Cheesesteak egg rolls have all the flavors of the classic Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich in a crispy shell and made with ground beef!
I have been on an egg roll kick recently, so when I looked in the fridge and saw ground beef and my counter had an onion and green bell pepper sitting on it I knew we would be eating Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls for dinner. One of my favorite takeout options, the years I spent in college in Washington, DC definitely introduced me to the delightful world of cheesesteak subs.
We used to take day trips into Philadelphia to decide between Pat’s and Geno’s [the clear winner there is Pat’s]. Takeout places were open daily until 4:00 am in our neighborhood, they always had 2 for $10 sales for subs, fries and drinks. One place was so memorable, Manny and Olga’s, that when we moved back to DC for a few years it was one of our first food stops.
- Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
- Philly Cheesesteak Hamburger Helper
- Pat’s Philly Cheese Steaks Copycat
- Ground Philly Cheese Steak Grilled Cheese
- Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches
We love all versions of Cheesesteaks around here, classic and a bit out there!
This version of a homemade cheesesteak would be a great finger food item for parties or potlucks. They are ready to go in the pot of oil in less than 30 minutes and can even be frozen un-fried for later use. You know how your egg roll wrappers come 24 to a package? This is the perfect amount to use the whole pack! And if it’s just a few of you eating, you’ll have a huge batch left over to freeze for later.
What kind of meat do you use in a cheesesteak? Ribeye steaks sliced very thinly are commonly used in cheesesteaks but for the purposes of these egg rolls we are using ground beef.
Some awesome dipping sauce ideas for these Cheesesteak Egg Rolls?
- Ketchup… I mean, c’mon, admit you’ve never added ketchup to a cheese steak.
- A mix of ketchup and mayo.
- Cheez Whiz!! One of the only acceptable times in life to use the whiz.
- Ranch…but only because so many people I know say ranch is the dip for everything, ever.
- Take the spicy route with mayo, sriracha and a mix in of awesome hot peppers (Pat’s has the most amazing hot peppers)
Tools Used in this Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls:
Oil Thermometer: You’re looking for 350 degrees on your oil here. Everything inside is cooked but you want a good golden brown exterior and some melty cheese action inside.
Tongs: I normally use the pig tail flipper for frying but because this has a filling to protect definitely go with tongs here. Slotted spoons or spatulas invite oil burns if the egg rolls fall back in (trust me on this one).
Cooling rack: Don’t cool on napkins or paper towels, they will cause steam to build up and a soggy half of your egg roll!
Cheez Whiz: For dipping. Don’t judge me until you’ve tried it.
Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper , chopped
- 12 slices American Cheese
- 24 egg roll wrappers
- small bowl of water
- canola oil , for frying
Instructions
- Start by browning the beef in the skillet.
- Try to brown without breaking up the meat too much, get a nice brown sear on the beef, then break apart as little as possible. (You want the meat to resemble a pea in size [you want to avoid taco meat consistency]).
- Add the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce, stir gently and remove from pan.
- Add the butter in the pan and add the chopped onions and green bell pepper, cooking until browned and caramelized.
- Once browned, add the meat back in and combine together.
- Let the mixture cool while you prepare your egg roll wrappers and cheese.
- Lay them on a flat surface and place a half a slice of American cheese on the wrapper.
- Add three tablespoons of the meat mixture on top of the cheese.
- Starting from the bottom left pull corner over the meat, then fold the two sides in.
- Wet the edges and roll tightly.
- Set a pan to heat with canola oil, about an inch high would do the trick.
- Add 3-4 egg rolls in them at once.
- Once they have browned, you can take them out and dry them on a cooling rack or brown paper bag.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure to keep the wrappers covered when you aren?t actively using them so they don?t dry out.
- You don?t really want to crowd the pan because they may stick together or it could even drop the temperature down too far.
- Avoid cooling on napkins and paper towels, you don?t want to capture steam under the egg roll, it will create sogginess.
How do I freeze the ones I’ve assembled but haven’t fried??
On a sheet pan with wax paper or parchment paper in a single non-touching layer until frozen, then add to a ziplock bag with the air squeezed out for freezing.
Day Trips to Philly?
I thought you lived in California…
I used to live on the East coast for school.
Philly cheese steaks are not made with ground beef!
Made these this evening. I really liked them. But the meat mixture didn’t cover anywhere near 24 egg rolls, mine also didn’t look as pretty. Several I made with American cheese, several with Swiss. Think I liked the Swiss better. Would make again.
Can you bake the philly cheesesteak eggrolls ? I have 3 different types of deep fryers and i’m no good at any of them thanks for your help
Yes, I would brush them with oil and bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!
These sound totally yummy, except that I’d use Provolone cheese instead of American. We LOVE Philly Cheesesteaks, so I’m going to try and figure out how to make Philly Cheesesteak Stromboli, per my hubby’s bright idea. Hey, they sound pretty good to me!
Hello!
I was curious if I could air fry them in my foodi?
I’ve not tested it so I’m not sure if it’ll work or not. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks.
Love the receipes you show, Original easy and ones I wouldn’t think of on my own. The chicken tenders with brown sugar and bacon is todays find. Thank y ou and keep them coming.
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Oh yes the philly cheese steak egg rolls… It will be delicious never thought of that my Son doesn’t like egg rolls ..so i can make him the philly cheese steak egg rolls… Great recipe. Thank you
You’re welcome, Wanda!
Very good and my kids loved them. FYI, I measured the meat portion for each and it only made 12. Definitely need to double the meat mixture for 24.
Have some of these in the freezer! Do you recommend defrosting before cooking??
I don’t recommend thawing them out. Enjoy!!
Can you use other cheese beside American cheese.
Of course! Use whatever cheese you prefer!
Can these be fried in a deep fryer?
Yes 🙂
Made these exactly as listed except cooked onion and bell pepper first, then just added ground beef to the pan and cooked it all together. This was amazing!!! I thought the beef mixture would need more flavor but it was perfect as stated in recipe. Saved and will make again!
Fantastic! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 star rating!
I used provolone cheese and it was heavenly. Thanks for the great idea!!
You’re welcome Cathlene! Thanks for the 5 star rating!
To Sabrina – Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! My husband is a Cheese Steak anything lover! He has bone marrow cancer, and the chemo makes a lot of things taste bad. Plus he doesn’t have much of an appetite, so I am always looking for recipes that he will like.
To Tammi Peck – Thanks for your info on baking these, as well as using ground turkey. In addition to the cancer, my husband recently had a heart attack so we don’t do fried foods. It is really hard to have to find things he will eat while also having to constantly adapt recipes to his diet, not knowing if it will be a good thing or not! LOL! Keep posting your adaptations! There are some of us who really appreciate it!
I made these for dinner tonight. I used ground turkey, onion, red and orange peppers, mozarella/provolone shredded cheese then baked at 400 degrees for ab out 15-20 min. Oh I sprayed them with cooking spray….they were good. I would use more onion and peppers next time and I’d add a little more garlic/herb seasoning and maybe try using velveeta cheese slices . Overall they were good and will make again.
Sorry Tammi, but when you completely change the ingredients in a given recipe, your comment as to the results are worthless. You clearly are a creative cook, and your ideas sound great, but they have no reflection or bearing on how one might enjoy the published recipe.
My restaurant makes these but they use sliced prime rib and they are served with a side of horse radish sauce. I get them all the time.
What sides would you suggest?
Can’t go wrong with french fries 🙂
Can these be baked in oven?
You can but just know that they won’t be as crispy. I would suggest spraying them with cooking spray or brush them with oil before baking to help get some crisp. Bake at 400 for around 1-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Can you tell me at what temperature you fried yours? I want to try them at my next party.
You’ll want to make sure your oil is at 350 degrees to fry them. Enjoy!