Egg roll in a bowl is everything I dream of: juicy, sesame-soy pan fried pork with tender crisp gingery garlic cabbage and just a hit of spice. It’s just like eating an egg roll, minus the wrapper because it’s keto-friendly!
I love love love egg rolls/spring rolls – that crispy crunchy chew and the meaty, savory juicy filling. I even love the bits of vegetables. What I don’t love is the fact that I can eat dozens of spring rolls in a row. Thus, this egg roll in a bowl! I’m back on the keto train and this is one of my most satisfying low carb meals. It’s one pan, it’s fast, it’s packed with protein, and it’s delicious.
I am an egg roll addict. I mean, to be technical about it, I am a spring roll addict. At least, that’s what I grew up calling egg rolls because that’s what they’re called in Chinese – when you translate the Chinese to English they’re spring rolls. Spring rolls, egg rolls, no matter which, they’re delicious so I just roll with it.
What is egg roll in a bowl
Egg roll in a bowl is essentially an egg roll without the wrapper. Egg rolls usually have ground pork, vegetables, and seasoning wrapped up in a crunchy, chewy wrapper. We’ve ditched the wrapper to make a low-carb, keto friendly meal in a bowl. Usually the vegetables are cut up really small in an egg roll, but here I keep them nice and chunky so they have some heft and chew.
How to make egg roll in a bowl
- Brown. Give your meat a nice sear for that delicious maillard reaction.
Wilt. Add in the ginger, garlic, and vegetables/cabbage and cook just until the greens is tender. - Scramble. Push everything to one side and add the lightly beaten eggs. Cook the eggs to your liking.
- Season. Stir in the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce. Scoop it into a bowl, top it off with some toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!
What kind of meat should I use?
I made my egg roll in a bowl with ground turkey but you can use whatever you like and fits into your macros: ground pork, ground beef, ground chicken, even ground lamb. Or, ooh, imagine if you did ground duck?! That would be so luxe.
Is there egg?
This egg roll in a bowl has egg in it! I couldn’t resist adding in eggs because the extra protein makes it even more filling. Plus I thought it just made sense to include eggs since “egg” is in the title. The egg is completely optional, but I love the happy little pops of yellow that it adds.
Egg roll in a bowl ingredients
- Ground meat. You can use whatever ground meat you like. Inside classic egg rolls it’s ground pork. I like using a lean ground meat so I will typically go for ground turkey breast because I am always aiming to go below my fat macros.
- Garlic and ginger. The dynamic duo that will add so much flavor to your egg roll in a bowl.
- Greens. Cabbage, kale, anything goes as long as it’s leafy. If you’re in a hurry, do yourself a favor and pick up coleslaw mix from the store.
- Eggs. Extra protein for the win! Plus it gives the egg roll in a bowl a little bit of color.
- Tamari or soy sauce. Technically tamari is better than soy sauce because soy sauce has quite a few carbs in it. If you’re not strict or are just doing low-carb, go for the soy sauce because it has so much more flavor. I usually use low-sodium soy sauce for the flavor and season with salt so I can up my electrolytes.
- Shaoxing wine. This is the secret ingredient that will make your at home Chinese food taste just like your favorite Chinese restaurant.
- Toasted sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil will add so much flavor you won’t believe it. It’s nutty and aromatic and addictive. You can find it in the Asian aisle. You want toasted sesame oil, not the regular stuff.
- Hot sauce. Add some hot sauce for a bit of kick! I like sambal oelek, which is a chili garlic hot sauce that has very few carbs in it, but go ahead and use your fave.
How is this a keto egg roll in a bowl?
It’s keto (which is a super low carb diet) because it’s low in carbs and high in protein, which is perfect for fitting into your keto macros.
Egg roll in a bowl macros
Net carbs 3.6 grams
Protein 32.6 grams
Fat 19.4 grams
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork or beef, chicken, or turkey
- 2 tsp Shaoxing wine or rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp ginger grated
- 4 cups kale shredded, or cabbage/coleslaw mix
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tbsp tamari or low sodium soy sauce, to taste
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp hot sauce such as sambal oelek/sriracha, optional
Instructions
- Mix the ground meat with the shaoxing wine or rice vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
- In a large non stick skillet, heat up the oil and brown the marinated meat over medium high heat, breaking up with the back of a spoon, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Stir in the garlic, ginger, and cabbage and cook until the cabbage is just wilted.
- Push the cabbage to the side and add the eggs to the pan and scramble.
- Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and hot sauce. Taste and season with white pepper and extra tamari or soy sauce if needed. Finish with toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately!
