This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.
Pack up your picnic baskets and find a blanket–this recipe for Vietnamese spring rolls with nuoc cham for dipping was made for outdoor eating. Easy and fun to make ahead of time, these spring rolls are a huge hit for anyone who likes fresh flavors and lots of delicious textures.
Table of Contents
- How do you make Vietnamese Spring Rolls?
- What are Vietnamese Spring Roll wrappers made of?
- How do you dampen spring roll wrappers?
- Can Vietnamese Spring Rolls be made ahead of time?
- Can Vietnamese Spring Rolls be made for a crowd?
- What sauce do you serve with Vietnamese Spring Rolls?
- What can you add to Vietnamese Spring Rolls?
- Can Vietnamese Spring Rolls be frozen?
- Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Nuoc Cham Recipe
How do you make Vietnamese Spring Rolls?
I like to layer the ingredients for color and a good presentation. On the bottom end of a softened wrapper, place a leaf of lettuce so that it lies flat. Top with shredded carrots, then rice noodles, sprouts, then herbs.
Just above this stack of ingredients, lay the tofu in a line. By doing this, the tofu will be visible through the transparent wrapper, when the rolls are served.
Don’t overfill them! Gently fold over once, tuck in edges, and continue rolling until seam is sealed.
What are Vietnamese Spring Roll wrappers made of?
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.
How do you dampen spring roll wrappers?
Restaurants where you can build your own spring rolls sometime have a rice paper water bowl filled with hot water for tabletop dipping, which is worth the investment if everyone in your family likes to make their own.
But if you’re working solo, there are several ways to dampen your wrapper, and it all depends on what works for you and how quickly you can roll.
- First, you can fill a bowl with warm water, or heat a skillet of water on the stove, and dip the wrappers in very briefly.
- Or, you can alternate wrappers between sheets of wet paper towels. Within 3 minutes they will be soft enough to handle but not so soft that they disintegrate.
- There’s even another way: hold the wrapper under the faucet for one second; lay on a wet towel and assemble (the wrapper will soften up immediately).
However you tackle this, 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.
Can Vietnamese Spring Rolls be made ahead of time?
These rolls are perfect the same day you make them, stored in the refrigerator under a damp towel. They will still taste good the next day, but they might start to get a little sticky.
Can Vietnamese Spring Rolls be made for a crowd?
Of course they can, and once you get the hang of rolling these up, you might not want to stop. When you want to make lots of these, it helps to take all the greens and herbs and chop them all up together; then grab a handful and get all the green stuff at once.
What sauce do you serve with Vietnamese Spring Rolls?
Nuoc Cham is a light and lively dipping sauce that I personally love. With fish sauce, lime juice, serrano, and sugar, it’s a great balance of sweet, spicy, and salty.
Peanut sauce is popular too, so I’ll share a couple variations of that dipping sauce, one with hoisin, a sweet and spicy sauce made from soybeans, and one without.
Peanut Sauce Recipe
- 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled
- 1 small garlic clove
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon (packed) light brown sugar
- ¼–½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- With motor running, drop ginger and garlic clove into a blender and blend until finely chopped.
- Add peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and ⅓ cup water and blend.
- Add more water by tablespoonfuls if needed to thin, until smooth.
Peanut Hoisin Sauce Recipe
- Mix 1 part crunchy peanut butter to 2 parts hoisin sauce.
- Whisk over medium heat until blended.
- Add more water by tablespoonfuls if needed to thin.
Or, try my favorite Thai Peanut Salad Dressing. It’s also delicious on this salad.
What can you add to Vietnamese Spring Rolls?
Like so many well-loved recipes, the variations for what you can add to spring rolls are endless.
You can add crispy fried tofu, poached chicken, thinly sliced boiled pork, shrimp, surimi crab, or marinated beef. Throw in some basil leaves, green onion, or bell pepper cut into matchsticks.
For a low-carb version: leave out the noodles and add carrot, bean sprouts, cucumber, bell pepper and tofu.
Can Vietnamese Spring Rolls be frozen?
Unfortunately, they’re best eaten when you make them and probably won’t hold up in the freezer.
Join Us
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!