It always starts with leftover ingredients sitting in the fridge. With some spinach and ricotta left lying around, I thought why not turn them into some air fryer spring rolls? Spring rolls are definitely a popular treat on the dinner table, and spinach and ricotta go together like bread and butter. Marrying the two together, by all means, should work. And yes, these spinach ricotta air fryer spring rolls did work well!
Spinach ricotta pastries are already a thing, so the idea of spinach ricotta spring rolls isn’t anything revolutionary. Just to name a few, the Greeks have their spanakopita and the Turkish has their Borek, albeit more commonly using feta cheese instead of ricotta. That being said, you can totally substitute the ricotta with feta and the latter could give you a slightly more savoury edge. Ricotta is a little lighter to taste and creates a little creamier texture. But it’s really up to you and what you’ve got at hand.
You can flavour this in different ways. I’ve gone with using chilli pesto for an extra kick but you can keep it mild with a simple touch of herbs or perhaps a pinch of lemon zest or sumac for a bit of zing. Alternatively, sun-dried tomato pesto makes a great shout too!
How to make Spinach Ricotta Air Fryer Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- Baby Spinach
- Ricotta Cheese
- Spring Roll Wrappers
- Olive Oil
- Garlic, Shallots, Red Chilli Flakes – the aromatics
- Chilli Pesto – or sun-dried tomato pesto could work very well too
- Salt & Black Pepper – for seasoning
What You Need
- Air Fryer
- Food Brushes x2
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Recipe notes
- As already mentioned, feel free to swap the ricotta cheese with feta or any other type of creamy cheese you fancy. Same with the chilli pesto – sun-dried tomato pesto makes a great alternative in our opinion.
- Moisture is the nemesis of crispy foods. That’s why it’s important to squeeze out any liquids from the spinach before you start assembling the spring rolls.
- Furthering the point above, if there’s too much liquid in the spring roll filling, it will cause the spring rolls to burst.
- The spring roll folding method is entirely up to you. I’ve written out how I fold mine in the recipe below but feel free to just use whatever method you are used to.
- In order to seal the spring rolls properly, you will need a little brush to brush water on the edges.
- Some golden rules for cooking with an air fryer: always pre-heat and brush both the air fryer basket and the food with oil. This is to help you get the ultra crispiness and luscious golden colours.
- These spring rolls are best served warm. Serve with any dipping sauces you prefer – we usually use ketchup, garlic chilli sauce, and/or sweet chilli sauce.
- You can prep these spring rolls beforehand and store them in the freezer. Simply cook directly from frozen whenever you fancy!
Looking for more Air Fryer recipe inspo? Check these out too:
Spinach Ricotta Air Fryer Spring Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
- 2 Food Brushes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil plus more for air frying
- 130 g Baby Spinach
- 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 Shallot finely chopped
- ½ tsp Red Chilli Flakes optional
- 1 tbsp Chilli Pesto (or Sun-dried Tomato Pesto)
- ½ tsp Salt plus more to taste
- ½ tsp Black Pepper plus more to taste
- 125 g Ricotta Cheese (or Feta Cheese)
- 5 sheets Spring Roll Wrappers
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.1 tbsp Olive Oil
- Add garlic and red chilli flakes. Saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and golden.2 cloves Garlic, ½ tsp Red Chilli Flakes
- Add in chopped shallots and cook for 3-5 minutes until golden.1 Shallot
- Stir in chilli pesto and season with salt and black pepper.1 tbsp Chilli Pesto, ½ tsp Salt, ½ tsp Black Pepper
- Add the spinach leaves and stir-fry until the leaves have wilted. Remove from heat and set aside to allow to cool down.130 g Baby Spinach
- Once the spinach has slightly cooled down, squeeze out any excess liquid and mix it with ricotta cheese. Season with more salt & pepper if needed.125 g Ricotta Cheese
- Lay 1 spring roll sheet on a clean surface. Scoop about 1½ tbsp of the spinach ricotta filling, to the centre-left/right of the spring roll sheet and roughly shape the filling into a log.5 sheets Spring Roll Wrappers
- Fold the upper and lower sides in. Brush the folded edges with a little bit of water and start rolling the spring roll.
- Seal the spring roll with a little brush of water. Repeat with remaining spring roll fillings & sheets.
- Preheat the air fryer to 180°C. Brush the air fryer basket with a layer of oil.
- Place spring rolls into the air fryer basket, brush each roll with oil and cook for 7 minutes.
- Flip the spring rolls, brush more oil if needed, and cook for another 6-7 minutes until golden and crispy.
Notes
- It is important to squeeze out any liquids from the spinach before you start assembling the spring rolls. This is to make sure your spring rolls come out crispy and to prevent the spring rolls from bursting during the cooking process.
- The spring roll folding method is entirely up to you. Feel free to just use whatever method you are used to.
- Always pre-heat the air fryer and also brush both the air fryer basket and the food with oil. This is to help you get the ultra crispiness and luscious golden colours.
- These spring rolls are best served warm. Serve with any dipping sauces you prefer – we usually use ketchup, garlic chilli sauce, and/or sweet chilli sauce.
- You can prep these spring rolls beforehand and store them in the freezer. Simply cook directly from frozen whenever you fancy!
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