Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls Recipe

Shaved steak hits the pan and the smell just takes over. Three ingredients basically—beef, peppers, onions—wrapped in something crispy and stuffed with melted cheese. That’s it. That’s the whole thing. Had a block of mozzarella and leftover steak one night. This happened. Now I make them constantly.

Why You’ll Love This Philly Cheesesteak Egg Roll Recipe

Takes 37 minutes total—15 to prep, 22 in the kitchen actually cooking. Comfort food that feels like you spent way more time than you did.

The filling tastes exactly like a real Philly cheesesteak but crispier. Fried shell. Melted cheese. Beef and peppers still have texture, not mushed.

Work as an appetizer, or just eat four of them for dinner. Not judging.

Dipping sauce situation is optional but recommended. Ranch, queso, cheese whiz—each one changes the whole thing. Or the cheese inside is enough and you’re done.

Leftover filing doesn’t exist because you’ll eat them all. If somehow it does—refrigerate it, reheat in an air fryer, gets almost as crispy as fresh.

What You Need for Beef Egg Rolls

Ribeye or sirloin, shaved thin. One pound. Don’t use ground beef—it gets grainy and sad. Shaved or roughly chopped is different. Shaved means it cooks fast. Roughly chopped means it has texture that holds.

One large onion, sliced thin. Red onions work. Yellow onions work better. White onion is too sharp. Just pick one and cut it thin.

Green bell pepper chopped small. Size matters here—bigger chunks stay too firm, tiny pieces disappear into the filling. Small means like the size of a pea, roughly.

Mozzarella cheese. One and a half cups shredded. Not low-moisture if you can help it—regular stuff melts better. Provolone works too. Cheddar is different but not bad. Don’t mix them.

Salt and pepper. That’s it. Undersalt the filling. The cheese and any dip you use will hit salt later.

Egg roll wrappers. Twenty of them. They’re in the frozen section usually, near dumpling wrappers. Thaw them before you use them or they crack when you fold.

Canola or vegetable oil for frying. Enough to go maybe three inches deep in whatever pan you’re using. Temperature matters more than amount.

How to Make Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls

Medium heat. Large skillet. Raw shaved steak goes straight in. No oil at first—the beef has enough fat if it’s actually shaved ribeye. You’ll hear the sizzle right away. That’s correct. If it sticks immediately, spray the pan lightly and move on.

Break apart the big clumps with tongs as it turns brown. This takes maybe three minutes. Salt and pepper now, but hold back. Cheese and sauces taste salty later. You don’t need much.

Onions and green peppers go in next. Stir occasionally. Five minutes and the onions go translucent. Peppers go soft but not mushy. Trust how it looks, not a timer. This part’s fast.

Pull everything off heat and into a bowl. Let it sit. This is important. Ten minutes minimum. Hot cheese breaks and gets greasy when you fold it. Cool filling = stable filling.

Warm, not hot. That’s when you add the cheese. Mix it in. Everything gets just barely melted and clingy. Then another ten minutes resting. The filling needs to chill enough to hold shape when you fold it.

How to Get Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls Crispy

Wrapper laid flat, points up and down—diamond shape. Moisten the edges with water. Use your fingers or a brush. Light touch. Soggy wrapper means failed egg roll. Dry edges means it splits open when you fry it. Find the middle.

Two tablespoons of filling in the bottom center. Don’t overstuff. The wrapper won’t seal and it’ll burst in the oil and everything’s a mess. Respect the wrapper.

Bottom corner over the filling. Snug. Left corner to center. Right corner to center. Like folding an envelope. Roll it tight but not aggressive toward the top point. The last edge gets a little water to seal.

Seam side down on a parchment-lined tray. Keeps the shape and the skin stays dry until you fry.

Oil to 320°F. 325 max. It should shimmer. Not smoke. Smoking means it’s too hot and the outside browns before the inside gets warm.

Three or four rolls into the oil at a time. Use tongs or a slotted spoon. Overcrowding means they steam instead of fry. They need room.

Watch for the color to deepen and bubbles to get golden. Ninety seconds to two minutes usually. Flip gently if you want. One side done usually means flip it.

Out onto a wire rack sitting over paper towels. Don’t stack them or the steam makes them soft. That defeats the whole purpose.

Keep the oil temperature steady. Cool if it climbs too hot. Warm if it drops too low. Temperature is the difference between crispy and oily.

Repeat with the rest.

Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls Recipe

By Emma

Prep:

15 min

Cook:

22 min

Total:

37 min

Servings:

20 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb thinly sliced ribeye or sirloin steak, shaved or chopped roughly
• 1 large onion, sliced thin
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped small
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese (substitute with provolone or cheddar for twist)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 20 egg roll wrappers
• Water for sealing egg rolls
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Method

1. 1 Heat large skillet on medium. Add raw shaved steak. Listen for the sizzle, meat browning sound—no oil if the beef has enough fat, but spray pan lightly if meat sticks early.
2. 2 Break apart big clumps with tongs as it browns. Season with salt and pepper, don’t overdo it here, cheese and dipping sauce add punch later.
3. 3 Toss in onions and chopped green peppers. Stir occasionally. When onions turn translucent and peppers soften—about 5 minutes but trust the look not a timer.
4. 4 Remove pan from heat. Transfer meat and veggies into a bowl. Let mixture cool at least 10 minutes or cheese will melt too fast and get oily when folded.
5. 5 Mix in shredded mozzarella while mixture is just warm, not hot. This helps cheese bind fillings without turning greasy. Then rest another 10 minutes to chill slightly.
6. 6 Place egg roll wrapper on flat clean surface with points up and down (diamond shape).
7. 7 Moisten edges lightly with water using fingers or brush—this is the glue. Too wet and wrappers get soggy, too dry they won’t seal and open during frying.
8. 8 Spoon 2 ounces (2 tablespoons) of filling into bottom center of wrapper. Don’t overstuff, or rolls burst and leak oil.
9. 9 Fold bottom corner over filling snugly, then left corner to center, then right corner to center, like an envelope. Roll tight but gentle toward top point. Seal final edge with little water.
10. 10 Place finished rolls seam side down on parchment-lined tray. Keeps shape and dry skin.
11. 11 Heat oil in heavy pan or Dutch oven to about 320°F (325°F max). Oil shimmering but not smoking.
12. 12 Lower 3-4 egg rolls carefully into oil with tongs or slotted spoon, no overcrowding, they need space to fry crisp evenly.
13. 13 Watch for golden bubbles and deepening color over about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Flip gently if needed. Skin should be crisp but not burnt.
14. 14 Remove to wire rack over paper towels. Avoid stacking or moisture builds and shells soften.
15. 15 Repeat with remaining rolls. Keep oil steady temperature, cool if too hot, warm if too cool to avoid oily or soggy rolls.
16. 16 Garnish with chopped fresh parsley for color and bite.
17. 17 Serve with dipping sauces like ranch dressing, queso dip, or a simple cheese whiz. Each brings a new flavor layer or skip if cheese in filling satisfies.
18. 18 Leftovers stored airtight reheat best on broiler rack or in air fryer to regain crunch, microwave makes them limp.

Nutritional information

Calories

230

Protein

15g

Carbs

12g

Fat

14g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls

Can you make these ahead of time? Assemble them, freeze them on a tray, then bag them. Fry straight from frozen, maybe add 30 seconds. They actually fry better from frozen because the filling stays cold while the wrapper crisps.

What if the filling is too wet? You cooled it enough and the cheese ratio is right, it shouldn’t be. If it is—drain it. Paper towel in the bowl, press gently. Too much moisture means they leak in the oil.

Do you have to use mozzarella? No. Provolone tastes more like a real Philly. Cheddar works. American cheese works and tastes more authentic than mozzarella honestly. Mix isn’t worth it though.

Can you bake these instead of frying? Yeah, 375°F for about 12 minutes. They won’t be as crispy. Not even close. But they work if you hate frying oil everywhere.

What’s the best dipping sauce for fried cheese appetizers like these? Queso is obvious. Ranch disappears into everything. Cheese whiz if you want to lean all the way into it. Marinara works. Honestly ranch is the safest.

How long do leftovers keep? Three days refrigerated, airtight container. Reheat in an air fryer at 350°F for maybe five minutes. Broiler rack works too. Microwave makes them limp and there’s no coming back from that.

What if your egg roll wrapper tears? Patch it with a little water and another piece of wrapper. Looks weird. Works fine. Or just refill and try again.