Vegan summer rolls are healthy, vibrant, delicious and easy to make! Keep reading for an easy recipe to follow and some tasty ideas for fillings to inspire you.
Spring rolls, summer rolls, and egg rolls. All fairly similar, yet all deliciously different. Whereas spring rolls and egg rolls are usually encased in a wrapper made from wheat flour and fried, the summer roll (also sometimes called a salad roll) is usually prepared with rice paper and eaten cold.
Many summer rolls available when dining out could contain shrimp, pork, egg, or fish sauce, and are therefore not suitable for those following a vegetarian or vegan diet — but you can make delicious and authentic vegan summer rolls easily by following our recipe below. The fillings inside are really up to you, but the most traditional Vietnamese style summer rolls or Gỏi Cuốn will usually contain fresh shredded veggies, fresh herbs, vermicelli noodles, and some sort of protein like tofu. They are typically served with a spicy or peanut dipping sauce and are great as an appetizer for a crowd or at a picnic.
Vegan Summer Rolls Recipe
Fresh, flavorful and healthy, this recipe will make 10 summer rolls and enough dipping sauce to go with them. The key to a delicious summer roll is fresh ingredients. Remember to purchase local and organic produce whenever possible – your dishes will taste even better for it. Top tip: use more fresh herbs than you think you need.
You will need to make a sort of assembly line to have the most success with constructing your summer rolls, with an area to moisten the rice paper, and an area to fill and roll. We used two clean tea towels soaked in water. One to re-hydrate the rice paper, and one to build the summer roll on.
Ingredients:
For the dipping sauce
- ¾ cup of water
- ½ tbsp. of organic sugar
- 2 tbsp. of vegan sriracha sauce (or use fresh chilies)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6 tbsp. homemade peanut butter
For the summer rolls
- 1 package round rice paper wrappers
- 1 package of vermicelli noodles, soaked, drained and cooled
- 1 package of smoked or firm tofu, slice into thin strips
- 2 medium carrots, washed and shredded
- a bunch of cilantro, washed
- a bunch of mint, leaves picked and washed
- a bunch of basil, leaves picked and washed
- 6 green onions, washed and shredded
Instructions:
- First make the dipping sauce by placing all the ingredients in a pot over a low heat. Stir until combined and simmer gently for a few minutes until a medium-thick dipping consistency has been achieved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Next make your summer rolls. Set up a shallow dish that is big enough to lay a single rice paper inside. Soak a clean tea towel or cloth in water and lay it in the dish. Place a rice paper on top of the wet towel and fold the other half over the wet towel over the rice paper, so that it is covered.
- When the rice paper is pliable, carefully pick it up and place it on top of another damp tea towel laid out on a flat surface.
- Place some of each of the noodles, tofu, carrot, herbs, and scallions in the centre of the paper as if you were making a small burrito.
- Wrap the summer roll by first folding in the sides, then folding up the bottom. Tuck the filling in to the wrapper as you roll the bottom up so that everything is sealed in tight.
- Dip into the sauce and enjoy!
For best results, enjoy within 2-3 hours of making.
Optional Fillings for Vegan Summer Rolls
Simply prepare the rice paper in the way described above and pair any of these fillings with some cooled vermicelli to make summer rolls how you like them
- Avocado: the Californian sushi roll is popular for a reason and could easily be made into a summer roll in its own right. Use local, organic sliced avocado, strips of cucumber, and tofu.
- Sesame seeds: adding a pinch of toasted sesame seeds to the rice paper as you roll it would be delicious, and would add a nice crunch.
- Peanut butter: smearing a little peanut butter on the rice paper before adding the other fillings is a quick way to get the flavors of the dipping sauce without making it. Dip the finished rolls in to soy sauce.
- Red pepper: fresh, juicy and colorful, red pepper is a great addition to any summer roll!
- Vegan shrimp: for a filling summer roll, use plenty of fresh herbs, vermicelli, shredded veggies and some homemade vegan jumbo shrimp.
- Something sweet: you don’t have to stick to savory summer rolls. Why not try rolling fresh fruit into a vegan summer roll? Sliced banana, fresh strawberries, mango, or kiwi —whatever is in season! Dip into chocolate sauce or fruit puree for a fun twist on dessert. Just be sure to use vegan chocolate to keep things plant-based.
- Kimchi: rice paper wrapped around some vegan kimchi, tofu and shredded cucumber would be a crunchy and delicious twist.
Read more:
- The Vegan Food Pyramid: 6 Steps To A Balanced Vegan Diet
- How To Grow Strawberries Indoors: A Simple Guide
- Black Rice Pudding: Homemade & Vegan Recipe
Do you like this post?