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Fresh Spring Rolls With Peanut Sauce Recipe – a recipe for fresh and colorful vegetable spring rolls, made with clear rice wrappers, rice Vermicelli noodles, carrots, peppers, lettuce and cucumbers. Light, flavorful and delicious. Dipped in a quick and easy to make homemade peanut butter sauce. Great as a healthy snack or for parties and celebrations.
This is not by any chance an authentic Asian recipe. Since I’m European, living in Europe and the United States, I believe it is fait enough to mention that this is just the way I make spring rolls for my family at home.
These are fun to make and a lot easier that you probably think. I used to see some nice colorful and tasty looking Summer (Spring) rolls on social media and used to think – I can never make them. But ever since I tried, I realized they are a lot easier to prepare, roll and more important these an eye catcher, that could be made a few hours in advance.
Vegetable Spring Rolls
The truth is that I’ve had similar rolls at a local Thai restaurant, but I’ve also seen them being offered at a Vietnamese sandwich place, that I used to go to often. Loved getting these or the Shrimp version (I’m sharing the recipe in a different post) at least once a week for lunch.
I’ve heard these rolls being called different names like Thai Spring Rolls, Vietnamese Spring Rolls or Summer Rolls.
Fresh rolls, spring rolls or summer rolls? There must be a difference between them?
Spring rolls are wrapped in a dough made of flour and water and then fried, while summer rolls are wrapped in a translucent rice-wrapper and served cold.
So are these Thai or Vietnamese? From what I read on the internet, I believe, these are similar to the Vietnamese version.
How to make Fresh Spring Rolls With Peanut Sauce?
Ingredients:
(You can add different veggies and serve these with a dipping sauce of your choice)
Fresh Spring Rolls
- rice paper
- Rice Vermicelli noodles
- lettuce
- red pepper
- carrot
- cucumber
- cilantro leaves (to taste)\Fresh mint leaves (optional)
- green onions, chopped (optional, most recipes don’t include onions)
Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce
- creamy peanut butter
- soy sauce or Tamari
- rice vinegar
- sweetener – maple syrup or agave nectar
- garlic powder
- grated fresh ginger (optional, I usually omit it)
- Sriracha (optional)
- water, to thin the sauce
Directions:
Fresh Spring Rolls
Cook noodles, according to the directions on the package, until al dente.
Drizzle with some sesame oil.
Fill a shallow pan (9-10 inches) with cold water.
Place a lint free kitchen towel next to the pan.
Arrange all prepared fillings, so they are next to the pan.
Place 1 rice paper at a time in the pan with water. Let it sit for 20-30 seconds, until the sheet is soft and pliable. Place the sheet onto the towel.
Leave at least 1 inch around the edges, cover the lower 1/3 of the rice paper sheet with lettuce (2 pieces), carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, peppers, cilantro, mint and green onions.
Roll up the paper halfway into a cylinder. Fold the sides in an envelope pattern.
Lay 3 small shrimp along the crease and keep rolling into a tight roll.
Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
Serve with the sauce.
Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce:
In a small bowl combine the peanut butter, rice vinegar, hot sauce, sweetener, soy sauce, garlic. Stir to combine. Add the water, while whisking to thin the sauce.
Recipe tips:
- Freshness – the choice of ingredients is important. The fresher the vegetables, the better the Veggie rolls will taste.
- Add ins/substitutions – this is just a variation of how raw spring rolls can be prepared. Of course, you can use vegetables of your choice, or what you have in the fridge/pantry. Adding green, Napa or Purple cabbage, sprouts, shrimp or chicken are all options you may consider. I’ll be sharing a recipe for Shrimp Spring Rolls soon.Don’t like rice noodles? You can omit them and add more veggies instead.
- Sauce variations – if you are not a fan of peanuts and peanut sauce, you can serve these vegetable spring rolls with either homemade or store bought Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce, Mayo Sauce (usually mayonnaise, seasoning an hot sauce) or Hoisin Dipping Sauce.
Can You Make Fresh Spring Rolls In Advance?
While you technically can, I don’t recommend making the spring rolls with vegetables in advance.
You can prepare and cut the vegetables up to 2 ahead of time, but please keep in mind that these taste best within a few hours after you rolled them.
They may be put in the fridge in an air tight container, but the rice paper wrappers will harden. You may try covering them with a damp piece of kitchen paper (paper towel) and microwaving for 15-30 seconds, to soften the wrappers and noodles. The taste will not be the same and veggies may get very soft. The rolls will lack freshness and crunchiness.
The peanut dipping sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.
More Fresh and Healthy Recipes:
Veggie Spring Rolls
Video
Ingredients
Spring Rolls:
- 8-10 sheets rice paper, spring roll pepper (8 cinches in diameter
- 2 oz Rice noodles, vermicelli or thin rice noodles
- 1 cup or more torn butter or romaine lettuce, green part only, if using romaine
- 1 tsp sesame or vegetable oil, optional, for the noodles
- 1 large red pepper, cut into thin stripes
- 1 large carrot, cut into thin stripes
- 1 small cucumber, cut into thin stripes (Julienned)
- Fresh cilantro leaves, to tasteFresh mint leaves (optional)
- 2 green onions, chopped (optional)
- Other veggies, that could be added:
- Jalapeño peppers, cut into very thin stripes
- Green and purple cabbage, thinly slices
Peanut Sauce:
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger, optional
- 1/4 tsp or more hot sauce like Sriracha
- 1/4 cup water, to thin the sauce
Instructions
Veggie spring rolls:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to the directions on the package, until al dente.
- Drain, rinse under cold water, transfer to a bowl and drizzle with some sesame oil.
- Fill a shallow cake pan (9-10 inches in diameter) with cold water.
- Place a lint free kitchen towel next to the pan.
- Arrange all prepared fillings, so they are next to the pan.
- Place 1 rice paper at a time in the pan with water. Let it sit for 20-30 seconds, until the sheet is soft and pliable. Place the sheet onto the towel.
- Leave at least 1 inch around the edges, cover the lower 1/3 of the rice paper sheet with lettuce (2 pieces), a handful of rice noodles, peppers, carrots, cucumbers, jalapeño (optional), mint, cilantro and green onion (optional).
- Fold the lower edge up over the fillings, rolling upward just until the filling is compactly enclosed. Fold over the short sides like you would to make a burrito. Now roll up the roll. Repeat with the remaining sheets of rice paper and filling ingredients.
Peanut Sauce:
- To make the peanut sauce, in a small bowl combine the peanut butter, rice vinegar, hot sauce, sweetener, soy sauce, garlic. Stir to combine. Add the water, while whisking to thin the sauce.
- You can add chopped peanuts and red pepper flakes to on top of the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
One of my favorites. Thank you for the inspiration 🙂