Healthy Vegetable Spring Rolls

This colorful, fresh, and healthy vegetarian spring roll recipe is made with rice paper, vermicelli (thin rice noodles), lettuce, carrots, cucumber, avocado, red cabbage, cucumbers, mint, basil, and cilantro.

Vegetarian spring rolls are healthy and delicious and not fried in this recipe.

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Dipping Sauces for Healthy Vegetarian Spring Rolls

This light, healthy, and fresh vegetable spring roll recipe can be served with a simple soy sauce, vinegar and toasted sesame oil sauce or with a flavorful store bought or homemade peanut and ginger dipping sauce.

Vegetable Spring Rolls Are Healthy

This vegetable spring roll recipe is fresh and healthy. These spring rolls are also based on a non-fried Thai inspired version that is wrapped in uncooked (but soaked) rice paper. These spring rolls are also gluten free.

There are several kinds / nationalities of spring rolls. Sometimes these rice paper based spring rolls are confused with a wheat based light or deep fried Chinese egg roll.

To add to the confusion, Vietnamese egg rolls can be wheat based lightly fried and flaky OR like these spring rolls, made with rice paper and fresh vegetables. These type of spring rolls are also known as "summer rolls".

Having said all that, this healthy spring roll recipe is heavy on fresh, raw vegetables wrapped in thin rice paper that is not fried.

Make Vegetable Spring Rolls In Advance

I make these for parties all the time.  The spring roll vegetable ingredients (besides the avocado) can be prepped the day before.

If the avocado is unblemished you can roll vegetarian spring rolls the morning of and cut them right before people arrive for your dinner or party.

Filling Variations for Vegetable Spring Rolls

Any ingredient can go in a spring roll! Generally speaking, fresh herbs and vegetables are traditionally found in them.

Try the basics for a healthy vegetarian spring roll:

• shredded cabbage (I love purple for color)
• carrots
• cucumbers
• lettuce
• rice noodles to bulk it up a little
• tons of fresh herbs like cilantro, mint, or basil.

Want a little protein? Add edamame or tofu strips, cooked shrimp or other cooked meats like salmon or chicken.

Your imagination is the limit in what to stuff in a spring roll recipe. Just remember to not overstuff the rolls. Also, softer and smaller ingredients are easiest to roll in the fragile rice paper.

How To Make Healthy Spring Rolls With Rice Paper

Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions, usually just a couple minutes in hot water.

Run the cooked noodles in the strainer under cold water to stop them from cooking. The cold water also washes off extra starch and keeps them from sticking together.

Prep all the vegetables and ingredients before starting to work with rice paper.

Rice paper wrappers are initially not super easy to work with so be prepared to throw the first ones away as the sacrifice for learning (save the filling ingredients!). 

At least rice paper rolls are cheap.  Once you get it down, you will gain confidence and start rolling perfect spring rolls out in no time. 

Rice papers are generally sold in 6" or 8" diameter size packages. Get the 8" size.  It's more forgiving.

Roll Rice Paper Wraps Into A "Burrito" Spring Roll

Grab a shallow pie plate that will fit the diameter of the rice paper and fill it with water by ~ 1 inch.

Dip one piece of rice paper in the water.  Hold for 3-5 seconds underwater.  Bring it out, give it a light shake and lay on the counter.  FYI - if the rice paper is still hard, give it a couple more seconds underwater.  If it's too soft then give it less time in the water.

The first wrapper usually needs a little more time under water to loosen up (maybe 6-8 seconds). The following rice wrappers will only need 3-5 seconds underwater.

Wrap the ingredients with a visual in mind! Green herbs, red cabbage, and orange carrots really pop on the outside in my opinion. Others like to see the rice noodles or the ripe green avocado on the outside.

Lay out the ingredients toward the bottom end of the rice paper and then fold up the bottom, followed by the sides and roll it up (think burrito!). It will seal naturally because of the sticky nature of the rice wrappers. See video.

Lastly, stuff the rice paper small at first.  It's better to have success than frustration.  Try with the least amount of ingredients to see how that works.  If it rolls with no troubles, then try the next wrap with a few more ingredients.

Roll spring rolls on a flat surface but then store them on a plastic surface cutting board or on parchment paper. Make sure the spring rolls don't touch as they are very sticky and will stick together.

Do it again.  You may want to wipe the area where the paper was laying with a paper towel to remove any excess water.

Trouble Shooting Rolling Vegetable Spring Rolls

Having problems rolling? Maybe your lettuce is too big.  Make sure the size is smaller than the diameter of the rice paper.

Forgot to make or get peanut butter based dipping sauce? For a fast dipping sauce: add some soy sauce to a small bowl, with a touch of toasted sesame oil, a bit of sriracha if you like heat and a dash of vinegar or citrus.

Don't have all three herbs? Cool, skip one and double up on one of the others.

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