Vegan Summer Rolls Recipe

These vegan summer rolls (aka rice paper rolls or fresh spring rolls) are packed with nutrients- not to mention absolutely delicious- especially when served with a creamy peanut dipping sauce. Mix and match your fillings in dozens of ways for a fun, versatile gluten-free appetizer, main, or even dessert (option below!).

Healthy Rice Paper Rolls with Peanut Sauce

I love meals that are not only packed with veggies but also super versatile in using what I have left in my crisper drawer, and these vegan summer rolls fit the bill. While I’ve shared lots of wholesome, comforting veggie-packed meals previously like vegetable chop suey, vegan cabbage rolls, Hibachi-style fried rice, and veggie lo-mein, when you want a lighter option, then this summer roll recipe is perfect!

With a combination of fresh veggies, noodles, and a creamy peanut sauce, these rice paper rolls are a great way to pack in tons of nutrients while still enjoying a super delicious dish.

Learning how to make summer rolls (specifically rolling them) can be a little tricky, to begin with. Still, just like when making vegan veggie dumplings or sushi, though, practice makes perfect, and it just gives you an excuse to enjoy even more of these delicious veggie rolls! Since they’re low-calorie, too–you don’t even have to feel guilty about it!

What are Summer Rolls/ Fresh Spring Rolls?

These vegan summer rolls are inspired by Vietnamese Goi Cuon (aka ‘Vietnamese fresh spring rolls’). Traditionally, the Vietnamese rolls are filled with pork or prawns, vegetables, and rice vermicelli (noodles) and served as fresh rice paper rolls or fried spring rolls.

Unlike the Vietnamese rice paper rolls, though, this vegetarian summer roll recipe is meat-free (and also gluten-free, dairy-free, and 100% vegan!). So instead of meat or seafood, fill the rolls with tons of fresh veggies, fruit, and grains for a light and refreshing appetizer or main.

Even better, if you’re feeling particularly ‘fun,’ you can even naturally color your noodles in a whole variety of colors using natural colorants or even fruit powders (like I did for these vegan gummy bears).

The Ingredients

• Rice Paper Wrapper: These come in two different sizes. I used the 22 cm (8.6-Inch) ones. Different brands will be more/less opaque, I’ve noticed.
• Noodles: You can use cellophane noodles or thin rice noodles.
• Vegetables: I used a combination of sliced avocado, mixed bell peppers (green, red, and yellow), shredded red cabbage, chickpeas, and spiralized or finely cut/shredded zucchini, carrot, and cucumber.
• Peanut Sauce: I used homemade creamy peanut butter sauce, which is ready in a couple of minutes with simple ingredients.

Optional Add-ins:

• Herbs: Experiment with adding herbs–Thai basil, basil, cilantro, mint, etc.
• Other ‘carbs’: You can swap out the noodles for another carb like rice or quinoa (works best with day-old grains).
• Other vegetables: One of the best things about these salad rolls is how versatile they are for whatever veggies you have in your kitchen and that are in season. In this recipe, I mention the ones I use most often; however, you could also use radish, edamame, sugar snap peas, beetroot, micro-greens, lettuce, etc.
• Fruits: These vegan summer rolls work perfectly with fruits as well. My favorite additions include strawberries, mango, banana, peach, pomegranate, and kiwi.
• Protein: For more of a complete meal, you can add protein to your vegetarian summer rolls, such as marinated firm tofu or tempeh. You can also add extra protein with the addition of small seeds like sesame, hemp, and nigella seeds.

Please read the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information.

How to Make Summer Rolls

Step 1: Prepare the noodles

• First, prepare the noodles as per the package instructions. You can either boil them until al dente or simply blanch them in hot water for a few minutes. However, this will vary based on the type of noodle and the brand.

If you’d like to make rainbow rolls and color your noodles (optional), you can separate the noodles into portions and mix them with the natural color of your choice. Pink = beet juice, Blue/turquoise = blue spirulina powder, Yellow= turmeric powder.

Step 2: Prepare the vegetables

• While the noodles cool, it’s time to prepare the rest of your fillings. Finely chop, shred, or spiralize the veggies. If you’d like to use chickpeas, I recommend crisping them up slightly in a saucepan with a bit of oil and soy sauce (GF or tamari).

You can use the veggies of your choice for these summer rolls (check more options above). You can also add fruits or even make dessert summer rolls with sticky coconut rice with your fruits of choice).

Have all your filling options ready and assembled on your counter before moving to the next step.

Step 3: Assemble the rice paper rolls

• First, place a damp kitchen towel onto your working surface. I’ve found this is the best way to avoid the rice paper wraps from sticking to your surface.
• Fill a large bowl or pan with water and dip a rice paper wrap (one at a time) for 2-3 seconds. Then shake off any excess water and place the rice paper roll flat onto the kitchen towel.
• Then, place the cooled noodles and veggies about 1/3 of the way up the roll, leaving 1-2-inches of space on the sides.

Remember that whatever you place first (at the bottom) will be visible on top once the summer rolls are rolled up. So, if you want to make them decorative, you can carefully place your ingredients.

• Then, roll up the rice paper roll. To do this, first, fold in both sides, then roll from the bottom upwards. Be careful while doing this, as the rice paper is fragile and can tear if you aren’t careful.

If it tears, you can use a second rice paper to wrap the broken roll.

• Repeat this step with the remaining fillings and rice paper wraps until they’re all ready, and then serve up the vegan summer rolls with the peanut sauce and other sauces of your choice (i.e., homemade hoisin sauce or sweet chili sauce).

How to Store?

Make-Ahead: The assembled rice paper wraps don’t store well (read below). However, you can prepare the various fillings (noodles, veggies, fruit, and even sauce) 1-2 days in advance and store them in airtight containers in the fridge. That way, you just need to assemble the rolls right before eating each time.

Store: These fresh spring rolls are best enjoyed immediately, as the rice paper will dry out and become brittle as they sit. If you have any leftovers, I recommend wetting a clean dish towel in warm water, draining all the excess water, and lay the towel over the rolls as shown in this video. I recommend eating the rolls within 24 hours.

Notes & Top Tips For The Best Summer Rolls

• Other ways to slice the fillings: You could use a mandoline for even thinly sliced veggies/fruit. You can also create more decorative slices using shaped cutters (hearts, stars, etc.). Do this with softer ingredients like avocado and other fruits.
• Mix and match the fillings: The fillings you choose are up to what you have available and what you prefer. If you’re having guests over, I recommend setting up all the filling options on your table. Then let people roll their own (a few rolls may look awful, but they’ll taste delicious!)
• Don’t overfill the rolls: Overfilling is more likely to cause tearing. It might take a couple of tries to get better, but once you have the filling ratio figured out, you’ll avoid tearing rolls unnecessarily.
• Have the fillings ready: My top tip for making these vegan summer rolls is to have all your fillings prepared to grab and fill as soon as your rice paper wrap is damp.
• Soaking the rice paper: I use room temp water for dipping (please don’t use hot water). The rice paper should be flexible but slightly firm when removing it from the water, as it will continue soaking up water and softening while you fill it. Too soft, and it will become a nightmare to work with.

Other Veggie-Packed Recipes

• Korean Pajeon (Scallion Pancakes)
• Vegan Chickpea Buddha Bowl
• Chickpea Veggie Tacos
• Brown Rice Salad
• Quinoa Pilaf with Vegetables
• The Best Vegan Frittata
• Mexican Avocado Salad

If you try this vegan summer roll recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan – I love seeing them.