No need to go to a restaurant to get fresh spring rolls—this recipe is easy to make at home. Served with peanut sauce, it's a delicious appetizer or meal!
Fresh spring rolls are one of my favorite appetizers to order at Thai and Vietnamese restaurants. I love how light, yet flavorful they are, filled with fresh herbs and veggies and served with a delicious dipping sauce. So the first time I spotted rice paper wrappers at my grocery store, I couldn’t resist making my own fresh spring rolls at home. Fast forward to now, and this spring roll recipe has been a staple in my kitchen for years!
Traditional Vietnamese spring rolls are filled with pork or shrimp, vegetables, herbs, and rice vermicelli. I can’t call my recipe entirely authentic. Though it’s packed with veggies, herbs, and vermicelli noodles, I skip the meat or seafood, adding tofu and avocado instead. I also include a little mango for an unexpected pop of sweetness.
Enjoy these easy spring rolls as an appetizer with Thai-inspired recipes like green curry or peanut noodles, or serve them as a light meal on their own. Whatever you do, though, don’t skip the peanut sauce for dipping. It takes this recipe over the top!
Fresh Spring Roll Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this fresh spring roll recipe:
- Rice paper wrappers – Order them online, or find them in the Asian section of your grocery store or at an Asian market. Tip: I always choose the biggest rice paper wrappers available because I find that the larger they are, the easier they are to fill and roll.
- Rice vermicelli – These ultra-thin noodles are traditionally used in Vietnamese spring rolls, but if you’re not able to find them, thicker rice noodles work just fine too.
- Extra-firm tofu – Its firm texture offers a satisfying contrast to the fresh filling ingredients. Plus, it adds plant-based protein!
- Carrot and cucumber – They add refreshing crunch. I like to julienne them so that they mimic the shape of the noodles.
- Jalapeño pepper – For crunch and heat.
- Mango – For juicy sweetness.
- Avocado – It adds delicious creamy texture.
- Fresh herbs – Basil, mint, and cilantro are wonderful here. If you can, use a mix of all three to pack these rolls with flavor.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Variations
I love to make fresh spring rolls with the fillings above, but by all means, feel free to change them up!
- Add bean sprouts, red bell pepper, or purple cabbage for extra crunch.
- Lay green leaf lettuce or butter lettuce inside each spring roll wrapper. Top the lettuce with your other desired fillings before rolling the wrapper closed.
- Tuck in thinly sliced green onions for a savory kick.
How to Wrap Spring Rolls
If you’re learning how to make spring rolls for the first time, wrapping them might seem intimidating. Don’t let it scare you. You’ve got this!
Your first roll might not look amazing (speaking from experience here), but with a little practice, the wrapping will get easier. Here’s a step-by-step guide to how to do it:
First, set up your workspace. Fill a large bowl with warm water and dampen a clean kitchen towel. Spread the towel on a flat surface like your counter or a large cutting board.
- Why the damp towel? The delicate rice paper would stick to a dry surface, causing it to tear. The damp towel prevents it from sticking.
Next, dip a wrapper in the warm water. You only need to submerge it for a few seconds—just until it softens. If you leave it in the water for too long, it will become too soft and delicate to handle. Lay the moistened wrapper flat on the kitchen towel.
Then, add the fillings. Pile them in the center of the rice paper, leaving several inches bare on all sides.
Fold in the left and right sides of the wrapper…
…and fold up the bottom flap. Do your best to keep the fillings packed tightly together as you roll them towards the top of the wrapper to seal the spring roll closed.
- What to do if the rice paper tears:Â It happens! I find that rolls can still hold together even with one or two small tears. If you have a particularly large tear or you want a cleaner presentation, you can double-wrap the roll in a second sheet of rice paper.
Repeat with the remaining rice wrappers and filling ingredients to assemble the rest of the rolls!
How to Store Spring Rolls
These fresh spring rolls are best right after they’re made, when the avocado is bright green and the rice paper wrappers are tender (they dry out with time).
Leftovers will keep for 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator, but they have to be stored correctly in order to stay fresh:
- Option 1:Â Wrap each spring roll individually in plastic wrap. Wrapping the rolls individually keeps them from sticking together. It also locks in moisture, preventing the rice paper from drying out.
- Option 2: Store the rolls in an airtight container. Place a lightly damp paper towel across the bottom to prevent the rolls from sticking, and leave a little space around each one so that they don’t stick together. Lightly cover with another damp paper towel before sealing with a lid.
Enjoy within a day or two. Leftover peanut sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days and is great on roasted veggies, noodles, tofu, and more.
What to Serve with Fresh Spring Rolls
I often enjoy these vegetable spring rolls as a light meal on their own, but they’re also a great appetizer or side dish. They’d pair nicely with any of these Thai or Vietnamese-inspired recipes:

Fresh Spring Rolls
Ingredients
Spring Rolls
- 4 ounces vermicelli noodles or other rice noodles
- 8 large rice paper wrappers
- 1 carrot, julienned
- ½ English cucumber, julienned
- 3 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into strips
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into strips
- 1 mango, peeled and cut into strips
- 1 avocado, cut into strips
- Fresh basil, fresh mint, and fresh cilantro leaves
Peanut Sauce
- ½ cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha or sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 4 to 6 tablespoons water, as needed
Instructions
- Make the spring rolls: Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Fill a large bowl with warm water and dampen a clean kitchen towel. Spread the kitchen towel over a flat work surface.
- Soak a spring roll wrapper in the warm water for 15 seconds, or until pliable. Lay the wrapper flat on the kitchen towel and place some of the noodles, carrot, cucumber, tofu, jalapeño, mango, avocado, basil, mint, and cilantro in the center. Fold the sides of the wrapper over the fillings and roll tightly to close. Repeat with the remaining spring roll wrappers and fillings.
- Make the peanut sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter, lime juice, rice vinegar, sriracha, tamari, sesame oil, maple syrup, ginger, and 4 tablespoons of water. If the sauce is too thick, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Serve the spring rolls with the peanut sauce for dipping.









Hi. Could I add shrimp to these rolls?
Hi Suzanne, yep, you could!
I’d love to try these but am one of those people who cannot eat peanut. Would you suggest another sauce with almond butter or tahini that would work well with these rolls?
Thanks!
Hi Barbara, you could use almond butter in place of the peanut butter in our peanut sauce recipe. This sesame ginger dressing (with tahini) would also be great!
Can these be stored in the fridge? Would love to prep these for the week!
Hi Amber, the rice paper dries out so I don’t think these are the best for meal prep. I’ve kept them successfully overnight by wrapping in a damp paper towel and putting them in an airtight container, but I don’t think they’d be great for multiple days.
I LOVE these & want to serve them at a luncheon but would have to make them an advance, and I don’t know how they do as far as holding up? Any suggestions?
I made these spring rolls for my scrabble girl friends. Everyone loved them. My hubby helped me make them These were delicious & attractive. . I will make these again.
What can I sub for jalapenos? I can’t eat them &/or other hot stuff given acid reflux-
AND these sound wonderful.
Thanks!
How about a mild red bell pepper? That should work.
5 Stars is not enough. These little bundles of pure deliciousness were divine. The peanut sauce was pure deliciousness! I found the making of them was a little time consuming. Do, my hubby was ready to help. My girlfriends raved!.
I’m so excited to try out your recipe!!! At least once or twice a week, I buy similar spring rolls after my swim class. Making these myself will be a huge savings and can be altered to fit my liking for the week. Thank you for the recipe!!!
I hope you love them, Janet!
How many calories does this have?
Do these need to be made fresh or can i make them a few days in advance?
I think they’re best fresh, the spring roll wrappers harden over time.
I’m interested in trying this recipe, but wonder what is it possible to substitute the tofu for something else as I don’t care for tofu? Thanks, Anna Marie
Hi Anna Marie, you could omit the tofu and use more of the other ingredients.
You don’t have to use tofu. I sautéed some shiitake mushrooms & they worked great!!!
I realize you asked this a year ago, but shrimp, pork, beef, chicken, Asian sausage, duck, mushrooms, etc can all be used.
Today I had a strong craving for fresh veggie spring rolls. I recall this recipe and had always wanted to try it out, so I did. I followed the recipe exactly and also made the peanut sauce in the recipe. All I have to say is, oh my!! It was so delicious and really hit the spot! The addition of the mango was interesting and made a really big difference. Love the herb combination too.
Does the avocado turn brown at all if the rolls are refrigerated for a couple days
Hi Jay, these are best freshly made because the rice papers get dry in the fridge after a day or so.
How long will these hold up if I make them ahead of time? What would be the best way to store them?
Hi, if you’d like to make these a few hours ahead, you can arrange them on a platter, making sure they’re not touching, and cover them with a damp towel until you’re ready to serve. If you want to make them a few days ahead, I’d skip the avocado in the filling. To prevent the rice paper from drying out, individually wrap the rolls in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I like these, work for me, and really like the avo mango pairing, thank you
Thank you for another great recipe, I am going to make this sauce.Yummy.
I like your recipe and images, they look so delicious and clean. Wrapping is so perfect.