How to Make Chiko Roll Vegan?

This blog post will walk you through how to make Chiko Roll vegan.

We all know that Chiko Roll is an Australian delicious and addicting savory snack. Unfortunately, it is not vegan. This dish contains beef and egg.

Luckily for vegans, it is possible to recreate this classic with Chiko roll ingredients that we can eat! With patience and time, anyone can enjoy these scrumptious treats without the dairy or meat.

What is Chiko Roll?

Chiko roll is a favorite snack that is popular in Australia. It’s like an Aussie spring roll version, and Frank McEnroe invented it. He first sold them in 1951 as the “Chicken Rolls,” but they don’t contain chicken.

This cultural icon snack was designed with people who are on the go in mind. It is easy to eat without a plate or cutlery. Since 1995, they have been made by Simplot Australia.

It consists mostly of cabbage and barley. There are also carrots, green beans, beef, tallow, wheat cereal, celery, and onions.

The filling is partly mashed up and put in a thick pastry tube. It can survive being handled at football games. The roll is deep-fried in vegetable oil.

It was once a popular Australian takeout dish, but the industry has grown more competitive in recent decades, and demand fell to 17 million per year in 2011.

However, they are still a popular snack at sporting events and are still widely available at fish and chip shops and supermarkets throughout Australia.

Spring Roll vs Chiko Roll

The main difference between Chiko rolls and Chinese spring rolls is the amount of filling. A Chiko Roll has more than twice as much filling as other types of fried rolls.

It also consists of vegetables, beef tallow (beef fat), wheat flour, barley cereal flakes, salt, onion powder, and celery seed.

A spring roll usually has vegetables like bean sprouts, carrots, and cabbage. It also contains egg, rice noodles, ground pork, or shrimp variations.

But most importantly, Chiko is kinda like a spring roll, but with a much crunchy coating and thicker pastry, so it doesn’t crumble in your hand.

vegan chiko roll — Vegan Chiko Roll. Credit: canva

Are Chiko Rolls Vegetarian?

The original version of this dish contains egg and meat, which means it isn’t vegan-friendly. Don’t worry, though – with some creativity; you can make these rolls without any dairy or animal products.

Why Make Chiko Roll Vegan?

If you’re vegan and miss the taste, this recipe will help satisfy those cravings. Another reason to make vegan food is that it’s healthier than the original version.

It is also an interesting way to experiment with new flavors and ingredients without relying on meat or dairy products which can be expensive and harder to find.

Are Chiko Rolls Vegan?

The recipe and technique are relatively simple. You can also easily adjust the ingredients according to your tastes or dietary needs.

It’s a great way to experiment with vegan cooking without much risk of failure since you’re starting from an already delicious dish everyone loves!

Easy Vegan Chiko Roll Recipe using Spring Roll Pastry

Ingredients:

Spring roll pastry (get this at any Asian store or substitute another type of dough like rice paper rolls or puff pastry)
Cabbage, finely chopped
Carrots – Green beans – Tofu (for vegetarian version) / Tempeh (for vegan version)
Soba or Udon noodles, cooked according to package instructions
Vegan oyster sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Method:

Mix the finely chopped cabbage with some salt in a bowl, then let it sit for 20 minutes to become soft. Drain out any excess liquid from the bowl before adding the other ingredients.
Cook the noodles and finely chop them into small pieces. Set aside for later use.
Finely slice the green beans, carrots, and tofu/tempeh (if using). Keep all of these ingredients separate until you’re ready to start assembly.
Roll out a spring roll sheet and cut it into quarters.
Place a few pieces of green beans, cabbage, and carrot (all finely chopped) in the middle of each square sheet, then add some cooked noodles on top. Add more vegetables if desired, depending on your preference for filling ratio.
If using tofu/tempeh: place some sauce onto the block of tofu or tempeh, then finely chop it into small pieces. Add these to the sheet before adding the other ingredients on top.
If using oyster sauce: place some of this onto each piece of tofu or tempeh and mix well until all sides are covered in sauce, then place them into the sheets after you’ve added your vegetables for a delicious oyster-flavored.
Wet the edges of each sheet with some water, then fold over one corner to make a triangle shape, creating an envelope seal (like you would do when folding up napkins at a restaurant).
Repeat this process until all four sheets are folded into triangles, and let them sit for 15-20 minutes so that the dough can become firm.
Heat some oil in a frying pan, place each roll inside, and cook until golden brown on all sides, about five to seven minutes per side should be enough time for this step.
Let them cool slightly before serving with your favorite dipping sauce or chili/sriracha sauce.

Real Vegan Chiko Roll Recipe

Do you think that spring roll pastry is not thick and hard enough? Let’s try this recipe and make your pastry!

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 Onion
25g Cabbage
35g Kale
50g Cauliflower
50g Green Beans
80g Celery
100g Carrot
1 Tablespoon Rice Bran Oil (or other Vegetable Oil)
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Vegan Stock Cube
150g Cooked Green Lentils
200g Cooked Brown Rice

For the pastry:

475g Plain Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
300ml Water

Vegetable oil for frying

Method:

For the filling:

Cut the carrots and other vegetables into thin slices.
Add oil to a saucepan and set it on high heat. Add vegetables and cook for 5-10 minutes.
Add the Stock Cube, Spices, Lentils, and Rice. Then take off the heat.

For the pastry:

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. In the center, add water. Mix it in and knead the dough until it is smooth. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
Divide the dough into 8 parts. Roll each part of the dough into a long rectangle. Put 1/8th of the filling along with the dough, fold over one of the short sides of this rectangle, and seal it with some water.
Wet the long edge of the pastry and roll to seal.

Cooking:

Shallow frying by heating about 1 cm of oil in a large skillet. Add it seal-down to the hot oil.
Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden. You should be able to cook 2-3 at a time.
Or, if you want healthier rolls, you can also fry them in the air fryer.
Serve hot!

Chiko Roll with an Air Fryer

You can also fry with an air fryer for healthier results.

FAQs

What is a Chiko roll made of?

Vegetables (cabbage, carrots, celery, onions, green beans), wheat flour, water. Beef (4%), canola oil, and animal fat. Wheat cereal (water and barley), textured soy protein (contains soy). Salt, sugar. Acidity regulators (450 and sodium bicarbonate). Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (contains soy). Spices (chili). Flavor enhancer (635).

Does Chiko Roll have pork in it?

They are food from Australia. They are deep fried and have a dough wrapper around them. The dough is made of flour and eggs and has meat, barley, cabbage, carrots, celery, and rice inside. They also have seasonings on them.

Are Chiko Rolls halal?

No, they are not Halal. They do not have pork, but their beef is not Halal-certified. The cooking medium they use to par fry them is also not certified Halal.

Are Chiko Rolls bad for you?

It is processed beef and vegetables wrapped in dough. The rolls are delicious Aussie junk foods. It is deep-fried and has lots of calories, fat, and salt. It is not good for you because it has 1600 kilojoules, 18 grams of fat, and 1100mg of sodium.

Chiko Roll Woolworths?

It is not available at Woolworths, both offline and online stores.

Do They Have Meat?

Yes, they do indeed. It consists mainly of cabbage and barley. There are also carrots, green beans, beef, tallow, and wheat cereal.

How Many Calories in a Chiko Roll?

There are 311 calories in 1 roll (162 g).

What’s in a Chiko Roll?

It’s made from cabbage, barley, carrots, green beans, beef, wheat cereal, celeriac, and onions.

It has been partially milled and packed into a thick mixture of egg yolk and wheat flour dough, which is meant to withstand handling during game days. The role is usually fried in vegetable oil.

How To Make Chiko Roll Pastry?

The pastry is rolled out using a rolling pin or the back of a knife. Then it’s cut into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide. The rolls are then deep-fried until golden brown.