This fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls recipe is a light vegetarian appetizer or meal. I developed it at the request by one of my personal chef clients. After testing and tweaking a few recipes (I wanted to make sure the rolls could be made in advance and still be fresh tasting), I struck upon this new veggie spring roll recipe. I think you'll love it!

"New favorite recipe! These are SO good!" ~ Melissa

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Fresh Vietnamese spring rolls cut in half with peanut sesame dipping sauce.

A quick look at this recipe

Recipe Name: Vegetable Spring Rolls
Ready In: 45 minutes prep, 0 minutes cook time
Serves: 5 (10 rolls)
Calories: 267 per serving
Main Ingredients: Spring roll wrappers, lettuce, carrots, cucumber, red pepper, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce
Difficulty: Medium

I love a good salad! Crispy, cool lettuce, cherry tomatoes, chunks of cucumbers and bell peppers, and shreds of cheddar cheese all with my homemade creamy cilantro lime dressing ~ yum!

But every so often I tire of eating what seems like an endless amount of veggies. I like to change up my salad routine and make some super fresh spring rolls also known as goi cuon. They're the perfect along side a bowl of of my Fried Rice with Chicken too.

This Vegetable Spring Rolls recipe is a super fresh and healthy version of fried egg rolls. These vegetable spring rolls are a favorite of my personal chef clients for more than 20 years. You'll love this fun way to eat veggies.

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Why you'll love veggie spring rolls

Fun to make ~ After you get rolling, these salad rolls are easy and gratifying to make. They're a unique way to get your daily intake of vegetables.
Light, healthy and refreshing ~ The filling ingredients for these vegan Vietnamese fresh rolls are vibrant, fresh and healthy. They're loaded with vitamins and fiber and low in calories. They make for a delicious light lunch or snack.
Vegetarian ~ Packed with crisp vegetables and fresh herbs, they're a satisfying meatless meal or appetizer.
Versatile ~ The best spring rolls are the ones you fill with your favorite fresh vegetables. The possibilities are endless. Small pieces of cooked chicken, steak, pork, fish, and shrimp are also delicious fillings.

Vegetable spring roll ingredients

Vegetable spring rolls are made with rice paper wrappers and filled with carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, lettuce and fresh herbs. Some super fresh vegetables and pantry ingredients are needed for my Vietnamese vegetable spring rolls recipe. Scroll to the recipe card for full quantities of the ingredients.

Bean sprouts, spring roll wrappers, carrots, cucumbers lettuce on a rolling mat.

Spring roll wrappers ~ Find these thin rice paper spring roll wrappers in the international aisle of the grocery store or Asian supermarkets.
Romaine lettuce ~ Boston bibb or butter lettuce and iceberg lettuce are also options.
Thin bean threads ~ Also called cellophane or glass noodles, these are super thin, transparent noodles. Angel hair rice noodles are an alternative.
Carrot
Cucumber
Red bell pepper ~ Yellow or orange bell are also options. I'd skip green peppers as there flavor is more bitter and less sweet than the other peppers.
Bean sprouts
Fresh cilantro ~ If you're not a fan of cilantro (some say it has a soapy taste) use fresh parsley. Or you can leave it out altogether.
Hoisin sauce
Toasted sesame oil
Smooth peanut butter ~ I use traditional smooth peanut butter in the dipping sauce. It mixes beautifully with the other sauce ingredients. I'd skip crunchy or natural peanut butters in the dipping sauce as their texture isn't as velvety.
Natural rice vinegar ~ As such a small amount of rice vinegar is used in the sauce, a seasoned one can be used.
Reduced sodium soy sauce As I find regular soy sauce very salty, my personal preference is to use a low salt version.
Red pepper flakes

How to make vegetable spring rolls

Making fresh veggie spring rolls involves some chopping and assembling. No cooking is necessary! Prepping all the ingredients in advance is the key to success for easy vegetable spring rolls. Scroll to the recipe card for my step by step video.

Step 1: Make the sesame peanut sauce. Combine hoisin sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Stir a couple tablespoons of warm water to thin the sauce.

Julienned carrots, cucumbers, and red peppers.

Step 2: The key to easily making this spring roll recipe is to have all the filling ingredients chopped and ready.

Step 3: Fill of large pie plate with warm water. Dip a spring roll wrapper in the warm water for about 5+/- seconds so it's soft and pliable. Place it on a work surface.

Filling a rice paper wrapper with spring roll ingredients.

Step 4: Stack a lettuce leaf on the wrapper. Top some of the bean threads, carrots, cucumber, red pepper, bean sprouts, and a few cilantro leaves.

Fold in the two sides of the wrapper over the ingredients followed by the end of the wrapper closest to you. Tuck the ingredients in with your fingers to keep the rolls neat and snug. Continue rolling until the spring roll is formed.

A spring roll cut in half and a bowl of peanut sauce.

Step 5: I love putting the spring rolls on a pretty ceramic platter along with the dipping sauce.

tips for veggie spring rolls

Make sure to thinly slice all the vegetables to 2 to 3 inches in length. This slim size adds to the ease of assembling the spring rolls.
Cook the bean threads for 3 to 5 minutes in boiling water. Rinse the cooked noodles with cold water. This will prevent them from sticking together. Drain well so you will not have soggy spring rolls.
Quickly dip the spring roll wrappers in warm water to soften them. If they're in the water too long, they'll tear easily.
Place the filling ingredients on the lower half of the spring roll wrapper. Fold in the 2 sides then the end closest to you and roll up the spring roll nice and snug.

4 vegetable spring rolls stored with damp paper towels.

Frequently asked questions

Are spring rolls healthy?

Definitely! The vegetable packed spring rolls are basically handheld salads. They're low in calories and fat, and packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Go easy on the sesame peanut dipping sauce if you are watching your calories.

Do you eat veggie spring rolls cold or hot?

Serve these fresh spring rolls are filled with crunchy vegetables and are best served cold. They differ from fried egg rolls or fried spring rolls which are served hot.

Can you make Vietnamese fresh rolls in advance and how do you store them?

YES YOU CAN! This fresh spring rolls recipe can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Place the rolls on a large platter or in meal prep containers. Make sure there is space between each roll. The spring roll wrappers tend to stick if they are too close together. Cover with a damp paper towel and a sheet of plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. To serve the rolls, just remove the paper towel and wrap, garnish with some cilantro sprigs and accompany with the dipping sauce.

Fresh vegetable spring rolls with peanut sesame dipping sauce.

What to serve with vegetable spring rolls

Spring rolls cut in half and also whole.

Make sure to thinly slice all the vegetables to 2 to 3 inches in length. This slim size adds to the ease of assembling the spring rolls.
Cook the bean threads for 3 to 5 minutes in boiling water. Pick these up in the Asian section of your grocery store. Rinse the cooked noodles with cold water. This will prevent them from sticking together. Drain well so you will not have soggy spring rolls.
Have a large work surface for assembling and rolling of the vegetable spring rolls.
Quickly dip the spring roll wrappers in warm water to soften them.
Place the filling ingredients on the lower half of the spring roll wrapper. Fold in the 2 sides then the end closest to you and roll up the spring roll nice and snug.