Avocado Egg Rolls. A guilty pleasure proffered by that most guilt-inducing of restaurant chains––The Cheesecake Factory.
A Food Blogger’s Guilty Pleasure
As food bloggers, we get a lot of questions about where we like to eat, especially since we live in the NYC area.
Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the truth is, while we of course venture out to try restaurants in and around the city––from trendy and talked-about to hole-in-the-wall types––sometimes, all we want is a plate of Factory Meatloaf, the colossal Chicken Romano, and of course, the avocado egg rolls.
Yes, we food bloggers sometimes LIKE to go to the Cheesecake Factory. With their giant portions, text wall of a menu, and luscious strawberry cheesecake. GUILTY.
Am I ashamed to admit all this? Maybe a little.
Am I shamelessly attempting to replicate a Cheesecake Factory recipe right now? Absolutely.
Walk into any Cheesecake Factory and scan the tables around you. Everyone seems to have ordered the avocado egg rolls. The filling is essentially guacamole––with some larger chunks of avocado purposely left in to create a chunkier texture. I also included sun-dried tomato in this version, which I adapted from a recipe on another popular blog, Damn Delicious.
They’re refreshing, crispy, and delicious, especially with the cilantro dipping sauce. Make these avocado egg rolls for your next summer party, and watch them disappear faster than you can say cheesecake.
Here’s how to make them!
Avocado Egg Rolls: Recipe Instructions
In a bowl, mash two avocados.
Take a third avocado and dice it into small pieces. Toss it into the mixture, along with a diced tomato, 5 finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
To wrap the egg rolls…
Start by positioning the egg roll wrappers in front of you with one corner pointing at you (so you’re looking at a diamond shape). Place about 2 tablespoons of the avocado filling in the lower center of the wrapper.
Fold the corner over…
Tucking the wrapper under the filling tightly.
Press your fingers on either end of the filling, to flatten the wrapper around it.
And fold in the sides.
Roll up until you reach the top of the wrapper.
Dampen the top corner of the wrapper with beaten egg.
And seal the egg roll.
Repeat with the remaining egg roll wrappers and filling. For more tips on making egg rolls, check our article on How to Fold Egg Rolls.
Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pan, deep cast iron skillet, or Dutch oven over medium high heat to 350 degrees F. Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.
Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside. If you do not have a blender or food processor, simply mince the cilantro, garlic, and red chili, and combine with the sour cream, honey, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
Fry the egg rolls in small batches, no letting the oil temperature go below 325 degrees F (adding the egg rolls with cool down the oil). Fry for about 3 minutes until golden brown, swirling them around to fry them evenly.
You’ll notice that when they start to get golden brown, the oil around the egg rolls will begin to spatter. This means that the egg roll skin has cooked to the point where the moisture of the filling is coming in contact with the oil, and that they should be cooked through. If you continue cooking them much longer, they’ll burst.
They can also burst if cooked at too low a temperature for too long, so keep an eye on your thermometer.
If, during the frying process, you get any small particles in the oil, use a fine-meshed strainer to remove the particles. If left unattended, particles will eventually burn and stick to your beautiful avocado egg rolls and shorten the life of your frying oil!
Once all the avocado egg rolls are fried, serve them with your dipping sauce!
If you’re looking for similar recipes, check out my dad’s traditional takeout egg roll recipe, and one of my absolute all-time favorites––my mom’s spring rolls. Happy Cooking!
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Recipe
Avocado Egg Rolls
Ingredients
For the egg rolls:
- 3 avocados (halved, peeled and seeded)
- 1 medium tomato (diced)
- 5 sun-dried tomatoes (finely chopped)
- 1 small red onion (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Juice of 1 lime
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 20-24 egg roll wrappers
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 3 cups vegetable oil (or about 1 inch of oil in the pan)
For the dipping sauce:
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (loosely packed)
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 red chili (de-seeded, optional)
- 1 clove garlic
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, mash two avocados. Take a third avocado and dice it into small pieces. Toss it into the mixture, along with a diced tomato, 5 finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, chopped red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
- To wrap the egg rolls, position the egg roll wrappers in front of you with one corner pointing at you (so you’re looking at a diamond shape). Place about 2 tablespoons of the avocado filling in the lower center of the wrapper. Fold the corner over, tucking the wrapper under the filling tightly. Press your fingers on either end of the filling, to flatten the wrapper around it, and fold in the sides. Roll up until you reach the top of the wrapper. Dampen the top corner of the wrapper with beaten egg, and seal the egg roll. Repeat with the remaining egg roll wrappers and filling.
- Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pan, deep cast iron skillet, or dutch oven over medium high heat to 350 degrees F. Line a plate with paper towels and set aside.
- Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside. If you do not have a blender or food processor, simply mince the cilantro, garlic, and red chili, and combine with the sour cream, honey, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
- Fry the egg rolls in small batches, no letting the oil temperature go below 325 degrees F (adding the egg rolls with cool down the oil). Fry for about 3 minutes until golden brown, swirling them around to fry them evenly.
- You’ll notice that when they start to get golden brown, the oil around the egg rolls will begin to spatter. This means that the egg roll skin has cooked to the point where the moisture of the filling is coming in contact with the oil, and that they should be cooked through. If you continue cooking them much longer, they’ll burst. They can also burst if cooked at too low a temperature for too long, so keep an eye on your thermometer. If, during the frying process, you get any small particles in the oil, use a fine-meshed strainer to remove the particles. If you have any particles in the oil, use a fine meshed strainer to take the the burned parts out.
- Once all the egg rolls are fried, serve them with your dipping sauce!
