Soul rolls take everything you love about a good Southern soul food plate and wrap it up in one crispy bite. Mine are stuffed with seasoned ham, collard greens, mac and cheese, and plenty of flavor, then fried until the outside is golden and crunchy.
With Louisiana and Mississippi roots in my family, I’m serious about soul food actually tasting like soul food. The filling has to be seasoned, the wrapper has to stay crisp, and every bite should hit before you even reach for the dipping sauce.
Soul Rolls Ingredients
These are great to use up leftovers. Use whatever you like! I love to add meat and my favorite side dishes.
- Southern Soul Food Baked Mac and Cheese
- Southern Soul Food Collard Greens
- Mashed Potatoes
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Southern Pineapple Baked Ham
- Cajun Roasted Turkey
- Cranberry Sauce
How to Roll Egg Rolls
- Glaze the edges of the egg roll wrapper with water. This will soften the edges and make them easier to roll and stay secure.
- Add 2 tablespoons of filling to the center of the wrapper. Do not overstuff, you will struggle with closing the wrapper.
- Seal the wrapper diagonally to form a triangle.
- Fold the opposite sides together to form another triangle and then roll to close and seal.
How to Make Soul Rolls
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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- Add the filling to the egg roll wrappers and fold.
- Bake or air fry.
Soul Rolls Recipe
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Ingredients
- 6 egg roll wrappers
- 1 cup diced turkey or ham
- 1 cup baked macaroni and cheese
- 1 cup cooked collard greens Drained
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- cranberry sauce
- gravy
- cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Lay the egg roll wrappers (diagonally) on a dry, flat surface. Some egg roll wraps are really thin and flimsy. Monitor yours to determine if you may need to double wrap the egg rolls.
- I like to glaze the edges of each wrapper with a small amount of water. This will make them easier to roll. I use a cooking brush. You can also use your fingers.
- Place 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each wrapper. Seal and close the wrapper diaganally to form a triangle. Fold two opposite corners together to make a triangle, fold the sides in and then roll tightly. Use additional water if the wrapper becomes tough to roll. Repeat for each egg roll.
Baking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Place the egg rolls on the pan and spritz them with cooking oil.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil.
- Add the egg rolls to the basket. Do not stack or crowd the basket. Cook in batches if needed.
- Spritz the top of the egg rolls with cooking oil.
- Air fry on 400 degrees for 7 minutes.
- Open the air fryer and flip the egg rolls. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until crisp. Every air fryer brand will cook at varying speeds. Monitor your egg rolls to determine the appropriate time needed for your batch.
Notes
- Depending on the size of your egg roll wrappers, you may make more or less than the servings noted in the recipe.
- All egg roll wrappers are not the same. I have often used wrappers that fell apart while rolling or were just too thin. If this is the case for you, double wrap the egg rolls and use two sheets when you start add the filling and wrap.
- Egg roll wrappers are often coated in flour. If you see white spots on the surface of the egg rolls while cooking, spritz additional oil.
- If you're using any ingredients that are held in a sauce or broth, be sure to drain them prior to adding to the egg roll wrappers (like collard greens). Watery ingredients will cause the egg rolls to fall apart.
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Frequently Asked Questions and Recipe Pro Tips
Soul rolls are egg rolls stuffed with Southern and soul food-inspired fillings. Think of your favorite soul food plate wrapped inside a crispy, golden egg roll wrapper. The fillings vary, but you’ll often see combinations of chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, yams, or other Southern favorites.
Use egg roll wrappers, not spring roll wrappers. Egg roll wrappers are thicker and sturdy enough to hold heavier fillings without falling apart.
Make sure your fillings aren’t watery and let hot ingredients cool before assembling the rolls. Too much moisture trapped inside the wrapper will work against that crispy exterior.
They may be overfilled or rolled too loosely. Use enough filling to get a little of everything without packing them so full that the wrapper can’t close. Roll tightly and seal the edge well.
Brush the edges lightly with water before finishing the roll, then press firmly to seal. You don’t need much water. Too much can make the wrapper sticky and difficult to work with.
Yes. Spray or brush the outside with a little oil so they brown and crisp properly.
Yes, but I wouldn’t assemble them too far in advance. Cover them tightly and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook. The longer moist filling sits against the wrapper, the greater the chance of it becoming soggy.
Use the air fryer or oven to bring the crunch back. The microwave will heat them, but honey, that crispy wrapper is not surviving the trip.
Freeze them in a single layer first so they don’t stick together, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. This is also a great option when you want to prep a batch now and cook a few at a time later.
I love cranberry sauce. Cajun ranch, hot honey, spicy mayo, remoulade, or a sweet and spicy sauce all work well. The rolls should already have plenty of flavor, so the sauce is there to complement them, not save them.
More Leftover Thanksgiving Recipes
Leftover Turkey Nachos
Leftover Turkey and Rice Soup
Turkey Bone Broth
Leftover Ham and Cheese Panini
Turkey and Cheese Sliders
Leftover Turkey Chili
More Egg Roll Recipes
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Air Fryer Taco Egg Rolls
Caitlin says
Such a fun way to use thanksgiving leftovers! Super easy to make and great for a group. Cranberry sauce and gravy made great dipping sauces for the egg rolls.
staysnatched says
I love those for dipping!
P.J. Jones says
This recipe was actually pretty easy and straight forward. I found the wrappers in the produce section of my grocery store (Publix). I used all cold ingredients and made a lot of variations of the thanksgiving meal. This was my first time ever putting egg rolls in my air fryer, they were delicious and now I'm excited to make other types of egg rolls.
staysnatched says
Yes! More egg rolls for the win.
Nicolle says
This was such a fun way to use our leftovers this year! We mixed it up and tried a bunch of different combos and dipping in gravy and cranberry sauce just took it up a notch. Did we try an egg roll with some pie in it for a dessert too? Yes, yes we did. This will definitely be something we do again next year (and at Christmas!)
staysnatched says
haha! I love that. That sounds so good.