Corned Beef Egg Rolls
Corned Beef Egg Rolls are the tastiest combination of corned beef, Swiss cheese and cabbage with a creamy mustard dipping sauce. Use leftover corned beef or deli meat for this Detroit speciality!
We’ve been trying to build up the St. Patrick’s Day recipe selection on this website a little bit more. Part of that is this appetizer recipe that will be perfect for leftover corned beef you might have after St. Patrick’s Day. You can also buy some corned beef from a deli specifically to make these for the holiday itself (or anytime), though!
As we’ll explain below, these corned beef egg rolls are a uniquely Detroit creation. But no matter where you hail from, we think you’ll find them fun to make and decadently delicious.
Why You’ll Love A Corn Beef Egg Roll
- Corned beef and cabbage are classic Irish ingredients, so enjoying them together wrapped in an egg roll wrapper is the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
- Traditional Irish food is generally pretty hearty, where you’re sitting down to a full meal, but these egg rolls are convenient finger foods that are easy to eat and share at parties.
Why Are Corned Beef Egg Rolls A Thing In Detroit?
Serious Eats has a detailed article about Detroit corned beef and how corn beef egg rolls came to be, and it’s a great read.
TLDR, Detroit used to be (and in some ways, still is) a mecca of Jewish delis and corned beef shops. When they sliced up corned beef for sandwiches, the delis were left with a lot of scraps (the pieces of beef too small to really use for sandwiches).
Food waste is like throwing money down the drain at any restaurant, so one Detroit deli started wrapping the scraps into egg rolls. This snack was so popular that many other delis followed suit.
Now, corned beef egg rolls and “Asian corned beef” are becoming almost as much of a regional speciality as Grilled Chicken Shawarma, coney dogs and Detroit Style Pizza!
Cornbeef Egg Rolls Ingredients
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.
- corned beef brisket – you can use left over corned beef from St. Patrick’s Day, or you can buy sliced corned beef from the deli counter. Both ways are delicious.
- Swiss cheese – some Detroit delis use cheese in their egg rolls, some do not, but we prefer the ones with cheese. It kind of binds everything together! Mozzarella works, too.
- coleslaw mix – we like to use a bag of coleslaw mix here because it gives us both cabbage and a little bit of carrot for color. But we discuss other options below.
- cider vinegar – we briefly heat the coleslaw mix in the microwave with some vinegar and water to give it a sour flavor reminsicent of sauerkraut. We’ll also be adding a splash of vinegar to the dipping sauce for acidity.
- sugar – just a little bit of sweetness makes these salty reuben egg rolls even more craveable.
- salt and pepper – seasoning the coleslaw mix is key.
- egg roll wrappers – these are usually found in the grocery store refrigerated produce section near the bean sprouts.
- vegetable oil – for frying the corned beef egg rolls. You can also use canola oil or any other type of oil suitable for deep frying.
- mayonnaise – the backbone of our creamy dipping sauce for this corned beef egg rolls recipe.
- Dijon mustard – for a sharp kick of heat in the sauce to balance the richness of the egg rolls.
- yellow mustard – for even more mustard flavor and color in the sauce.
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
Options For The Cabbage Situation
As we’ve mentioned, we used part of a bag of coleslaw mix for the cabbage element in this corned beef egg rolls recipe.
But if you don’t want to buy a bag of coleslaw mix for this recipe, we understand! You can use thinly sliced green or red cabbage here instead.
Or, you could even use sauerkraut. We would drain it and pat it dry with paper towels, and skip the microwaving step. You also wouldn’t need to add extra salt or sugar if you’re using sauerkraut.
How To Make A Corned Beef Egg Roll
1. SAUCE. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, yellow mustard and vinegar.
2. MICROWAVE. Place the coleslaw mix, vinegar and 1 tablespoon water in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 90 seconds, then drain off any excess liquid and blot coleslaw mix dry. Stir in the sugar, salt and pepper.
3. LAYER. Work with 2 egg roll wrappers at a time, with one corner of each wrapper pointed toward you. Divide 1/4 of coleslaw mixture between the two wrappers, placing the slaw in the lower middle of each wrapper. Divide 1/4 of the corned beef between the two wrappers, placing it over the slaw. Divide 1/4 of the cheese between the two wrappers, placing it over the corned beef.
4. WRAP. Fold the bottom corner of each wrapper up over the mixture. Fold right and left corners toward the center and continue rolling. Use your finger to brush a small amount of water on final corner to help seal egg roll. Place egg rolls on a plate and cover with plastic wrap or damp towel so they do not dry out. Repeat process with remaining egg roll wrappers and filling ingredients.
5. FRY. In two batches, transfer egg rolls to heated oil and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally. Remove from oil and transfer to paper towel-lined plate or wire rack to drain. Serve immediately with sauce for dipping.
Recipe For Corned Beef Egg Rolls Home Chef Tips
- Don’t overfill the wrappers. You’ll need less of the fillings than you think you will.
- Avoid overcrowding the frying pan, as it can lead to uneven cooking and soggy egg rolls. Fry them up in batches, allowing enough space for each roll to crisp up nicely.
- Invest in an instant read thermometer. This will help you check for the proper oil temperature for frying.
Change The Sauce To Make These More Like Reuben Egg Rolls
While some cornbeef egg rolls are served with a really sharp, almost 100% mustard-based sauce, we mellowed ours out with some mayonnaise.
But, you could also serve these with Thousand Island dressing. We would probably call them reuben egg rolls, then!
More Foxes Love Lemons Favorites
Corned Beef Egg Rolls
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
For the Egg Rolls:
- 1 ½ cups coleslaw mix
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
- 6 ounces thinly sliced or shredded cooked corned beef brisket
- 8 egg roll wrappers
Instructions
Make the Sauce:
- In medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, yellow mustard and vinegar.
Make the Egg Rolls:
- Place coleslaw mix and vinegar in medium microwave safe bowl and toss to combine. Add 1 tablespoon water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH 90 seconds. Carefully drain off any excess liquid and use paper towel to pat coleslaw mix dry.
- Add sugar, salt and pepper to coleslaw mix and toss until well combined.
- In large heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat to 375 degrees F.
- While oil is heating, roll the egg rolls. Working with 2 egg roll wrappers at a time, place wrappers on clean work surface with one corner of each wrapper pointed toward you. Divide 1/4 of coleslaw mixture, 1/4 of cheese and 1/4 of corned beef between the two wrappers, placing filling in lower middle of each wrapper. To fold, fold bottom corner of wrapper up over the mixture. Fold right and left corners toward center and continue rolling. Use your finger to brush a small amount of water on final corner to help seal egg roll. Place egg rolls on a plate and cover with plastic wrap or damp towel so they do not dry out. Repeat process with remaining egg roll wrappers and filling ingredients.
- In two batches, transfer egg rolls to heated oil and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally. Remove from oil and transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve immediately with sauce for dipping.
