Crispy and flavorful, these Southwestern egg rolls are filled with shredded chicken, black beans, corn, melty cheese, and just the right amount of heat. Ready in just 30 minutes from your air fryer, they’re perfectly crisped without deep-frying.
If you’ve ever had Chili’s Southwestern Egg Rolls, you know exactly the kind of appetizer we’re talking about. The kind you can’t stop eating and then wonder how you’ll have room for the main course! I put down a lot of Triple Dippers at Chili’s in my 20s and the egg rolls were always my favorite.
This Chili’s copycat recipe is not only easy but also better because it’s made in the air fryer, giving you all the crunch without the heavy grease of deep-frying. If you’ve ever had my air fryer mozzarella sticks or air fryer buffalo chicken wings, you’ll know what I mean!
Although if you prefer the classic method, I’ve got easy instructions for that too. Chili’s egg rolls are perfect on a party platter alongside air fryer buffalo chicken egg rolls and Big Mac egg rolls. They also work as a crowd-pleasing snack or game day appetizer!
I even walk you through how to roll them up like a pro, plus whip up a creamy avocado ranch sauce for dipping.
Air Fryer Southwest Egg Rolls
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s just as crispy without the grease splatter or heavy oils.
- Great for snack boards, party platters, and pre-dinner appetizers.
- Tons of smoky, spicy, and savory Southwestern flavors.
- Brings popular restaurant flavors to your kitchen. Check out my collection of over 40 restaurant copycat recipes for more ideas!
Helpful Tools
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Cooked chicken – Make things easy on yourself and use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store if you don’t already have leftover shredded chicken in the fridge. Chop it up small.
- Shredded Colby Jack cheese – Freshly grated cheese melts nicer than pre-shredded, but you can certainly use what you prefer.
- Fiesta corn – Drained, this can of corn comes with red and green bell peppers. I like it this way, but you can also use a can of plain corn or thawed frozen corn.
- Black beans, baby spinach, and red bell pepper– Finely chop the spinach so there’s enough of everything in each egg roll.
- Diced pickled jalapeno – For some tangy heat.
- Taco seasoning and onion powder – Adds a classic smoky, savory spice mix for extra flavor. Sometimes I’ll use diced green onion instead of onion powder. Both are great.
- Egg roll wrappers – You’ll need about 12. Not to be confused with spring roll wrappers!
- Olive oil or spray – For the air fryer. Brushing or spraying the rolls helps them turn golden brown.
- For the avocado ranch, You’ll need avocado, sour cream, buttermilk, and ranch seasoning. (if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, try my homemade buttermilk hack)
How to make Southwest Egg Rolls
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: In a small bowl, mix puréed avocado, sour cream, buttermilk, and ranch seasoning until smooth. Cover and refrigerate.
- Step Two: Mix the chicken, cheese, corn, beans, spinach, bell pepper, and seasoning in a large bowl until evenly combined.
- Step Three: Lay out an egg roll wrapper onto a clean, flat surface. Make it a diamond shape so that one of the corners is pointing at you. Have a small bowl of water nearby (this is to seal the edges).
- Step Four: Dip your finger into the water and run it around the edge of the wrapper. Then, add a couple of tablespoons of the filling, laying it down in a horizontal log. Fold up the bottom of the diamond towards the center, over the filling, and then and tuck in both ends and roll it up tightly.
- Step Five: Place the rolled-up southwestern eggrolls, about 5 or 6 at a time, seam side down, into the air fryer basket. Spray with cooking oil and cook for 10 minutes at 390°F, flipping at 6 minutes and adding extra spray. Slice them in half and serve with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!
- Do not overcrowd the basket. You want to leave room for the heat to circulate so they crisp up nicely without transferring steam.
- Try not to overstuff the filling. The seams might burst, and the wrapper might tear.
- I use a 5.8 quart air fryer which fits about 5-6 egg rolls at once.
- Make it even spicier with red pepper flakes or by using Pepper Jack cheese.
- Chili’s egg rolls are best enjoyed immediately out of the air fryer when they’re at their crispiest.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating Instructions
Bring back the crispiness by reheating your Southwestern egg rolls in the air fryer at 350°F for 5 minutes.
FAQ
Can I deep fry these instead?
To deep fry, add 2 cups of oil to a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the egg rolls in batches to avoid overcrowding and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Need more appetizer recipes? Try these:
Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs
Click here to view my entire collection of appetizer recipes.
Southwestern Egg Rolls Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Avocado Ranch
- 1 small avocado
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 Tablespoon ranch seasoning
For the Egg Rolls
- 1½ cups cooked chicken chopped small
- 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
- ½ cup fiesta corn drained
- ½ cup black beans drained & rinsed
- ½ cup baby spinach finely chopped
- ¼ cup red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon diced pickled jalapeno
- 1½ Tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- olive oil spray or avocado oil spray
Instructions
For the Avocado Ranch
- To a small bowl, mash the avocado until smooth. Add in the sour cream, buttermilk, and ranch seasoning and stir until smooth. Cover and move to the fridge while you prepare the egg rolls.1 small avocado, ½ cup sour cream, ¼ cup buttermilk, 1 Tablespoon ranch seasoning
For the Egg Rolls
- In a large bowl, add the chicken, cheese, corn, black beans, spinach, bell pepper, jalapeno, taco seasoning, and onion powder. Stir together until evenly combined.1½ cups cooked chicken, 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese, ½ cup fiesta corn, ½ cup black beans, ½ cup baby spinach, ¼ cup red bell pepper, 1 Tablespoon diced pickled jalapeno, 1½ Tablespoon taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon onion powder
- To a clean flat surface, lay out an egg roll wrapper into a diamond shape and place a small bowl of water nearby.12 egg roll wrappers
- Dip a finger into the water and wet the edge of the wrapper.
- Top the wrapper with approximately 2 Tablespoons of filling.
- Fold the bottom of the diamond up, tuck in both ends, and roll up tightly. Place seam side down on a plate as you assemble the rest of the egg rolls.
- Working in batches, place 5-6 egg rolls into the basket of the air fryer. Do not overcrowd. Spray them with oil and cook for 6 minutes at 390° F.olive oil spray
- Use tongs to flip, spray with more oil and cook for another 4 minutes or until golden.
- Slice in half and serve with the dipping sauce.
Notes
- I recommend using a rotisserie chicken or instant pot shredded chicken. Any plain, leftover cooked chicken will work.
- I like to use canned fiesta corn (has peppers it in) but plain canned corn, or frozen corn (thawed) can be used.
- They are best enjoyed immediately after air frying. Leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the air fryer to bring back the crisp (350°F for about 5 minutes).
- Diced green onion can be used in place of onion powder.
- I use a 5.8 quart air fryer and fit 5-6 egg rolls per batch.
- For additional heat, try pepper jack cheese and/or adding some red pepper flakes.
If you prefer to deep fry, heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the egg rolls, without overcrowding the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This was so much easier to make than I thought it would be. It was a great tasty recipe. Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes with us.
Aren’t they easy?! I’m so glad you liked them, thanks for letting me know 🙂