Here is one of our favorite Asian dishes for a summer lunch or warm evening -- fresh spring rolls (also called summer rolls). Heaps of fresh mint, shaved vegetables, and light rice noodles wrapped up all ready for a spicy, tangy peanut sauce. They are healthy and light, and so refreshing in the heat of summer. Want to see how to make these? They're super easy.
This recipe uses a mixture of red pepper, radishes, cucumber, and carrot, which we threw in the rolls with cellophane noodles. Since we love the flavor of fish sauce with lime juice and rice vinegar, we seasoned our veggies with that combo. Then we added cilantro and fresh mint leaves. We're in love with these pretty rolls! They were a perfect light, crunchy lunch, and we're planning on eating a few for dinner, too.
This was our first experience with rice paper wrappers, and they were surprisingly easy to use. This recipe can be adapted dozens (hundreds?) of ways, and it's a great way to start experimenting freestyle with Asian flavors.
Because we didn't include any shrimp or meat in these summer rolls, we wanted a hearty dipping sauce. Ours is a peanut sauce with lots of red pepper flakes, but you could make a lighter sauce with just lime juice, rice vinegar, a bit of sugar, and some fish sauce for salt and depth.
And don't be scared of rice paper wraps! We found them in the first Asian grocery. Softening them in hot water is easy — we give tips in the directions, below.

How To Make Vegetable Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce
makes 8 rollsWhat You Need
Ingredients
For the Spicy Peanut Sauce:
2 tablespoons creamy organic or natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 to 2 tablespoons water, to thin out the sauce, if necessary
For the noodle filling:
1 1/2 ounces cellophane noodles (also called bean threads)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Red pepper flakes
For the vegetable filling:
1/3 seedless cucumber
1/2 medium carrot, peeled
1/2 red bell pepper
2 to 3 medium radishes
1 scallion, chopped
For the vegetable dressing:
1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 lime, juiced, about 1 tablespoon
To assemble the rolls:
8 rice paper wrappers
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
16 to 24 fresh mint leaves
Tools
Separate bowls for sauce, herbs, noodles, and vegetables
Mandoline or box grater
Cake pan for softening the rice wrappers
Instructions
1. Make the spicy peanut sauce: Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth and creamy, and set aside.
2. Make the rice noodle filling: If the cellophane noodles are very long, break them into smaller bits. Cook the cellophane noodles according to the package directions. We heated a medium saucepan full of water until almost boiling, then turned off the heat, added the noodles, and let them sit for about 10 minutes.
Drain the noodles, put them in a bowl, and toss with the sesame oil and a dash of red pepper flakes.
3. Make the vegetable filling: Use a mandoline or box grater to slice the cucumber, carrot, and red pepper into thin strips — or simply julienne by hand. If you are using large radishes, you can slice them on the mandoline or box grater. Or just slice into thin rounds by hand.
Whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice in a large bowl. Add the vegetables and the scallion, and toss to coat.
4. Soften the rice wrappers: Fill a round cake pan halfway with warm-hot water. (It should be quite warm, but cool enough to stick your fingers in it without getting burned. We let boiling water cool off for about 5 minutes.) For each wrapper, immerse it in the hot water bath until it softens, which takes about 30 seconds. Watch for it to begin curling, then immediately flip it over and continue flipping until it is just softened. Use both hands to pull it up out of the water, being careful so it doesn't collapse on itself, and spread it immediately on a plate.
5. Put filling in the center of the wrapper: Fill the center of the softened wrapper first by laying about 3 to 4 herb leaves down the center. Then lay down about 1 to 2 tablespoons of noodles (you want to have enough for 8 rolls). Then, add 1/8 of the veggie mixture. Add a few sprigs of cilantro and 2 to 3 mint leaves, depending on how large they are.
6. Roll up the summer rolls: To roll up your roll, first fold the top and bottom edges of the wrapper over the filling, then fold in the edges towards the center and continue rolling the filled wrapper until it's closed and snug.
Continue this process with each of the wrappers. You may need to change your hot water halfway through. As you finish each roll, place it on a cookie sheet and cover the rolls with a damp towel.
To serve, slice in half with a sharp knife and serve the peanut sauce on the side.


(Images: Elizabeth Passarella; Faith Durand)
(Originally published April 29, 2008)













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Comments (37)
I bought some rice paper yesterday and just went searching for a recipe for summer rolls and there it is - right on your website! this looks great and achievable. i'm a little nervous about the rice paper but i'll give it a try.
Looks great! I would suggest having a towel under the wrapper to absorb extra water.
Beautiful photos!
Vegetarians can substitute fish sauce with a mixture of light soy sauce and sugar.
NOM NOM NOM
Wow! I second the beautiful photos!
Do you think it would be possible to use the rice wrappers as a substitute for nori? I love japanese food, but I'm allergic to seaweed >.>
ktoth04- I don't see why you couldn't use rice paper wrappers for sushi. The rolls won't be sturdy, and you won't be able to slice them into small pieces, but you can fill rice wrappers with anything. Just be careful with the amount of rice and filling you put in. They can tear if they're too full. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.
These look delicious! I'm hungry!
ktoth04- At our local sushi restaurant I always ask them to substitute a soy wrap for the seaweed and it holds together very well. I've seen the soy wraps on sale at asian grocery stores and even a well-stocked deli!
we just made a batch of these (plus 2 shrimp per roll) Friday night when we got our new mandolin. Easy julienning! I like the suggestion of adding the sauce to the veggies on the inside. Ours needed a little zing.
also instead of mint, i like to use thai basil. it has quite a nice taste as well.
Ooooh I know what I am making in the near future!!
I made these last night and they were awesome! my rice paper wrappers weren't as big as yours but your directions for soaking and how to wrap them worked really well. thank you so much!
I made a variation on this last night. My local grocery didn't have the wraps but had rice noodles. I served the veggies (no shrimp) tossed in the sauce over the rice noodles and drizzled with peanut sauce. We had it with this: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/healthy/recipe-pork-stirfry-with-asparagus-and-sugar-snap-peas-047510 and it was just perfect.
Elizabeth P and jegoffin - thanks!
I used to make vietnamese salad rolls with my Summer camp kids. So easy.
Rice wraps, vermicelli, and then get them to grate carrot, raddish, cucumber.... whatever they wanted, with cilantro, basil and shrimp. 6 year olds can do it!
These look fantastic! I am partial to a version in the wonderful Rebar cookbook, with Thai basil and Mango and a spicy peanut sauce. I will try this version next time though - gorgeous!
ktoth04 - if you want to make sushi type summer rolls - either reduce the amount of rice, or wrap it first with lettuce (or bok choy leaves, or anything similar). This will support the rice and reduce the chance of the wrapper tearing from the weight.
I love these. They are delicious, and require minimum cooking - perfect hot weather food.
I love spring rolls! But I can never get them tightly rolled. Anyone have any suggestions?
my local Vietnamese restaurant serves these (with tofu in them) with a different type of sauce. it's a very dark brown sauce that doesn't have peanuts *in* it, but has them sprinkled on top. It's quite thick, and is the consistency of a thick mustard. It's kinda sweet and tangy. After I finish the rolls, I eat the rest of the dipping sauce with a spoon! Anyone know what it is?
@Supererin - I used to work at a Vietnamese restaurant and know just the sauce you're talking about! Unfortunately, I can't help you much because recipes were kept under lock and key (aka in the brain of the owner)...but I do know that it was Hoisin based, not peanut or peanut butter.
All I know is that people with peanut allergies could partake (so long as we didn't add the garnish). I wish I knew the recipe, too, because I'd add chili paste and eat that stuff out of a giant bowl if given half a chance. If you ever find a recipe for peanut-sauce-that-isn't-peanuts, you should come back and leave it here on this thread. :)
@ASmallContempt - thank you!
my wife says rice paper rolls feel like 'male' skin. So i say, "so that explains why you cant get enough of these then?" Didn't go over well.
How long do these last? Could you make them in the morning or the day before for a dinner party then keep them covered in the fridge?
When I make summer rolls, I only run the rice paper back and forth under a lukewarm faucet until the water hits all areas, then flip and do the same - only a couple seconds each side. Slivered or shredded pork can be added along with the shrimp too.
I use basil and mint for the herbs.
For a quick sauce, look for "San J Thai Peanut Marinade and Dipping Sauce" - really good and gluten free too.
I have a very similar recipe I've used for years and YES you can make these even a day ahead. I use a large platter and scatter shredded napa cabbage down first. Then arrange the rolls and cover with damp paper towels. Cover all of that with plastic wrap and they will be wonderful the next day! I did that in a hotel when I prepared a slew of them the day prior for my brother's wedding reception and they were all the rave! :) If you're craving a little protein, shredded poached chicken or steamed shrimp goes beautifully in these! When I'm in a hurry and don't have time to make a dipping sauce, bottled sweet chili sauce is awesome with these!
Sorry for the second post -- forgot to add this tip that works great for me... Rather than using a plate, I use a plastic cutting board with a damp paper towel on it as the area for assembling and rolling. Plenty of room for even a large wrap and the damp paper towel helps prevent sticking/tearing and results in a more uniform roll for me. Once you get a rhythm going, it's easy to work on one while soaking the next skin in the warm water so you can get through the batch a lot more quickly!
omg Muddy - so funny!
@happylegs - Then I said "I wish you were so quick to take me like that". Many lols and and she replied, "I know you do".
if you make these ahead of time, you run the risk of the skins drying out. Definitely keep a wet paper towel under the plastic wrap. I made shrimp +mango spring rolls for a dinner party appetizer. Half of them weren't eaten, so I stuck them in the fridge, but forgot the paper towel--the next day the wrappers were hard and crackly, basically inedible. But, I broke them open and tossed all the filling together with a sweet and hot chili sauce for a chilled noodle salad.
@muddymudskipper
Lol! and so it goes...!
Instead of pre-making the rolls, we have roll-your-own goi cuon dinners. Dip the rice paper into a shallow pan of water so that every surface is wet but briefly, and then lay flat (while still hard) onto a large mostly flat plate or cutting board. As you assemble the ingredients on top, the paper will soften enough that you can roll it but it still retains its "chewiness."
I make my mom's sauce: peanut butter, hoisin, water, sugar, and some red chili flakes for that extra kick.
Also, I've never put cucumber/carrot/radishes in my goi cuon, but maybe that's because I make it with shrimp and pork. We fill ours with plenty of herbs (perilla, thai basil, vietnamese balm, vietnamese coriander, mint) but for my friends who are not used to these flavors I put out green lettuce and cilantro.
I am yearning for the fresh spring rolls at Sunflower restaurant in San Francisco, on 16th and Valencia - huge spring rolls, filled with the ingredients you mention, but also basil and warm steamed cabbage.
These sound so delicious! But since we are on Four Hour Body, we just modify them slightly by using zucchini noodles (make our own), omit the carrot and wrap the whole thing in very lightly blanched collard greens instead of rice wrapper. Everything else is a go!
YUM!!!
In Step 5, it says to lay some herb leaves down the center of the wrapper before you put in the filling. Is this referring to mint & cilantro? I'd really like to make these, but I'm a very literal person, and this direction is confusing. Can someone help?