Photo: Sarah Ottino
Recipe for cheeseburger egg rolls by Sarah Ottino
Take your cheeseburger cravings to the next level with these vegan cheeseburger egg rolls!
It’s made with plant-based ground “beef” and homemade cheese sauce and is bound to satisfy even the non-vegans of your group. They're meaty, cheesy, and oh so crunchy.
Top them with traditional burger toppings like lettuce and tomato, and dip them in ketchup, mustard, or leftover cheese sauce. The time and effort it takes to make this recipe is definitely worth it. Enjoy!
Note: Sarah uses plant-based ground “beef” from Hungry Planet Foods.
See also: Vegan PB & J Banana Waffle Ice Cream Recipe
Egg Roll Ingredients:
350g of plant-based Ground “beef”
2 tbsp neutral oil
1 cup of white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp ketchup
Cheese sauce (see below)
12 vegan egg roll wrappers
2-3 cups of oil for frying
Diced tomato for serving (optional)
Shredded lettuce for serving (optional)
Cheese Sauce Ingredients (yields 1.5 cups):
1 cup of diced potato
1/2 cup of diced carrot
1/4 cup of diced onion
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup hot water
Directions for the Cheese Sauce
Start by making the cheese sauce since you can prep the rest of your items and beef filling while it cooks.
Dice the potato, carrot, and onion and place them in a sauce pot with enough water to boil them.
Boil the veggies for 20-25 minutes, or until they are soft and tender.
Carefully transfer the cooked veggies to a blender (save 1/2 cup of the hot water).
Add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and 1/4 cup of the hot water to the blender.
Blend until the cheese is smooth and creamy. Add more water if needed.
Taste and adjust the cheese. Add more nutritional yeast or salt if needed.
Once the cheese is done, cover it to stay warm and set it aside.
Directions for the Egg Rolls
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, and add the 2 tbsp of oil to the pan.
Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Add the plant-based meat to the pan. Using your spatula, gently break up the beef ground and mix it in with the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned, about 5 minutes.
Mix in the ketchup and cook for another minute.
Remove the pan from heat and let it cool.
Now that the cheese sauce and beef filling is done, it's time to assemble the egg rolls. 
Photo: Sarah Ottino
Take one egg roll wrapper and lay it on a clean surface. Face one of the points towards you so the wrapper is in a diamond shape.
Lay about 3 tbsp of the beef filling in a horizontal line in the center, and drizzle with about 1-2 tbsp of the cheese sauce.
Wrap the egg roll by bringing both sides to the center, folding the bottom up over the center, and rolling it away from you.
Before completely rolling it up, wet the top of the egg roll wrapper with some water (I usually use my finger) and finish rolling it up. The water should help seal it shut.
Set it aside seam-side up so that it can dry, and repeat with the rest of your wrappers.
Once all the egg rolls are wrapped, it's time to fry them.
Heat a large frying or sauce pan on the stove over low heat. Add about 1 inch of oil into the pan.
Once the oil is hot, carefully place the egg rolls in the pan. You may have to fry them in batches if they don't all fit.
Fry the egg rolls, rotating them occasionally, until all sides are brown. They will take about 10 minutes to become golden brown (be patient - frying them slowly over low heat is key)..
Once they are golden brown, remove them from the oil and place them on a drying rack to cool.
Slice them in half and serve with the leftover cheese sauce, lettuce, and tomato.
