These Air Fryer Sweet Potato and Black Bean Egg Rolls are bursting with flavor—tender sweet potatoes, black beans, and taco-spiced veggies. Drizzle with chili-lime sauce for a new dinner favorite!
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Sweet Potato and Black Bean Egg Rolls
I’m sure you’re not too surprised to see one of my favorite combos showing up in egg rolls — sweet potatoes and black beans are frequent visitors in the recipes I share. Some of my favorites include these Vegetarian Tacos, these Sweet Potato Enchiladas, these Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls, or this Mexican Quinoa.
And today we’re combining this power couple in Air Fryer Egg Rolls! We’re loading them up with all kinds of veggies and dunking them in the most addictive chili-lime sauce. And one of the best things about these egg rolls? We make one seasoning blend and use it two different ways — part of it seasons the egg roll filling while another part seasons the sauce! More on the seasoning blend below.
Seasonings
SeasoningsThe seasonings in these rolls are adapted from these practically famous Roasted Sweet Potatoes. A few notes on the seasonings:
- Chili (not to be confused with chilli powder) powders can vary greatly in heat; we use McCormick® which is mild.
- We typically use normal paprika in these egg rolls, but if you’d like a smokier, more intense flavor, use smoked paprika.
- It’s easy to go on autopilot and add all the seasonings to the filling mixture, but be sure to set aside a little bit which will go in the chili-lime sauce.
Quick Tip
Chili or chilli? Many times chili is spelled both ways, but there is actually a big difference. Chilli (with two l’s) powder refers to unadulterated ground chilies. This is similar to American cayenne powder. Chili powder (with only one l) is ground chili peppers plus additional spices –cumin, garlic, onion, and others–and is ready to add to a pot of chili. And now you know!
Air Fryer Sweet Potato and Black Bean Egg Roll Filling
The two main ingredients in these Black Bean Egg Rolls are sweet potatoes and black beans; more on each below.
Sweet potatoes
Typically, sweet potatoes take quite a bit of time to cook until tender and they’re hard to chop when they’re unbaked. So we use a shortcut here — the microwave oven. It totally works, and the texture is still fantastic; microwaved sweet potatoes have tender flesh and soft skins that peel off in a cinch.
- The only prep you have to do is poke a few small holes in the potato to provide a place for the steam to escape. Use a fork to pierce the potato a few times.
- An 8-ounce (1/2 pound) sweet potato takes about 5 minutes to cook on 100% power. Larger sweet potatoes will take longer, and when cooking multiple potatoes at the same time, it will take even longer. Continue to microwave the potatoes in 1-minute bursts until the potatoes are cooked through.
- You’ll know the potatoes are ready when they are easily pierced in the center with a fork.
Quick Tip
If you’re not microwaving the potatoes, I’d recommend cooking the potatoes according to this Baked Sweet Potatoes recipe first. Once tender, the peels pull off super easily, and then you’ll very finely dice the potatoes. Any overly large pieces will be a bit overwhelming in these Air Fryer Sweet Potato and Black Bean Egg Rolls.
Black beans
The other main ingredient in the filling of these egg rolls is black beans.
If you happen to have some leftovers from these from-scratch Black Beans, they’d be absolutely delightful in these egg rolls! But if you don’t have any, canned black beans work great here. Be sure to thoroughly rinse and drain the black beans. You’ll also want to make sure they’re dried off from being rinsed so they don’t water down the filling. A salad spinner comes in handy here!
Air Fryer Sweet Potato and Black Bean Egg Roll Tips
- Keep egg roll wrappers tightly covered until use to stop them from drying out and cracking.
- For a lighter option, use low-fat or fat-free sour cream for flavor and creaminess; regular sour cream works too.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer—leave space between egg rolls for the best crispiness.
- Make the sauce ahead of time for better taste. Whisk and store in a sealed container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Don’t Have An Air Fryer?
- Deep Fry: Heat about an inch of canola or vegetable oil in a pan to 325°F. Fry 3-4 egg rolls at a time, turning for even browning (about 2 minutes per side). Move to a cooling rack lined with paper towels.
- Bake: Spray all sides of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake at 425°F for 10-15 minutes, turning halfway, until lightly browned. They won’t be very crispy.
- Make Quesadillas or Burritos: Fill large tortillas with the filling and roll tightly. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Spray wraps with cooking spray, place seam-side down, and cook until golden (2-4 minutes per side). Make sure the filling is hot and cheese is melted. Serve with sauce and toppings.
Chili-Lime Sauce
This sauce is easy! We’ve already assembled the seasonings from the Black Bean Egg Roll filling mixture and just have to whisk those with a few ingredients and it’s ready to go. No blender needed! Below are a few quick tips:
- We love Hellman’s/Best Foods® mayonnaise best in this sauce. It has a robust flavor without being too sweet.
- As for spiciness, I’d rate the dressing to be very slightly spicy. If you’d like to make it milder, reduce or omit the hot sauce and be sure to use McCormick® seasonings. (We find them very mild.) Keep in mind that reducing or omitting spice will reduce the overall flavor of the sauce.
- Alternatively, amp up the heat by adding in 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- The sauce calls for lime juice and zest. If you use citrus a lot when cooking/baking, having a good citrus juicer and microplane is invaluable!
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders with a honey-mustard sauce
- Air Fryer Falafel with air-fried pita bread
- Southwest Egg Rolls with a cilantro-lime sauce
- Air Fryer Dutch Baby with a quick vanilla syrup
- Honey Mustard Chicken Sausage and Veggies with broccoli
Air Fryer Sweet Potato and Black Bean Egg Rolls
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 3 limes
- 2 cups diced sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced red pepper
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon diced jalapeño
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 2-1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed, see note 1
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese
- 10 teaspoons sour cream
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- Cooking spray
- Avocados optional
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce optional
Instructions
- Zest one lime with a zester to get 1/4 teaspoon of zest. Juice the limes using a citrus juicer to get 4 tablespoons lime juice. Set aside. Wash and scrub the sweet potato(es). Pierce several times with the tines of a fork. Add to a microwave-safe plate and microwave until fork-tender, about 5–8 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from the microwave and cut in half lengthwise. Set aside to cool slightly, then peel off the skins. They should come off easily. Once cool enough to handle, dice into very small pieces and set aside.
- For quicker prep, chop the pepper, onion, jalapeño, and garlic in a food processor. Alternatively, finely chop all these ingredients. Drain and rinse the beans.
- In a small bowl, mix together ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper to create a spice blend.
- Remove 1-1/4 teaspoon of the spice blend and add to a bowl along with the remaining sauce ingredients and an extra pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Add the olive oil to a medium-sized pot and heat to high. Add in the diced pepper and onion, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5 minutes. Add in the jalapeño and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add in all the seasonings. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.
- Add in the diced sweet potatoes, black beans, and lime juice. Stir to heat through (1-2 minutes), and then remove from heat. Meanwhile, grate the cheese.
- Set out the egg roll wrappers on a clean surface to look like a diamond facing you. Smooth 1 heaping teaspoon sour cream on the bottom third of the wrapper. Top with 3 packed tablespoons of the filling. Add 2 packed tablespoons of cheese on top. Dip your finger into a small bowl of water and run your wet finger along the edges of the egg wrapper. Fold the bottom up over the filling. Then fold the left and right corners in to the center (like an envelope). Tightly pressing the filling, roll the egg roll like a cylinder. (If any of the filling is exposed, it will leak out in the air fryer.) Repeat with the remaining filling and egg wrappers until all are filled. (We typically get 13 total egg rolls, using up all the filling and cheese.)
- Spray all sides of all the egg rolls with olive oil cooking spray. Rub the spray evenly on all sides of the egg rolls. Layer egg rolls in the air fryer so none are touching. (If your air fryer doesn't have shelves, just put as many as you can fit in the basket so none are overlapping) Bake at 370 degrees F for 5 minutes. Flip and bake for another 5 minutes. Flip once more and bake another 2-3 minutes or until egg rolls are crispy and golden brown. (Air fryers cook differently, so watch closely at the end and remove once the egg rolls are crispy all over.) Remove and let cool slightly before digging in. Serve with dipping sauce and avocados if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
will be making this soon can i use vegan cheese mayo and vegan egg rolls wrappers as am a vegan can i skip red pepper and jalapeno as am not a big fan of them can i use oven instead as i dont have air fryer at home perfect for my office snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hope you love it!