Air Fryer Rice Paper Rolls

If you’ve ever tried making air fryer spring rolls and ended up with chewy, patchy wrappers, you’re not alone. I’d pretty much written off rice paper rolls in the air fryer because home‑cooked food should taste better than takeaway spring rolls, not “almost as good”. After plenty of test batches and a few disasters, I finally landed on a different mix of ingredients and method, that gives you consistently crisp, golden air-fryer rice paper rolls. They have loads of flavour, colour and crunch – and they just happen to be a bit healthier, too. Now my family happily devours these lighter, healthier air fryer spring rolls, and I actually prefer making them with rice paper sheets.

So, how do we achieve all this?

Instead of soaking the rice paper in water and then spraying or brushing with oil, I’m using a simple egg, oil and tamari soak that does all the heavy lifting for you. The filling is completely up to you, but there is one non-negotiable: it must be cooked through and it must be cold before you roll.

Crispy Air Fryer Rice Paper Spring Rolls

Each ingredient in the soak has a job to do:

• Eggs: Help soften the rice paper and create a light, crisp shell as they cook, a bit like a delicate batter clinging to the surface.
• Neutral oil: Encourages even browning and crunch in the air fryer without needing extra spraying.
• Sesame oil: Adds a gentle nutty aroma and depth of flavour that works beautifully with Asian-style fillings. You can leave this out if you like.
• Tamari: Seasons the rice paper from the outside in, adding saltiness and umami so the wrapper itself is tasty, not bland. You could use light soy if you prefer.
• Water (optional): Thins the mixture slightly so you can coat more sheets without it becoming too rich or eggy.

Together they soften the rice paper, build flavour and help you achieve that satisfying, crunch in the air fryer.

Filling Guidelines

You can fill these air-fried rice paper rolls with whatever you like, but:

• The filling must be fully cooked.
• The filling must be cold before rolling.

Because the rolls only air fry for about 10 minutes at 220°C, you’re really just heating and crisping, not cooking from raw. Using cooled fillings also helps keep the rice paper easier to handle and reduces the risk of splitting.

The filling used in our “spring roll” video

For the batch in my video, I used:

• Shredded mixed vegetables (think carrot, cabbage, capsicum)
• Cooked prawns, chopped
• Mung bean noodles, soaked to soften then chopped
• Cooked garlic, crushed
• Spring onion, finely sliced
• All of this was cooked where necessary, seasoned, and cooled before I started rolling.

The video can be found here, or in the recipe card.

More Filling Ideas

You can have a lot of fun playing with flavours here. Try combinations like:

• Chicken & veg: Leftover roast chicken, finely shredded cabbage and carrot, spring onion and a little hoisin or teriyaki sauce.
• Pork & ginger: Cooked minced pork with ginger, garlic, finely chopped veggies and a splash of tamari.
• Prawn & corn: Cooked prawns, sweet corn kernels, finely chopped snow peas and a squeeze of lime.
• Veggie-packed: Stir-fried mushrooms, cabbage, carrot and beansprouts with tofu or tempeh for protein.
• Fried rice filling: Leftover fried rice (cooled) makes a fun, budget-friendly option, just chop it a little finer if needed.

As long as it’s cooked, cooled and not too wet, it will likely work inside these rolls.

Why make spring rolls in the air fryer?

Making spring rolls in the air fryer gives you all the crispy, golden crunch you love, without faffing about with a pot of hot oil or dealing with greasy splatters. I’ve tried the usual spring roll wrappers, but they can be fiddly to separate and sometimes tear, whereas rice paper sheets are easy to work with and turn beautifully crisp in the air fryer. The hot air circulates around each roll so they cook evenly, stay light and crunchy, and use just a fraction of the oil of deep frying, which is a win for “fakeaway” nights. It’s also quicker to preheat, easier to clean up, and perfect for a small batch of air fryer spring rolls as a snack, lunch, or easy starter.

Crunchy Rice Paper Rolls

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Looking for a healthier snack? These Air Fryer Rice Paper Rolls are incredibly crispy without the deep-frying. They can be packed with your fresh veggies and your choice of protein. Perfect for a quick lunch, party appetiser, or family dinner.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Difficulty Easy

Course Appetizer, Dinner or Entree

Cuisine Asian

Servings 8 sheets

Method Air Fryer

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Equipment

• 1 Air Fryer

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 20 g neutral oil e.g. light olive, rice bran or grapeseed
• 2 eggs
• 5 g sesame oil
• 5 g tamari or light soy sauce
• Splash of water optional (to help the soak go further if you’re making more rolls)
• 1 pack Rice Paper Sheets

Instructions

 

• In a shallow dish or tray, whisk together the eggs, oil, sesame oil and tamari until well combined.
• If you know you’ll be making more than 8 rolls, add a small splash of water and whisk again to thin the mixture slightly.
• Dip each sheet of rice paper into the soak, turning to coat it evenly. You want it softened but not falling apart.
• Place the soaked sheet on your board, fill (your choice of fillings), roll, and air fry at 220°C for about 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp, turning once if needed. Watch the video to see what I do for my air fryer.

Video

Want the to know more?

You can use the filling from my Deep fried chicken and Prawn Spring Rolls recipe. It will mak delicious Spring Rolls in your Air Fryer (without deep frying).