Easy Vegan Summer Rolls
Fresh vegan Summer Rolls are colorful, healthy, and easy to make using everyday ingredients. Pair them with creamy peanut or sweet chili dipping sauce, and they’re a delicious, light, and healthy no-cook lunch or dinner!
Fresh & Healthy Rice Paper Rolls
Summer, spring, or salad rolls, known as Goi Cuon in Vietnamese, are fresh, versatile finger foods made with rice paper, crunchy vegetables, and fresh leafy greens and herbs.
Make them simple with just a few ingredients, or add more for a variation and a rainbow effect. They’ll make a healthy, colorful snack, appetizer, or light lunch, served with a creamy peanut or sweet chili sauce!
Homemade summer rolls are easy to make; you just need a bit of practice, but after your second one, I bet you’ll be a pro! And I’ve included plenty of tips to help you become a master!
Summer Roll Components
I love these homemade rolls; they are simple and fun to make. The recipe today is a very basic, all-around summer roll. Nothing complicated, everything should be readily available and easy to find.
Rice Paper
You can find rice paper for summer rolls in the Asian section of your grocery store. There are different shapes and sizes, so you may want to experiment with a few to see what works best for you. I recommend starting with round rice paper that’s either 25 or 22cm in diameter. I used 25cm here, which is a perfect size with enough space for all my veggies.
Dipping Sauce
There’s a summer roll dipping sauce for everyone here, and both are excellent. I have included two different dipping sauces in case some of you are allergic to nuts. One will be a peanut- or almond-butter-based sauce, and the other will be rice vinegar-based. I love my peanut sauce, but I was also very pleased with the vinegar-based sauce.
Herbs & Greens
Summer rolls are commonly filled with herbs like mint, cilantro, and/or Thai basil. Feel free to use only one or any combination. The herbs are essential for a really flavorful roll.
- If you can’t find Thai basil, regular basil will be just as good! I especially love the basil with the peanut dipping sauce – the flavors pair so well.
- Next, you can choose from a variety of greens to add to your rolls. I recommend a 50/50 spring mix, pea shoots, leafy oak lettuce, or other fresh leafy greens, using one or a combination of your choice.
Veggie Filling
Lastly, choose your veggies and cut them into thin strips by hand or using a julienne tool. I used carrots, cucumber, red bell pepper, and red cabbage. For variation, you can try adding avocado, radish, jicama, green onions, bean sprouts, etc.
Many recipes for these rolls also use rice noodles, and you can, too, but I prefer a roll full of veggies. I can eat two or three of these and be completely satisfied for a few hours.
Adding in some sliced tofu is an option. I like to add it to my rolls when not using the peanut sauce, as it adds some protein to the meal.
How To Make Summer Rolls
First things first – Fill a large bowl with warm water and have everything prepped and ready to go at your soon-to-be summer rolling station.
Dip the rice paper in the warm water for just 2 – 3 seconds; it should be stiff and will soften as you begin to work.
Layer the ingredients on top of each other at the bottom (end towards you), 1/3 of the moist rice paper (as shown above).
Next, ‘tuck and roll’ the edge closest to you by bringing it over the fresh mound, then gently but firmly tucking it under and rolling it away from you. At the 2/3 mark, fold the ends up, onto the roll, and continue rolling and tucking them under until the roll is finished.
Top Tips
- Use a plastic cutting board. Some surfaces, especially wood, are more porous than others, causing the rice paper to stick when rolling. You may want to use a plastic cutting board for your workstation.
- Don’t oversoak the rice paper. Just dip for 2-3 seconds at most, then use. It will be stiff, but soften as you begin working and rolling. If soaked too long, it will soften too much and be hard to work with.
- Double the rice sheets. When making summer rolls for future meals, consider doubling the rice paper for each roll to strengthen them and prevent them from falling apart as they soften during storage.
- Don’t overstuff. The rice papers are pretty pliable, but if you overstuff them, you may not have much paper to ensure a good roll.
Adjusting For Dietary Restrictions
- Soy-Free: When making the dressings, use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce or tamari. Don’t use the optional tofu.
- Nut-Free: When making the peanut dressing, use sunflower butter in place of nut butter.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve summer rolls chilled or at room temperature.
- Serve with peanut or sweet chili dipping sauce.
- Pair with a small bowl of soup such as Garlic Miso Soup with Greens or Simple Miso Noodle Soup.
Storage & Meal Prep
Fresh is always best, but if stored properly, they do store well as follows:
- Refrigerator: Store rolls in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days, and the dressing for 5 – 6 days, in separate covered containers. To keep the rolls from sticking together, place a piece of parchment or wax paper between them. You can also roll them individually. The dipping sauces will last about 5-6 days.
- Meal prep: Summer rolls are great for meal prep and can be stored as mentioned above. When making them for meal prep, you may consider doubling the rice paper for each roll to strengthen them and prevent them from falling apart from softening during storage.
More Easy Fresh Recipes!
- Raw Vegan Sushi Rolls
- Black Rice Sushi Bowl + Dynamite Sauce
- Soba Noodle Bowl
- Avocado, Mango & Cucumber Sushi Rolls
- Sesame-Ginger Cucumber Soba Noodle Salad
If you try this summer roll recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love hearing what you think or any changes you make.
Print Recipe
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VEGAN SUMMER ROLLS
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: Makes 3
- Diet: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Description
These fresh vegan summer rolls are packed with crisp veggies, tofu or avocado, and fresh herbs, wrapped in rice paper and served with peanut or sweet chili dipping sauce. No-cook, gluten-free, high-fiber, and perfect for light lunches, meal prep, or summer appetizers.
Ingredients
- 6 rice papers (preferably the circular sheets)
- 2–3 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks or 1/4 inch sticks
- 1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks or 1/4 inch sticks
- 1/2 bell pepper (yellow, red or orange), thinly sliced
- 1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 cup greens (leafy lettuce, pea shoots, spring salad mix or micro greens)
- 8 oz. organic tofu (firm or extra firm), sliced (optional)
- mint, a small handful of leaves
- cilantro, small bunch of sprigs
- basil (regular or thai), small handful of leaves
Sweet Chili Sauce (2 servings)
- 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 inch knob of ginger, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- juice of 1 lime
Peanut Sauce (2 servings)
- 1/4 cup nut butter (peanut or almond butter)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 inch knob of ginger, minced or grated
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 – 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, optional
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
Dipping sauces: Mix your dipping sauce first, then let it sit so the flavors can mingle. It will taste much different after a few minutes. Taste for flavor before serving.
Water bowl: Fill a large bowl with warm water. Depending on the size of your sheets, you can use a shallow pie dish, a large bowl, or a pot.
Wet rice paper: Dip the rice paper in the warm water for just 2 – 3 seconds; it should be stiff, and will soften as you begin to work.
Assemble: On a non-porous work surface, lay the rice paper sheet and layer the ingredients on the edge closest to you at the 1/3 mark. Start with the leafy greens, carrots, cucumber, tofu, red pepper, and herbs (really, any way you want to layer is fine).
Tuck & roll: After layering the ingredients, ‘tuck and roll’ the edge closest to you by bringing it up and over the fresh veggie mound. Gently but firmly, tuck it under and roll away from you. At the 2/3 mark, fold the ends up onto the roll, and continue rolling, tucking them under until the roll is finished.
Serve with your choice of dipping sauce.
Makes 6 summer rolls, 2 rolls per serving.
Notes
Store: Leftover summer rolls can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 3 days, and the dressing will last 5-6 days. To keep the rolls from sticking together, place a piece of Saran Wrap, wax, or parchment paper between the rolls.
Don’t over-soak the rice paper. The paper only needs to be dipped for 2-3 seconds. It will be slightly stiff, but soften as you begin working and rolling. If it’s dipped too long, it will become hard to work with.
Double the rice sheets. When making meal prep, consider doubling up on the rice paper for each roll to strengthen them so they don’t fall apart from softening during storage.
Soy-Free: When making the dressings, use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce or tamari. Don’t use the optional tofu.
Nut-Free: When making the peanut dressing, use sunflower butter instead of nut butter.
Nutritional information is calculated with tofu + sweet chili sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese
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The sauces rock — fantastic. Need to make vats of them now!