Spring rolls, summer rolls, Vietnamese spring rolls. Whatever you call them, these veggie packed bundles make the perfect vehicle delivery system for packing an insane amount of veggies into your diet. Weirdly – and stupidly – I only started making veggie spring rolls at home about a month ago. I think I was always a bit intimidated by the whole process, but that’s all in the past.
Once you get the hang of rolling up the rice paper, homemade spring rolls are ridiculously easy to master. Ok, I’m using the term master very loosely, but rice paper is totally forgiving. I tend to overstuff mine, which means a lot of nipping and tucking the ends of my rolls to seal them up in a cute little package. They might not look awe inspiring fully formed, but once you cut them in half, no one will care. All those glorious colorful veggies peeking out will shut down any haters. My preferred stuffing lineup? Cold maifun rice noodles (sometimes I use brown rice noodles for even more fiber), purple cabbage, red bell pepper, cucumber, bean sprouts, and carrots. All layered on top of a leaf of romaine lettuce.
Now that I’m a homemade spring roll making convert, I’ve been making these non-stop. I even had my mom over for a spring roll making party (oh ya, we party hard) on a Monday night. About one hour and one bottle of wine later, she’d made enough spring rolls to pack for lunches for the rest of the week and I’d made a bunch for my husband and I to enjoy on a flight to Nashville the next day. Did I mention that these last for days in the fridge and make the perfect travel food? Word of warning though, if you’re going to pack in a carry-on, be sure to put the dipping sauce in a container clearly marked with TSA approved ounces. Shout out to the security agent at LAX who let my spicy peanut sauce go through with a warning!
Which brings me to the spicy peanut dipping sauce! Natural peanut butter is the base, which provides protein and some healthy fat (because man cannot live on veggies alone), while rice vinegar adds tang, maple syrup a hit of natural sweetness, chili garlic sauce a bit of heat, and coconut aminos lend an umami-esque savory finish. I love me some coconut aminos, which I sub out for the more traditional soy sauce, because soy tends to upset my stomach and frankly, I just don’t like the taste. The coconut aminos also keep this dish completely gluten free.
Now, are you ready to get your spring roll on? Keep in mind, the recipe as written below makes 15 – 20 spring rolls and about a cup and a half of sauce. It’s a lot, but they’ll last in the fridge for up to 5 days. The recipe can easily be halved to make less. I tend to eat about 3 – 4 rolls (uncut) with a 1/3 cup dipping sauce before I start to feel like I’m turning into a vegetable, but you do you.
- 20, 9 inch rice paper wrappers
- 8 ounces maifun or vermicelli rice noodles
- 2 heads romaine lettuce
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ½ hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced
- 2 heaping cups carrots, shredded
- 2 heaping cups purple cabbage, shredded
- 2 heaping cups mung bean sprouts
- ½ cup natural peanut butter*
- ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- ¼ cup chili garlic sauce
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
- Trim romaine leaves to fit on the rice paper. Working with one rice paper at a time, submerge in a shallow bowl of water (a round cake pan works well) for 5 seconds. Remove rice paper from water and place on your work surface. Lay a romaine leaf on the paper, then layer on a small amount of rice noodles and each of the veggies.
- Fold over one side of the rice paper then fold over top and bottom. Using a rolling motion, continue to seal rice paper on opposite side.
- Store spring rolls in the fridge, uncut, for up to 5 days.
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Garnish with green onions.
- Leftover sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
For those with peanut allergies, sub toasted sesame oil.
And, if you’re literally throwing a spring roll party and want a few other nibbles to round out the menu, check out the recipe for my fresh and easy Green Pea and Edamame Hummus over on Project Juice’s Ritual Wellness blog this week.
These spring rolls are so light and refreshing and extra yummy with the Peanut dippy sauce. Perfect for a light lunch.
Agreed, especially when it’s too hot to cook!
I made the spring rolls yesterday……YUMMY!
However the dipping sauce tasted ok but looked so dark compared to yours I used everything on the list, just wondering if its the photography?
Hmmm, could just be the lighting or maybe the brand of soy sauce, maple syrup, pb, etc.??? I always recommend tweaking the recipe to taste. For example, my husband likes it best as written but I tend to add a little more maple syrup if I’m making the sauce just for myself.
Thank you…..I will take another look at the products I’m using and make some adjustments……I can’t wait to try again such a nice snack!😃
These veggie spring rolls looks absolutely fantastic! Love the colors! Packed with so much good nutrition! Pinning and stumbling!
Thank you, Ilka!
Wow! These are gorgeous! I remember I found wrapping them intimidating before a friend showed me how to do it. It’s not so bad.
Love the sound of your sauce!
It definitely just takes some getting used to! I used the little diagram on the rice paper wrapper as my guide.
Wow! These look delicious!!
Thanks, Patricia!
Add cilantro to make them even more flavorful! Amazing!!
Ooohh, that is a wonderful idea, Lauren! I’m definitely doing that next time.
I’m thinking about making these for a baby shower that I’m hosting. Do they hold up well if you make them a day or two ahead of time?
They do! Just don’t cut them in half until ready to serve, that will keep the veggies extra fresh.
Is there a trick to prevent the rice paper from drying out when stored? Every time I have tried to keep them, even overnight, the wrappers get super tough and dry. 🙁
Hmmm, I’ve never had that problem. Perhaps try soaking the papers longer before filling them with veggies? You could also try wrapping the rolls in damp paper towels before storing in an airtight container. Also make sure you keep them refrigerated.
I follow Weight Watchers; any idea of points for the sauce? Look delicious!
Thx!
Hi Beverly, I don’t know how WW points work, so unfortunately I’m not the best person to ask. Could you plug all of the ingredients into one of those online calorie calculators and go from there?
I’m curious … I am gong to be making a batch of these this afternoon … did you slice the cucumber or “match stick” the pieces? The directions say slice, but the picture looks like larger chunks.
Hi Kim, I sliced them into long strips.
Thank you!
These were beautiful and so delicious! They were hard to wrap and came out a little uneven but when I cut them and put them on the platter with the oh-so-very-good sauce you couldn’t even tell that it was my first time. I used chunky peanut butter and was so glad I did, it gave some crunch. Next time I will add cilantro as someone suggested. Oh! I also added avocado, mmmmmmm! Beautiful, delicious and healthy!
So glad you liked them, Sandy, and I love the idea of using chunky peanut butter in the dipping sauce! I’ll have to do that next time. Wrapping these babies up can definitely be tricky, sometimes they turn out awesome for me, other times, not so much.
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe with my friends who are going to do an anti-inflamation diet with me. I’m pretty sure that we can have everything her except maybe the chile sauce and maple syrup (sugar). We may have to figure out a substitution. I get these sometimes with prawns sliced the long way and cilantro and they are wonderful!
I love these so much that I’m taking them to family Christmas. Thanks for the recipe!
What’s the chili garlic sauce that needs to be included in the peanut sauce?
Am I able to make it (recipe?) or does it have to be purchased?
Hi Inna, chili garlic sauce is something you buy at the grocery store. Check out the Asian section of your supermarket. I use the Huy Fong brand.
You’re right, this was easier than I thought it would be! Sharing this with friends! Thank you!!
I would love to see more of your recipes!!!
I tried this today and we sooo yummy, difficult to fold it maybe the more I practice the better I will get at it!
I didn’t use chili sauce, and replace peanut butter for sunflower butter ( low oxalate replacement) they were delicious!!!
Thanks for sharing!!
Oooohhh, sunflower butter! Sounds tasty! My folding skills are a constant work in progress. As long as the filling stays in, I’m happy. 🙂
This is the BEST spring roll recipe out there! It’s my go to for parties. Even my Omni family loves it so much that they’ve all asked for the recipe.
That’s so awesome! Glad you and your family love them!
We added cilantro as someone recommended and would always do it again! Also, used butter lettuce instead because it’s more appropriately sized and softer. Would definitely recommend to cut down on waste and prep time. Finally, added a squeeze of lime juice to the peanut sauce 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Can’t stop eating them! Thanks for the recipe!
I am trying these for the 1st time today. I’m nervous 😆
My question is about the sauce. Mine seems thin & runny. Is this normal? I know I can add more peanut butter, I’m just curious.
My first try at constructing this spring roles is a disaster! But the biggest factor is the stickiness of the rice paper! Did I do something wrong that they are so sticky?
The flavours are really good though.
LOL, there’s definitely a learning curve with spring rolls and even for me, when I don’t make them for a long time, it’s not like riding a bike! The first few rolls are always unsightly! I’d recommend drying your fingers once you’ve loaded up the filling and before you try to roll them. That helps with the stickiness a bit, but really it’s just practice. I’m sure there are some You Tube videos with tutorials that show the process better than I ever could.