through, in an air fryer, or in a 400ºF oven.
More savory breakfast recipes
Get the Recipe: Breakfast Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- ½ lb breakfast sausage
- 5 eggs
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
- ⅓ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 3 tablespoons diced red onion
- 15 egg roll wrappers
- Water for brushing
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large stock pot over medium heat, preheat 3″ of oil to 350°. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage. While the sausage is cooking, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper and paprika. Once the sausage is cooked, remove from the skillet and drain any extra fat. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and cook. Once the eggs are cooked, combine sausage, eggs, cheddar cheese, bell pepper, pepper jack cheese and onion.
- Place egg roll wrappers on a clean surface, with one of the corners facing you. Put about 2 Tbsp of the egg roll mixture into the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner up and over the filling. Next, fold the two outward corners into the center like an envelope. Brush the remaining corner with water and roll the egg roll up to seal. Repeat the rolling process with the remaining wrappers and filling.
- Once all wrappers have been rolled, place 4 into the preheated oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Once cooked, remove the egg rolls from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat the frying process with the remaining egg rolls.
Notes
Variations:
- Make them with hash browns. You can cook hash browns and tuck them into the egg rolls instead of or in addition to either the eggs or the sausage.
- Make them vegan. Swap the eggs for tofu scramble, the breakfast sausage for your favorite plant-based sausage, and the cheese for dairy-free cheese.
- Make baked breakfast egg rolls or air fried breakfast egg rolls. You can spray the egg rolls with cooking spray or oil and bake them for 15-20 minutes at 400ºF, or air fry them if you want to avoid deep frying. (18 minutes at 400ºF should get the job done).
- Make them with bacon. Swap the breakfast sausage for cooked, crumbled bacon.
Storage:
- Egg rolls may be stored in an airtight container or baggie in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat leftover breakfast egg rolls in the microwave until warmed through, in an air fryer, or in a 400ºF oven.