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Don’t you just love shrimp spring rolls? Seriously, you won’t be able to get enough of these fresh Vietnamese spring rolls with spicy garlic sauce. They’re fun to make, and they’re a great appetizer or a summer lunch. If you are looking for a dipping sauce for spring rolls, this spicy garlic sauce is super-tasty. The rolls are bursting with fresh ingredients like shrimp, lettuce, bell pepper, herbs and more. This shrimp spring roll recipe is both gluten free and dairy free.
Looking for a flavorful appetizer that’s both light and satisfying? These shrimp spring rolls, accompanied by a spicy garlic sauce, are perfect for any occasion.
You might also like egg roll in a bowl, salt and pepper pork chop bites, beef bulgogi, or red Thai curry coconut chicken soup.
Spring Roll Ingredients
For these Vietnamese spring rolls, you will need head lettuce or butter lettuce, matchstick or shredded carrots, thinly sliced red cabbage, julienned cucumber, thinly sliced yellow bell pepper, bean sprouts or microgreens, fresh basil, and shrimp. Vermicelli rice noodles and rice wrappers are also required for this fresh spring roll recipe. You can add in other vegetables like green onions and other fresh herbs, too.
The dipping sauce ingredients are red chili sauce, garlic, rice wine vinegar, ginger paste, soy sauce and red pepper flakes.
Best Spring Roll Dipping Sauce
Although you can serve shrimp spring rolls with any kind of dip, I especially recommend a spicy garlic sauce. These fresh Vietnamese spring rolls have such a light, delicate flavour that this sauce contrasts beautifully. You will love this tasty shrimp spring roll dipping sauce!
Better yet, it’s super-easy to make. Just throw all the ingredients into a food processor and press the button! This tasty dipping sauce will be every bit as fresh-tasting as the shrimp spring roll recipe itself.
How to Make Shrimp Spring Rolls
After gathering all the ingredients you need for this gluten free and dairy free recipe, you can prepare the veggies. Try to matchstick or thinly slice the filling ingredients for the best result. If everything is finely sliced or chopped, it will combine better in the shrimp spring roll recipe.
Follow the instructions on the package of rice noodles to cook them. I usually blanch them for a minute or two in boiling water, then plunge them into cold water to stop them cooking. Do this just before using them because if they sit in water for a while they can get mushy.
The rice paper wrapper needs to be dipped in water for a few seconds until they are pliable. It’s easy to see when they’re ready to use.
Make the fresh spicy shrimp spring rolls by adding the shrimp, basil rice noodles and vegetables to the rice paper sheets. Roll up the rice paper halfway into a cylinder. Fold the sides in an envelope pattern. Keep rolling into a tight roll. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. These shrimp spring rolls are so simple to prepare and just take a little practice!
If you don’t like rice noodles or you want to decrease the carb count, enoki mushrooms will work in their place.
Spring Rolls vs Summer Rolls: What’s the Difference?
You might have heard about another gluten free and dairy free recipe called summer rolls. But are they the same as spring rolls?
Actually, a lot of it is down to where you’re from and the name you use. What people in the UK call spring rolls, for example, Americans tend to call egg rolls. Some people call them vegetable rolls! These tend to include meat and vegetables and they are typically deep-fried.
The term summer rolls is often used for seafood and vegetables wrapped in rice paper and not fried. Some of the ingredients might be cooked (such as the shrimp and rice noodles) but these aren’t deep fried. Some people use the term spring rolls for these Vietnamese snacks.
If you prefer the fried crunchy kind, you can always use spring roll wrappers (they are thicker than the rice paper sheet used here) and deep fry them. I prefer these fresh Vietnamese spring rolls just as they are though. They’re so delicate and light. Because these shrimp spring rolls include so many fresh ingredients they are guaranteed to taste amazing.
Spicy Garlic Sauce Variations
The chili garlic sauce makes the perfect dipping sauce for spring rolls too. The combination of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, chilli sauce, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes combine to make a wonderful dipping sauce.
It’s already quite spicy as it is although real spice fanatics can always increase the amount of red pepper flakes. If you prefer a milder taste, you can use a mild chilli sauce or else use three parts chilli sauce and one part tomato sauce instead.
There are other dipping sauce options for this shrimp spring roll recipe. Satay sauce, peanut dipping sauce, plain soy sauce or a Vietnamese dipping sauce made of fish sauce, chilli, sugar, and lime juice would work. It’s down to personal preference. You might want to serve a couple of dipping sauces with this fresh shrimp spring rolls recipe.
Homemade Spring Roll FAQs
It is best to eat spring rolls fresh within an hour or two of rolling. They can be rolled in plastic wrap, refrigerated and eaten within 24 hours but you will find that the rice paper hardens, making them difficult to chew..
You can prepare the filling and sauce a day prior, but rolls are best served within an hour or two of making them.
Shrimp Spicy Spring Rolls Recipe
Shrimp Spring Rolls with Spicy Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 pieces rice paper
- 1/2 head lettuce
- 24 shrimp, peeled, de-veined and cooked
- 1/2 Cup carrots, cut to matchsticks
- 2 cucumbers, baby, peeled and julienned
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/4 red cabbage, thinly chopped
- 1/2 Cup microgreens
- 1/2 Package rice noodles, cooked and drained
- 1/2 Cup basil, fresh and chopped
Spicy Garlic Sauce
- 1/4 Cup red chili sauce
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, crushed
- 1/2 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare the fillings. Peel and thinly slice cucumbers. Thinly slice peppers and red cabbage. Set aside. Cook rice noodles and drain
- Add warm water to a pie pan. Dip rice paper into the water for just a few seconds to soften, careful not to soak the paper. Place onto a plate.
- Running down the center of the rice paper, place 3 shrimp. Layer a small amount of chopped basil, rice noodles, carrots, cucumbers, bell pepper, red cabbage, microgreens, and 1 to 2 pieces of lettuce covering the top.
- Fold the left side of the rice paper over the fillings, then repeat with the top and bottom sides. Tightly tuck and roll to the right side of the rice paper.
- Prepare the dip. Add all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Serve with spicy garlic dip.
Nutrition
Serve these delicious appetizers whenever you have a craving for Vietnamese food. These shrimp rice paper rolls are great served as part of a buffet with other Asian style dishes, or you can serve them before any kind of main dish.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This was a flavor explosion. Absolutely amazing!
My family loved this recipe so much!! I’ll make this again soon!
This is one of the best spring roll recipes I’ve tried. I love the burst of freshness and texture.
So light, so fresh! I love this recipe and it transports me back to when I visited Vietnam.
Best spring roll. So yummy!!