Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls

Vietnamese spring rolls with shrimp are a delicious, crunchy, and savory treat that is a perfect bite. A classic combination of fresh vegetables, lightly cooked shrimp, and amazing flavors all wrapped in a crispy wrapper makes these spring rolls truly irresistible.

The secret to making them extra juicy and flavorful lies in the dipping sauce - a creamy sauce of peanut butter, oyster sauce, and chili paste gives it an incredible depth of flavor that's a Whole Lotta Yum!

Vietnamese Spring Rolls are so delicious!

Goi Cuon, or Vietnamese Spring Rolls with shrimp, is one of the best homemade recipes. It's incredibly easy to make and incredibly healthy too! An authentic Vietnamese spring roll recipe also uses shrimp and pork belly; however, we have decided to just use shrimp in this version. The combination of ingredients creates a sweet and tangy flavor that pairs perfectly with our homemade peanut butter dipping sauce.

This dish is traditionally eaten as an appetizer but has been adapted by many Westerners who enjoy it as a light lunch meal. This delicious recipe came from one of our Vietnamese friends who taught us the correct way to prepare it. To make sure all the flavors stay fresh, we recommend serving immediately after preparing.

These homemade Vietnamese spring rolls with shrimp are the best way to start a meal! Loaded with fresh vegetables and shrimp, they're both healthy and delicious. Dip them in a sweet and tangy peanut sauce for an extra touch of flavor.

If you love these fresh spring rolls you'll love our delicious Asian-inspired dishes like rice noodles with curry and chicken peanut salad, healthy egg drop soup, or Asian lettuce wraps.

• Great for meal prep- when you're short on time during the week, prepare a few batches of fresh spring rolls to enjoy for lunch.
• Super yummy- simple to adapt by adding herbs, spices, and other veggies or meats.
• Quick and easy! Virtually no cooking is involved, as easy as prepping your ingredients and wrapping them up.
• Healthy - A delicious dairy and gluten-free snack that won't leave you feeling sluggish.

Ingredients list

• Pre-cooked Shrimp - Chicken, tofu, or imitation crab are all great options in place of shrimp. Check out these tips for boiling frozen shrimp.
• Carrot - Thinly sliced or ribboned carrots. You can achieve this by using a vegetable peeler against the carrot in long strokes while it's lying down.
• Cucumber - A cucumber with the skin left on will create a crunchier mouth feel. Slice cucumbers thinly or into small matchsticks.
• Red bell pepper - Adds a crispy texture and bright color to this dish. Switch up the colors for a rainbow of bell peppers.
• Mint leaves - Fresh chives, cilantro, green onions, or fresh basil can all be used in place of mint leaves.
• Butter lettuce - Also known as bib or Boston lettuce.
• Rice noodles - Use rice vermicelli noodles or slightly thicker noodles such as "Pad Thai" noodles. Or use shirataki noodles as another low carb option for rice noodles.
• Rice paper wrapper - You'll be able to find rice paper wrappers in the international or Asian food aisle of your local grocery store. They are also called rice paper sheets.

Peanut Sauce Ingredients

• Natural peanut butter - Use natural creamy peanut butter with minimal ingredients.
• Soy sauce - Use your favorite brand of soy sauce, tamari sauce, or liquid aminos.
• Garlic - Buy minced or mince your own garlic gloves. For fewer chunks, smash your garlic into a paste.
• Chili paste - A spicy sauce like Sriracha, harissa, sambal oelek, and gochujang can be used in place of chili paste.
• Sesame oil - Sesame oil is such a unique and delicious toasty flavor, I would absolutely try to find this. You can, however, use olive oil or grapeseed oil as a substitute.
• Oyster sauce - Use hoisin sauce or fish sauce if that is more readily available to you. They both have a rich umami flavor.
• Rice vinegar - Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar are great options if you don't have rice vinegar.
• Juice of 1 lime - Fresh or bottled lime juice works well.
• Water - If you've made the sauce ahead of time and have stored it in the fridge, you'll need a bit of water to thin the sauce out after it's had time to set.
• Optional - Add sweetener to taste such as brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit.

** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **

Variations

• Add fruit: Make dessert spring rolls with fresh fruit and mint.
• Vegetarian: Replace your meat with sliced avocado, marinated tofu, or sauteed mushrooms.

How to Make Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Shrimp

Prepare your carrots, bell pepper, cucumber, and lettuce leaf.

Make rice vermicelli noodles or thicker Pad Thai style rice noodles then set aside.

Wet a cutting board to make your rolls on. Dip your rice paper sheet in lukewarm water until it's pliable then place it on a cutting board.

At the bottom of your rice paper sheet add lettuce, a small bundle of cooked rice noodles, carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, and 2 fresh mint leaves. About 2 inches above this bundle at the top of your rice paper sheet add 3-4 cooked shrimp.

To roll, begin at the bottom and very tightly roll up until you reach the shrimp. When you reach the shrimp, fold in the sides and then continue rolling up until sealed.

Make the creamy peanut dipping sauce in a small bowl by combining all the sauce ingredients. You can garnish the peanut sauce with chopped peanuts. Place in the fridge while you make rolls.

Serve the fresh Vietnamese spring rolls with peanut sauce and enjoy!

Dietary Swaps

As written these fresh spring rolls are dairy-free and gluten-free.

• Vegetarian: Replace the shrimp with bean sprouts, mushrooms, or avocado slices.

Recipe notes

• You can buy precooked shrimp to speed up the recipe, for the best flavor you'll want to buy raw frozen shrimp and simmer them in salted hot water for 2-3 minutes. Immediately chill the shrimp in a water bath.
• The sauce is best made ahead of time and placed in the fridge for up to 1 day before serving. The rolls should be made on the day of.
• Authentic Vietnamese spring rolls use a mix of boiled shrimp and cooked pork belly, we used just shrimp in the recipe, however, Trader Joe's sells precooked pork belly if you prefer authentic shrimp spring rolls.
• You can use either thin rice noodles like used in pho or thicker rice noodles you'd use in Pad Thai.
• You can make the Vietnamese dipping sauce sweeter by adding a touch of brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit.

Got leftovers?

• Storing: Leftover spring rolls will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge. To store spring rolls properly, wrap them with a damp paper towel and stack them in an airtight container.
• Freezing: If you plan on keeping your spring rolls longer than 2 days, it's recommended to freeze them. Simply wrap each one in plastic wrap and store it in a freezer-safe container.

Reader questions

More Asian Inspired Recipes

• Thai Curry Rice Noodles
• Thai Chicken Peanut Salad
• Asian Lettuce Wraps
• Healthy Egg Drop Soup

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