Chef Mari Wills captured the hearts of viewers as the Season 1 Fan Favorite on Kitchen Scraps, where her creativity, warmth, and incredible dishes made her a standout. Whether she’s teaching, developing recipes, or inspiring the next generation of chefs, her passion for local food shines through in everything she does.
I’m a big fan of egg roll anything! But lately, I’ve been making a lot of desserts since they are very popular to make. I created this ube haupia cheesecake egg roll recipe based off a dish I made on The Great Food Truck Race. It was such a fun and colorful dish that blended ube, cheesecake, and eggrolls—a triple threat of deliciousness! For my Hawai’i twist, I added haupia elements to the cheesecake to bring it back to my Hawai’i roots, which I am so proud of.
If you love Chef Mari Wills’ creative spin on island cooking, be sure to also check out her savory Biscuits & ‘Ulu Gravy recipe for another incredible Hawaiian fusion dish!
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Ube Haupia Cheesecake Eggrolls By Chef Mari Wills
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer (or hand mixer)
- 1 Burner / Stovetop
- 1 Sheet pan
- 1 Wire cooling rack
- 1 Sheet Parchment paper
- 1 Slotted spoon or spider strainer (for frying)
- 1 Piping bag or ziplock bag (for filling eggrolls cleanly)
- 1 Small bowl (for water seal)
Ingredients
Haupia Cheesecake Filling:
- 1 8 oz block cream cheese softened
- 1 box Jell-O cheesecake pudding mix
- 1 ½ cups ube halaya jam
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp coconut cream
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 tsp salt
Ube Coconut Drizzle:
- ½ cup haupia cheesecake filling reserved from above
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
- ½ tsp ube extract
- Egg Rolls
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- Water for sealing wrappers
- Neutral oil for frying
Ube Whipped Cream:
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp ube extract
Garnish:
- Ube cookie crumble
Instructions
- To make the ube whipped cream, add heavy whipping cream to a chilled stand mixer. Whip the cream on high speed until stiff peaks are formed.
- Fold in sugar and ube extract. Place the filling ingredients into a piping bag and set aside.
- Add the cream cheese, cheesecake pudding mix, coconut cream, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Set aside the ube halaya jam. Whisk
- haupia cheesecake filling until smooth. Set aside 1⁄2 cup of filling, place the remaining filling ingredients into a piping bag and set aside.
- To make the ube coconut drizzle, add 1⁄2 cup haupia cheesecake filling, coconut cream, and ube extract to a mixing bowl
- To assemble the egg rolls, place the egg roll wrapper flat on a clean surface with one corner facing you.
- Fill the eggroll with about 2-3 Tbsp of haupia cheesecake filling and 2 Tbsp ube halaya jam across the lower third of the wrapper, leaving about 1 inch of space on each side.
- Roll the egg roll by folding the bottom corner over the filling, then folding both sides inward, roll tightly toward the top corner, and brush the final corner with water and seal.
- Chill egg rolls in the freezer for about 15 minutes before drying to prevent filling from leaking out.
- In a large sauce pot, heat oil to 350°F then fry egg rolls in small batches for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Place egg rolls on a wire rack to drain oil.
- To plate, cut egg rolls on bias and drizzle with ube coconut sauce, top with ube whipped cream and garnish with ube cookie crumbles (optional)
Video
Notes
- Ube halaya jam
- Ube extract
- Ube cookies