So the first time I made Egg Roll In A Bowl, I had, like, half the right groceries and absolutely none of the right attitude. (It was raining, and the dog ate my grocery list—no, seriously.) But the kids were hungry, and honestly, I’ve always found regular egg rolls kind of fussy, so here we are. If you’re anything like me and love the *idea* of crunchy, savory egg rolls but without all the faff, you’re in for a treat. Just a warning: your kitchen might smell like a takeout joint by the end, but hey, is that ever a bad thing? Didn’t think so.

But Why Do I Keep Making This?

I make Egg Roll In A Bowl when I’m short on patience (Mondays, mostly) or when I want to feel like I’ve cooked something fun without deep frying or rolling anything. My family goes absolutely nuts for it, especially if I get generous with the ginger (which, by the way, was a happy accident the first time). It’s quick, it’s cheap, and you can sneak a whole bag of veggies by even the pickiest eaters—well, unless you have that one cousin who’ll pick out every carrot because, apparently, carrots are “suspicious.” Oh, and I used to always overcook the cabbage—turned out limp and sad—but now I’ve figured out a trick with the timing, so I’ll share that, too.

Here’s What You’ll Need (Give or Take)

1 pound ground pork (sometimes I use ground turkey, and honestly, it’s fine—my grandmother would probably disagree with that, but she also put raisins in potato salad, so…)
Half a big onion, diced (or a whole one if you’re an onion person; red, yellow, whatever you’ve got is good)
3 cloves of garlic, minced (I cheat with the jarred stuff when I’m lazy, and so can you)
1 thumb-sized knob of fresh ginger, grated (powdered will work in a pinch, just not as fab)
1 bag (about 14 oz or a big handful, if you’re measuring with your heart) of coleslaw mix—sometimes I shred my own cabbage, but then the sink fills up with bits, so the bag is easier
3 tablespoons soy sauce (or coconut aminos if you’re, you know, one of those folks)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (totally worth it, but if you’re out, just skip—olive oil’s okay but not really the same)
Optional: a spoonful of hoisin or sriracha if you like a kick (kids apparently don’t, who knew?)
2 green onions, sliced for topping (sometimes I forget these and nobody yells)
Handful of crispy wonton strips or sesame seeds, for crunch (TBH, I’ve crumbled old ramen noodles on top once. It was… fine.)

How I Throw It All Together

First, find your biggest skillet or wok—if you don’t have one, any old frying pan will do, just be prepared for a bit of veggie overflow. Heat it up with a splash of oil (medium-high-ish? It doesn’t need to be rocket science) and toss in the ground pork. Stir it around, breaking it up, until it gets all browned and crumbly—this is when I usually sneak a bite to check for seasoning. Who’s watching?
Add your onions, garlic, and ginger; let them get fragrant. (For me, it’s about three minutes, but honestly, I just wait until my kitchen smells amazing.)
Dump in the coleslaw mix. It’ll look like way too much, but trust me—it cooks down faster than you can say “What’s that smell?” Toss it all together. If bits fall on the stove, meh, nobody ever died from a stray carrot.
Now, splash in your soy sauce, sesame oil, and whatever spicy business you like. Stir. Let it cook just till the cabbage is soft but not mushy—this took me about 5-7 minutes, but you do you. Don’t worry if it looks a bit weird at this stage—it always does for me, then sorts itself out.
Give it a taste; lately, I’ve started using a squeeze of lime right at the end. Not traditional, but it perks it up.
Spoon it into bowls, scatter green onions and your crunchy business on top, and try to eat before the rest of your family steals your portion.

Notes From My Messy Kitchen

If you overcook the cabbage, it gets kinda soupy. I learned the hard way. Keep an eye on it, and actually, I find it works better if you turn off the heat just before it looks totally done—the residual warmth finishes it.
Sometimes I forget the ginger and just toss in more garlic; it’s still good, just different good.
On second thought, make extra. It reheats weirdly well, and sometimes I think it tastes better the next day (if it lasts).

Ideas I’ve Tried (Some Wins, Some Misses)

Swapped pork for leftover rotisserie chicken—pretty delish, just shred it and add with the veggies.
Tried it with tofu once and, well, it turned out kinda beige and bland because I forgot to season properly—don’t be like me, taste as you go!
Added a sprinkle of five-spice once. Not for everyone, but it does make it taste more “Chinese takeout,” which my husband loves.

What If I Don’t Have a Wok?

Honestly, half the time I use my battered old frying pan because I can’t ever find my wok. As long as you don’t overload the pan, it’ll still work. If things start escaping onto the stovetop, just grab a spatula and herd them back in—no shame in a bit of mess.

How Does This Keep?

Fridge-wise, it keeps for maybe 2-3 days in a sealed container, but, though honestly, in my house it never lasts more than a day! If you warm it back up, splash a little water or soy sauce in so it doesn’t dry out. Or eat it cold—yep, I’ve done that at 2 a.m. before and survived.

How Do I Serve This?

We scoop it into bowls and, if we’re feeling fancy, I’ll toss some toasted sesame seeds on top. I have a friend who insists it has to be rolled in lettuce leaves (like fancy restaurant-style), but mostly we just eat it standing in the kitchen chatting—or the kids pile it over sticky rice, which, I’ll admit, is next-level good even though it kind of beats the whole low-carb part. Oh! For more crunchy toppings, I peeked at Gina’s version on Skinnytaste the first time and she’s got lots of ideas too.

Pro Tips and Oops Moments

I once tried rushing the cabbage stage on high heat and regretted it—ended up with burned bits and raw crunch, not ideal. Take ten minutes, it’s worth it.
If you salt before adding the cabbage, it sometimes sweats out too much water; now I add soy at the end. Little tweaks matter!
Actually, prepping everything ahead makes this smoother than I used to think—trying to cut garlic while the pork sizzles is how you end up with burnt meat and half-chopped hands.
If you want to see it done step-by-step, I like this YouTube video (props to anyone who can chop that fast, ha!)

Egg Roll In A Bowl FAQ (From Real People, Promise)

Can I use ground beef instead? Oh, definitely. It’s richer, but still tasty. Actually, lean beef works best or it gets a bit greasy, but you can just blot some out with a paper towel. Or don’t, nobody’s judging.
Can I freeze it? It’s… okay. Texture gets a little mushy, but if you’re just looking for flavor and you’re lazy like me, pop it in a freezer bag for up to a month. I forget about mine, but maybe you’re more organized.
Do I have to use coleslaw mix? Nope! You can shred green and red cabbage, carrots, or whatever veg is withering in your fridge (I once used kale because I had to get rid of it; wasn’t bad, just a bit chewy).
Why is my bowl watery? Probably too much liquid from the veggies—cook a bit longer next time, or drain off the extra. Sometimes mine is a little soupy, but the flavor’s there, which is what matters to me.
What sauces go with this? At our place, we just mix up a quick sauce: a splash of soy, drizzle of sriracha, and a bit of honey. Kids like it mild, I go nose-tingling spicy. You do you.

Side note—every time I make this, someone says “Hey, shouldn’t there be an actual egg?” And look, you could scramble in an egg at the end for good measure. But tradition is what you make it, right?

If you’re looking for another easy dinner that saves you on a weeknight, check Chungah’s blog Damned Delicious—I pinch ideas form her all the time.