Whether summer, winter, fall or… well, spring – spring rolls are a timeless delight, always serving as the perfect fresh, flavor-packed meal. Hailing from Vietnam, these culinary gems are traditionally enjoyed during Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.
Whenever the warm weather is right around the corner, our bodies are ready to feel the sun upon our faces again. The flowers blossoming, gardens blooming, the time is right for light, fresh and healthy food. What better way to welcome the sun than with this wonderful Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Roll recipe?
Made from rice paper and rice noodles, this recipe serves as a perfect appetizer or snack for any occasion. Pair it with a spicy peanut sauce and it will be guaranteed a hot item with any crowd.
Save yourself the work and engage guests in a little interactive culinary experience, inviting them to roll their own. After all, the beauty of these rolls lies in their imperfections. Any missteps can be quickly – and deliciously – eaten away.
Feel free to substitute the shrimp for bbq chicken, avocado, jicama – let your imagination create new and exciting flavor combinations. These spring rolls are best eaten the day they are made but can also be covered with saran wrap and eaten the next day.
How to Make Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Prepare the Vermicelli
- Soak and Cook Vermicelli:
- Soak the rice vermicelli in cold water for about 10 minutes, or until softened.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the soaked vermicelli and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until al dente.
- Drain the vermicelli and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Assemble the Spring Rolls
- Prepare the Rice Wrappers:
- Fill a large bowl with warm water.
- Dip one rice wrapper into the warm water for about 1 second to soften. Lay the wrapper flat on a clean, dry surface.
- Fill the Wrapper:
- In a row across the center of the wrapper, place 3 shrimp halves.
- Top the shrimp with a small portion of vermicelli, chopped Thai basil, mint leaves, cilantro, and chopped lettuce. Leave about 2 inches of space on each side of the wrapper.
- Roll the Spring Roll:
- Fold the uncovered sides of the wrapper inward over the filling.
- Roll the wrapper tightly from the bottom up to form a cylinder. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 8 spring rolls.
Prepare the Peanut Sauce
- Mix the Sauce:
- In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter and water until smooth and well combined. If the sauce is too thick, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Stir in the hoisin sauce and Sriracha until thoroughly mixed.
- Top the sauce with crushed peanuts.
Serve
- Serve the Spring Rolls:
- Arrange the spring rolls on a serving platter.
- Serve with the spicy peanut sauce on the side for dipping.
Recipe Notes
- Rice Wrappers: Be careful not to soak the rice wrappers for too long, as they can become too soft and tear easily.
- Fresh Herbs: Feel free to adjust the amount of herbs to your taste. You can also add other fresh herbs like Thai basil or shiso leaves.
- Peanut Sauce: If you have a peanut allergy, you can substitute the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter or almond butter.
Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Whether summer, winter, fall or… well, spring – spring rolls are a timeless delight, always serving as the perfect fresh, flavor-packed meal.
Ingredients
For the Spring Rolls:
- 2 oz rice vermicelli (60 g)
- 8 rice wrappers (8.5 inch diameter)
- 8 large cooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half
- 1 1/3 tbsp chopped fresh Thai basil (20 mL)
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves (45 mL)
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (45 mL)
- 2 leaves lettuce, chopped
For the Peanut Sauce:
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (120 mL)
- 2 tbsp water (30 mL)
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce (15 mL)
- 1 tsp Sriracha (5 mL)
- Handful of peanuts, crushed
Instructions
Prepare the Vermicelli
- Soak and Cook Vermicelli:
- Soak the rice vermicelli in cold water for about 10 minutes, or until softened.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the soaked vermicelli and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until al dente.
- Drain the vermicelli and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
Assemble the Spring Rolls
- Prepare the Rice Wrappers:
- Fill a large bowl with warm water.
- Dip one rice wrapper into the warm water for about 1 second to soften. Lay the wrapper flat on a clean, dry surface.
- Fill the Wrapper:
- In a row across the center of the wrapper, place 3 shrimp halves.
- Top the shrimp with a small portion of vermicelli, chopped Thai basil, mint leaves, cilantro, and chopped lettuce. Leave about 2 inches of space on each side of the wrapper.
- Roll the Spring Roll:
- Fold the uncovered sides of the wrapper inward over the filling.
- Roll the wrapper tightly from the bottom up to form a cylinder. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 8 spring rolls.
Prepare the Peanut Sauce
- Mix the Sauce:
- In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter and water until smooth and well combined. If the sauce is too thick, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Stir in the hoisin sauce and Sriracha until thoroughly mixed.
- Top the sauce with crushed peanuts.
Serve
- Serve the Spring Rolls:
- Arrange the spring rolls on a serving platter.
- Serve with the spicy peanut sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Rice Wrappers: Be careful not to soak the rice wrappers for too long, as they can become too soft and tear easily.
- Fresh Herbs: Feel free to adjust the amount of herbs to your taste. You can also add other fresh herbs like Thai basil or shiso leaves.
- Peanut Sauce: If you have a peanut allergy, you can substitute the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter or almond butter.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Steaming
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 350g
- Calories: 331
- Sugar: 4.7g
- Sodium: 336mg
- Fat: 19.4g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15.2
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25.4g
- Fiber: 3.2g
- Protein: 16.6g
- Cholesterol: 42.mg
I love this recipe, thank you:)
Great photos and recipe, I really enjoyed this post
I love spring rolls, but I’ve never really mastered rolling them up. Yours are so pretty!
This was so dang good, amazingly delicious!
Love spring rolls, these look FABULOUS. I make these on special occasion with tofu and i also like something crispy inside, i learned that from my favorite restaurant here in Seattle, they make the best spring rolls and their secret is to add something crispy inside. Very nice work, love the picture too.
So amazing, delicious, turned out so so so well.
Hi Meghan – thanks so much!!
Oh, spring rolls and summer rolls are great family (perfect for kids) or single person options! They are also wonderful because you can generally make them without done any actual cooking time, so they help keep the house cool in the summer.
The last couple of weeks I’ve been packing them in my lunches, with lots of variation in the fillings. Collard greens work really well for the outside wrapper (either alone as described here, or on top of the rice paper) help keep them separated for packed lunches. It’s a great way to add extra greens to your diet too.
These spring rolls are my new favorite appetizer. The peanut sauce is the perfect complement.
Perfect for a light summer lunch. The instructions were clear and easy to follow and it was absolutely delish. I added a TON of chili to the rolls, and I was SWEATING bullets, but it was so goooooood.
The peanut sauce is amazing! I could eat it with a spoon. Definitely making these again.
These spring rolls were so fresh and delicious! The peanut sauce is to die for.
Do you have the nutritional information?
Hi Trish, thank you for asking – we have added nutritional information in the recipe.