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Look no further for restaurant-quality Spring Rolls that are unbelievably easy to make, delicious and healthy! I like to serve them with homemade peanut sauce for dipping and they make a great light lunch, dinner or appetizer.
I've mentioned before that I'm completely obsessed with Vietnamese and Thai food recipes, and I've loved trying to recreate some of my restaurant favorites in my own kitchen, including Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Pho soup and Panang curry.
My love for spring rolls goes back decades when a neighbor taught my mom and me her authentic tricks for making fresh spring rolls . These are packed with flavorful and taste better than anything I've ever found from a Thai Restaurant in the United States. We've made them regularly and I think i've perfected our method and tips and I'm excited to share them with you!
What I love about this recipe:
- Healthy and flavorful.
- Adaptable: this recipe is extremely forgiving, and easy to adapt to use ingredients that you like and have on hand. I'm sharing what I typically put in them, but the options are endless, including bean sprouts, chicken, lettuce, bell peppers avocado.
- The dipping sauce: a simple peanut sweet chili sauce that puts them over the top!
How to make Fresh Spring Rolls:
Assemble all of your ingredients together, including the chopped veggies, cooked chicken or shrimp, noodles, herbs, and rice paper wrappers. Chop all of your vegetables into long, thin slices. I like to shred the carrot, but you can cut it julienne if you'd like.
1. Dip wrappers in water. Fill a large shallow dish or pie plate with an inch or so of water.
Remove one rice paper wrapper from the package, and place it in the water to soak. Allow it to soak for about 10 to 15 seconds and then remove and place on a cutting board or countertop. The rice wrapper should still feel pretty firm at this point. It will soften as it sits and as you add the filling ingredients. (If you let it soak for too long it will tear more easily when rolled).
2. Add filling. Layer everything on the ⅓ of the spring roll that is closest to you. Add 1-2 of each ingredient, and small pinch of noodles.
3. Wrap. Pick up the sides of the spring roll and fold them in over the toppings. Then pick up the edge closest to you and pull it up and snugly over the toppings. Continue rolling all the way up like a burrito. Practice will make perfect, but just try to keep all of the ingredients in tightly together as you roll everything up.
How to store spring rolls:
If you're not enjoying the spring rolls right away, wrap each roll individually in plastic wrap. Otherwise the rice wrapper will dry out, and if you wrap them side-by-side they will stick together and the wrappers will tear when you try to get them apart.
They taste best the day they are made, but they can be stored for 2-3 days, wrapped individually and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Consider serving these with other Thai inspired recipes:
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Fresh Spring Rolls
These Fresh Spring Rolls are even better than you'd find at a restaurant, and they're easy to make and healthy!
Ingredients
- 1 package spring roll rice wrappers, , found in the Asian foods section at the grocery store
- 1 package vermicelli rice noodles, , found in the Asian foods section at the grocery store
- 2 mangos, , peeled and sliced into thin strips
- 1 large carrot, , peeled and shredded or sliced into thin strips
- 1 large English cucumber, , peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 pound small, cooked shrimp, , deveined, tails removed, or substitute chicken
- 1 bunch fresh mint leaves
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
For the peanut sauce:
- 3/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1/3 cup peanut butter, , smooth or crunchy
- 1/2 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon hoisin sauce
Instructions
- Cook vermicelli noodles in boiling water, for just a few minutes, according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Gather all topping ingredients together, including chopped veggies, herbs, cooked shrimp.
- Add about 1 inch of water to a large, deep dish, or pie pan. Place one rice wrapper into the water and let soak for just 10-15 seconds. It should still feel pretty firm as you remove it and lay it on your counter or plate.
- (It will soften up as you add the filling ingredients, but If you let it soak for too long it will get too soft and will tear when you roll it up.)
- Layer 1-2 slices of each veggie, a few shrimp, a few leaves of each herb and a pinch of noodles on the ⅓ of the spring roll that is closest to you.
- Fold the sides of the spring roll in over the ingredients. Then pull the side closest to you up and over the ingredients, sealing everything together tightly, and rolling it up like a burrito.
For the peanut sauce:
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.
Notes
Other filling ingredient ideas:
- bean sprouts
- sliced avocado
- cooked, chopped chicken
- romaine lettuce leaf
- sliced bell peppers
Nutrition
Calories: 80kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 1g, Sodium: 36mg, Potassium: 146mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1905IU, Vitamin C: 11.7mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I originally shared this recipe March 2013. Updated February 2020.
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This recipe is pretty simple and super delicious! I’m not usually a fan of peanut butter or sauces that include it, but the sauce elevates these yummy rolls to heaven in your mouth!
The spring rolls were delicious! My only thing is I would’ve like to have some heat to my sauce and it was a little too thick for my liking. Next time I will add 1/4 c. of peanut butter but it was good overall! 😋
Mix in some water to make a thinner sauce. If the flavor dilutes, add some salt and sugar to taste.
Well I thought these were fantastic! The sauce is good, I added slightly less peanut butter. For me, the trick to keeping together the soy paper and avoiding it getting too sticky : was not to soak it but just wet down the whole paper in warm water, then place it on a damp cheese cloth type towel to fill it, fill quickly before it becomes too wet, folding it together while it is still slightly firm. Then it continues to soften slightly as it is rolled.
These are delish! For fun I have my guests roll their own. Some are hesitant initially but always enjoy themselves!!!
That’s a GREAT idea!!
Is there a recipe for cooking the chicken?
eh it was weird tasting
Epic Fail.
I followed the recipe but didn’t have shrimp so added fresh crab. The wrappers were sticky, chewy messes. Sauce was extremely thick. What a waste of good ingredients
Awww! So sorry things messed up on you! Yes, the wrapper is kind of chewy but that’s how it should be! I think you got a bit too anxious and frustrated. I was like that in the beginning. If you didn’t have these before, I’m sure you didn’t know what to expect! You kind of have to acquire a taste for the texture. I hope you didn’t toss them because If the fresh spring rolls bothered you so much you could have alway fried them. I saw directions for fried spring rolls and there was no difference in the procedure except they’re fried in the end.
I absolutely LOVE these fresh spring rolls now. I’ve even used leftovers with my veggies! I like this recipe but I do prefer adding a few other ingredients such as shredded purple cabbage and avocado and omitting the mango because I don’t care for them. I’m not a big fan of mint or basil either. I loved this peanut dipping sauce! If it’s a bit too thick for you, add a tablespoon or two of water to get the consistency you do like! These spring rolls help me get the vegetables I need for the day so I’ll even chop just what I need to make 2 or 3 and have a quick lunch or dinner!!!
I have never been a curious eater but watching food actually being prepared has given me a whole new appreciation for food. Im know I’m still not ready for crustaceans yet but the concept of the Thai Spring Roll is something i would definitely try. I would just use the chicken or just go all veggie! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Oh my goodness… the peanut sauce is incredible! These were a huge hit at my house
Hello! These look amazing I’m a bit curious abut the calories and if it’s 80 for just oke spring roll without the sauce or something different?
Lovely recipe. I agree that mango gives the rolls a nice flavor.
I went a little overboard making them. I rolled a batch, then my son said he preferred more veggies than rice noodles so I make some more. I think I had about 20 of them. We could not eat them all so I stored them a bit differently.
I got a long plastic container and lined it with wet paper towels squeezed until just damp. I lay the rolls in a row, not touching. Then I laid another layer of wet paper towel and stacked them three rows high. It worked like a charm…the rolls were still nice after 3 days. But you could individually wrap them too….this just is a lot less work if you have a lot made.
That is an excellent idea! Love it
Thanks for this suggestion. I love to serve a variety of Asian dishes for an authentic meal, but so many items take some time, and knowing how to make things ahead of time and store for later is a big help.
This is the comment i was waiting for. I wanted 3 days of meal prep!