These Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls live up to the online hype. We took our years of experience making egg rolls and applied it to this American twist on them. They’re pretty easy to make, with no shortage of melty cheese, sweet onions, and beef!
A Beloved American Egg Roll
In spite of how popular Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls have become, I have to confess…I’ve been avoiding making these for a while now. I think the idea of making Philly cheesesteak egg rolls probably crossed our desks somewhere before 2018. Let’s just say I’ve been procrastinating ever since.
In the ensuing years, we’ve covered our bases on egg rolls, making classic Pork and Shrimp Egg Rolls, Chicken Egg Rolls, Vegetable Egg Rolls, heck even Cheesecake Factory copycat Avocado Egg Rolls. This year, I found myself with nowhere to hide.
Turns out that these Philly cheesesteak egg rolls are easier to make than I thought, and boy are they GOOD. I couldn’t stop eating them. They disappeared quick!
Recipe Notes
Philly cheesesteak recipes in general have minimal seasoning. It’s really just salt, pepper, onions, beef, and cheese. For our take on the Philly Cheesesteak egg roll, I add dark soy sauce for deep umami flavor and a rich color, as well as both white pepper and black pepper to give the mixture a little extra something.
When it comes to cheese, I use sliced yellow American here for maximum gooey power, but you can also use a sharper melting cheese like provolone.
I found the American cheese had a tendency to escape in the hot frying oil. Some of it will fry up into a cheesy “dust” that you should sieve out with a fine-mesh strainer after each batch. It’s mildly annoying, but in my opinion, not a dealbreaker.
It’s also the reason why I provide pan frying instructions as well, which does not have the cheese leakage issue.
If you have the time, you can try chilling the rolled egg rolls in the fridge for an hour before frying. My hunch is that it may firm up the cheese and help things hold together a bit better.
Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls: Recipe Instructions
If the beef isn’t already thinly shaved, thinly slice it against the grain. This is much easier when the beef is partially frozen. With the slices in a pile, and run your knife through them to roughly chop.
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions and peppers. Let them cook down until softened and translucent. Add the beef and let it brown (no need to crisp it up).
Season with the garlic powder, salt, black pepper, white pepper, and dark soy sauce. Stir to combine, cook for a few more minutes, and remove from the heat.
Let the mixture cool slightly and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
To assemble your egg rolls, prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Lay out an egg roll wrapper in a diamond formation, with the point facing you. Fold a slice of cheese into fourths (in half and then in half again) so you have a long piece of cheese. Place that on the center of the egg roll wrapper. Pile about a ¼ cup of the beef mixture onto the cheese. Place another folded piece of cheese on top of the beef mixture. If you don’t want as much cheese, just omit the second slice of cheese.
Pull the bottom corner of the wrapper over the beef and cheese, tucking it in tightly. Fold the sides over the filling, brush the top half of the exposed wrapper with egg wash, and wrap up the egg roll tightly.
Place seam-side down on the parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to assemble all 16 egg rolls. (Note from Bill: You can also start with a foundation of beef, then the cheese, then more beef. This will give you a more centered cheese melt in the egg roll. But I found it harder to keep the beef from scattering.)
There are two ways to cook the egg rolls:
Option 1: Deep-frying
In a medium deep pot, deep-fry the egg rolls in batches of three or four for 4 minutes in 325-340°F (160-170°C) oil. There may be some cheese that leaks out into the oil. Remove it with a fine-mesh sieve between batches.
Option 2: Pan-frying
Heat ½ cup oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Shallow-fry the egg rolls, flipping them on each side to brown, and then on the bare narrow sides too to get them uniformly crispy. When compared to deep-frying, they won’t be quite as crunchy when you bite into them, but this method uses much less oil.
As the egg rolls are done cooking, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.
To serve, cut a few in half with a sharp serrated knife first to avoid burning your mouth.
If you’re looking for a dipping sauce, I love these with my favorite vinegar-based hot sauce (e.g., Louisiana Crystal). I bet they’d also be tasty with my dad’s Chinese hot mustard. If you’re a steak sauce lover, you could try that as well! Word on the street is they’re good with Ranch dressing. As for a creamy dressing, my mind turns to our Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing.
Any uneaten egg rolls can be cooled and then frozen in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake them in the oven at 350°F/175°C, or air-fry them at 350°F/175°C—for 10 to 15 minutes, until crispy.
Craving a cheesesteak sandwich?
Recently, I’ve been craving cheesesteaks again. Not long ago, I resurrected a childhood staple of ours: an after-school cheesesteak made with chopped up deli roast beef, sliced onions and whatever cheese we had laying around on two slices of sandwich bread.
It’s one of the first “recipes” I cooked after school on my own. That said, I think this beef mixture would taste pretty stellar on a sub roll with melted cheese if you’re looking for a bit of a twist on the classic Philly cheesesteak!
Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!
Recipe
Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds beef such as thinly shaved hot pot beef (usually beef chuck rolls), ribeye, chuck roast, or boneless loin tri tip
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large sweet onion finely diced
- ¼ cup finely diced green bell pepper (or use poblano pepper, jalapeño, or serrano if you want some heat!)
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 16 egg roll wrappers
- 1-1½ pounds thinly sliced American cheese enough for 1 thick slice or 2 thinner slices per egg roll
- 1 egg beaten
- Neutral oil for frying
Instructions
Assemble the egg rolls:
- If the beef isn’t already thinly shaved, thinly slice it against the grain. This is much easier when the beef is partially frozen. With the slices in a pile, and run your knife through them to roughly chop.1½ pounds beef
- In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions and peppers. Let them cook down until softened and translucent. Add the beef and let it brown (no need to crisp it up). Season with the garlic powder, salt, black pepper, white pepper, and dark soy sauce. Stir to combine, cook for a few more minutes, and remove from the heat. Let the mixture cool slightly and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 large sweet onion, ¼ cup finely diced green bell pepper, 1½ teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- To assemble your egg rolls, prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Lay out an egg roll wrapper in a diamond formation, with the point facing you. Fold a slice of cheese into fourths (in half and then in half again) so you have a long piece of cheese. Place that on the center of the egg roll wrapper. Pile about a ¼ cup of the beef mixture onto the cheese. Place another folded piece of cheese on top of the beef mixture. If you don’t want as much cheese, just omit the second slice of cheese.16 egg roll wrappers, 1-1½ pounds thinly sliced American cheese
- Pull the bottom corner of the wrapper over the beef and cheese, tucking it in tightly. Fold the sides over the filling, brush the top half of the exposed wrapper with egg wash, and wrap up the egg roll tightly.1 egg
- Place seam-side down on the parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to assemble all 16 egg rolls.
Cooking Option 1 – Deep-frying
- In a medium deep pot, deep-fry the egg rolls in batches of three or four for 4 minutes in 325-340°F (160-170°C) oil. There may be some cheese that leaks out into the oil. Remove it with a fine-mesh sieve between batches.Neutral oil
Cooking Option 2 – Pan-frying
- Heat ½ cup oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Shallow-fry the egg rolls, flipping them on each side to brown, and then on the bare narrow sides too to get them uniformly crispy. When compared to deep-frying, they won’t be quite as crunchy when you bite into them, but this method uses much less oil.
- As the egg rolls are done cooking, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. To serve, cut a few in half with a sharp serrated knife first to avoid burning your mouth.
