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.
Vegan Summer Rolls
Ingredients
Rice paper
- 7-10 sheets rice paper
Vegetables:
- 1/2 avocado sliced
- 1/4 cup each of green, red and yellow pepper sliced
- 1 zucchini spiralized or finely sliced
- 1 carrot spiralized or finely sliced
- 1 cucumber spiralized or finely sliced
- 1/2 cup red cabbage shredded
- 1/2 can chickpeas
- Lettuce, fruits, edible flowers, fresh herbs like mint
Noodles:
- 120 g cellophane noodles or thin rice noodles
Instructions
- You can watch the video in the post for visual instructions.First, prepare the noodles as per the package instructions. You can either boil them for some seconds or simply soak them in hot water for a couple of minutes. However, this will vary based on the type of noodle and the brand. Drain the hot water and rinse the noodles with cool water.Optional step: If you’d like to color your noodles, you can separate them into portions and mix them with the natural color of your choice. Pink = beet juice, Blue/turquoise = blue spirulina powder, Yellow= turmeric powder.
- While the noodles cool, it’s time to prepare the rest of your fillings. Finely chop, slice, shred, or spiralize the vegetables.
- If you want to use chickpeas, I recommend crisping them up slightly in a saucepan with a bit of oil and soy sauce (GF or tamari).
- First, place a damp kitchen towel onto your working surface.I’ve found this is the best way to avoid the rice paper from sticking to your surface.
- Fill a large bowl or pot with water and completely dip one rice paper in the water for 2-3 seconds. Then shake off any excess water and place the rice paper flat onto the kitchen towel.
- Place the cooled noodles and veggies about 1/3 of the way up the roll, leaving 1-2-inches of space on the sides.Whatever you place first (at the bottom) will be visible on top once the summer rolls are rolled up.
- Fold in both sides, then roll from the bottom upwards until it’s fully sealed (check the step-by-step-photos in the post). Be careful while doing this, as the rice paper is fragile and can tear. Repeat this step with the remaining fillings and rice paper wraps until they’re all ready.If it tears, you can use a second rice paper to wrap the broken roll.
- Serve the summer rolls with a Peanut Sauce or Hoisin Sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- 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.
- Read the blog post for more tips and optional add-ins.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!
I just made these summer rolls. It was a fun activity to do with kids! I used smoked pepper powder to make the noodles orange.
The ones we did not eat right away, I stroke them with some oil and put them in the fridge.
Thank for this great, delicious and fun recipe.
Sounds amazing! Thanks for your feedback, Corine. 🙂
I know you said they turn brittle could make ahead and wrap up in damp paper towel to keep moist
It might work, but I haven’t tried it out yet. Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
So I just bought a package of rice wrappers because they were on sale. And then looked up recipesthat are gluten free to fill and make.so of course the colors caught my eyes right away. I booked marked and will be experimenting with ingredients and such. So I see the ones with strawberries and such. Did you put anything else with them but strawberries? What other fruits did you use or can you use? I excited because I have 28 different food sensitivities and am constantly looking for new ideas, or new things I can eat. That way not eating the same thing all the time and give me variety. So I have never really eaten spring rolls /summer rolls etc to much. They are fine to eat cold , say especially fruit ones or just raw veggies? If I put meat in can warm up?
I make my own sunflower butter. Did you ever come up with a receipe using sun butter yet? I also make my own chia seed jam so i can use that as well. Or honey for fruit. And did buy a bottle of gluten free s.s
As regards the strawberries, I also add rice noodles in addition. Another fruit that I love adding is mango! And yes, you can add some of your homemade chia seed jam and/or sunflower seed butter. Just try out different varieties. The good thing about summer rolls is, that you can add or leave out whatever you want.
I always eat them cold, never tried to warm them. I don’t think they taste good if you warm them.
ok . is it normal for them to get sticky before you even roll it . i am talking with like a minute? i have never eaten spring rolls before and i did make a couple the other day but they were already sticky before even rolling it. i did just peaches . i like the adding the noodles idea to fruit as well. i guess i will have to play with them more.
Yes, that’s normal. The rice paper gets sticky after a few minutes. You will get used to it once you have made them a couple of times. 🙂
I’ve been experimenting with these roles on and off for about a year. I aspire to having them look as lovely as yours. Love your posts.
❤️
Thanks so much ❤️❤️❤️
Do you have to cook the zucchini and cabbage? I assume so but I didn’t see it in your instructions so I just want to make sure haha.
Hi Kat, no you don’t have to cook it. I leave mine always raw. But if you prefer to cook it, then feel free to cook it 🙂
Hey Ela, I love these wraps! Yours look so beautiful.
I bought some rice paper wanting to make them myself. I like to prepare healthy meals and snacks ahead for the week and was wondering how long the prepared wraps would last in the fridge and be good to eat?
Thank you!
Hello Bee, you can keep them in the fridge only for a short while (a few hours) because otherwise, the rice paper dries out too much. Hope this helps 🙂
Hi Ela,
Would you mind listing the ingredient combinations for each Spring roll. I’d really like to know what you feel bout be compatible together.
Thank you,
Vicki
I just added whatever I had in my fridge. There is not really a recipe which I followed. I love adding carrot, avocado, and chickpeas though. 🙂
Ela, I was wandering through your blog, and I had to stop here and tell you how much your colorful spring rolls are brightening this winter day for me! Thank you! Dee xx
Dee, you are the sweetest! Thank you so much for checking out this blog post. Sending you lots of love 🙂
I also am curious as to what the bright pink and blue ingredients are in your spring rolls. I don’t see anything in your list of ingredients that would be that color.
Hello Jane! It’s mentioned in the blog post and in the recipe instructions. Pink = beet juice and blue = spirulina 🙂
I didn’t have wax paper handy so I put a bit of oil on a plastic cutboard. Worked well for me. Complete novice in the kitchen BTW and appreciate the well thought out recipe.
That’s a wonderful tip, Brian. I am glad the recipe turned out great 🙂
Hi, this looks so amazing. I love to make and eat these, but they look nothing like yours, it’s hard for me to wrap them up.. Also, I don’t know if it’s just me, but i don’t see what you did with the chickpeas. Sorry if i missed it, and i would love to know, since i’m a big fan
Thank a lot, i’ve been strolling on your site for the last hour! 🙂
Hi Eni, I know it can be hard to wrap them up. My first few tries were a disaster, haha. It also depends on the rice paper, I have had fails with many but then found a brand which I love. So definitely check out various brands from your supermarket. Sorry, I don’t understand your question regarding the chickpeas. What exactly do you mean?
And thank you so much for checking out my blog for so long, that’s so kind of you 🙂
Dear Ela, thanks for replying 🙂
Step 3 in your recipe is roast chickpeas, and I don’t see what you did with them, how you used them, that’s what I wanted to check 🙂
thank you so much, next time i try the rolls, i’ll let you know how it went
p.s. your blog is in my bookmarks now
Thanks for your follow-up comment, Eni. I simply added the chickpeas to the rolls (see pic number 4 and 6 in my blog post), as I sometimes fill my rolls with chickpeas or beans which helps me to stay longer full. When I look for a lighter meal I don’t add them and fill them only with rice noodles and veggies like in picture 1 and 2. Thanks for bookmarking my blog. 🙂
Is far as the chickpeas comment goes, I believe was referring to was what combo did you make using the chickpeas. Because you have it in the ingredients list but not in recipes or any made and showing in picture.
Hey, I guess I took out a few of the old pics and added new pics a couple of months ago, that’s why you can’t see them anymore. However, as mentioned before I just fry the chickpeas with a little bit of soy sauce in a skillet. I often add different spices (like cumin, smoked paprika etc). There is not a real recipe, I just use what I have on hand. 🙂
Dear Ela!!
This recipe got a family favorite in our house!! It takes a little time for the preparation, cutting all the fresh ingredients in stripes , but it is so easy ! While you are cutting you already think about how you put everything together to get a nice colorful result! That’s fun! I tried the root beet coloring and it worked perfectly! The noodles got this nice pink color, it just took a little while so I learnt to start with that first! Thanks so much for your inspirational posts and helpful advices!! You’re simply the best????????
Aww, such a wonderful and thoughtful feedback, thank you so much dear Stephanie. Comments like yours give me the motivation to keep creating recipes. So thank you very much, it really means a lot to me. ❤️
Can i get recipe for the sauce?
Hey Andrea, I don’t have the exact recipe for the PB sauce as I made it only once or twice and didn’t write down the measurements. I will just copy and paste what I wrote in my blog post above: “To make the peanut butter dipping sauce you just need peanut butter (or powdered peanut butter aka peanut flour), lime or lemon juice, ginger, hot sauce (e.g. sriracha), spices and water”. I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the sauce to be honest and that’s why I will try out a different sauce with sunflower seed butter soon and write down the recipe. 😉
Add some hoisin, soy sauce and garlic and it’s money. I don’t use sriracha but a different hot sauce that I make that doesn’t contain as much garlic. If you use sriracha, you probably don’t need to add garlic.
Sounds great. 🙂
Do your spring rolls happen to freeze well? I’m a meal prep person who would love to eat these throughout the week!
Hey Maddie, I believe they don’t freeze well, because the rice paper might get dry and brittle (I never tried to freeze them though). I had them in the fridge overnight and next day the rice paper was already a bit dry and brittle. Hope this helps 🙂
These look delicious, May want to remind people that if they use soy sauce it is not gluten free. Thanks!
Good advice, I make sure to buy gluten free soy sauce 🙂
Ho Ela, I’m going to make your summer rolls for bday dinner 🙂 is it ok to make them a day ahead?
Hey Martina, I just saw your comment. I think it’s better to make them on the same day, as the rice paper will get a bit dry and brittle when you store them in the fridge. So it’s better you don’t make them a day ahead. 🙂
Can you share your spicy peanut dipping sauce? ????
Sorry I didn’t take excact measurements. Just mix PB with lemon or lime juice, water and add hot sauce (e.g. Sriracha), salt and pepper to taste 🙂
Spring rolls are eaten frequently at our home, but yours are the most colorful I’ve ever seen! Great way to “eat the rainbow” as nutritionists recommend.I’ll have to try coloring the noodles next time. We always wrap with some fresh herbs: cilantro, Thai basil, mint, etc. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your kind comment. I am excited to hear that you are going to make rainbow rolls some day 🙂
What is the bright blue and pink filling in the ones pictured? These are so pretty!
Thank you so much for your compliment Catherine. It’s stated in my blog post, the blue is spirulina and the pink is beet juice 🙂
These summer rolls look so beautiful! I love how colourful they are! They sound delicious! <3
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Harriet. I am so glad you like my colorful summer rolls
I always love seeing your beautiful summer rolls and never thought of glass noodles ! I can’t wait to find some , Also your tip about rolling them on wax paper is genius I struggle with them sticking so thank you so much. Your blog is beyond helpful <3 <3
Aww thank you Kirsten! It makes me so happy to hear that my blog is helpful. And yes definitely try it out, I hope they won’t stick the next time. Enjoy ❤️