Straight from our vegetarian restaurant, these fresh spring rolls are easy to make at home! Served with our favorite homemade peanut sauce; a light, healthy, and delicious meal! Vegan and gluten-free.
One of the most popular items on our restaurant’s menu was our fresh spring rolls (also called fresh summer rolls). They were packed full of veggies and herbs, and delicious baked miso tofu, served with our favorite peanut sauce. I would live on these for weeks during the summer months—they are so light and refreshing, and every now and then, I crave them! A perfect meal for hot summer days!
The nice thing is that they can be made ahead and kept for several days in the fridge if stored properly (scroll down for our catering secret!)… It’s so nice to have them on hand for snacking or lunching.
Why You’ll Love Them!
- The dipping sauce! Seriously the BEST peanut sauce, not cloyingly sweet, full of rich umami flavor.
- Light and refreshing! Perfect for hot summer days.
- Healthy and plant-based. Loaded with raw, crunchy colorful veggies and high-protein tofu.
- Easy to meal prep. Keeps for several days in the fridge. Perfect for snacking or summer gatherings!
Fresh Spring Roll Ingredients
- Rice paper wrappers: You can find these in the Asian aisle at most grocery stores!
- Fresh vegetables: Thinly sliced cucumber, cabbage, carrots (or grate a large carrot), large red bell pepper (or any color!), avocado, bean sprouts or daikon. Any crisp vegetables, cut into thin strips. Think about color, you want these vibrant!
- Lettuce: A leaf of lettuce is placed at the base of the spring rolls to help prevent the little veggies from poking out. Use a soft green lettuce like butter lettuce.
- Baked tofu (or cooked shrimp): Make your own or use store-bought “baked tofu”, cut into strips, or even smoked tofu- all delicious! Feel free to substitute cooked shrimp, avocado slices or even cooked vermicelli rice noodles. This Sesame Ginger baked tofu is delicious here- best to make this ahead and chill.
- Fresh herbs: Typically mint and Thai basil. Cilantro and regular fresh basil leaves work too, but there is something especially refreshing about having the mint. So don’t leave it out if possible!
How to Make Spring Rolls
Step 1: Make the baked tofu. Make our Sesame Ginger Baked Tofu. When done, let cool before cutting into thin strips. This step can be done ahead of time!
Step 2: Make the BEST EVER Peanut Sauce! Alternatively, you could serve these with a Vietnamese dipping sauce like Nước Chấm.
Step 3: Prep all filling ingredients. Cut the veggies and gather the herbs. The thinner you slice the veggies, the easier they will be to eat. Keep everything on a large cutting board near where you plan to roll the spring rolls.
Step 4: Fill a bowl with water. Fill a large shallow bowl (big enough to dip round rice paper sheets into) with lukewarm water.
Step 5: Wet the counter. Or drench a thin kitchen towel with warm water, wring it out and lay it on the counter (ideal if making a lot of spring rolls!).
Step 6: Do a “tester” roll. Dip the rice paper in the water. Check your rice paper package- if it says “thin” you will only need a quick dip, otherwise dip for 5-15 seconds. Pull out when just slightly pliable (not too soft) and place on the wet counter or towel. If the rice paper still feels stiff, dip your hands in the water bowl and wet the rice paper a little.
Place a 1/4 leaf of lettuce on top of the wrapper in the center, leaving 2-3 inches of space all around. Top with shredded veggies, tofu, and torn herbs.
Firmly fold the bottom flap, tucking in the sides as you go.
Place seam-side down on a wet cutting board and cover with a damp paper towel.
Remember, this is your tester! Do you like the size? Fill more or less depending on your preference. Did the roll fall apart? If so, the soaking time may have been too long. If your roll was not pliable enough to roll, then you did not soak for long enough. Adjust as needed. Each rice paper brand is different, so this is a “feel” thing. 🙂
Step 7: Continue wrapping spring rolls. With the remaining wrappers, roll each spring roll one at a time. It will get easier! 🙂
Step 8: Serve. To prevent the spring rolls from sticking to the plate, serve them over a lettuce-lined platter. Cut them in half and leave room in the center for the sauce.
Garnish the peanut sauce with black sesame seeds and serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Sprinkle green onions and fresh cilantro over top!
Chef’s Tips
- Layer a platter with fresh lettuce leaves, leaving room for the bowl of peanut dipping sauce. The lettuce leaves will prevent spring rolls from sticking to the platter itself!
- Cut spring rolls in half (at a diagonal is nice) and with wet hands, place them over the lettuce just barely overlapping, or loosely stacked, just right before serving. They are easy to ply apart if touching only a little.
- You can also tuck lettuce between them, especially if mounding high.
- Always serve the peanut sauce with a spoon, so guests are not tempted to dip the rolls directly into the sauce which will result in the veggies falling out into the sauce. 😉
Meal Prep & Storage
If you plan to make these Spring Rolls in advance, layer whole, uncut spring rolls between damp paper towels. Get the paper towels dripping wet, then wring them out. Place the rolls and paper towels in a large baking dish, making sure none of the rolls touch each other. Cover the top with damp paper towels and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
To serve for a gathering, these are best enjoyed within 12-24 hours. I’ll often make these the morning of an event, store them whole, and then cut and platter them right before serving them in the evening.
For home use, these will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days!
FAQs
Rice paper! Typically found in the Asian aisle at most grocery stores (not refrigerated). Smaller sizes (6-8 inches) are perfect for appetizers. Larger ones like 10-12 inch diameter rice papers are perfect for entree-sized rolls. Be careful to select packages where the rice paper is unbroken and free of cracks. Rice paper needs to be soaked in a bowl of lukewarm water in order to become soft and pliable allowing it to roll without tearing.
Spring Rolls are fresh, raw and wrapped in rice paper wrapper, served chilled typically with peanut sauce, while egg rolls are deep-fried, served hot, wrapped in a flour/egg dough wrapper served with sweet and sour sauce.
Rice flour, tapioca flour, water, and salt.
No. Spring Roll wrappers (rice paper) does NOT need to be cooked. It needs to be soaked in a bowl of water to soften.
Thai basil is often found at the farmer’s market as a potted herb. I often grab a few of these at the beginning of summer and tuck them into my planters, for uses like this. You can also purchase fresh Thai basil at many Asian Markets.
The dipping sauce is made with peanut butter, ginger, garlic clove, orange juice, lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, and salt.
And there you go! A fresh, delicious, vegan spring roll recipe that can be made ahead and stored for healthy lunches during the week, or packed up for potlucks and gatherings!
Ok friends, make these fresh spring rolls and let us know what you think. Share your adaptations below, because I know how creative you are!!!
Enjoy!
xoxo
More Favorite Recipes!
Watch How to make Spring rolls!
Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Prep Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10
- Category: vegan, gluten free, main, appetizer
- Method: rolled
- Cuisine: Thai, Vietnamese
Description
How to make fresh Spring Rolls with the BEST EVER Peanut Sauce! These vegan spring rolls can be made ahead and stored for healthy lunches or potlucks and gatherings.
Ingredients
- 1 batch Baked Tofu (sesame ginger- see notes) cut into strips (or use store-bought baked tofu)
- 1 batch of Thai Peanut Sauce
- 8–10 rice paper wrappers ( 10 inches in diameter) or see notes
- 1 head green leaf lettuce (or red leaf, or butter lettuce)
- 1 red bell pepper or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips (or sub grated radishes)
- 1 1/2 cups finely shredded purple cabbage
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots ( or use match stick)
- 1/2 an English cucumber, thinly sliced into long strips – leave peels on
- 1/4 cup fresh Thai basil leaves, torn (or regular basil)
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, torn (or cilantro, but mint is best!)
Optional additions or substitutions: daikon radish strips, avocado, grated radishes, grated turnips, grated beets, spicy greens like watercress or arugula, sprouts (sunflower or daikon sprouts are nice), or cooked vermicelli rice noodles.
Instructions
- If using the Baked Tofu, make this first, see note for cutting into strips. (This can be made ahead and chilled)
- Make the BEST EVER Peanut Sauce!
- Prep all your filling ingredients. Cut the veggies, gather the herbs. Gather all the fillings near you. I like to place these all on a cutting board near my spring roll rolling area. Mise en place. 😉
- Fill a large bowl ( large enough to dip rice paper) with lukewarm water and place it behind your rolling area. Wet the counter in front of you. (Or drench a thin kitchen towel with water, wring it out and lay it on the counter, rolling the spring rolls on top of the towel. (This is great if making a ton of spring rolls! )
- Do a “tester” spring roll. Dip the rice paper in the water. If using “thin” rice paper (package should say) just a quick dip is all you need. Otherwise, dip for 5-15 seconds. Pull when slightly pliable (not too soft) and place it on the wet counter or towel. If rice paper still feels overly stiff, dip your hand in the water bowl and wet the rice paper a little, it will soften up.
- Place a 1/4 leaf of lettuce down first in the front center of the rice paper (to prevent shredded veggies from poking out of rice paper) leaving 2-3 inches of space on the sides. See the photo. Top the leaf with shredded veggies, tofu and torn herbs. Then firmly wrap up, tucking in the sides as you go. Place seam side down on a wet cutting board, cover with a damp paper towel. (Remember, this is your tester! Do you like the size? Fill more or less to your preference. Smaller rolls are good for appetizers, larger for lunch. Did your roll fall apart? If so, too long soaking time. Adjust the time. If your roll was not pliable enough to roll, then not enough soaking time. Simply adjust. Remember, each rice paper brand is slightly different and this is a “feel” thing. )
- Continue rolling each spring roll one at a time. The more you do this, the easier it will get. 🙂
- Cut in half, then place on top of a lettuce-lined platter (this will prevent them from sticking to the platter) with the sauce in the middle. Serve with a spoon.
Notes
- To store fresh spring rolls for later: layer whole (uncut) spring rolls between damp paper towels (dripping wet and then wrung out) in a large baking dish, not touching. Cover with damp paper towels and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate.
- To serve for a gathering, best served within 12- 24 hours. I’ll often make these the morning of an event, store them whole, then cut and platter them right before serving them in the evening.
- For home use, these will keep up to 3-4 days!
- Tip: The finer you slice and cut cabbage, bell pepper and carrots, the easier to eat. Feel free to leave tofu out and sub more veggies, or sub shrimp or cooked vermicelli noodles. You can also use store-bought, baked tofu, or smoked tofu!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 full roll (2 halves) with baked tofu (not including peanut sauce)
- Calories: 116
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 254.1 mg
- Fat: 4.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.2 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 3.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I decorated a tray with lettuce to put all the rolls on but we just ate them as they were being prepared and didn’t end up making the tray. Ha! These are so fun and easy! Thank you!
Haha! Love it!
We can’t eat enough of these! We make these at least once a week, more if my husband is traveling away from home :)!
DELICIOUS delicious delicious spring rolls! Thank you for sharing!
I forgot to do the recipe’s rating earlier. Definitely 5 stars!
These Fresh Spring Rolls with the baked tofu and peanut sauce were a HUGE hit with my family! I will certainly make them again. Thank you!
Absolutely amazing! I recently found your blog and have already made several recipes, all some of the best dishes I’ve ever made!!! thanks for sharing your great food with us:)
Thanks Claire!
Delicious and healthy dish. Shredding the carrots and cabbage finely helps when wrapping the rolls and avoiding veggies falling out. Don’t oversoak the rice paper!
Appreciate this Tord!
Could eat these all day. The sesame ginger tofu is such a nice addition!
Omg super nom! These were so good I made a ton, and ate them for 3 days, all day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’m making them again tonight! I thought I lost the recipe, but I tracked it down again. Thank you!
I’m typing this with my mouth full! I just wanted to say thanks for this recipe! It took me all day, shopping included, but so worth it!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I was sure these would be hard to make but your instructions and cautions were spot-on and I did not waste one! They were delicious, fresh and so healthy. I did not want to turn my oven on so used cold, firm tofu and could only find brown rice paper. No matter, with the dipping sauce, these were perfect! Such a refreshing meal! Thank you.
Great to hear Emily!
I have been a fan for awhile but first time commenting. Just want to say that the first time I made these my husband and I almost cried they were so good. I like to do the rolls on one day and then its easy to make the Thai salad the following day with all the prepped ingredients. Thanks for your amazing blog.
Thanks so much appreciate the comment.
Excellent!
My first time making spring rolls and they were a great hit with the family. Making them again tonight. The Peanut Sauce is so good I tried it on noodles. Easy to make too.
Thanks so happy you liked it!
So good! I made these for a gathering and all your tips made it so easy. My guests all loved them and the sauce was wonderful too. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes and your fantastic tips and instructions, much appreciated!
Thanks so much Rachel, really appreciate this!
Does the calorie count include the peanut sauce?
No just the roll ( a whole one)
We decided to make these for a party and then we got snowed in and they became a family feast. We made every part of the recipe. Loved the peanut sauce and the tofu tasted so good. The spring rolls themselves were scrumptious. We devoured them. I will say that the video had me thinking they’d go a little quicker, but they tasted so good, they were worth the work! We’ll definitely make them again!!
Thanks Katie! Glad you liked them! Yes, the video is “sped up” and it can be a little of a process, but I find if I make things in stages (like make the Tofu and Peanut sauce ahead, then leave the rolling for the day of, it goes a little easier. 🙂
Made these as an app and Thai noodles for dinner. Shared ingredients and the peanut sauce for both recipes which was great. It gets easier rolling them up the more you do!
Yes, it does! Thanks Tim!
I prepared these spring rolls for dinner tonight. It was full of flavor. My children love them so much, they want the extra ones for their lunch tomorrow.
The peanut sauce is out of this world yummy! My husband and I are eating more plant base meals after watching “The Game Changer” from Netflix and we looked up vegan dinners. Your blog came up first on google and we are so excited to try your recipes. Thank you so much!!
That is aweseome! Glad you found us!
Did this dish and it was yumi ! 😊
This recipe got rave reviews from guests that had just arrived from a long flight and were hungry but didn’t want anything too heavy. My rolls were not very pretty, but they tasted good. We love, love, the peanut sauce and I used it in several recipes.
Great to hear and thanks so much for the comment and rating! I’m happy they liked it!
This was absolutely delicious !!! And you are right…the sauce is really the best !!!
I made two recipes in one day. This one was great also. My fear of rice paper has vanished! Who know it would be so easy. I swapped out the tofu for cooked shrimp. More traditional.
Love your recipes. One of our favorites for tired long days at work is the Photon soup.
Thanks for all the great ideas.
forgot stars
Made these tonight with ginger tofu and peanut sauce and these are the perfect summer dinner!!! So flavorful and colorful and crunchy and fresh! Made extra for lunch tomorrow, not sure if they will make it that long.
So awesome! Glad you enjoyed them!
Hubs made the best ever peanut sauce and I made the spring rolls with shrimp. Followed all your good advice on working with the rice paper and they were the hit of our Canada Day garden party! Absolutely worth the effort for fresh, crunchy rolls. No comparison to bought rolls.
Yay!!!! so glad you liked them!
Made these tonight – with the addition of Vietnamese lemongrass sausage for the meat eaters. They were wonderful!! The peanut sauce ended up a little bitter, perhaps due, as you said, to limes being too green, but it was nothing a little hoisin sauce couldn’t fix. My favorite thing about eating these – and we ate A LOT – is, though we’re full, we’re not feeling stuffed. And we ate more veggies than we have at one sitting in a long while! Thank you for another beautiful, healthy, family-friendly recipe!!
Forgot to add stars!
Thanks Julie, glad you enjoyed these!!!