Thai Spring Rolls are a delicious way to eat more veggies, served with a homemade peanut sauce for dipping. They are basically a hand-held way to eat a salad, all wrapped up for convenience, and are served fresh, not fried!
You may also know them as Thai spring rolls, or salad rolls. This recipe was originally inspired by the Garden Vegetable Rolls I used to buy in the prepared section of my local grocery store, back when we lived in California.
They’re delicious, but expensive, so I figured I needed to learn how to make them at home. And it’s so easy once you get the hang of it!
Ingredients You’ll Need
What is normally in a spring roll?
- Shredded carrots
- Avocado
- Sliced cucumber
- Shredded cabbage
- Bell peppers
- Fresh cilantro or basil
- Sliced mango (highly recommend when it’s in season!)
- Rice paper (use white or brown rice sheets)
What’s the difference between spring rolls and egg rolls? The wrappers for spring rolls are typically egg-free and vegan, made with only rice and water.
Egg rolls are usually fried, while spring rolls aren’t always. I prefer this fresh version, because it really does feel like I’m eating a salad wrap, without a heavy tortilla. And the peanut dipping sauce takes the flavor over the top!
How to Make Them
- Prepare the peanut sauce. This recipe moves quickly, so you want the peanut sauce ready to serve before you start making the spring rolls. Stir together 7 ingredients, and you’re ready to go.
- Slice the veggies. I like to use shredded carrots and cabbage, sliced cucumbers and red bell peppers, avocado, fresh cilantro, romaine leaves, and even sliced fresh mango when I have some on hand. (Highly recommend the mango addition when it’s in season!)
- Wet the paper. Start with white or brown rice spring roll paper. Work with one sheet at a time, getting it wet briefly, for about 10 to 20 seconds under running water. (Or, you can dip them in a bowl of water, if that’s easier.) You don’t have to wait for the paper to soften, it will soften significantly as you work!
- Roll up the veggies. Place the wet rice paper on a cutting board or clean towel, then start adding the sliced veggie fillings to the center. Start with a small amount of everything, because if you add too much, the rice paper may break as you try to roll it up. I usually end up ripping the first one I make, so don’t be discouraged if that happens to you, too. (They still taste good, regardless!)
- Repeat. Once you’ve made your first spring roll, repeat the process, getting another sheet of rice paper wet, then filling it with veggies and rolling it up. You can make as many rolls as you like!
Once the rolls are finished, slice them in half with a sharp knife, and serve them with the peanut dipping sauce. The combination is hard to resist!
Tips for Wrapping Spring Rolls
- Don’t try to batch it. Be sure to wet only one spring roll wrapper at a time. If you try to get more than one sheet wet at once, it might get too soggy and break before you have the chance to add all the veggies and roll it up.
- Leave space on the sides. The amount of filling you add will determine the size of your spring rolls, so be sure to leave at least 1 inch on each side of the veggies, so you’ll be able to roll them up like a burrito. Try piling the veggies towards the lower third of the wrapper, so you’ll have plenty of rice paper at the top to seal the wraps as you roll.
- Don’t over-fill. I recommend starting will less veggie fillings than you think you might need. Start with a piece of romaine lettuce, then add a pinch of shredded cabbage and carrots, followed by thinly sliced avocado, cucumbers, red bell peppers, and cilantro. It will pile up quickly, so that’s why starting small is a good idea.
- Move quickly. You don’t have to wait for rice paper to soften up after getting it wet. By the time you add all of the veggie fillings, it should be very pliable and easy to roll up, so feel free to get started right away with the next step.
If you have leftover peanut sauce, be sure to try it on my Crunchy Thai Salad or over Peanut Noodles, for even more of the flavor you love.
Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
These Spring Rolls are a fast and healthy lunch, served with a delicious peanut sauce. They are naturally gluten-free, and feel like you're eating a hand-held salad.
Servings:
Ingredients
Peanut Dipping Sauce
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove
Spring Rolls
- 6 to 8 sheets rice paper
- 4 romaine leaves
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 2 carrots , shredded
- 1/2 cucumber , thinly sliced
- 1 bell pepper , thinly sliced
- 1 avocado , thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare the peanut sauce, so the flavors can meld as you make the spring rolls. Add the peanut butter, tamari, lime juice, maple syrup, sriracha, ginger, and garlic to a small bowl, and whisk well, until it looks smooth. Add a tablespoon of water, and mix again, until the sauce is silky smooth, with a dip-able consistency. Set aside.
- To prepare the spring rolls, place a single sheet of rice paper under running water and make sure it's totally coated on both sides. Place the wet sheet of paper on a towel or cutting board, then start adding the veggie fillings.
- Start with a small piece of romaine lettuce, followed by a pinch of shredded cabbage and carrots, sliced cucumber and carrots, then top it off with sliced avocado and fresh cilantro. Be sure to leave at least an inch of space on the sides and bottom, so you'll have room to roll up the rice paper.
- Once the fillings are added, grab the bottom of the rice paper and gently pull it over the top of the fillings. Next, you'll fold the two sides over the top of the veggie fillings, as if you're rolling up a burrito. Finally, you'll continue rolling towards the top, until the spring roll is totally wrapped up.
- Repeat the process with the remaining wrappers and fillings, then serve right away with the peanut dipping sauce. I like to cut the rolls in half with a sharp knife, so I can dip the center of the rolls directly in the sauce.
Notes
Nutrition information is for 1 of 8 rolls, using the entire batch of peanut sauce. This information is just an estimate, and not a guarantee.
Make it Nut-Free: Use sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter.
Variation: Add freshly sliced mango to these rolls, when it's in season. The combination is unbelievable with the peanut sauce. Feel free to leave out another veggie in this case, so the rolls don't get too full.
Make Ahead Tips: You can prepare the peanut sauce up to 5 days in advance and store it in the fridge. You can also shred the carrots and cabbage, and slice the cucumber and bell pepper up to 24 hours in advance. I don't recommend making the rolls until shortly before serving (within an hour or so) because they could fall apart as they sit, and if you store them in the fridge, the wrapper can start to become hard.
Nutrition
Calories: 252kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Sodium: 365mg, Potassium: 558mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 10300IU, Vitamin C: 14.9mg, Calcium: 50mg, Iron: 1.4mg
If you try these Spring Rolls, please leave a comment below letting me know you like them! I hope you’ll love them as much as I do.
I love making spring rolls! They are so easy, and delicious! Great way to pack in some veggies!
I absolutely love salad rolls with peanut sauce, although I haven’t had the ones at Whole Foods! I’ve never worked with rice paper before, but now I’m very curious to try making my own salad rolls!
Yes, these are my favorite from WF but just TOO expensive! Thank you for sharing!
Well, we sort of call it Whole Paycheck instead of Whole Foods around here…..which is why I try to DIY their food! Never tried or purchased rice paper before, eager to get my hands on some =)
just purchased my veggies and rice papers…. yum yum …. can’t wait for dinner (also making the peanut sauce)
Hi Megan! I’ve tried making spring rolls, and while they were delicious, the texture of rice paper was funny smooth to touch! How did you overcome the feeling like you touch someone’s skin?
Ha, I’ve never thought of that before! You could probably use nori sheets if you don’t care for the texture of rice paper, but the rice paper is a little more durable for making ahead of time.
Ohh I need to have a look and see if my local wholefoods sells them as this would make SUCH a good change for my lunches other than soups leftovers or salads 😉
Can you make these a day or two ahead, or will the rice paper dry out and fall apart?
I had them as leftovers 2 days later and they still held together well! I stored them in an airtight container in the fridge to keep the moisture locked in.
Did you add any lime to prevent the avocado from browning? I probably would mash the avocado with that and spread it on the lettuce thinly. Gonna try it soon!
Just made this for a party – delicious AND easy!!!! Thanks for another great recipe, Megan!!
Would this work with seaweed ‘paper’?
Thank you so much for this recipe, made our Super Bowl party event, super trendy and delicious. Everybody was asking me how I did it, and thanking for a fresh alternative to all the traditional party junk 🙂
oh forgot to mention about the sauce, super delish, that was the icing
Is there a taste difference between the brown and white rice papers?
One of my MANY favorite recipes! Peanut sauce is superb!!!
Mine didn’t turn out quite so pretty but they were delicious! I can’t do peanut or almond so I subbed tahini and wow, could’ve just eaten the sauce with a spoon.
Megan, these are so good! I’m a big fan of these rolls, and that dipping sauce…I could eat it every day for a month and not get tired of it.
I have a random request from my dad. He’s undergoing chemo, and one of the few foods he can stomach is cream puffs—specifically the kind from Beard Papa’s. The branch near us has closed indefinitely, and my dad has lost weight because he can’t get his cream puffs.
Could you advise on how to make a cream puff pastry? I made your sweet potato frosting today and thought it was quite similar to the cream from my dad’s favorite cream puffs. I just can’t figure out how to make the outer pastry without resorting to traditional flours. Ideally I’d love to use almond flour and/or arrowroot or tapioca starch, but I’m hopeless with recipe creation.
Any input would be so welcome! And thank you for all the incredible recipes you write. We eat mostly Detoxinista in our household!
This is my sign to make spring rolls! I was debating making them after seeing a post on Pinterest, and after checking your blog and seeing this, I know I have too! Thanks for the recipe, spring rolls are such a great way to pack in those veggies, in a delicious way.
I love this idea and the timing was perfect. I have on my list for the week another recipe using part of an English cucumber and carrots. I can’t wait to try this. It looks delicious!
Just wondering why the carbs are high with the veggies spring roll.
The nutrition information is automatically calculated using ALL of the ingredients listed, so it includes the entire batch of peanut sauce, too. Since it’s unlikely that all of the sauce will be finished with this number of rolls, that will inflate the numbers slightly.
The dipping sauce is delicious! My new favorite summer lunch
Wow! The peanut sauce was the best I’ve ever had. The fresh ginger in there did the trick. And the fixin’s for the rolls made a nice combo. I added some Genovese and Thai basil inside ours. Thanks for another solid, works-every-time recipe Megan.