Rice Paper Rolls (With a Cool Twist)
Bursting with freshness, color and textures, these rice paper rolls are a perfect light appetizer before any meal. Check out the pink wrappers! Serve with your choice of dipping sauces.
The fillings for these Vietnamese rolls are really up to your imagination and preferences. I usually make them vegetarian, but you can add shrimp or pork which is more traditional.
With a bit of practice and good step by step instructions, you’ll be making your own rolls in no time.
I took a Thai cooking course at Mengrai Thai Restaurant in Toronto with Chef Sasi Meechai where I picked up a few useful tips about rice paper rolls.
Then I saw a recipe in an LCBO Food & Drink Magazine with pink rice paper wrappers which looked very cool! So, with a few tries, more research and tips in hand, I can now make a decent pink rice paper roll.
What to expect
- Vietnamese rice paper rolls are easier to make than you might think. With a bit of practice, you’ll be pro in no time.
- They make a great appetizer, healthy snack or Asian-themed party dish. Guests watching their calories love them.
- The sky’s the limit when it comes to fillers. Root around your fridge and you’ll find lots of good options with fresh flavors.
- They’re a fun way to eat salad. Kid-friendly?
- You absolutely need a flavorful dipping sauce as the rolls themselves can be a bit bland.
- The amount of time the recipe takes will depend on how many rolls you make.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Rice paper wrappers: are made with rice flour, tapioca flour and water and come in dried, thin, hard translucent round sheets. They are available in different sizes in Asian grocery stores or sometimes in your local grocery store. I prefer to use larger ones (about 8 inch/20 cm) as they are easier to manage. Chef Sasi says Rose Brand are the best.
Beets: Use shredded or whole beets in a vacuum package or in a can IF you want to turn your rice paper wrappers pink. You’ll be adding the beet juice or beets to the water used for dipping and softening the wrappers.
Vegetable filling ingredients: Choose whatever you like, trying to balance color, taste and texture. Carrots, beets, avocado, alfalfa sprouts, watercress, pea shoots, bean sprouts, cucumber, basil leaves, fresh cilantro, lettuce, tofu, chives, mango, red bell pepper, mint leaves, shredded purple cabbage (or undressed coleslaw mix) are good choices.
Other fillings: Rice vermicelli or rice noodles (traditional), quinoa, cooked shrimp, thinly sliced cooked pork.
Hoisin sauce: I use a drizzle on the filling before rolling the wrapper to add flavor to the veggies. You can use a spicy sweet chili sauce instead.
Dipping sauces for rice paper rolls : Here are a few options – spicy peanut sauce, hoisin, Thai sweet chili sauce or a traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce called Nước chấm (sweet and tangy).. I like to use a spicy sweet chili sauce from the bottle with a splash of lime to make it easy on myself or I make a quick peanut butter sauce (very popular).
How to make vegetable rice paper rolls
Tips
- Buy Rose Brand wrappers if you can (Chef Sasi says they are the best). I find them to be quite sturdy.
- Use 2 rice paper wrappers per roll if you’re a newbie at making these summer rolls (they will be less likely to tear).
- Pat veggies dry if there is a lot of moisture on them. And remove the water cucumber seeds of you’re including cucumbers.
- For easier rolling, some chefs roll the fillings in lettuce first, then in the wrapper. The lettuce holds things together.
- Here’s a quick video on how to make rice paper rolls.
Shortcuts
- Skip the beet juice and use plain colored wrappers.
- Use ingredients that don’t need a lot of chopping like carrot matchsticks, alfalfa sprouts or pea shoots, undressed coleslaw, chopped red cabbage, leftover quinoa or snap peas.
- Use a store-bought sauce like Thai sweet chili sauce, peanut sauce, etc.
Make Ahead
- The general consensus is that you can make cold rolls up to a maximum of 2-3 hours ahead. Cover the rolls with a damp tea cloth until serving to keep them moist.
- If you have to make the rolls the day before (or you want to store leftovers), cover them in plastic wrap and seal them in a ziploc bag or container. Then refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Vietnamese rice paper rolls are fresh rolls – now popular worldwide – that are traditionally made with rice vermicelli, fresh veggies, herbs and pork slices. Chefs and home cooks put their own spin on them to include many other ingredients like quinoa, beets, green onion, avocado, sesame seeds, shrimp and more.
Vietnamese rolls, summer rolls, salad rolls, cold rolls, Vietnamese spring rolls, fresh spring rolls, Gỏi cuốn or nem cuốn.
Other Asian-style recipes
I love serving the Vietnamese rolls with a few other these other Asian-style recipes.
Need more vegetarian appetizer ideas?
Check out our popular 20 vegetarian appetizers (and serving tips)
If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟in the recipe card below. And if you REALLY like it, consider a review in the comments. Thanks very much!
Rice Paper Rolls (With A Twist)
Ingredients
- 8 rice paper wrappers, 6 or 8.5 inch round
- 1 can sliced beets or vacuum sealed package of cooked julienne or whole beets
Filling options
- 1/2 cup (70 g) cooked rice vermicelli replace with quinoa if you like
- vegetables: 1 carrot, 1 seedless cucumber, 1/2 avocado, Note 1
- 4 basil leaves or lettuce leaves, sliced
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup spicy sweet chili sauce with a squeeze of lime juice, Note 2
Instructions
- PREP ALL INGREDIENTS: Grate or matchstick carrots. Thinly slice or finely dice other veggies. Remove excess water by dabbing with paper towels. Make rice vermicelli according to package directions – set aside to cool. Gather hoisin, sesame seeds, rice wrappers, clean cutting board and plate/platter. Fill a medium shallow bowl with 3-4 cups of hot (not boiling) water. Add about 1/2 cup beet juice or cut up cooked beets to turn water dark pink/red.
- SOFTEN RICE WRAPPERS: Dip a rice paper wrapper into the hot water bowl with beet juice, ensuring all parts are soaked. When rice wrappers soften to a pliable form in about 10 seconds , place carefully on cutting board. If you're a newbie at making rolls and the wrappers are thin, use two wrappers at a time – less likely to tear.
- FILL WRAPPERS: Lay some vermicelli along length of wrapper, 2 inches from bottom edge. Place some cucumber, carrot, avocado on top (or any veggies you are using). Drizzle a thin strip of hoisin sauce along the veggies. Add a couple of julienne beet strips (if desired) and basil or lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. The total filling should be about 1-1 1/2 inches (2.5-3-8 cm) thick.
- TUCK AND ROLL: Fold the bottom of wrapper over filling and tuck snugly under filling. Be careful not to tear wrapper. Continue to tightly roll, tuck, roll, tuck until summer roll is complete. Wrapper is sticky so roll will stay together.
- REPEAT PREVIOUS 3 STEPS for remaining cold rolls.
- SERVE: Rolls can be served whole, but I like to cut them into pieces to show the pretty insides. Cut 1/2 inch off each end, then cut roll into 3-4 pieces, depending on the size of the wrapper. Turn cut sides up or stack on a plate. To keep moist and fresh for up to 2-3 hours, cover with a well dampened tea towel (no need to refrigerate). Serve with sweet chili sauce with splash of lime juice (or other sauces of your choice).
Recipe Notes
- Vegetable fillings: Choose whatever you like, trying to balance color, flavors and texture with fresh veggies, crunch veggies and fresh herbs. Carrots, beets, avocado, green onion slivers, alfalfa sprouts, watercress, pea shoots, bean sprouts, cucumber, basil leaves, lettuce, tofu, cilantro, chives, mango, red bell peppers, mint leaves, shredded purple cabbage (or undressed coleslaw mix) are good choices. Other fillings: quinoa (instead of vermicelli), cooked shrimp cut in half to make thinner, thinly sliced cooked pork.
- Dipping sauce options: instead of Thai sweet chili sauce, try spicy peanut sauce, hoisin or a traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce known as Nước chấm (sweet and tangy). Here’s a recipe for a quick peanut sauce.
- Shortcuts
- Skip the beet juice and use plain colored wrappers.
- Use ingredients that don’t need a lot of chopping like carrot matchsticks, alfalfa sprouts or pea shoots, undressed coleslaw, chopped red cabbage, leftover quinoa or snap peas.
- Use a store-bought sauce like Thai sweet chili sauce, peanut sauce, etc
- Make Ahead:
- The general consensus for maximum freshness is that you can make cold rolls up to 2-3 hours ahead. Cover the rolls with a damp tea towel until serving to keep them moist.
- If you have to make them the day before (or you want to store leftovers), wrap the rolls in plastic wrap and seal them in a ziploc bag or airtight container. Then refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving.
Brilliant!!! (using beet juice to color the rice paper) I love summer rolls.. they are so diversified. Really, anything goes. Thank you for this WONDERFUL trick! ❤
I love the pink colour too! And the versatility. Thanks for leaving a comment Akasha. Glad you liked the recipe 🙂
While im reading all those recipe very interesting for my kitchen work
I want to try the wonton soup looks yummy and im craving to taste it.
If you try the soup, let us know how you like it 🙂