I learnt how to make Vietnamese Summer Rolls when I worked as a Chef at a Vietnamese Restaurant. I've got two recipes you can make; shrimp (prawn) summer rolls and vegan tofu summer rolls. Both are so fresh and delicious, served with a homemade peanut dipping sauce! I hope you love them as much as I do!
Both summer roll recipes are filled with pickled carrots, cucumber, rice noodles, mint, and cilantro. The perfect fresh bite with loads of flavor and a delicious peanut dipping sauce made from peanut butter, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil, and chili crisp.
If you've got leftover rice paper wrappers, check out my steamed rice paper dumplings, vegan rice paper dumplings, or my spicy ramen dumplings.
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What Are Summer Rolls?
Vietnamese summer rolls (Gỏi Cuốn) are a fresh appetiser served cold, wrapped in a soft and gelatinous thin rice paper wrapper, filled with rice noodles and an array of pickled vegetables, fresh herbs, and a protein.
They're typically served with a spicy fish sauce (nuoc Cham) or a peanut dipping sauce.
What's the difference between Summer Rolls and Spring Rolls?
Summer Rolls key traits:
- Vietnamese
- Served cold and fresh
- Rice paper wrapper: soft, slightly chewy and translucent
- Light fillings: shrimp/tofu, fresh herbs, thin rice noodles, crunchy pickled vegetables
- Dips: fish sauce or peanut sauce
Spring Rolls key traits:
- Chinese
- Served hot
- Wheat wrapper: deep-fried and served crispy
- Hearty fillings: cabbage, ground meat, beansprouts
- Dips: sweet chili sauce or a soy-based dipping sauce
If you love a hybrid, then check out my air fryer rice paper rolls, they're very similar to air fryer spring rolls, but instead of using spring roll wrappers, we're using rice paper wrappers.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Rice paper wrappers: thin, circular rice paper wrappers. You can buy them in most everyday supermarkets and Asian supermarkets. They're dry when you buy them, and once you soak them and place them on a chopping board to wrap, they'll become moist and sticky.
Carrots: I'm using regular carrots and then finely slicing, grating, or julienning. You could alternatively use daikon.
Cucumber: fresh cucumber, sliced into thin batons. You could alternatively use thinly sliced bell peppers. If you've got leftover cucumber and are looking for a side dish to serve with these summer rolls, make my spicy cucumber salad!
Noodles: we're using very thin vermicelli noodles. Feel free to save my vermicelli noodles recipe if you've got leftovers!
Cilantro: cilantro/coriander adds a lovely fresh bite to our summer rolls. If you don't like cilantro, you could use fresh basil instead.
Mint: fresh mint always elevates the dish too!
Shrimp/prawns: I've used pre-cooked shrimp and sliced them in half lengthways to make them thin. You could alternatively use fried ground pork.
Tofu: I'm using smoked extra firm tofu for extra flavour. You could totally use regular extra firm tofu if you like!
For the sauce: we're combining peanut butter, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil, and chili crisp. If you don't have chili crispy, here are some substitutes for chili oil. Alternatively, you could make a quick nuoc cham (fish dipping sauce) sauce for something lighter - fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, water, garlic, and red chillies.
The full list of ingredients and quantities is at the bottom of this blog in the recipe card!
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: Prepare your vegetable fillings. Place your grated carrot in a bowl with the sugar, salt, and rice wine vinegar. Leave to pickle for at least 10 minutes. Slice your cucumbers into batons. Prepare your mint leaves and cilantro leaves. Set aside.
Step 2: Slice your extra firm tofu into thin rectangles. Place a non-stick pan on medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once hot, add in your tofu and fry on each side for 4 minutes or until golden. Then add in 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and fry for a further 3 minutes. Once cooked, set aside.
Step 3: Meanwhile, prepare your vermicelli noodles. Place a couple of nests in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to cook for 6-10 minutes (according to packet instructions). Then drain using a sieve and set aside with a kitchen towel covering the noodles in the sieve.
Step 4: Slice your cooked prawns in half, lengthways, creating thin pieces of prawns. Set aside.
Step 5: In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, and chili crisp. Stir to combine and set aside.
Step 6: Fill a large bowl with cold water. Grab a rice paper wrapper and dunk it in the water, so that the whole piece is wet. Then transfer to a clean surface (I'm using a chopping board). Sprinkle some sesame seeds just above the halfway point in a line. Top with the half prawns (pretty side facing down) or the tofu. Place your mint leaves (face side down) just under the halfway point of the rice paper.
Step 7: Top the mint with your cooked noodles, strips of cucumber, pickled carrot, and cilantro in a line. Then roll up your wrapper (tutorial with photos on how to wrap down below).
Step 8: You don't want your summer rolls to be floppy, you want them to be firm and hold their structure. Make all 6 summer rolls and then serve up with your peanut dipping sauce.
How to wrap a summer roll
Step 1: Summer roll rice paper is ready when it's slightly sticky. Grab the side nearest you gently with both hands. Pull it up so that it detaches from the surface.
Step 2: Fold over the filling away from you as tightly as possible.
Step 3: Without losing tension, using your right hand, gently pull the right hand side of the wrapper and fold over to the centre of the roll. Do the same for the left handsome. Keep it all tight!
Step 4: Tightly tuck and roll the rice paper roll and seal to form a rice paper log.
How to store summer rolls
Wrap the summer rolls in parchment paper and store at room temperature until ready to eat.
FAQs
I wouldn't recommend it. Rice paper wrappers go dry and hard if stored in the fridge so I'd highly recommend making them fresh.
Wrap each summer roll in parchment paper and set aside at room temperature for a maximum of 1 hour.
For sure, just make them using my extra firm tofu recipe down below.
Lightly wet your hands, this will help.
You're leaving the rice paper for too long. The rice paper should be sticky but still have body when you're wrapping. If it loses all form and is really soft, then it will be difficult to wrap.
If you tried this Summer Rolls or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Summer Rolls (2 Ways!)
Ingredients
- 2 carrots grated or finely sliced
- 4 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cucumber finely sliced into batons
- 2 nests vermicelli noodles cooked to packet instructions
- 280 g extra firm tofu smoked or regular, sliced into thin rectangles
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 150 g cooked prawns sliced in half lengthways
- Mint leaves
- 15 g cilantro leaves
- 6 rice paper wrappers
For the peanut dipping sauce
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili crisp
Instructions
- Prepare your vegetable fillings. Place your grated carrot in a bowl with the sugar, a big pinch of salt, and rice wine vinegar. Leave to pickle for at least 10 minutes. Slice your cucumbers into batons. Prepare your mint leaves and cilantro leaves. Set aside.
- If using tofu: Slice your extra firm tofu into thin rectangles. Place a non-stick pan on medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Once hot, add in your tofu and fry on each side for 4 minutes or until golden. Then add in 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and fry for a further 3 minutes. Once cooked, set aside.
- If using shrimps/prawns: Slice your cooked prawns in half, lengthways, creating thin pieces of prawns. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare your vermicelli noodles. Place a couple of nests in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to cook for 6-10 minutes (according to packet instructions). Then drain using a sieve and set aside with a kitchen towel covering the noodles in the sieve. You want the noodles to be bouncy.
- In a small bowl, combine peanut butter, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, and chili crisp. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water. Grab a rice paper wrapper and dunk it in the water, so that the whole piece is wet. Then transfer to a clean surface (I'm using a chopping board). Sprinkle some sesame seeds just above the halfway point in a line. Top with the half prawns (pretty side facing down) or cooked tofu. Place your mint leaves (face side down) just under the halfway point of the rice paper (I have tutorial photos in the main body of the blog post for reference).
- Top the mint with your cooked noodles, strips of cucumber, pickled carrot, and cilantro in a line. Then roll up your wrapper (tutorial with photos on how to wrap in the main body of the blog above).
- You don't want your summer rolls to be floppy, you want them to be firm and hold their structure. Make all 6 summer rolls and then serve up with your peanut dipping sauce. Enjoy!
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