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!

As I mentioned last week when I shared my colcannon soup, I’m trying to build up the St. Patrick’s Day recipe selection on this website a little bit more.

While I can make a whole meal out of mini shepherds pies and Baileys brownies, I wanted to share something 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!

And, as I’ll explain below, these corned beef egg rolls are also a uniquely Detroit creation. But no matter where you hail from, I think you’ll find them fun to make and decadently delicious.

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. They were 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!

What you’ll need for this corned beef egg rolls recipe:

• 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 I prefer the ones with cheese. It kind of binds everything together! Mozzarella works, too.
• coleslaw mix – I like to use a bag of coleslaw mix here because it gives me both cabbage and a little bit of carrot for color. But I discuss other options below.
• cider vinegar – I 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 these corned beef and cabbage egg rolls.
• 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.

How to make corned beef egg rolls:

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. OIL. In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium heat to 375 degrees F. 

4. SLAW. While the oil is heating, roll the egg rolls. 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.

5. CORNED BEEF. Divide 1/4 of the corned beef between the two wrappers, placing it over the slaw.

6. CHEESE. Divide 1/4 of the cheese between the two wrappers, placing it over the corned beef.

7. FOLD. Fold the bottom corner of each wrapper up over the mixture.

8. ROLL. Fold right and left corners toward the center and continue rolling.

9. SEAL. 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.

10. REPEAT. Repeat process with remaining egg roll wrappers and filling ingredients.

11. 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 to drain. Serve immediately with sauce for dipping.

Options for the cabbage situation:

As I’ve mentioned, I used part of a bag of coleslaw mix for the cabbage element in this corned beef egg rolls recipe. You’ll have some left over, and there are ideas for how to use it up in the box right above the recipe card.

But if you don’t want to buy a bag of coleslaw mix for this recipe, I understand! You can use thinly sliced green or red cabbage here instead. If you have some of my best sauteed cabbage left over, that works, too.

Or, you could even use sauerkraut. I 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.

Change the sauce to make these more like reuben egg rolls:

While some corned beef egg rolls are served with a really sharp, almost 100% mustard-based sauce, I mellowed mine out with some mayonnaise.

But, you could also serve these with Thousand Island dressing. I would probably call them reuben egg rolls, then!

What to serve with corned beef egg rolls:

Serve these reuben egg rolls on their own as an appetizer or snack, or make a meal out of it by adding a soup. Sweet dumpling squash soup and old fashioned ham and beans are two of my favorites.

If you’d rather have a salad, the flavors in my salad for Easter would work really well with this corned beef egg rolls recipe.