Baked vegetarian egg rolls inspired by the classic Korean dish: Korean corn cheese! Try these bite-sized delights filled with corn, cabbage, and cheese and served with a gochujang dipping sauce!
These egg rolls are reminiscent of the deep-fried takeout egg rolls of many years past. Except kinda different, because these egg rolls are conscious of slower metabolism and lower tolerance of fried foods.
Anyway, these are healthier but I think they’re more elegant in a way. Innovation really has come so far as to invent baked versions of fried foods and I am all the more thankful. Less of the greasy residue, more of the pure texture. That being said, I feel like these would also be amazing cooked in an air fryer but I haven’t ventured there yet!
What is Korean Corn Cheese?
The primary influence on the filling of these egg rolls was Korean corn cheese. A pretty self-explanatory dish but it still deserves the page space. Korean corn cheese is a dish made of (surprise!) sweet corn and mozzarella cheese. It’s usually served as a side dish, as anju, and is salty, creamy, sweet, and everything in between. Really, what could go wrong when there’s cheese involved?!
Normally, the primary ingredients for Korean corn cheese are corn, mozzarella, mayonnaise, green onion, and sugar. You could add in additional ingredients like bell pepper or gochujang.
We take that already perfect concept and wrap it in a crispy egg roll. So delicious and an amazing finger food!
How to Make Baked Egg Rolls
No need for a mess of frying oil and smoke because baked egg rolls are just as easy for an enjoyable dish! You’ll be able to make these all in one batch. All you will need is a baking sheet and an optional pastry brush for olive oil.
The main differences from traditional egg rolls are that you’ll be brushing olive oil on the egg rolls, baking in a 425ºF oven, and flipping once through. This way, the egg roll dough will be completely cooked through (the filling is completely cooked prior to baking) and you’ll still get that amazingly satisfying crunch.
Let’s Make Korean Corn Cheese Egg Rolls!
This recipe yields 12 egg rolls. Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with tinfoil or parchment paper.
Making the Corn Cheese Filling
Egg rolls typically have a cooked cabbage filling of some sort, combined with a protein. We’re following that model here but replacing the usual protein with corn and cheese!
Heat oil on a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add in minced garlic and ginger and sauté until aromatic, around 1 minute. Add in corn kernels and optional chopped kimchi. The kimchi adds a punch and I would recommend adding it in if you have it on hand.
Cook until some moisture is released, especially if corn was frozen, around 3-4 minutes. This way, the filling won’t get soggy. Add in cabbage and green onion and cook until just wilted, around 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cool completely.
Assembling Korean Corn Cheese Egg Rolls
I used store-bought egg roll wrappers which make this process very straightforward. You can make homemade egg roll wrappers which I did do once but it wasn’t worth the effort. You can purchase egg roll wrappers at any Asian supermarket and also Walmart/Target.
Place an egg roll wrapper on a clean work surface. Add ¼ cup of corn filling onto the bottom third of the wrapper. Top with a small handful of grated cheese. Like rolling up a burrito, fold the bottom corner over the filling and tuck underneath. Roll tightly towards the center then fold in the sides. Keep rolling and brush the edge with water to seal. For a more in-depth explanation, check out this video!
Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat for all wrappers.
Using a pastry or silicone brush, brush all sides of egg rolls with oil. Be sure to cover all sides in order to get that crispiness!
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through. If you prefer more browning, raise oven temperature to 450°F for the last 10 minutes of baking. Garnish with scallions and serve hot with gochujang dipping sauce.
Gochujang Dipping Sauce
An accompaniment to the star of the show: this feisty gochujang dipping sauce. Combine gochujang, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and maple syrup (or other sweetener like honey) in a small bowl. Top off with sesame seeds.
Leftover sauce can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
I could eat this sauce with plain rice and be happy for the day. Other uses for this gochujang sauce include fried rice, other rice bowls (bibimbap), bulgogi wraps, or anything else that needs a little spice!
Storing and Reheating Egg Rolls
If you want to make more, you can roll them and freeze them before baking. These can be stored in the freezer for several months. To reheat, thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes and proceed with baking instructions.
For leftover egg rolls, wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to a few days. To reheat, simply bake at 350ºF for around 10 minutes or until heated through. Personal preference is to wrap in tinfoil for maybe 7 minutes then uncover to crisp up.
Hope you enjoy these baked egg rolls and let me know if you have any other wild egg roll ideas. If you want more Korean recipes, check out my Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs. If you’re looking for more bite-sized dishes, try out my Authentic Steamed Pork Buns!
Korean Corn Cheese Egg Rolls – Vegetarian
Ingredients
Egg Rolls
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- 2 tsp olive oil, plus more for brushing or other neutral oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced or grated
- 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen if frozen, no need to defrost
- ¼ cup kimchi, chopped into small pieces optional
- 4 cups shredded cabbage, or coleslaw mix about 10 oz
- ¼ cup green onion, chopped
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 10 oz shredded mozzarella
- scallions, for garnish
Gochujang Dipping Sauce
- 2 tbsp gochujang paste
- 1½ tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with tinfoil or parchment paper.
- Heat oil on a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. When hot, add in minced garlic and ginger and sauté until aromatic, around 1 minute. Add in corn kernels and optional chopped kimchi. Cook until some moisture is released, especially if corn was frozen, around 3-4 minutes. Add in cabbage and green onion and cook until just wilted, around 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Let cool completely.
- Place an egg roll wrapper on a clean work surface. Add ¼ cup of corn filling onto the bottom third of the wrapper. Top with a small handful of grated cheese. Like rolling up a burrito, fold the bottom corner over the filling and tuck underneath. Roll tightly towards the center then fold in the sides. Keep rolling and brush the edge with water to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat for all wrappers.
- Using a pastry or silicone brush, brush all sides of egg rolls with oil. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through. If you prefer more browning, raise oven temperature to 450°F for the last 10 minutes of baking. Garnish with scallions and serve hot with gochujang dipping sauce.
Gochujang Dipping Sauce
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix until combined. Leftover sauce can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for up to a week.