Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Shrimp

Don't these look fancy? You can make these Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Shrimp in your own kitchen! The spicy peanut dipping sauce is the perfect condiment on the side. Go ahead, roll with it! Your dinner guests will be bragging on you for days!

Chances are you've ordered spring rolls before at a Vietnamese or Thai restaurant. Spring rolls are usually served as an appetizer. They're so versatile, and can be filled with a variety of ingredients -- fresh veggies, proteins, or just vegetarian. This post will teach you how you can make these popular spring rolls at home. Get rolling!

What ingredients do you need for making spring rolls?

• 8.5 -inch round rice paper wrappers
• 8 large cooked shrimp
• rice vermicelli or bean thread noodles
• shredded carrots
• fresh large basil leaves
• large lettuce leaves, chopped
• toasted sesame seeds

Rice paper wrappers used to be hard to come by, but now they're sold at most grocery stores in the Asian section. I've even seen brown rice paper wrappers, which I would not recommend because they taste rubbery. And, rice paper wrappers are always gluten-free!

Here’s the great thing about these Vietnamese Spring Rolls — you can fill them with just about anything! I’ve used shrimp in this recipe, but chicken is a perfectly good substitute. Vegetarian rolls are also very tasty. Feel free to experiment with these!

How to roll the perfect spring roll?

If you can roll a burrito, you can roll a spring roll! It's that easy. Here's how:

1. Prep your ingredients before you get started. Make sure all of the ingredients are cut and prepped, and ready to roll!
2. Set up an assembly line. Get all of your ingredients lined up so you can easily add a little to each rice paper wrapper as you move along.
3. Select a bowl or shallow dish that is large enough to submerge an entire sheet of rice paper into the liquid. I used a glass pie plate for the perfect fit. Fill that bowl or dish with warm water then dip the rice paper in to soften it.
4. After the rice paper has soaked for a few seconds, lift it out of the water with two hands and let the water drain off of it before laying it on a flat work surface, like a countertop or large cutting board.
5. Working from bottom third of the rice wrapper, arrange lettuce, carrots, a handful of rice vermicelli noodles, 2 basil leaves, 2-3 shrimp pieces, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Stay away from the edges of the wrapper!
6. Rolling the spring roll like a burrito, fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the bottom of the wrapper to the top. Lay the finished spring roll on a tray lined with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Repeat with remaining wrappers.
7. When all spring rolls are finished, cover the tray tightly and refrigerate for 2 hours. Cut the spring rolls in half on an angle when ready to serve. Serve with the spicy peanut dipping sauce.

You can make these beautiful Vietnamese Spring Rolls in advance. But don't let them sit in the refrigerator for too long or they will start to get rubbery. Serving them fresh is always best!

How to make the best peanut sauce?

What you'll need:

• ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender, or vigorously whisk together until well blended. Serve on the side with spring rolls for dipping.

TIPS & TRICKS

• Be careful not to overfill your spring roll wrapper because it will cause the rice paper to tear. Sometimes I will double up the rice paper wrappers if I have heavier ingredients to fill it with (ie., steak, chicken).
• Work quickly, you don’t want your wrapper to fall apart. Start over if you mess up!
• Rolling a really good spring roll takes practice, but once you get the hang of it and feel comfortable, you’ll learn how to do it quickly and easily.
• Get creative! You can fill your spring rolls with any veggies or protein you like!

WANT MORE?

If you liked this spring rolls recipe, you’re going to want these recipes too:

• Steamed Vietnamese Rolls
• Pork Potstickers
• Shumai Shrimp and Turkey Sausage Dumplings
• Spicy Baked Shrimp Balls

Update Notes: This post was originally published on February 3, 2016, but was republished with slight text changes and additions, like step by step instructions and tips in February 2020.

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