Enjoy the best tasting spring rolls with ease at home! This light and fresh spring roll recipe features shrimp, fresh vegetables, sweet mangoes, and the most delicious homemade peanut dipping sauce to result in an insanely delicious knock-off of your favorite Vietnamese Spring Rolls.
If you have followed my recipes for long, you know that I love to recreate restaurant favorites. I am a firm believer that things like Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Egg Rolls, Lettuce Wraps, and Fried Rice, can be just as delicious (and oftentimes tastier) when prepared at home. By making these Asian-inspired dishes yourself, you save money, control the quality of ingredients, and customize the dishes to fit your family's tastes and/or dietary restrictions.
And today's recipe for Spring Rolls is one of my favorite Vietnamese copycat recipes! We are talking about fresh, light, bright spring rolls featuring fresh vegetables, sweet mango, tender shrimp, and a ridiculously delicious (and easy) peanut dipping sauce. I know spring rolls are sold as an appetizer, but I can make a meal out of these gems!
Key Ingredients
Don't be alarmed by the number of Ingredients in these Spring Rolls. Most are fresh vegetables and herbs you can use later in the week to make things like an Asian Noodle Salad or Thai Noodles. And the shrimp is optional.
- Spring Roll Wrappers: You can find spring roll wrappers in the Asian section of most grocery stores.
- Rice Noodles: Rice noodles are not only traditional in spring rolls but also add bulk and texture. Look for vermicelli or extremely thin rice noodles, right in the Asian section near the spring roll wrappers, and be sure to prepare according to the package instructions, as it can vary based on brand.
- Shrimp: Use precooked small or medium deveined shrimp that have had the tails removed. And it is an optional ingredient. Feel free to omit or replace it with another cooked protein if desired. (Leftover pork is a great option!)
- Fresh Produce: You can use any firm, ripe fresh produce you like. I suggest soft lettuce as the base, and a mixture of cucumbers, carrots, peppers, cabbage, and mango for the ultimate contrast in flavor and texture.
- Dipping Sauce: These Vietnamese Spring Rolls are best paired with an Asian Peanut sauce that is rich, bold, and creamy. The sauce is made with peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and a bit of spice and sweetener. There are quite a few ingredients, but most are found in a well-stocked pantry.
How to Make Homemade Spring Rolls
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare Peanut Dipping Sauce
The sauce is made simply by blending all the ingredients together in a blender or a food processor. If you don't want to go to the hassle of whipping out a food processor, simply whisk vigorously by hand.
Have Ingredients Ready
I strongly suggest prepping all your ingredients (chopping fruit and vegetables, cooking rice noodles, cooking shrimp, etc.) BEFORE beginning to roll your egg rolls. This will make the process of rolling the spring rolls much more efficient.
Use a Tea Towel as a Work Station
Lightly dampen a tea towel with water and use this to place your spring roll wrappers on. This helps to prevent the spring roll wrapper from sticking to the surface and keeps it from drying out.
Don't Overfill
There are a lot of filling options for Spring Rolls, but you want to use a light hand when adding the filling. Otherwise, your spring roll will be likely to tear. The order in which you add the toppings is also key. First add lettuce, followed by the prepared rice noodles, vegetables/fruit, herbs, and shrimp.
Roll Spring Rolls
When it comes to rolling your spring rolls, think of it like an envelope. First, pull the bottom of the wrapper over the filling, then fold in the sides tightly. Then tightly roll.
Wait to Cut the Spring Rolls
You can serve whole spring rolls, or cut them in half to reveal their beautiful center before serving. Just wait to cut them until immediately before serving, or they will not stay intact. When ready to serve, slice the Spring rolls in half and serve with the peanut dipping sauce.
Recipe Modifications
- Swap out the Dipping Sauce. Instead of preparing the Peanut Dipping sauce, feel free to serve the Spring Rolls with Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce, Chinese hot mustard, or soy sauce for dipping.
- Keep it Gluten-Free. Spring Roll Wrappers are made from rice and water and therefore SHOULD be gluten-free, but be sure to double-check package labels to be safe. But you will need to use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce for the dipping sauce to keep that gluten-free as well.
- Other Vegetable Options: Use any crisp vegetables/fruit that you like for this recipe. Let your imagination and produce drawer guide you. I have used sugar snap peas, raw summer squash, edamame, and broccoli slaw before with great success.
Storage Instructions
While spring rolls are best when served within 24 hours of preparation, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Assemble the spring rolls as directed. Wrap rolls individually in plastic wrap or parchment paper and layer in an airtight container.
More Favorite Copycat Take-Out Recipes
- Vegetable Potstickers
- Hunan Beef
- Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry
- Orange Chicken
- Quick & Easy Homemade Ramen
- Instant Pot Mongolian Beef
- Shrimp Lo Mein
If you gave these Spring Rolls a try, be sure to leave a review and comment below! I love to hear from you!
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Ingredients
Peanut Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 to 3 tablespoons water as needed
For the spring rolls:
- 1 package spring roll wrappers 8-10 per package
- 2 ounces rice vermicelli
- 8 butter lettuce leaves or any soft lettuce ribs removed, torn into small pieces
- 2 medium mangos peeled and sliced into thin strips
- 1 large red pepper cut into thin strips
- 1 large carrot peeled and shredded or sliced into thin strips
- 1 large English cucumber sliced into thin strips
- 1 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage
- 1 pound small cooked shrimp, deveined, tails removed
- 1 small bunch cilantro
- 1 small bunch fresh mint
Instructions
- Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing together peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes together in a small food processor, blender, or by whisking by hand if needed. Add warm water 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin the sauce to a dipping consistency.
- Prepare Rice Noodles. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the vermicelli noodles to the boiling water, turn off the heat and allow the noodles to sit in the hot water, according to package directions. This is about 5-10 minutes depending on the brand. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water.
- Prepare station for spring rolls by gathering all the prepared fillings (vegetables, herbs, noodles, mango, and shrimp) and filling a shallow pan (a pie pan or 9″ round cake pan works great) with an inch of warm water. Have a lint-free tea towel ready as well.
- Dampen Wrapper. Place one spring roll wrapper in the water for 15-20 seconds, or until JUST pliable but still has some structure. Carefully remove from the water and lay it flat on the towel.
- Assemble Spring Rolls. Leaving about 1 inch of open rice paper around the edges, cover the lower third of the paper with a few pieces of the torn lettuce. Arrange a small handful of rice noodles, some cabbage, a few strips of carrot, cucumber, red pepper, and mango over the center of the lettuce leaf. Top with 2 mint leaves and 2 cilantro leaves. Arrange 3 pieces of shrimp about right above the vegetable/herb filling. Make sure that the pink side of the shrimp is facing down.
- Roll. Grab the lower edge of the rice paper and tightly roll up the spring roll to the shrimp. Once you have reached the shrimp, fold in the left and right sides. Finish rolling up the spring roll all the way to the end.
- Repeat the rolling process with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cut the spring rolls on a diagonal and serve the spring rolls with the dipping sauce.
Van Van
Thank you for posting a quite detailed article about the origin and how to make Gỏi cuốn (fresh spring roll or summer roll). However, I need to correct the information that Vietnamese people eat Gỏi cuốn (fresh spring roll or summer roll) all year round and Vietnamese people did not create Gỏi cuốn for any special occasion in the spring. Gỏi cuốn (fresh spring roll or summer roll) is eaten all year round. It is a light, simple dish that is not only served as an appetizer but also as a main dish with various ingredients such as fish, meat, eggs...
Jen
These are one of my all time favorites! They're fresh and delicious!
Kristen Chidsey
Love hearing this Jen!
Taryn
The peanut sauce may be my favorite part! Thanks for the recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
Right there with you! It is so good!
Sam Martin
It was a great experience of cooking...I had not done anything related to cooking before. This helps me a lot to learn to cook...I suggest all to use this recipe..
Beth
Simple and homemade are a few of my favorite things with peanut dipping sauce a close second!! This recipe is so pretty and was delicious!
Kristen Chidsey
I could drink the peanut sauce myself 😉
Sam
wow these spring rolls were so fresh and delicious! The perfect snack on warmer days.