Fresh Spring Rolls

Name: Fresh Spring Rolls
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup rice wine vinegar; ⅔ cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon sambal chile paste; 2 teaspoons minced cilantro; 1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced; 2 garlic clove, minced; 1 teaspoon peeled and minced ginger; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons tamari ((can use soy sauce or coconut aminos)); 1 teaspoon light brown sugar; 10 (8-9”) rice paper wrappers; 10 large butter lettuce leaves; 2 cups shredded purple cabbage; 1 carrot, peeled and julienne; 1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienne; 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienne; 10 large mint leaves

by Teri Lyn Fisher · Published: Apr 8, 2024

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Fresh Spring Rolls that are vegan, loaded with so much great flavor and texture, and extremely addicting! We can't get enough of this delicious appetizer that can easily double as a simple dinner! We're equally obsessed with the punchy dipping sauce that's filled with all the delicious, fresh and spicy bits!

Fresh spring rolls might be one of my favorite things to eat ever! I love everything about them – the freshness, the filling versatility, the general healthful nature, and how easy they are to make! Our fresh spring rolls recipe today is vegan, gluten-free (can also use coconut aminos or soy sauce if gluten-free isn’t a concern).

I eat these for dinner all the time, they’re so hearty and filling and truly make such a delicious dinner. I also make them as great, light appetizers whenever I have friends or family over and they’re always a hit. Don’t even think about sleeping on that dipping sauce. It’s equally as fresh and vibrant as the rolls! If you want to serve them with a peanut sauce instead (or both!) we love using our soba noodle peanut sauce recipe as another option!

How to Make Our Fresh Spring Rolls Recipe

Ingredients (to Note)

Rice Paper Wrappers are thin, round, translucent sheets that can be found at many asian grocery stores as well as most American grocery stores, in the asian food aisle and online.

Process

DIPPING SAUCE

Fresh spring roll sauce ingredients ready to be mixed together.

Place vinegar and sugar in a small pot and simmer until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat and cool. Stir in remaining ingredients and set aside.

Dipping sauce ingredients in a pot with fresh herbs.

Spring roll filling ingredients and assembly ingredients.

MUSHROOMS

Place a skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Sauté mushrooms for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add soy sauce and sugar and stir together until mushrooms are evenly coated. Remove from heat and cool.

Cooked mushrooms in a skillet to make spring rolls.

ASSEMBLY

Dip rice paper wrappers in warm water for 5 to 7 seconds until soft and pliable (they will soften more as you fill and roll them). Lay wrapper flat onto a clean surface.Lay a butter lettuce leaf onto the rice paper wrapper on the side closest to you. Add a small handful of the shredded cabbage in the center of the butter lettuce leaf. Top cabbage with some carrots and a few strips of red and yellow bell peppers. Top with some mushrooms and finally a mint leaf.
Carefully wrap fresh spring roll as tight as possible, folding the sides of the spring roll inwards, while rolling. Repeat until all filling ingredients and rice paper wrappers have been used. Cut each spring roll in half and serve on a platter with the dipping sauce.

Spring rolls being made with fresh ingredients.

A platter of fresh spring rolls cut in half.

Tips and Tricks for Fresh Spring Roll Success

Don’t dip the rice paper wrapper in the warm water for too long. You will end up having a hard time getting it to lay flat and roll.
It’s important that the made spring rolls are not refrigerated. This will cause the rice paper wrapper to become hard instead of pliable and slightly chewy.
Make the components ahead of time to save on time the day you serve them!

Fresh spring rolls on a platter with dipping sauce.

Prep Ahead and Storing Instructions

Storing Fresh Spring Rolls

While the fresh spring rolls are best made the day of (up to a few hours before they’re consumed), the different components can be made ahead of time!

If you’re not serving the spring rolls immediately keep them whole and cover them at room temperature with a damp paper towel or clean, light weight kitchen towel to prevent the rice wrapper from hardening. Then when ready to serve, uncover, slice in half and serve with dipping sauce! This is method is good if serving within 2 hours, re-dampening paper towels as needed.

Fresh spring rolls generally do not hold well overnight, but if you have leftovers or need to store them overnight, individually wrap them very tightly in plastic wrap then line them in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight (these won’t hold for more than 24 hours). When ready to use, remove container from refrigerator, unwrap each fresh spring roll and cover under a damp paper towel for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. They will not be quite the same as when served fresh, but should hold up pretty well.

Prepping Dipping Sauce

The entire dipping sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Alternatively (just) the sugar and vinegar mixture can be made up to 1 week in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. An hour to 3 days before serving, just stir in the remaining ingredients!