These fresh vegetable spring rolls are like a handheld salad and much healthier than fried egg rolls. They are loaded with crisp vegetables, fresh herbs, and tender rice noodles. We added shrimp to some of them for extra protein, but feel free to leave them out or substitute the shrimp with tofu.
Spring rolls make a great appetizer or light meal. Serve them with a dipping sauce such as our spicy peanut sauce or Nuac Mam Sauce.
Why This Recipe Works
- You can make these salad rolls two days in advance (perfect for party prep).
- Completely customizable. Add your favorite veggies and herbs. Make it vegetarian, or add shrimp and chicken.
- Vermicelli noodles add extra filling and a contrasting texture to the crisp vegetables.
- Tossing the noodles in a quick marinade enhances the flavors and livens up the spring rolls.
Ingredients Needed
Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for this recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Vermicelli rice noodles
- Shrimp
- Rice paper spring roll wrappers
- Lettuce
- Purple cabbage
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Green onion
- Fresh herbs: parsley, mint, basil, and cilantro
How to Make Spring Rolls
Here is a brief overview to give you an idea of what to expect when making these handheld salad rolls. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Slice the veggies and remove the thick rib from the lettuce.
- Cook and slice the shrimp.
- Prepare a non-porous surface to assemble your spring rolls.
- Add a handful of all the filling ingredients in a small bunch at the top of your rice paper.
- Roll up the rice paper, tucking the edges and ensuring everything stays inside.
- Continue the same process until you use up all of your filling ingredients.
We have been using this Hast knife, and we love the minimalist design and the lightweight, ergonomic feel.
Put half of a package of vermicelli rice noodles in a large bowl and pour hot water over them. Let them sit until they get soft, then drain them and toss them with the marinade.
Quickly dip the spring roll wrapper in warm water and place it on a damp counter.
Place a piece of lettuce on the rice paper wrapper, then top it with the vermicelli noodles. Stack the veggies and herbs on top of the noodles. You can customize it to your liking and add the veggies and herbs you like the most.
Roll the rice paper one time over the veggies. The lettuce should be on the top of the veggie stack at this point.
Place the shrimp on the rice paper just above the rolled veggies.
Tuck the sides of the spring roll toward the center and continue to roll toward the end of the wrapper.
More Appetizer Recipes
- Polenta Points with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Goat Cheese Sweet Red Pepper Bruschetta
- Cucumber Shrimp Bites
- Bruschetta with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms
- 37 Easy Party Appetizers
Tips For Success
- Dip the rice paper in water for just a few seconds. Don’t let them sit and soak. If you soak them too long, they will tear and get too mushy.
- Chop up all the herbs and vegetables and prepare the rice noodles before assembling the spring rolls.
- Remove the tough, thick rib that runs down the center of the lettuce.
- If you don’t serve the spring rolls immediately, lay a damp dish towel over them to keep them from drying out.
- You can make these salad rolls two days in advance, but they are better fresh.
Frequently asked questions
Spring rolls have a variety of raw vegetables and sometimes cooked pork, chicken, or shrimp. You can also add tofu if you want to keep them vegetarian.
Fresh spring rolls packed with vegetables are much healthier than fried egg rolls.
Spring roll wrappers are much thinner than wonton wrappers. Additionally, wonton wrappers usually contain eggs, whereas spring roll wrappers do not. Spring roll wrappers are ready to be eaten as-is once you soak them.
Use a new sheet of rice paper or make a smaller spring roll if you can.
Fresh vegetable spring rolls are a refreshing appetizer or main course. You can make them in advance or set the ingredients out and have everyone make their own rolls. They’re perfect for a light lunch or dinner, and they’re also fun party food.
More Recipes You Will Love
Make your meal a Thai theme and serve the spring rolls with our Thai coconut curry or pork satay.
You can have a unique soup and salad combination by serving these handheld spring rolls with Thai pumpkin soup, or coconut chicken soup.
For more Asian salads, try our Thai chicken larb salad or Vietnamese green mango salad.
We served these with a wonderful sweet and spicy peanut sauce that really gives them some zing however your favorite salad dressing or vinaigrette would work well too.
Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 18 medium shrimp optional
- ½ package of vermicelli rice noodles
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 head butter lettuce or red leaf lettuce
- 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 3 carrots cut into thin strips or shredded
- 1 cucumber seeds removed and cut into thin strips
- 3 green onions cut into thin strips
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup fresh Thai basil leaves
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- 12 sheets of rice paper spring roll wrappers
Dipping Sauce
Instructions
Prepare the Shrimp (if using)
- Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. While the water boils, prepare a bowl of ice water.
- Add the shrimp to the boiling water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until bright pink.
- Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the ice water to stop them from cooking.
- Peel the shrimp and slice them in half length-wise.
Make the Spring Rolls
- Place the vermicelli noodles in a large bowl and poor hot water over them. Let them sit in the water to soften while you prepare the vegetables.
- Once the noodles are soft, drain them. Place the noodles in a bowl and toss them with rice vinegar and soy sauce.
- Remove the thick stem on the lettuce. Place the vegetables, shrimp, and noodles together at your workstation so you can assemble the rolls easily.
- Pour a cup of warm water into a pie plate and dip your rice paper in it for 3 to 4 seconds. It should still be slightly stiff, and it will continue to re-hydrate while you make the rolls. Don't soak it until it is soft, or it will be unmanageable.
- Brush a small amount of water on your counter or a cutting board and lay the wet rice paper on the damp surface.
- Place a piece of lettuce toward the top third of the rice paper. Add a pinch of the rice noodles then a bit of each of the veggies and herbs. Line three shrimp halves about 2 inches away from the opposite edge of the wrapper.
- Roll the rice paper over the vegetables and then the shrimp. Tuck the ends of the rice paper over as you roll to close the ends.
- Continue with the remaining ingredients.
Notes
- If the spring roll wrapper tears when you make the rolls, you can dip another wrapper in the water and roll it in a second layer.
- You can make these salad rolls 2 days in advance, but they are much better if you eat them the same day you make them. The rice paper wrap gets a bit tougher when you refrigerate it.
- Keep the work surface slightly damp so the spring roll wrapper doesn't adhere to the counter.
- Make sure you don't soak the wrapper too long in the water. You just want to dunk it in the water and then remove it. Place it on the counter while it is still stiff. If you soak it longer, it will be impossible to work with.
- If you don't serve the spring rolls immediately, lay a damp dish towel over them to keep them from drying out.
