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Ideal as an appetizer or snack, fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls might look fussy, but they’re ready in less than 30 minutes. These restaurant-quality shrimp spring rolls are one of my best make-ahead recipes. (The rolls and dipping sauces can be made up to 2 days in advance!)
Hands-on dinner parties are one of my favorite food trends. From build-your-own sushi rolls and Bloody Mary Stations to Chili Bars to Ice Cream Sundae Buffets, the interactive nature not only brings people together, it also allows them to customize their servings, channel their creativity, and have a low-risk way to try something new.
These Vietnamese Spring Rolls are easy enough to assemble as a make-ahead appetizer for your next party or a restaurant-style family dinner. But you can also stir together the dipping sauces and set out all of the spring roll ingredients and allow everyone to DIY.
Shrimp and pork belly are the most common protein filling options for spring rolls. Some restaurants also offer tofu as a vegan alternative. Here, I call for quick-cooking, crowd-pleasing poached shrimp as well as tender rice noodles and loads of fresh veggies and fresh herbs. The rice paper wrappers have a shatteringly-crisp texture until you soak them in water, but beyond that, there is no cooking process.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Fish sauce: Fish sauce is a funky, powerful, and popular condiment featured in many Vietnamese and Thai recipes. It’s made from fish that are packed in salt and left to ferment for up to two years before the sauce is bottled. Fish sauce is typically used to dress dishes that include mild, unsalted ingredients like lettuce, herbs and rice, all of which benefit from an extra flavor lift. Look for it in the condiment aisle at most major supermarkets or online. It should be a clear, amber color when you hold it up to the light (rather than studded with sediment or dark brown and murky). I use Three Crabs or Red Boat brands.
- Lime juice: Or substitute 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar for the 2 tablespoons lime juice. The flavor will change, but it’s still delicious.
- Chili garlic sauce: This tangy, spicy, and aromatic condiment is like sriracha’s sharper, chunkier cousin. Sriracha recipes include sugar to balance the peppery heat. Chili garlic sauce is sugar-free and contains visible chili seeds and diced garlic. It’s thinner than chili paste but thicker than drizzly sriracha. Look for chili garlic sauce in jars in the condiment aisle; Huy Fong and Lee Kum Kee are two brands that I trust.
- Peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter is easier to incorporate into the peanut sauce. I adore the extra crunch that peanut pieces provide, though, so I call for those as an optional topping for the peanut sauce.
- Rice paper wrappers: These spring roll wrappers are made with rice and appear stiff when dry. Soaking them in water for just a moment (or according to the package’s instructions) makes them clear and pliable. Blue Dragon is a popular brand.
- Cellophane noodles: Also known as vermicelli rice noodles or rice vermicelli noodles, look for skinny varieties such as Angel Hair. A Taste of Thai brand is widely-available and works well here. The fact that these are no-boil makes these spring rolls even easier to prepare. Simply soak the noodles in warm water for 15 minutes and drain before proceeding with spring roll assembly.
- Shrimp: Medium-sized shrimp (21 to 25 per pound) are ideal to fit inside rice paper sheets with other filling ingredients. To poach raw shrimp, combine shrimp, 2 cups cold water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until pink and firm to the touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. Plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking and drain well.
Step-by-step instructions
To make the dipping sauces:
- To make the nuoc cham, in a small bowl, whisk together warm water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili garlic sauce.
- To make the peanut sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, peanut butter, and garlic. Stir in warm water to thin to desired consistency. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts if desired.
To make the spring rolls:
- Arrange all prepped ingredients to make the spring roll assembly easy and organized. Dampen a flat work surface with water (I usually dampen after every 2 to 3 rolls).
- Fill a large bowl or a wide skillet with hot water. Working with 1 rice paper at a time, dip the round in warm water for 1 second. Lay wrapper on the damp flat work surface.
- On the bottom half of the moistened rice paper, add one lettuce leaf. Top with several strands of noodles and pieces of carrot, cucumber, and bell pepper. Top with fresh mint. Do not overstuff the rolls.
- Add 3 halved shrimp pieces about ½ inch above the vegetables, cut-side up (pink/orange side facing down or out).
- Starting at the bottom of the rice paper, begin to roll it upwards into a tight cylinder.
- Fold in the sides of the rice paper and continue to roll the rice paper and filling. Place the roll, seam side down, on a platter and cover with a damp towel.
- Repeat with remaining rolls, dampening the work surface as needed if it looks dry.
- Serve with dipping sauces, cutting in half if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 12 spring rolls, enough for 6 appetizer or snack-sized servings of 2 rolls each.
- Storage: Wrap individual spring rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days for best results. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before enjoying.
Frequently Asked Questions
The wrappers you’re looking for are made entirely of rice. Rice wrappers are round, thin, clear, and feel just like a dry noodle. Whatever you do, don’t get the kind made of wheat flour from the freezer section that look like egg roll wrappers—that’s for a different recipe altogether. Look for edible rice paper wrappers, rice noodle vermicelli, and hoisin sauce in Asian markets.
The variations for what you can feature inside spring rolls are nearly endless. You can add crispy fried tofu, poached chicken, thinly sliced boiled pork, shrimp, imitation crab, or marinated beef. Mix up the veggies as desired. Due to the crunch factor, sliced green onions, bell pepper matchsticks, and thinly-sliced cabbage or green leaf lettuce are among my personal favorites. And on the herb front, fold in some basil leaves or fresh cilantro instead of, or in addition to, the mint leaves. For a lower-carb version: omit the thin rice noodles and add carrot, bean sprouts, cucumber, bell pepper and your preferred protein.
Nuoc Cham is a staple ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine. Besides as a dipping sauce for spring rolls, try it as a sauce for bánh xèo (savory crepes), noodle soups, rice noodle bowls, or salads. Or use it as a salad dressing or in meat marinade recipes.
Options abound! Try it as the base for soups or stews, toss it into Pad Thai-style noodle dishes, use it as a dressing for lettuce wraps, try it as a dipping sauce for chicken or beef satay, or drizzle it over salads or grain bowls.
Traditionally, the term spring roll has been used to describe both rolls that are fried in a pot of oil after filling and rolls that are served without further cooking. This recipe makes fresh spring rolls.
Chances are high that they are too wet. Try not to “soak” the rice paper for too long because it will break down too quickly, making the wrappers slippery and rolling more difficult to do.
These rolls are called Gỏi Cuốn in their native language.
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Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Ingredients
For the nuoc cham:
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (see note 1)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
For the peanut sauce:
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup warm water
- chopped peanuts for serving, optional
For the spring rolls:
- 12 (12-inch) round rice paper wrappers (see note 2)
- 12 Butter lettuce leaves stems removed
- 3 ounces cellophane noodles soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained (see note 3)
- 1 large carrot peeled and julienned
- 1 large red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and julienned
- 2 small Persian cucumbers peeled and julienned
- 1 bunch fresh mint stemmed
- 18 medium cooked shrimp peeled, deveined, and halved lengthwise (about 1 pound of 21 to 25 count shrimp, see note 4)
Instructions
To make the dipping sauces:
- To make the nuoc cham, in a small bowl, whisk together warm water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili garlic sauce. Yield: about 1 cup.
- To make the peanut sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, peanut butter, and garlic. Stir in warm water to thin to desired consistency. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts if desired. Yield: About 1 cup.
To make the spring rolls:
- Arrange all prepped ingredients to make the spring roll assembly easy and organized. Dampen a flat work surface with water (I usually dampen after every 2 to 3 rolls).
- Fill a large bowl or a wide skillet with hot water. Working with 1 rice-paper at a time, dip the round in warm water for 1 second. Lay wrapper on the damp flat work surface.
- On the bottom half of the moistened rice paper, add one lettuce leaf. Top with several strands of noodles and pieces of carrot, cucumber, and bell pepper. Top with fresh mint. Do not overstuff the rolls.
- Add 3 halved shrimp pieces about ½ inch above the vegetables, cut-side up (pink/orange side facing down or out).
- Starting at the bottom of the rice paper, begin to roll it upwards into a tight cylinder. Fold in the sides of the rice paper and continue to roll the rice paper and filling. Place the roll, seam side down, on a platter and cover with a damp kitchen towel.
- Repeat with remaining rolls, dampening the work surface as needed if it looks dry. The rolls can be held at room temperature for several hours before serving.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Lime juice: Or substitute 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar for the 2 tablespoons lime juice. The flavor will change, but it’s still delicious.
- Rice paper wrappers: These spring roll wrappers are made with rice and appear stiff when dry. Soaking them in water for just a moment makes them clear and pliable. Blue Dragon is a popular brand.
- Cellophane noodles: Also known as vermicelli rice noodles, look for skinny varieties such as Angel Hair. A Taste of Thai is a popular brand.
- Shrimp: To poach raw shrimp, combine shrimp, 2 cups cold water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until pink and firm to the touch, about 8 to 10 minutes. Plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking and drain well.
- Yield: This recipe makes 12 spring rolls, enough for 6 servings, 2 rolls each.
- Storage: Wrap individual spring rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days for best results. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before enjoying.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Super delicious. I made this dish for lunch and both my husband and I loved it. You could definitely get creative with the fillings. I used shrimp in place of the tofu. I will definitely be making this again!
These were fun to make and you’re right, the trick is not to get them too wet. It took a couple tries but the mistakes were delish. Even the kids ate them! Fun stuff, Miss Meggan!