Fresh vegetable rice paper rolls, also known as fresh Vietnamese spring rolls are packed with crisp and colorful vegetables, bright herbs and creamy avocado. The fresh spring rolls are wrapped tightly in rice paper and served with a sweet and savory creamy peanut sauce to dip into.
Fresh spring rolls, called nem cuốn in Vietnamese translates to salad rolls that are filled with loads of crisp vegetables wrapped tightly inside of rice paper. For an easy and fresh snack, this recipe is for vegan summer rolls and is strongly inspired by the popular Vietnamese dish.
The filling possibilities are endless. You can add cooked shrimp or leftover lemongrass chicken and other fruits and vegetables, such as lettuce, edamame and sweet mango! But whatever you do, make an extra batch of the creamy peanut sauce to dip into!
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🥒 Recipe Highlights
- Easily Customizable. These rice paper rolls are full of fresh vegetables including cabbage, cucumbers and fresh herbs but the filling possibilities are endless! Add more protein such as shrimp or chicken or chile and mango for a sweet and spicy combination.
- Light and Healthy. Rice paper rolls are naturally gluten free and make for an easy option for most diets.
- Flavorful Creamy Peanut Sauce. You'll want to put this peanut sauce on just about anything! Make an extra batch and toss it with peanut soba noodles or a fresh cabbage salad.
📋 Ingredients
- Rice Paper: You can often find rice paper wraps in many Western grocery stores in the International also and also in Asian grocery stores. Rice paper is a thin, translucent sheet made from rice flour that have to be soaked in water to soften.
- Basil and Mint: Fresh herbs instantly elevate the rice paper rolls and bring a lovely layer of freshness. You can also add fresh cilantro or a combination of all three herbs.
- Fresh Vegetables: Look for thin peeled Persian cucumber which has less seeds and will be less watery. Other vegetables are shredded purple cabbage, sweet bell peppers and carrots that are shredded or cut into thin strips. Cut all the vegetables into thin strips so they fir in the rice paper rolls easily.
- Rice Vermicelli: These are thin rice noodles that can be found in the same aisle and store as rice paper. Rice noodles only need a few minutes of cooking, then rinse well under cold water, drain and stuff inside the vegetable summer rolls!
- Avocado: Creamy avocado gives the crunchy fresh spring rolls a layer of decadence. When prepping ahead, cut the avocado into thin slices and squeeze fresh lemon juice on top to stop the browning.
🥜 Peanut Sauce Ingredients
- Peanut Butter: For an ultra creamy peanut sauce for dipping, use a creamy peanut butter and not a chunky one.
- Soy Sauce: A few dashes of soy sauce gibe the peanut sauce a savory and salty flavor.
- Sriracha: This is a slightly sweet Vietnamese hot sauce that we drizzle on just about everything from hoisin pulled pork sliders to poke nachos and highly recommend adding sriracha to your kitchen staples.
- Rice Vinegar: You need to add a bit of acid to break up the rich flavors of the peanut sauce. Rice vinegars slightly sweet and sharp and balances all of the flavors really well.
- Honey: A touch of honey also balances the savory, spicy and rich flavors of the peanut sauce. Start small and add more as you'd like to not make the sauce too sweet. If making a vegan peanut sauce, substitute the honey with brown sugar.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🥑 Substitutions and Variations
- Add something sweet, such as sliced mango.
- For added protein, add cooked shrimp, firm tofu or cooked chicken.
- Fry the spring rolls for a crispy cooked version. To fry, heat a wide skillet with neutral oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and fry the spring rolls until crisp on all sides.
- Make spicy spring rolls and add thinly sliced jalapeño when layering the vegetables.
- Instead of making your own peanut sauce for dipping, a good quality store bought peanut sauce would make this recipe even easier!
⏲️ Instructions
Before rolling the rice paper rolls, have all the prep done.
- Cook the rice noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and rinse under cold water and drain.
- Cut the vegetables into thin strips.
- Remove the herbs from the stems and slice the avocado.
Step 1: Dip the rice paper in a wide bowl with warm water to soften.
Step 2: Lay the rice paper sheet on a clean and flat surface and layer herbs and strips of cucumber.
Step 3: Layer the vegetables on top, including the carrots, bell peppers and sliced cabbage.
Step 4: Add ¼ cup of cooked rice noodles on top of the vegetables and a few thin slices of avocado.
Step 5: Begin to roll the spring roll up halfway, tucking in the ends.
Step 6: Continue rolling the spring roll up until it is a tight roll.
Step 7: Cut the rice paper rolls in half with a sharp knife and serve with a creamy peanut butter sauce to dip into.
📍 Recipe Tips
- Don't overfill the rice paper rolls with vegetables, too much filling could break the rice paper.
- Prep beforehand. Have all the prep done before rolling the fresh spring rolls.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the avocado to prevent it from browning.
- Make the rice vermicelli noodles ahead of time up to 2 days in advance.
- Fresh summer rolls are best served the same day but can be made ahead up to 2 days in advance. After that, the rice paper will begin to harden.
- 4 ounces of dried rice noodles equals about 2 cups cooked rice noodles.
Recipe FAQs
Spring rolls are typically fried or baked with a crispy outside. Summer rolls are served fresh and cold and filled with fresh vegetables.
Summer rolls are filled with fresh produce making them a healthy option to enjoy! Other healthy filling you can add to summer rolls are cooked chicken breast, tofu and shrimp.
Fresh spring rolls are best served the same day they are made but can be made up to 2 days in advance. After 2 or 3 days, the rice paper will begin to harden and won't be as soft as when they are freshly made.
More Asian Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Vegetable Rice Paper Rolls (Fresh Spring Rolls)
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
- 8 rice paper sheets
- 8-10 leaves fresh basil leaves hard stems removed
- 8-10 leaves fresh mint leaves hard stems removed
- 1 Persian cucumber peeled and cut into thin sticks (or ½ English cucumber)
- 1-2 medium sized carrots peeled and cut into thin sticks or shredded
- 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper seeds removed and cut into thin sticks
- ½ cup purple cabbage sliced thin or shredded
- 4 ounces vermicelli cooked and cooled (about ½ a package)
- 1 avocado sliced thin
Peanut Sauce
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 green onion sliced thin, for garnish
Other Additions
- Sweet chili sauce for dipping
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Fill a wide bowl with warm water and dip 1 sheet of rice paper at a time, for about 30-45 seconds until the rice paper is softened.
- Lay the moistened rice paper onto a flat clean surface and begin layering the herbs, then cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers and cabbage.
- Layer 2-3 tablespoons worth of cooked rice noodles on top and finish with a few slices of avocado.
- Roll the spring roll half way up and tuck the sides in and finish the rolling, making sure everything is tight and compact and the sides are not opening. Cut the fresh spring roll in half with a sharp knife.
- To make the peanut sauce, add the creamy peanut butter, soy sauce, sriracha, rice vinegar and honey to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Serve rice paper rolls with peanut sauce on the side and sweet chili sauce, if desired.
Notes
- Don't overfill the rice paper rolls with vegetables, too much filling could break the rice paper.
- Prep beforehand. Have all the prep done before rolling the fresh spring rolls.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the avocado to prevent it from browning.
- Make the rice vermicelli noodles ahead of time up to 2 days in advance.
- Fresh summer rolls are best served the same day but can be made ahead up to 2 days in advance. After that, the rice paper will begin to harden.
- 4 ounces of dried rice noodles equals about 2 cups cooked rice noodles.
Ed says
Fresh spring rolls are a staple in Vietnamese homes. They are about authentic as it gets. Your recipe (for the rolls and the peanut sauce) is, well, interesting. Also, while peanut sauce is an option, most Vietnamese make a dip called Nước chấm. Personally, I prefer the peanut sauce, but the more common sauce is pretty good too. Your peanut sauce could use a few more key ingredients. Google peanut hoisen sauce for ideas. I've never had spring rolls made with vermicelli. I'll have to give it a try. Generally folks use Pho noodles AKA rice stick noodles.
Samantha says
Hi Ed! Thanks for all the tips and the hoison peanut sounds sounds lovely! Funny because I have had spring rolls here in the states with clear noodles inside so that's why I made it that way. I have another idea of making spring rolls with kimchee and vegetables, though not sure how authentic that would be, sounds good!
Marie says
I love spring rolls and this recipe looks and sounds yummy. Thanks!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
These look and sound amazing, Samantha. I could maybe live on avocado!