These summer rolls are loaded with fresh, crunchy vegetables and served with a savory peanut sauce! In just 20 minutes you’ll have a fun and healthy lunch or snack.
What are Summer Rolls?
Summer rolls are a traditional Vietnamese side dish. They’re an assortment of vegetables wrapped in rice paper. Think of them like a sushi roll, but instead of rice and seaweed, you just wrap everything up in a thin sheet of rice paper.
Summer rolls are most commonly served (and best served) with a side of savory peanut dipping sauce. The peanut sauce is honestly my favorite part. I could drink that stuff straight up. Creamy peanut putter, soy sauce, and fresh ginger come together in the most incredible, flavorful way possible! Dipping these summer rolls loaded with crisp, fresh veggies into luscious peanut sauce is nothing short of a dream come true. Guys, you gotta give this recipe a try. They’re vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free!
What You Need To Make Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Rice Wrappers – You’d be surprised by how easy rice wrappers are to find! I often locate them in the ethnic/asian aisle of my grocery store. And if all else fails, I can always find them at my local asian markets. If you’re not familiar with rice wrappers, they look sort of like a thinner tortilla. When you remove them from their packaging you’ll find that they’re dry and stiff. Though they simply need a bit of water to help rehydrate them for this recipe. Try not to overthink the process, follow the steps in the recipe below to prepare your rice wrappers.
Tofu – Tofu is an incredible source of protein and contains all nine essential amino acids! It also just sort of takes on the taste of whatever else you’re eating it with. In this case, the tofu soaks up the peanut sauce, which is DELICIOUS. Not only is tofu super easy to come by these days, but it’s super cheap too.
Peanut Butter – To me, peanut butter is typically only ever associated with sweet recipes. Though we turn the tables here by adding savory ingredients such as soy sauce and rice vinegar to create this peanut butter-based sauce. I prefer creamy peanut butter for a smoother sauce, though chunky works too. Just please, whatever you do, make sure the peanut butter you use has NO added sugar! Any sugar in the peanut butter would completely throw off the balance of flavors in this delicious sauce.
Adjust This Recipe
- Make it Nut-Free: For a nut-free sauce, replace the peanut butter with tahini.
- Add Shrimp: Make my shrimp spring rolls recipe instead!
- The types and amounts of vegetables and herbs are simply suggestions – you can swap or remove anything you like!
Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 spring roll rice wrappers
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu, sliced into about 12 sticks
- 1 cup julienned carrots
- 2 cups julienned cucumber
- 1 cup napa cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
For the peanut sauce:
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, optional
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2-3 tablespoons warm water
Instructions
- Fill a shallow bowl with warm water, submerge one sheet of rice wrapper in water for about 5 seconds then transfer to a clean, damp dish towel.
- Place filling in the center of wrapper and fold the end closest to you over the filling, then tuck sides in and towards the center, finish rolling to create a sealed summer roll. Repeat with remaining rice wrappers.
- Make the sauce by adding all ingredients to a bowl and whisking until completely smooth.
- Serve summer rolls with peanut dipping sauce and enjoy!