Our homemade Green Vegan Summer Rolls are a healthy meal that you can prepare all year round as a snack, appetizer, or light meal. Served with a delicious Peanut dipping Sauce, these fresh rolls have become a favorite at home!
Our Green Summer Rolls are:
- Vegan
- Protein-rich
- Low in calories
- Vietnamese-style rolls
- Gluten-free if using tamari sauce instead of soy sauce.
- Healthy
- An appetizer, snack, or a light meal
- Easy and fun to prepare
Vietnamese Vegan Fresh Rolls or Summer Rolls
Vietnamese summer rolls are rice paper rolls filled with vermicelli noodles, protein, leafy greens, and crunchy vegetables.
Salad rolls are often made with meat or prawns but you can find vegan summer rolls filled with tofu. For our summer rolls, we marinate the tofu in a lovely sauce made of soy sauce, sesame oil, and five-spice powder. It gives the tofu the perfect level of saltiness and a delicious taste. I don't know if it's just us, but we can taste a bit of Pho when cooking with the five-spice powder, and who doesn't want a bit of Pho taste in their Vietnamese dishes? Just too delicious!
Green Summer Rolls Ingredients
When it comes to making summer rolls, you can get really creative with your ingredients. I think anything tastes better wrapped in rice paper and dipped into our homemade peanut sauce. We made classic Summer Rolls that are perfect for a hot day as we added mango to make them super refreshing, but this time we wanted to create something more winter-like, something green and packed full of vitamins and nutrients, and these are our Vegan Green Summer Rolls.
- Rice Paper. The first and most important ingredient you will need is rice paper. You can find rice wrapper in an Asian store or supermarket or online. We use the 22cm ones (8.6 inches).
- Favorite veggies. For our Vegan Green Summer Rolls, we used asparagus, zucchini, and cucumber. You could as well add green pepper, avocado, green onions, or cabbage. Most crunchy veggies make for a great addition to your fresh summer rolls.
- Carrots. I know carrots are not green but I cannot have my summer rolls without carrots. The crunchiness and sweetness you get from carrots are just too good.
- Leafy greens. We added baby spinach, lettuce, and mint leaves. You can add as many leafy greens and fresh herbs as you like. Some ideas would be Thai basil, Bok Choy, or cilantro.
- Rice Vermicelli noodles or glass noodles. Thin rice noodles are a great ingredient for your filling. They add chewiness and help the roll to stay together while eating. You could substitute this ingredient for other types of noodles or even rice.
- Tofu. If you are making vegan salad rolls, the best protein to use is tofu. You can choose to use smoked tofu or marinate and cook your tofu for a deeper flavor. Use extra-firm tofu or make sure to press it properly before using it. For this recipe, we use extra-firm tofu that we marinate and pan-fry before adding to the rolls.
- Seasoning for the tofu. We use five-spice powder, soy sauce and sesame oil to marinate the tofu.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN SUMMER ROLLS
Prepare your Ingredients
Tofu
- Cut the tofu block into slices. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, and five-spice powder. Place the tofu pieces on a shallow pan or tray and add the marinate. Using a brush, make sure you spread the marinade evenly. Leave the tofu marinating while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Once the tofu has been marinating for at least 15 minutes, you can pan-fry it. Using a non-stick pan, heat some oil to medium heat. Add the tofu pieces and pan-fry until golden. Leave to cool and cut it into thin strips for the rolls.
Vegetables
- Thinly slice the fresh cucumber, zucchini, and carrots to the same length. If you are using 22cm rice paper, you can cut the fresh vegetables and tofu into 8cm long pieces approx. Clean and cut your leafy greens.
- Cut the bottom part of the asparagus and pan-fry until they start to golden. Leave to cool and cut into 8 cm long pieces.
Glass Noodles
Prepare your glass noodles by leaving them in boiling hot water for a couple of minutes. Drain the water and leave them cool.
Assemble your Summer Rolls
- Once your ingredients are all ready, choose a big plate and fill it with warm water. Take a rice paper wrap and immerse it in the water. What works best for us is to immerse first the sides and finally the center part on both sides. Place the wrap on a flat surface (a wooden surface works really well).
- Start placing your ingredients. We like placing the lettuce first, then the fresh chopped veggies, the glass noodles, and the tofu. Leave some space on the sides, front, and back of the paper wrap, placing all the ingredients closer to the center.
- Roll up your summer roll. If this is your first time making salad rolls, your first one will probably not look like you thought it would. It takes a bit of practice, but you'll get there faster than you think! Start by pulling the bottom of the paper and placing it over the ingredients, almost covering them all. With your hands, press the roll and fold the sides to the center.
- Place some green leaves on the top (mint, bok choy, cilantro). Keep rolling your rice paper until the summer roll is fully wrapped.
Homemade Peanut Sauce
If you have been following our recipes, you probably already know our famous creamy peanut sauce from this Tofu Satay recipe, our Thai Noodle Salad, or Buddha Bowl. This sauce is a winner every time we use it in one of our recipes, it's simply delicious.
Our Fresh Summer Rolls served with this homemade peanut sauce are just delicious, you'll not regret trying this combination!
If you prefer a lighter and easier-to-make dipping sauce, you should definitely try our Gyoza Dipping Sauce, which comes together in less than 5 minutes!
Ingredients
Peanut Butter. For the peanut sauce, you will need to use smooth or creamy peanut butter. You can as well, make your own peanut butter. All you need to do is add roasted (unsalted) peanuts into a food processor with a pinch of salt. Blend until you get a creamy consistency. It may take a little bit to reach that consistency and you may need to stop a few times to push the peanuts down the processor walls but it's definitely worth it. Have a look at this amazing recipe by Culinary Hill.
Brown sugar. To give a bit of sweetness to the sauce you can use as well maple syrup or honey.
Soy sauce. Dark or light soy sauce will both work for your peanut sauce. If you are using light soy sauce, as it's saltier, adjust the amount. Use tamari for a gluten-free option.
Lime juice. The freshly squeezed lime juice will give your peanut dip that lovely tanginess.
Rice vinegar. Optional. We love adding a little bit of rice vinegar as it's umami-rich and adds a lovely punch to the sauce.
Ginger powder. Use freshly grated ginger or ginger powder.
Warm water. Adding warm water to your dip will bring the sauce together. You can adjust this ingredient depending on your taste or the use you want to give to the peanut sauce to make it thicker or more liquid
Method
Once you have your ingredients prepared, all you need to do is combine them all! Leave the water for the very end and adjust to taste.
Optionally, you can garnish the sauce with some crushed peanuts. We recommend using unsalted roasted peanuts.
Tips for making the best Summer Rolls
- Make sure you are using the right size of rice paper wraps. If you get them too small, it will be challenging trying to roll them up if you add too many ingredients.
- Chop your veggies as thin as possible. It makes the process making way easier and your rolls will be much more enjoyable.
- Add some flavor to your tofu. You can add saltiness, sweetness, or even some spice to your tofu, just give it some flavor. We all know tofu can be a bit bland in taste.
- Don't soak the rice paper in water for too long. Just immerse the rice paper for a few seconds in warm (not boiling) water. It will be easier to work with than if it's just too wet or soft.
- Prepare right before serving. You can summer rolls using an air-tight container for 1-2 days but they will be at their best freshly made.
- Use the leftover tofu marinade for your dipping sauce. You can combine it with some tahini or peanut butter to make a delicious dipping sauce!
Serving Suggestion
- Serve these easy summer rolls as an appetizer. This dish is definitely a crowd-pleaser. Cut them in half and serve them with some dipping sauces. They make for great finger food and are a lovely meal to serve at parties or events. Here you can find more ideas for Vegan Appetizers.
- Light and healthy lunch. You can make a delicious and healthy lunch from summer rolls. Serve about 3-4 rolls per person with some sauce and enjoy!
- Healthy after-school snack. Our kids love when we have summer rolls as a snack.
Store
You can keep the summer rolls in the fridge for a few hours using an airtight container. We don't recommend keeping them for a long time as they will get dry.
Store the ingredients in the fridge using airtight before making the rolls if you want to serve this dish later or the next day.
If you have some ingredients leftovers, you can make a great noodle salad for the next day with some sweet chili sauce or the same peanut dipping sauce. We end up making this every time!
FAQ
Why is my rice paper getting too sticky to roll?
If you soak your rice paper for way too long or in really warm water, it will be difficult to work with. Use lukewarm or room temperature water and just soak the rice paper for about 10 seconds. Then place it on a wooden surface and start adding your toppings. If your paper is still a bit hard, you can always add some more moisture with your hand.
Can I keep them in the fridge once ready?
The rice paper will go dry if you leave it in the fridge for a few hours. Our recommendation is to eat them straight away. You can always keep the filling ingredients in an airtight container and roll the vegan summer rolls later or the next day.
Why is my rice wrapper breaking when rolling the summer rolls?
Your filling is too wet or warm. You need all the ingredients of your filling to be cooled (tofu, glass noodles, and asparagus). As well, after washing the leafy greens and fresh herbs, you need to dry them with a paper towel.
Are Summer Rolls healthy?
Yes! They are packed with fresh veggies and leaves. The sauce is rich in protein and healthy fats.
Green Summer Rolls with Homemade Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 400 g tofu
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon 5 spices
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 15 Rice paper
- 100 g glass noodles
- 2 carrots
- 1 cucumber
- 250 g asparagus
- 1 zuchinni
- spinach
- handful mint
- lettuce
Ingredients for the Peanut Sauce
- ⅓ cup peanut butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder or freshly grated ginger
- ⅓ cup warm water
Instructions
- Cut and marinate the tofu. Cut the tofu block in half after pressing it and getting all the extra water out. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, and the five-spice powder in a shallow pan. Add the tofu pieces and leave marinating for 15 minutes on each side.
- Once the tofu is marinated, heat a pan and cook the tofu on both sides until it turns a golden color. Leave to cool and cut into thinner slices.
- Thinly slice the fresh cucumber, zucchini, and carrot to the same length. Panfry the asparagus for a couple of minutes and cut to the same length than the rest of the veggies.
- Prepare your glass noodles by leaving them in boiling hot water for a couple of minutes. Drain the water and leave them cool. Clean and cut your leafy greens.
- Fill a big plate with warm water, take a rice paper wrap and immerse it into the water for a few seconds. Place the wrap on a flat surface (a wooden surface works really well) and start placing your ingredients.We like placing the lettuce first, then the fresh chopped veggies, the glass noodles, and the tofu. Last, the mint. Leave some space on the sides, front and back of the paper wrap, placing all the ingredients closer to the center.
- Roll up your summer roll. Start by pulling the bottom of the paper and placing it over the ingredients, almost covering them all. With your hands, press the roll and fold the sides to the center.Keep rolling your rice paper until the summer roll is fully wrapped. Repeat the process for each rice paper.
Peanut Sauce
- To prepare the peanut sauce, add into a medium-size bowl peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, ginger powder and the warm water. Mix well all the ingredients until everything is completely combined and the sauce looks homogeneous. If your sauce is too thick, add some extra water and if it looks too liquidy, add some more peanut sauce.
Notes
- Make sure you are using the right size of rice paper wraps. If you get them too small, it will be challenging trying to roll them up if you add too many ingredients.
- Chop your veggies as thin as possible. It makes the process making way easier and your rolls will be much more enjoyable.
- Add some flavor to your tofu. You can add saltiness, sweetness, or even some spice to your tofu, just give it some flavor. We all know tofu can be a bit bland in taste.
- Don't soak the rice paper in water for too long. Just immerse the rice paper for a few seconds in warm (not boiling) water. It will be easier to work with than if it's just too wet or soft.
- Prepare right before serving. You can summer rolls using an air-tight container for 1-2 days but they will be at their best freshly made.
- Use the leftover tofu marinade for your dipping sauce. You can combine it with some tahini or peanut butter to make a delicious dipping sauce!
Nutrition
| If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations! |
Elizabeth says
You speak my language! The tofu was so good in these and the peanut sauce was the perfect accompaniment. Thank you.
Laura says
Thank you Elizabeth!
Tina says
I really loved these summer rolls! They are the perfect light dinner. My favorite part was probably the peanut sauce- soooo good!!
Laura says
Thank you Tina, I think my favorite part is the peanut sauce as well 🙂
Jessica says
I made these rolls with dinner last night and they were wonderful! So fresh and I'll definitely be making all summer long!
Laura says
Thank you Jessica!
Deborah says
These were super delish and so glad I found the recipe. I love that your kids' hands are in the pictures too.
Stefan says
The peanut sauce ratio was bomb. Thank you
Laura says
Thank you Stefan!