Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Published on July 27, 2022
Quick Summary
Fresh spring rolls-colorful vegetables, rice noodles, and herbs wrapped in rice paper. Serve with peanut sauce on the side for dunking the rolls. Enjoy as an appetizer, snack, or light meal.
Fresh Spring Rolls are probably my favorite appetizer of all time! I don’t know if it’s the fresh and colorful veggies or the dreamy peanut sauce that they get dunked in. This peanut sauce is SO good you will want to drink it and lick the bowl clean!
I love to pick a variety of veggies for color, texture, and flavor. A few of my favorites include: lettuce, bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, and cabbage. I also add avocado because avocado makes everything better.
Spring rolls are fun to make for parties. We like to have all of the ingredients prepped and ready so when the guests arrive they can make their own spring rolls. It is a fun and interactive way to get the party going.
Don’t be scared, they are easy to roll, just like making a burrito, once you get the hang of it you will be a spring roll pro! Practice makes perfect. Rock and roll!
I also like to eat these spring rolls for lunch or a light dinner, especially in the summertime. They are refreshing and full of flavor.
Table of Contents
Spring Roll Ingredients
- Rice paper (spring roll wrappers)– you can find the round spring roll wrappers at most grocery stores in the Asian aisle.
- Vermicelli rice noodles– thin rice noodles also called rice sticks or maifun. The cooking time of the noodles varies across brands so make sure you follow the package instructions.
- Lettuce– I love the texture of butter lettuce, but red or green leaf lettuce will work too.
- Bell peppers– I like to use red and yellow bell peppers for color. Cut them into thin strips.
- Carrot-thinly sliced.
- Purple cabbage– for crunch and color.
- Cucumbers– use Persian or English cucumbers, again, thinly sliced.
- Avocado– I love adding avocado for a creamy element.
- Herbs-fresh mint, basil (regular or Thai), and cilantro leaves.
Peanut Sauce
- Peanut butter– I like to use creamy natural peanut butter.
- Hoisin sauce– adds a nice sweetness.
- Rice wine vinegar– for a little tang.
- Soy sauce– use low sodium soy sauce. If you need the spring rolls to be gluten-free, make sure you use Tamari.
- Garlic– minced fresh garlic.
- Ginger– make sure you use fresh ginger. The flavor is SO good!
- Sriracha– for a little heat.
- Hot water– to thin out the peanut sauce.
- Chopped peanuts– for garnish.
To make the peanut sauce, in a medium bowl, stir together all of the ingredients, except for the water and chopped peanuts. Whisk in the hot water until sauce is smooth. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little more water until desired consistency is reached. Pour in a serving bowl and garnish with chopped peanuts. Set aside until ready to serve.
Set Up the Work Station
Before you get started, make sure your work station is set up and ready to go.
- Have all of your veggies cut up and your ingredients laid out.
- Cook the noodles, according to package directions.
- Lay a damp, linen-free towel over a clean work surface. You will roll the spring rolls directly on the towel.
- You need to dip the rice paper in water to soften it up. Put warm water in a pie plate or shallow bowl. Make sure the water isn’t too hot.
- Have a platter or plate ready to place the spring rolls on.
How to Make Spring Rolls
- Place a rice paper in the water and let soften for about 20 seconds, or until pliable. Don’t let them get too soggy or they will rip. You want the papers to still feel rigid, it will make them easier to roll. Carefully remove the paper from the water and lay flat on the towel.
- Lay one piece of lettuce over the bottom third of the rice paper. On the lettuce, place about 2 tablespoons of rice noodles, and equal amounts of peppers, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, and avocado. Top with a few fresh herb leaves. Don’t use too many ingredients or it will be too hard to roll.
- Pick up the end of the rice paper closest to the filling and tightly wrap it over the veggies.
- Fold over the sides, like you are making a burrito. The paper will stick to itself, holding everything inside.
- Finish rolling until you have a tight spring roll.
- Place on a platter, seam side down or cut with a sharp knife on the diagonal.
- Repeat the process with remaining ingredients.
- Serve with peanut dipping sauce.
Variations
Spring rolls are fun to make and easy to customize. If you want to mix up the fillings, here are some ideas.
- Use your favorite veggies, just make sure you thinly slice them so they are easy to roll.
- Add tofu, just make sure you squeeze out the excess liquid before using.
- Add shrimp, don’t forget to remove the tails!
- Serve with a different sauce. I prefer peanut sauce, but spring rolls are also good with with nước chấm, a Vietnamese dipping sauce made of fish sauce, chili, sugar, and lime juice.
Can Spring Rolls be Made in Advance?
You can make the peanut sauce and prepare the veggies up to two days in advance, but spring rolls are best the day they are made.
If you refrigerate spring rolls overnight, the rice paper hardens, making the rolls a weird, chewy texture.
More Appetizer Recipes
Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
For the peanut dipping sauce:
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or Tamari sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts, for garnish
For the spring rolls:
- 12 rice paper spring roll wrappers
- 6 oz dry vermicelli rice noodles, cooked according to package instructions
- 1 head butter lettuce, washed
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage
- 2 Perisian cucumbers or 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced
- Handful of Fresh mint, basil (regular or Thai), and cilantro leaves
Instructions
- To make the dipping sauce, in a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and Sriracha. Whisk in the hot water until sauce is smooth. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little more water until desired consistency is reached. Pour in a serving bowl and garnish with chopped peanuts. Set aside until ready to serve.
- To assemble the spring rolls, fill a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate with warm water. Dip one rice paper wrap in the water and let soften for about 20 seconds, or until pliable. Carefully remove the paper from the water and lay flat on a damp, lint-free dish towel.
- Lay one piece of lettuce over the bottom third of the rice paper. On the lettuce, place about 2 tablespoons of rice noodles, and equal amounts of peppers, cucumber, carrot, cabbage, and avocado. Top with a few fresh herb leaves.
- Pick up the end of the rice paper closest to the filling and tightly wrap it over the veggies. Fold over the sides, like you are making a burrito. The paper will stick to itself, holding everything inside. Finish rolling until you have a tight spring roll. Place on a platter, seam side down or cut with a sharp knife on the diagonal. Repeat the process with remaining ingredients.
- Serve with peanut dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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I have always wanted to try spring rolls. For some reason I’ve been intimidated. But these look fantastic! And I think that sauce may make it’s way into an asian noodle salad…
So colorful and just beautiful overall! I am a HUGE peanut sauce fan. I throw it on top of a big pile of veggies almost once a week. Yum Yum. Glad you had fun with your friend….I hate being away from the husband too!
Love spring rolls – and peanut sauce!!!
Always my favorite appetizer at Thai restaurants!
These look wonderful and so healthy if I turn a blind eye to the peanut sauce. Your glass noodles look perfect, I can never get these to work, they go all claggy and horrid. I must seek out some rice pancakes like these.
I have only had thie fried ones. I can imaginehow refreshing this one od tasting. Looks beautiful.
Beautiful presentation 🙂
I do a tamarind dipping sauce that would also be great with this. It’s just Tamarind Pulp boiled down with water and brown sugar. Then just strain it.
I love spring rolls! I made them a while back from the Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. I used almond butter, since we can’t keep peanut butter in the house due to allergy. They are so yummy and fun to make with a friend!
This is a perfect 10 in 10 meal! Looks so fresh and tasty!
Healthy and absolutely delicious!
cheers,
Rosa
Ohhh Im so loving the peanut sauce! Light and refreshing!
I just love your photography! It is amazing!
Yum! I love peanut sauce.
I love that you have a “print” option with your recipes! My vegetarian beau will LOVE this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Those matchstick veggies look like they were cut absolutely perfectly. The spring rolls are beautiful, and I’ll bet they tasted so fresh and delicious. I’ve never worked with rice paper before, but I was just talking about trying it recently. I’m bookmarking your recipe for when I do!
Fantastic post Maria. Those pictures are worth a 1000 words…tantalizing the tastebuds! What a gorgeous post!!
That peanut sauce looks SO good! And your photos… your PHOTOS! They are incredible!
Those look beautiful. I am a big spring roll fan but haven’t tried them at home yet.
These look fantastic. The colors are so vibrant and inviting! I love that they’re fillling without leaving you stuffed. 🙂
Your photos are just so bright and beautiful, Maria! I hate it when my husband goes away since I have the worst time sleeping and just miss him like crazy so I know how you felt. Glad he is home safely and you are together again. These spring rolls look amazing with those brilliant colors of the veggies.
I hope you are having a wonderful week. Take care, my friend.
That first shot is gorgeous! I am with you – I could eat these everyday. Whenever I make them, I make extra so we can have as many as we want. Both my kids love them but I think what they really love is the sauce!
I love spring rolls more than most things. I could eat these almost every day. And I don’t say that about many things.
MMMMMMMMM, I love myself a good spring roll with some YUMMY dipping sauce. These look great and easy enough for my simple mind to make.
These look SO good! And right up my alley, too. I’ll have to check out the tutorial, because rice papers always trip me up. Gorgeous photos, too!
Yum! They looks like Mama use to make me. At least when you’re lonely you make healthy stuff. When I’m lonely for my Hubs I usually reach for ice cream, swedish fish or telephone to call for delivery. 😉
Oh I so love spring rolls and just never have taken the time to make them. Yours are so pretty, perfectly rolled and filled with the best of the best! So fresh! And wow I love that dipping sauce. I think you may have gotten me to finally get up and make these. What a perfect snack! Or I could really eat about 5 of them for a meal.
Such a great post! Thanks for the ideas!! And the lovely photos!!!
Wow! Those look so good and your photos just POP! I have been craving spring rolls lately, maybe I’ll have to go make some then huh!
This is one of my absolute favourite meals! I make it when my (veggie) daughter is around as she loves it too. Delish!
These look wonderful Maria! So fresh and colorful. I will definitely try the peanut dipping sauce.
These are beautiful photos!!!!!
What a great healthy dinner
I’ve been dying to try making these and your sauce looks AWESOME!!
I love spring rolls and have made them lots. I might have to try this peanut sauce tho, because I have a fave that I think is the best one out there!
Beautiful pics, btw!
i love these fresh spring rolls so much! I always order them when i go to Vietnamese or Thai restaurants. I am a little intimidated by the rice paper but should get over my fear ;). Yours looks so good and vibrant!!!
those rice sheets are so neat, and i can see why you’re smitten with the sauce. lovely meal, maria!
I love these and we order them when we can. They’ve been on my list of things to make myself at home. I would definitely add shrimp! Yours look fantastic. Great picture too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh my gosh, these are gorgeous! love spring rolls!
i found your blog from itzy’s kitchen, and i am pretty sure it is one of the most gorgeous things ever! i look forward to reading more!
These are great! Love Vietnamese spring rolls…have made these too with shrimp…yum! 🙂
I am bookmarking this for the peanut sauce. I bet it would be EXCELLENT on chicken! Or as a sandwich spread. I’m in heaven just thinking about eating it.
Fun times with old friends are really the best. I love it when my roommate from college comes to visit!
Re: peanut butter-do you use all-natural or skippy/jif type?
Bookmarked! These look so delicioius, colorful and healthy. YUM!
Very immaculate and gorgeous looking rolls.
Ed-I will have to try your sauce.
Mary Ann-I am curious to your sauce recipe. Want to share? 🙂
Holly-Thanks for stopping in. We hope to see you often:) I love Erica!
Dergolem-I have used creamy Skippy before and natural. Both worked out fine. Use your favorite!
Thanks everyone for the kind comments! These really are amazing:)
Where is the Two Peas and Their Pod cookbook???? These are gorgeous! We think so alike on our food choices. These spring rolls are filled with everything great and I would love that peanut sauce. I am staying inT-Ride another week….wanna come out this way? Easy trip from u guys!
I have been craving spring rolls lately (totally weird because it’s freezing cold, but I know you understand the craving!). I bought the wrappers to make them forever ago, but this post just might be the inspiration that I need to actually make them. Yours are so colorful and pretty — it brightens my day just to look at them!
p.s. is it awful that I like the peanut sauce even more than the rolls? 😉
Maria, this looks great! I’ve never tried anything like this at home, but you’ve inspired me. How wonderful to have an ex-roommate (& still close friend) to come over and cook with you. That alone would be as fun as eating this delectable food!
OMG that top photo is GORGEOUS. I love this kind of roll (I’ve seen the unfried ones called summer rolls), but I’ve never thought to make them myself. I should try it!
These look so good, fresh and vibrant! But the best part is the PB Sauce! One of my favorite things in the entire world.
You were roomies? I think that’s so sweet! 🙂 Glad he’s back!
This reminds me so much of the Filipino version (it has carrots and hearts of palm inside, and garlic in the peanut sauce). It looks sooo delicious and I need my veggies now!
This is a timely post since I just visited our local Asian Market earlier this week and picked up some rice sheets.
These look so great. Awesome job with the rolling. I love spring rolls, but have never tried to make them at home.
I love making spring rolls but I’ve been too much of a wimp to try the rice vermicelli noodles…
So colourful, refreshing and delicious.Your dipping sauce looks great too 🙂
These look so wonderful and fresh. Very nice 🙂
Oh my. These look sooo tasty, and your photo is phenomenal!
Oh goodness. I just really appreciate pretty julienne cutting skills and you knocked out those veggies like no one else’s business.
Stunning!
My husband would love these.
Yumm…reminds me of the spring rolls which were our favorite at an Asian restaurant while we were in school at Penn State.
Wonderful blog!
Oh my, these look sensational!! I love spring rolls, but have never had them with peanut sauce. I will definitely be trying it. Gorgeous photos too!
Great pics! These looks so fresh and healthy
Haha – my salad has NOTHING on these babies!!
These are beautiful! I love peanut sauce… One of my favorites. Usually I make it with grilled chicken, but I think I will have to give these veggie rolls a try!
Your spring rolls look so colorful and healthful, too. I agree that many would appreciate these rolls at a Super Bowl party. I had a delicious spring roll last night at a Mpls. restaurant. It was filled with shrimp, crab, cucumber, laid on cilantro pesto and was drizzled with shrimp vinaigrette. It was so good.
Mmmmmm…I keep saying that I’m going to make summer rolls and just don’t. I have GOT to do it soon. These look great!
My goodess. Your pictures are so beautiful, I want to cry!
The spring rolls look out of this world. I would eat a dozen of them, I’m sure.
The spring rolls are beautiful, but the peanut sauce sounds addicting. No peanut allergies here, so I’ll try this one for sure. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow! What a beautiful blog! The pics are gorgeous, very professional. I Love the Spring Rolls, they are a favorite at my house. Yours look especially good.
Beautiful wedding photo, it made me smile 🙂
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Pam
I love spring rolls and these look so vibrant and fresh. I have to try that dipping sauce!
BTW-Thomas is almost done!
Love to make Spring Rolls but never thought to make a Peanut Dipping Sauce! Great idea!
The lead photo for this recipe is just arresting. The bright colors of the interior of that spring roll just stopped me dead in my speed reading: WHAT. IS. THAT? I asked myself. Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
Gorgeous click. Such lovely colours!
I just want to make them because of the picture. Well, I love Spring rolls and peanut sauce. I just have to be cautious because of potential allergies for my children. But will make it just for me and my husband!!
Maria, beautiful pictures. Just beautiful. I’ve never made spring rolls, but you’ve inspired me.
What gorgeous pictures! I love how healthy these are the peanut sauce sounds delicious!
Yum, these look SO good to me. I’d have to figure out a way for my guys to all think it was enough of a meal, or add something else, but I want some. When I move to Utah, will you be my friend and make some with me? 😉
These are gorgeous and sound delicious! I can’t wait to try!
Hi Maria – You should know that this site is using your image, possibly without your permission. They appropriated one of mine as well (and have since taken it down). Since they derive revenue from ads on their site, I thought you should know that someone is making money on your work.
http://www.happyhappyjoyjoy.net/2010/01/vegetable-spring-rolls-with-peanut-dipping-sauce-two-peas-and-their-pod/
I LOVE making fresh spring rolls. There are so fun to make and much cheaper than buying them at a take out Thai or Vietnamese restaurant!
Also, your photos are absolutely phenomenal. Great job!
those look amazing!
thus is one of my favorite things to make! i could eat them all summer long. yum!
These look TO-DIE-FOR!
those look good! i’m going to try them this weekend. they look so easy.
These look so good. Great photos too! I like the addition of the peppers. I will try this peanut sauce for sure.
I love spring rolls, these are great!
We love Spring Rolls! And they’re fun to make and clean out the vegetable drawers at the same time! LOL!
Maria, I will eat this peanut sauce with you all day long while Josh is out of town. Thanks for the peanut sauce recipe, I have been searching for a good one that is thick like the one at my favorite vietnamese restaurant, and this one is it!
yum, a lum!
I just discovered you blig recently. The Springrolls with the Peanut-Sauce was the first recipe I tried and I loved it. I made them for me and my boyfriend, and we put tons of peanut sauce on them, because it’s so delicious. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. I’ve been trying out some other ones as well. I’m hooked to you blog 🙂 Keep up the great work!
Just made these for dinner! Liked it but I think the sauce was too sweet!
So to balance out the flavors I tossed the rice noodles with 1/2 tsp of sesame oil and sprinkled some garlic salt.
But overall we enjoyed it 🙂 Going to try your Nutella cookies tomorrow.
I love spring rolls! I have been on the look-out for those wrappers but haven’t found any. Maybe I will just have to make a trip to the Asian market so I can try out your peanut sauce!
These are amazing. So much yummier and healthier than the fried kind. This is one of my favorite recipes now. Thank you for this recipe!
I like you and I like this recipe. A lot! For a very specific reason. I remember writing about roasted salsa verde and saying that it’s not really a condiment here in California, you just tip your head back and it’s a meal!
I would also like to say I’m not a cook, chef, foodie, anything. I’m an artist, but I know how to cook and was looking for a good peanut sauce recipe for spring rolls and yours fit the bill. Thank you. What a terrific blog!
i like you’re dish from the picture we will try it soon
these spring rolls are absolutely delicious!! and the peanut sauce is beyond delicious! i love that you use lemongrass instead of sweet chili and fish sauces for the flavor. as a vegetarian, i am happy to have finally found a peanut sauce recipe that is suitable for my cooking needs. i am happy to have found you!! keep up the great recipes!!
I just made these tonight and they were spectacular!! I had never actually made spring rolls, or even tasted them before… but they looked good so I tried it out. LOVE! About how much grated ginger did you use? I used a 1/2 inch nub or so. I also found this video to be helpful when teaching me how to wrap the spring rolls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTOgdljDwa0 Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Hi Casey! I am so glad you liked the spring rolls! They are so fun to make…and eat:)
Yummmm spring rolls are my fav
Thanks for the great recipe! I have made these with shrimp and the peanut sauce several times. Everyone requests it when we go to dinner parties. Absolutely the best peanut sauce and so easy to make.
We really enjoyed these, especially the peanut sauce! I couldn’t find lemongrass in the store, so we left that out but it was still delicious. It’s a keeper in our house. Thanks for the recipe!
love this recipe and your blog! about how many spring rolls does this recipe make!? Thanks!
Are you related to Jim Lichty, a Pharmacist in Sioux Falls,So. Dakota?
Not that I know of:)
Made these as a trial run for a superbowl party. They came out great!
I just made these, they’re amazing! So refreshing! I usually over eat, get full and feel gross but when I ate these and got full I felt like I could do 100 things rather than wanting to sleep/nap! I highly recommend trying this recipe!!
One of my favorite recipes. I love the peanut sauce!