Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls are perfect summer food that’s made with fresh crunchy vegetables, soft vermicelli noodles, and cooked shrimp. These homemade rolls are so light and refreshing yet the noodles still give it just enough filling to keep you satisfied. It’s a great healthy option that you can easily make at home using all of your favorite ingredients.
This Vietnamese Spring Roll recipe can be eaten as an appetizer or a full meal. There are many options for the dipping sauces, but for my recipe, I have a quick version of a sweet chili dipping sauce that I often use especially if I’m crunched for time. 
What are the Best Spring Rolls Ingredients?
The beauty of the Spring Roll recipe is the versatility of it using almost any ingredients you can think of. If you are a vegetarian or vegan this recipe can easily adapt to fit your healthy choices. You can easily make vegetable spring rolls! For my recipe though, I use shrimp with fresh vegetables and lightly seasoned vermicelli noodles to complete my perfect summer rolls. Different options for spring roll ingredients are, cooked or grilled protein, tofu, sashimi, avocado, and almost all vegetables of choice, fruit, and even edible flowers!
My go-to ingredients for my Vietnamese Spring rolls are in the picture above. Those are cooked thin rice vermicelli noodles, cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, romaine or butter lettuce, Thai basil, mint, cilantro, and cooked shrimp. lThese items can be easily substituted or omitted if you do not like them. So play around with what tastes good to you!
My favorite brands of vermicelli noodles are pictured below. I buy them from my local Asian market. Try to pick the thinnest noodles if possible as they are less chewy tasting when used in Spring rolls.
Are Spring Rolls Healthy?
Yes, Spring Rolls are healthy! Most of it. All the fresh vegetables and minimal usage of oil and sugar make Vietnamese a great healthy option for a light and refreshing meal. The Spring Roll wrappers and cooked vermicelli noodles are made from rice flour and have carbs in it, but it has a small amount of it that still keeps you satisfied but not overly full like a heavy rice dish. You can always omit the noodles and just fill up your rolls with all vegetables and shrimp if desired!
Just be mindful of the delicious dipping sauce though as those can pack some hidden calories in there.
What is the Difference Between an Egg Roll and Spring Roll?
Egg rolls and Spring rolls use very similar ingredients and it’s easy to confuse them if you are not familiar with them. The difference between egg rolls and spring rolls is that egg rolls are deep-fried while Spring Rolls are not and can be eaten mostly raw. Think of it this way, “Spring” Rolls equals fresh and light while “Egg” Rolls, need to be cooked before eating. Granted, the protein used in Spring rolls needs cooking too but it’s usually boiled, steamed, or grilled.
Sweet Dipping Sauce for Summer Rolls
There are many versions of dipping sauces for Spring rolls. Some use peanut sauce, some with fish sauce and lime juice, some with hoisin sauce, and some are eaten plain! The options are many, but my quick go-to sauce is the Sweet dipping sauce pre-made in a glass bottle but I jazz it up a bit with my own twist. I add chopped cilantro, carrots, rice wine vinegar or lime juice, and some water, and I’m set. Here is my favorite brand of sweet chili sauce for my Vietnamese Spring Rolls.
How to Make Spring Rolls from Scratch?
Vietnamese Spring Rolls take a little time to gather ingredients, prep and assemble together, but once all those steps are done, you can usually put a few pieces together pretty quickly. You do need a flat surface to place all the ingredients nearby to help make the rolls quicker. I normally have two large dinner plates next to each other for my spring rolls. I use one plate for wrapping the rolls, one for placing the finished ones on. Have a roll of paper towels handy- dampen the towel just enough to cover the finished rolls so they don’t dry out too quickly while you finish rolling the rest. You’ll also need a large bowl of warm water to dip the spring roll wrappers in to soften the texture for rolling. Have your ingredients in one large platter nearby for quick reach and you’ll be all set to get started!
Let’s grab these ingredients for my Vietnamese Spring Rolls Recipe!
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Vietnamese Spring Rolls Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls are perfect summer food that’s made with fresh crunchy vegetables, soft vermicelli noodles, and cooked shrimp. These homemade rolls are so light and refreshing yet the noodles still give it just enough filling to keep you satisfied. It’s a great healthy option that you can easily make at home using all of your favorite ingredients.
Ingredients
1 packet of vermicelli noodles
1 Tbsp salt
½ tsp fish sauce
½ tsp lime juice
1 lb cooked shrimp
1 Tbsp salt
½ tsp fish sauce
½ tsp lime juice
10-15 large spring roll wrappers
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cucumbers, (Persian, pickling or English cucumbers are best)
2 cups bean sprouts
15-20 sprigs of cilantro (leave long, 3-4 inches)
20-30 leaves of fresh mint leaves
20-30 leaves Thai basil
2 cups romaine lettuce, (chopped in salad bite-size pieces)
Instructions
Make the Dipping Sauce
I cup of sweet chili sauce
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar or lime juice
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
2 Tbsp carrots, diced
Mix all together in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve with spring rolls.
Cook the Noodles
Cook the noodles as instructed on the package. One little step I add to this is to add 1 Tbsp of salt to the water to help season the noodles just a tiny bit. After draining, place noodles in a bowl and season with 1 ½ tsp fish sauce and ½ tsp lime juice. Let sit to cool until ready to wrap the spring rolls.
Cook the Shrimp
- Cook the Shrimp, let cool and slice the shrimp in half pieces.
- Season the shrimp with ½ tsp fish sauce and lime juice, set aside until ready to wrap the spring rolls.
Notes*
* If using pre-cooked frozen shrimp, steam it for a few minutes until soft. Then let cool and slice the shrimp in half lengthwise.
* If using raw shrimp, boil a pot of water with 1 Tbsp of salt, with enough water to cover the shrimp. Add the raw shrimp and cook for 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and drain the water in a colander, let cool and slice the shrimp in half lengthwise.
* If shrimp has shells, peel the shells first before cooking. Then boil a pot of water with 1Tbsp of salt, with enough water to cover the shrimp, add the raw shrimp and cook for 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and drain the water in a colander, let cool and slice the shrimp in half lengthwise.
Prep the Vegetables and Fillings
- Wash and cut all vegetables into long matchstick-size pieces around 3-4 inches each and set aside into separate piles next to each other.
- Place all ingredients on one large platter within reach.
- Fill up a large bowl with very warm water, but not boiling hot water.
- Open the packet of spring roll wrappers and working with one piece at a time, dip the wrapper in the warm bowl of water for 10-15 seconds. Make sure to submerge all of the wrappers in water. Note: Be sure to not let the wrapper stay too long in the water as it will get too soft and mushy and will be hard to work with. Stay on the al dente side as the wet wrappers will continue to soften after removing from the water.
- Add a small number of noodles (around the size of a small egg) and place them on the top part of the wrapper closest to you. Roll the noodles into a small rectangular shape.
- Add the cucumber slices to either side of the noodles (as in to keep the noodles in place). Then add 2-3 pieces of the lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro, mint, and whatever else you may like to add. Make sure to not overfill the rolls as it can break if too much is added.
- Roll the spring roll wrappers to cover the filling. Use your fingers from both hands to firmly hold the fillings in and roll the wrappers one more round. Fold in both edges, add 4 pieces of shrimp, firmly finish wrapping up the rest of the wrapper and you should have your very first spring roll wrapper done! Place your wrapped roll on the second platter and place a damp paper towel over it to keep it from drying out. Repeat the rest of the wrappers until done.
- After you finish wrapping the Spring Rolls, I like to cut mine in half with sharp kitchen scissors right before serving. Place the cut rolls around the dipping sauce and pour a small amount of the sauce into each half and enjoy it fresh!
Notes
- Don’t be discouraged if the first few wrappers look immature-ish. It takes practice and after a few rolls, you should feel very comfortable wrapping them. You may rip some wrappers and that’s ok, just get a new one and start fresh. There are usually 25 wrappers in one packet. You will get a hold of wrapping in no time at all.
- Spring Rolls are best eaten fresh. You can refrigerate and eat them for the next meal but I don’t recommend eating them as leftovers the next day at all. So roll your wrappers accordingly. They are amazing as party finger food. It’s a sure way to impress your guests if you bring a full platter or homemade fresh spring rolls to share!
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Poached
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keywords: Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Summer Rolls, Shrimp Spring Rolls, Vietnamese Spring Rolls Recipe
Summer doesn’t seem complete if these shrimp summer rolls aren’t made to enjoy with your friends and family. So get going with rounding up all your favorite vegetables and let’s make some delicious rolls before the summer is over. Enjoy your delicious Shrimp Summer Rolls and let me know how they turned out by leaving comments and a review below!
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