These Vietnamese Summer Rice Paper Rolls taste just like something you’d get at a restaurant! Packed with fresh, colorful veggies and shrimp and made complete with the best peanut dipping sauce. They’re perfect for an appetizer, light lunch or snack!
If you love the rice paper rolls at your local Thai or Vietnamese restaurants you have to try making your own rolls! These traditional Vietnamese spring rolls are stuffed with fresh vegetables, rice noodles, flavorful herbs, and tender shrimp to make the best tasting roll you can imagine. Seriously, you cannot beat how fresh and flavorful these rolls are and I bet you’ll be surprised at how easy they are to make.
One of the main reasons why I love these fresh rice rolls is because you can serve them as an appetizer, snack or light lunch. They are less than 90 calories per roll and have 6 grams of protein each! And trust me, DO NOT skip on this homemade peanut sauce! These rolls are great but they hit a whole new level with the creamy, nutty peanut sauce that I could seriously eat by the spoon!
Get creative and add any of your favorite fresh veggies to these rolls. Additional options that would be great are red cabbage, bell pepper, or green onion! These rolls are also great for anyone with dietary restrictions. To make this recipe gluten-free, sub soy sauce for coconut aminos. To make vegan, omit the shrimp and add extra veggies!
These rolls are best served fresh but you can prep this in advance too! Just make sure to follow the directions later in this post for how to store to keep them fresh!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THESE RICE PAPER ROLLS
- The most fresh and flavorful rolls stuffed with yummy shrimp and fresh, crunchy vegetables
- Pairs perfectly with the homemade peanut sauce that is so good and easy to make!
- These fresh spring rolls can easily be made for meal prep! Just check out the storage instructions included below!
- A great snack, appetizer or main entree option!
- Less than 90 calories per roll. Low carb, low fat and 6g of protein each!
INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS
- Shrimp – I used frozen extra large shrimp that are peeled and deveined
- Vermicelli rice noodles
- Butter lettuce leaves
- Carrots
- Persian cucumbers
- Fresh cilantro – or your favorite fresh herbs
- Rice paper sheets (spring roll wrappers)
- Peanut butter
- Low sodium soy sauce – or coconut aminos
- Rice vinegar
- Lime juice
- Brown sugar
- Chili garlic sauce
- Sesame oil
- Garlic cloves – fresh garlic cloves give the best garlic flavor but you can use minced garlic or garlic powder in a pinch
- Ginger – you can use grated ginger root or ginger paste
OPTIONAL VARIATIONS & DIETARY MODIFICATIONS
- Pork belly rice rolls: use pork belly instead of shrimp
- Rainbow shrimp rolls: stuff rolls with sliced red peppers, yellow peppers, carrots and cilantro
- To make gluten-free: sub coconut aminos for soy sauce
- To make vegan: omit shrimp and add extra veggies
HOW TO MAKE PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
Mix together all the sauce ingredients with a whisk (or immersion blender to infuse the ginger root in better). Add more warm water if desired to get to desired consistency. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.
HOW TO MAKE RICE ROLLS
- Cook the shrimp: Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and boil for 2-3 minutes. Then using a slotted spatula, transfer the cooked shrimp to a bowl with ice.
- Cook the noodles: Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the vermicelli noodles just until al dente, according to package directions. Drain, rinse them under cool water, and return them to the pot.
- Assemble the rolls: Fill a large bowl (wider than your wrappers) with cold water. One at a time, dip your wrapper in for 2-3 seconds then transfer to a cutting board (wrapper will continue to soften as you assemble). Add a piece of lettuce on one half of the wrapper and then a generous pinch of noodles, carrots, cucumber and cilantro.
- In the middle of the wrap, next to everything else, add the shrimp. Tightly roll up the lettuce side first, tuck in the sides then roll over the shrimp so shrimp are visible on the outside. Keep the rolls covered with a damp paper towel or damp tea towel as you work to keep them moist.
- Transfer rolls to a serving platter with the peanut sauce to serve. For a prettier presentation, you can cut rolls in half (on the diagonal) and serve.
HOW TO STORE
Store leftover summer rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To keep rolls from sticking together, place them an inch or so apart when storing. Even better, wrap the rolls individually in plastic wrap to maintain moisture, freshness and prevent them from sticking.
Store leftover peanut sauce in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.
These fresh rolls work for meal prep too! Just make sure you store them correctly so they stay fresh and don’t stick together. If you’re worried about your rolls breaking, I would recommend doubling up on the rice paper for each roll so they stay stronger and are less likely to break.
EXPERT TIPS
- Prepare all the filling ingredients first (noodles, shrimp, vegetables) so everything is ready to go when you’re ready to assemble!
- Just dip the rice paper wrappers for 2-3 seconds. Anything more and it starts to get flimsy and harder to work with. The rice paper will still be stiff at first but it will continue to soften as you add the ingredients.
- Don’t overstuff the rolls. Rice paper is pretty pliable, but they can still break if there’s too much stuffed in them.
RECIPE FAQ
Yes, just make sure the shrimp is thawed before cooking. To thaw the shrimp, place it in the refrigerator overnight, or place it in a strainer and allow a steady stream of cold water to defrost it for about 15 minutes.
To make these rice rolls gluten free, just make sure to use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
Just omit the shrimp and add extra veggies! You can add extra carrots or cucumber, or red cabbage and bell peppers are another classic choice!
WANT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you try these Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls and love them, please rate this recipe!
You can also tag me on Instagram, @LaurenFitFoodie. It makes my day seeing your yummy recreations!
Vietnamese Summer Rice Paper Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
Fresh rolls:
- 1 lb. extra large shrimp, peeled, deveined and thawed 21-25 count
- 3 oz. vermicelli rice noodles
- 12 butter lettuce leaves
- 2 carrots, peeled and very thinly sliced or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
- 3 Persian/mini cucumbers, thinly sliced or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
- 1 cup cilantro sprigs
- 12 rice paper sheets (spring roll wrappers)
Peanut sauce:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (120g)
- 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce (30g)
- 1.5 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger root or ginger paste
- 3 Tbsp warm water
Instructions
Make the peanut sauce:
- Mix together all the ingredients with a whisk (or immersion blender to infuse the ginger root in better). Add more water if desired to get to desired consistency. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Cook the shrimp:
- Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and boil for 2-3 minutes. Then using a slotted spatula, transfer the cooked shrimp to a bowl with ice.
Cook the noodles:
- Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles just until al dente, according to package directions. Drain, rinse them under cool water, and return them to the pot.
Assemble the rolls:
- Fill a large bowl (wider than your wrappers) with cold water. One at a time, dip your wrapper in for 2-3 seconds then transfer to a cutting board (wrapper will continue to soften as you assemble).
- Add a piece of butter lettuce on one half of the wrapper and then a generous pinch of noodles, carrots, cucumber and cilantro.
- In the middle of the wrap, next to everything else, add the shrimp. Tightly roll up the lettuce side first, tuck in the sides then roll over the shrimp so shrimp are visible on the outside. Keep the rolls covered with a damp paper towel as you work to keep them moist.
- Transfer rolls to a serving platter with the peanut sauce to serve. For a prettier presentation, you can cut rolls in half (on the diagonal) and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
