All the flavors of your favorite Chinese egg roll made lighter, faster, and in one skillet! This egg roll in a bowl is a quick, healthy dinner that’s ready in just 20 minutes.
The best part? It all comes together in one skillet with minimal prep. Thanks to coleslaw mix and pre-shredded carrots, there’s no chopping involved, and you can even snip green onions straight into the pan. Customize it with your favorite ground meat, adjust the seasonings, or toss in extra veggies to suit your family’s tastes.
Eggroll in a Bowl is a Perfect Weeknight Dinner
It’s like an egg roll without the deep fried wrapper!
This egg roll in a bowl recipe is a quick, healthy dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights. It has all the savory flavor of a classic egg roll filling; no deep frying required! With lean ground meat, crisp veggies, and a simple stir-fry sauce, it’s a wholesome meal you can keep low carb or bulk up with rice or noodles.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Use any ground meat that you like. We prefer ground pork, but ground turkey, ground beef, ground chicken, and ground sausage are all tasty here.
- Sesame oil is an essential ingredient for that true Asian flavor. Do not substitute with a different oil. The sesame oil has a unique nutty flavor that’s hard to replicate with other ingredients, and it truly makes the dish! You can find sesame oil in the Asian or International foods aisle at just about every grocery store these days, or order it online. Use any extra sesame oil in recipes like chicken and broccoli lo mein, chicken and bell pepper stir fry, sweet and sour meatballs, and ramen noodle coleslaw.
- Rice vinegar adds an acidic component that brightens up the sauce.
- I prefer low sodium soy sauce (or light soy sauce), but coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari will also work as gluten-free substitutes.
- Hoisin sauce is a thick, rich, sweet-and-salty Chinese bbq sauce that adds great flavor to the stir-fry. Find it in the Asian or International foods aisle at your grocery store, or order it online.
- A bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix is a perfect shortcut so that you don’t have to shred your own cabbage. Adding some broccoli slaw would yield a different texture and flavor, but would also work.
- You might not need any extra salt (since the sauce has a good amount of sodium), so taste it first and then season.
SO good … fast, easy and SO SO GOOD! I made it, loved it and then made it the following week again. I live on my own so I had it a few times each week!
– Cindy
How to Make Egg Roll in a Bowl with Coleslaw Mix
Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go, because this dish comes together very quickly!
- Brown the meat in a large skillet or wok on the stovetop. Don’t stir the meat too much while it’s browning. Let it sit for a few minutes before you break it up with a spoon. This helps the meat retain moisture and stay tender.
- Add the onion, oil, and vinegar; cook until the onion is tender.
- Stir in the slaw mix, carrots, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce.
- Stir-fry until the veggies are tender. Add the scallions and serve in individual bowls!
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Equipment
- Large skillet (I own and love this Smithey Ironware Co. cast iron skillet)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground meat (we love ground pork, but you can also use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground beef)
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¼ cup less sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (or add extra 1 tablespoon or so for a sweeter, richer sauce)
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic (use pre-minced fresh garlic for an easy shortcut)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 ½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger (use a bottle of pre-minced fresh ginger for an easy shortcut)
- 1 (16 ounce) bag coleslaw mix
- ½ cup grated or “matchstick” carrots
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: sliced green onions, chives, fresh cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, crunchy chow mein noodles, and/or a squeeze of fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground meat and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain off excess grease; return meat to skillet.
- Add diced onion, sesame oil, and rice vinegar to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 4-5 more minutes.
- Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, coleslaw mix, and carrots to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for about 5-7 more minutes, or until the cabbage wilts.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the green onions and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
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- Do not omit the toasted sesame oil. It’s what gives the dish that quintessential “Asian” egg roll taste!
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- Use this recipe as a base and play around with the ingredients to suit your preferences. You might like to add diced celery, diced sweet bell peppers, snap peas, snow peas, or baby corn. An extra tablespoon or two of hoisin sauce also adds great flavor and richness to the sauce.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
This easy egg roll in a bowl recipe is delicious on its own, or equally tasty when paired with sides like rice or cauliflower rice; ramen noodles, rice noodles, lo mein noodles, or spaghetti; frozen egg rolls; and steamed broccoli. The eggroll filling is also tasty wrapped in mandarin pancakes or flour tortillas and garnished with extra hoisin sauce or plum sauce (like mu shu pork).
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It gets soggy as the vegetables sit and absorb the sauce, but the flavor is still great! Some folks love to double or triple the batch to have extras in the fridge for quick meal prep.
- Reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1 minute, or reheat a larger quantity in a skillet over low heat just until warmed through.
- I do not recommend freezing the leftovers. The cabbage and other vegetables will have a mushy texture when thawed, and will release extra water that thins the sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Use any ground meat that you prefer. We love ground pork in this dish, but ground beef, ground chicken, ground sausage, and ground turkey are also good options.
- Add egg to the filling. Just before serving, make a well in the center of the pan. Crack an egg into the pan, scramble, and cook until done. Mix the egg into the rest of the ingredients.
- For a vegetarian egg roll in a bowl, omit the ground meat and bulk up the stir-fry with mushrooms, diced tofu, or other veggies of choice (like bean sprouts).
- If you choose to shred your own green cabbage instead of using a bag of coleslaw mix, you will need a total of about 6 ¾ cups of finely-shredded cabbage.
- Make it spicy by garnishing individual servings with sriracha sauce or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Cooking just for two? Cut the ingredients in half. The instructions remain the same.
- If you’re looking for even more quick stir-fry recipes, be sure to try this ground beef stir fry with cabbage, a pan of chicken and broccoli stir fry, this 15-minute honey garlic shrimp, this pepper steak with onion, and this teriyaki ground beef, too!
Awesome! My husband was skeptical at first but finished all and wants it again.
– Connie
More Asian-Inspired Recipes to Try
Dump-and-Bake Healthy General Tso Chicken
40 minutes mins
Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
40 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Egg Roll Casserole
1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Originally published in May, 2018, this post was updated in August, 2025.
This came out amazing! I used 1lb of ground chicken and followed all directions. I did not have ginger, so that was omitted. This was a hit, there was no leftovers!
Thank you for sharing this, it will definitely be in the rotation.
We’re so happy to hear this, Tom! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review.
I made it for supper tonight. All of us love it. It tastes so good and simple to make. I doubled the recipe. I used apple cider vinegar because I always have it on hand. I used 4 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce, extra garlic, Sriracha hot sauce coz all of us love spicy food. I used Tamari soy sauce and decided to add “Better Than Bouillon” this time. We ate it with rice. Thank you for the yummy recipe.
We’re. so glad you enjoyed it and were able to adjust it to suit your preferences! We appreciate you taking the time to leave yourreview.
Delicious egg roll in a bowl recipe. Followed recipe exactly using pork. Great to take to work and reheat for lunch. Thanks so much!
Thank you, Lois! I agree — it reheats so well! 🙂
Easy and delicious
Thanks, Deanna!
Great recipe! I used some chopped cabbage that I had frozen before we went on vacation. I so appreciate you adding quantities for subbing in our own veggies as well as what to serve alongside it!
What recommendations do you have for a side dish to go with this. Since the stars of the dish are veggies, do you recommend a starchy side dish, like farro, or rice?
Hi, Kazy! You’re exactly right — we typically serve this with cooked white rice. I often add some actual egg rolls (from the frozen section) or dumplings on the side as well to fill up my boys!
Delicious!! I made it with no adjustments!
Thank you, Charmaine!
This is the standard, what the heck do I make for dinner? solution. The only minor change I make is to add Bean Sprouts which adds a nice crunch.
Thank you, Jane!
Quick and delicious recipe! A family favorite.
Thank you, Jenny! We’re so happy to hear this.
This dinner is fabulous, what a great time saving meal.
Thank you
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Tracy!
Absolutely delicious and so simple. Always on rotation at home.
Thank you, Jenny! We’re so glad you enjoy it.
I so appreciate your recipes. Grew up in the South!
Thank you, Sandra! I hope that you find some nostalgic dishes on my site that bring back good memories!
Something was off about this recipe and it didn’t taste right
We’re sorry to hear this, Betty. It’s one of our most popular recipes!
I make this recipe every other week. It is excellent! My only add is wonton strips. It’s a hit with entire family.
Thank you, Sandi! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Best egg roll in a bowl recipe!!!
Thank you so much, Micaela!
This recipe is easy and super delicious. I have celiac and made a gluten-free version using gluten-free soya and hoisin sauces (thankfully, they exist!). I shredded fresh cabbage that I happened to have and grated some ginger root that I keep in the freezer instead of using powder. For the meat, I used grass-fed lean ground beef which I’d never tried before but got on sale. I made rice cooker brown rice which was absolutely wonderful with the egg roll mixture and an added dash of Tamari. Can’t wait to try it with shrimp or chicken.
Thank you for the feedback, Natalie. We’re so glad you were able to make this recipe work for you and are happy to hear you enjoyed it! We appreciate you taking the time to leave your feedback.
Awesome with ground chicken! Added water chestnuts!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jane!
i6ngyd
Just made this tonight. Fast, very tasty meal. Will definitely make again.
Thank you, Donna! We’re glad you enjoyed it.
Wow, this was super yummy and so easy to make. I used ground chicken and also made one with veggie crumbles and it was perfect. Made some scrambled eggs with the left overs and put it in a tortilla. Thanks for such a yummy recipe
Thank you, Anne! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.