For the majority of this year, longtime partner Silk (purveyor of a variety of plant milks) has challenged me to share projects on my personal bucket list with you. I so appreciate their excitement about eating well and their commitment to the well-being of the planet. This partnership has motivated me to knock off a series of things on my list, both lifestyle related and recipes I’ve long wanted to make. Now if they’d only challenge me to clean my house and weed my yard…..
Do you ever find yourself buying a food because you are in a rush or don’t want to take the time to make it yourself? And you do it so often your internal dialog begins to question why you don’t take the time to see if you couldn’t make it just as well yourself? One of those things for me is Vietnamese Spring Rolls. Made with rice paper wrappers they are naturally gluten-free so something I look forward to eating. I especially like the vegetable only versions as it is a great way for me to get more vegetables into my daily diet and not break the calorie bank.
The prospect of making my own Vietnamese spring rolls was daunting. I was sure it must be too difficult and one of those undertakings that become frustrating in the end. I’m delighted to share it’s not hard though there are a few tricks to making it go smoothly that I’ll happily share with you today. The rolling aspect improves with time. As with many things it takes practice to achieve the snug end result though once familiar with the feel of the rice wrappers, how much filling to use and how to keep the spring roll tight when rolling they will come out looking identical. The practice rolls however will be just as delicious to eat!
Another thing I love about making my own Vietnamese Spring Rolls is choosing the filling myself. I personally love a variety of colors which I feel makes food more appetizing. Texture is also important. I love to have something crunchy, and a bit sweet and especially love the creamy texture of avocado in the spring rolls. I believe the added (good) fat from the avocado helps to add flavor and a feeling of being sated when eating the rolls. Sweet chili sauce is my absolute favorite dipping sauce and it is readily available in the Asian food section of most grocery stores.
There are many methods for wetting the rice wrappers and I have found through experimenting that dipping one wrapper at a time, in a pan of warm water, just enough to fully immerse it and then placing it directly on a plastic cutting board worked best for me. While the wrapper sits on the cutting board it continues to soften and once you’ve assembled the filling for that spring roll it will be the perfect texture to roll; not too stiff and not overly softened which could allow it could rip. The key to the plastic cutting board is it does not absorb any water on the dipped wrapper allowing the water to continue to sink into the wrapper. Working with moistened fingers also helps the pliability of the assembly. The illustration photos are on a wooden cutting board to make the steps easier to see however all the rolls I made were on a plastic cutting board which won’t absorb any of the moisture on the water-dipped wrapper.
My last tip is to not over fill a wrapper. Though the filling amount, a few pieces of different vegetables, may seem slim, once you begin to roll the spring roll you’ll see it makes the right size to roll well and seal. Sharp vegetables may puncture the wrapper which is why I like to start with a few partial leaves of butter lettuce (with the center rib removed so they are pliable).
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How to Make Vietnamese Vegetable Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 Avocados , ripe yet firm; cut into ½ inch wide lengths
- 1 head Butter Lettuce , leaves cut from the firm center rib
- 1 medium-large Red Pepper , peeled and cut into 3-4 inch julienne strips
- 1 medium-large Yellow Pepper , peeled and cut into 3-4 inch julienne strips
- 1 bunch fresh Cilantro
- 2 medium Carrots , top removed, peeled and cut into 3 inch julienne strips
- 1 medium Cucumber , peeled and cut into 3-4 inch julienne strips
- 1 package of Vietnamese Rice Paper Wrappers for spring rolls
- Suggested dipping sauce: Sweet Chili Sauce (available in the Asian section of most grocery stores or online)
Instructions
- Note: Each wrapper has one side that is smoother than the other; that smooth side should be placed facing outward for rolling. Dip a wrapper into warm water to fully wet and place on a plastic cutting board or a clean, damp kitchen towel (without texture). The wrapper will continue to soften as it sits. Note: dip only one wrapper at a time and complete one spring roll before dipping the next wrapper to avoid over wetting and tearing.
- Layer ingredients for the filling approximately 2-3 inches from the bottom and in a rectangular pile (see photos below): 6 cilantro leaves, 2-3 lettuce leaves, 2-3 pepper strips, 3 cucumber strips, 2-3 carrot sticks, 2 slices of avocado. This is an example; you can combine the vegetables as you prefer them however do not add a larger volume than this.
- Using dampened fingertips, fold the bottom up over the filling. Fold each the right and left sides over vertically.
- Using firm pressure, gently roll the end with the filling over to snugly seal the spring roll. The wrapper is self-sealing so will stick to itself.
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
Absolutely beautiful and no doubt, delicious. Love spring rolls!!
Toni Dash says
Me too! Thank you Jennifer. Thinking of you.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
What an awesome way to sneak some veggies in there. Those look SOOO good!
Amber Harding says
When spring rolls are involved, there’s no season for them!
Toni Dash says
Good point Amber. Your comment did make me wonder about the background of ‘spring rolls’; maybe I’ll have to look that up. These are so fresh I’d happily make them to supply a dose of vegetables any day of the year!
Amber H. says
Spring rolls is a literal translation from Chinese, and they are called “spring” ones for a reason, since these little bites were initially made around Chinese New Year.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
Those look super delicious and super healthy! I’ve never had spring rolls like these before. I’m excited to give them a try.
Pam says
We love spring rolls! A local restaurant has a “make your own spring roll” dinner. It would be fun to make them at home too.
Colleen Cayes says
I no longer feel daunted about making them. Since I travel a lot, I crave fresh vegetables when I’m home, and this will be a novel and money-saving way to eat them. Thank you for the step-by-step advice!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
These are so pretty. I’ve always wanted to try to make spring rolls, but have been terrified of the rice paper wraps. 🙂
Toni Dash says
Me too. Were it not for the Bucket List push, I may have never tried it! I was surprised they were as easy as they were. Keeping moist fingertips when folding and rolling makes all the difference as once they fold over they stick to themselves.
Catherine S says
These look and sound yummy. I am so excited to try this recipe.
Meagan says
I didn’t know you could buy the vietnamese spring roll skin! This looks like such a delicious and healthy meal option!
Toni Dash says
You can! I shared a photo of the one’s I bought. They are not refrigerated and in the Asian food section. When you pull them out of the package you might think ‘how on earth will these ever roll anything?’ because they are dry. I really was surprised how easy it is. They are a little bit tacky once moistened (not sticky but they will stick to themselves) so you need to keep moist fingertips when working with them.
Betsy Segars says
Not only do these vegetable spring rolls look delicious, your photography is gorgeous! I’m adding this to my meal planner.
Liz Mays says
This would be so much fun to try out. I’ve never tried spring rolls like these before!
Happy Valley Chow says
Wow those look amazing! Fantastic recipe that I can’t wait to try 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Sarah | Well and Full says
This step by step guide is really helpful!! These look much easier to wrap than sushi 😉
Toni Dash says
I have not tried to roll Sushi though I think you are right. These wrappers once moistened stick to themselves so the wrapping is easy! The trick is to keep fingertips moistened to guide them where you want them to be.
Jody @ Mommy Moment says
You made these look absolutely delicious. I love the color and I like the idea of trying just veggies in them.
Penelope says
Those really do look so beautiful! I love the colors of the fresh veggies. Can’t air to try them.
Crystal says
I need to try my hand at rolling these. It sounds like it can take some practice, but the end result is worth it.
Kristi says
I have never made those at home, but I have eaten them, would be cheaper to make my own and you make it look so easy, will have to give it a try.
Jeanine says
Yum! Not sure I’d be a huge fan but would love to try them out. This is more my husbands type of food, they look really great!
Toni Dash says
I completely understand Jeanine. I will say they are so fresh and good that I actually crave them now. Glad they only take a few minutes to roll!
Chrystal | YUM eating says
I have been wanting to make these for a while (since early summer) and keeping going back to it in my recipe book. Going to show this to my husband so he can see just how easy it really is!
Marcie W. says
We are still dealing with temperatures in the nineties around here, so something light and fresh like these spring rolls would be amazing! I just love Vietnamese cuisine too.
Shell says
These look so fresh and delicious! I’m guilty of buying things I think will take too long for me to make!
Raijean says
Wow, it looks easier than I thought. I’m going to have to try this, I’m tired of buying them from the restaurant on the corner.
Ann Bacciaglia says
Spring rolls are so delicious. I have never tried making my own before. This looks like an easy recipe to make. I will have to get the ingredients so i can make them this week.
Mary Pisarkiewicz says
I can have spring rolls at any time. Your recipe looks easy and I’m sure it tastes amazing!! Can’t wait to go grocery shopping now!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
I think I would over-fill the wrapper – they look so good! You are making me wish for spring again 🙂 I’ve always wanted to try making spring rolls – these are gorgeous! Sharing 🙂
Rosey says
I do love spring rolls. I’ve never had them on my own at home. How silly of me!
Toni Dash says
Candidly I haven’t either until I decided to see if I could make them myself. I was so glad they were this easy!
maria s. says
Those look delicious! I really love how fresh and vibrant everything looks. This is the type of healthy eating I can go for!
Debbie Denny says
Oh have bookmarked this. I have wanted to make something like this, but never could figure it out. Thanks.
Rachel says
I never realized these were so easy to make! Thanks for the step by step photos.