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Shrimp spring rolls are fresh, crunchy and packed with color, making them the perfect light lunch or appetizer. Wrapped in delicate rice paper and paired with a bold dipping sauce, each bite offers a balance of texture and flavor. They’re easy to customize with your favorite vegetables or herbs, and make a great hands-on recipe if you enjoy assembling pretty food. This is a recipe you’ll turn to again when you want something crisp, clean and satisfying.
Fresh and crunchy vegetables meet tender shrimp and noodles in this easy recipe for shrimp spring rolls. They’re perfectly paired with a spicy garlic dipping sauce.
You might also like egg roll in a bowl, salt and pepper pork chop bites, beef bulgogi, or red Thai curry coconut chicken soup.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to customize: Use your favorite veggies or switch out the protein for variety.
Great for summer: These rolls are light and refreshing, perfect on hot days.
Packed with color and crunch: Every bite is full of texture and flavor.
Perfect for meal prep: Make ahead for a healthy lunch or quick snack.
Fun to assemble: A great hands-on dish to enjoy making and eating.
Shrimp Spring Rolls Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Rice paper wrappers: These become pliable after a quick soak and hold everything together.
Shrimp: Tender, cooked shrimp add satisfying protein and a mild seafood flavor.
Carrots: Matchstick carrots add crunch and color.
Cucumbers: Julienned cucumbers add refreshing crispness.
Yellow bell pepper: Sweet and colorful for extra texture.
Red cabbage: Adds a pop of purple and crunch.
Microgreens: For a fresh and slightly peppery flavor.
Rice noodles: Soft and chewy to bulk out the rolls.
Fresh herbs: Basil adds an aromatic, slightly sweet herbal note.
Red chili sauce: Forms the base of the spicy dipping sauce.
Garlic: Adds pungent flavor.
Rice wine vinegar: Adds tang and balances the sauce.
Ginger paste: Brings warmth and zing.
Soy sauce: Adds umami and saltiness.
Red pepper flakes: For extra heat.
How to Make Shrimp Spring Rolls
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the fillings: Slice all vegetables and cook the rice noodles.
Soften the rice paper: Dip in warm water briefly and place on a plate.
Assemble the rolls: Add shrimp, noodles, vegetables and herbs, then wrap tightly.
Make the sauce: Blend all dipping sauce ingredients until smooth.
Serve: Enjoy immediately with the spicy garlic sauce.
Substitutions and Variations
Use other proteins: Try cooked chicken, tofu or even smoked salmon.
Switch the herbs: Mint or cilantro can be used instead of basil.
Add fruit: Thinly sliced mango or avocado adds sweetness or creaminess.
Try other dips: Peanut sauce or hoisin-based sauces are tasty alternatives.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizer: Enjoy one or two of these shrimp spring rolls as a light appetizer.
Main dishes: Next, serve crispy ginger beef or gochujang chicken with hibachi rice and your favorite steamed or stir fried vegetables.
Desserts: Finish with a Japanese cheesecake or perhaps 2-ingredient dragon fruit ice cream.
How to Store Shrimp Spring Rolls
Store: It’s best to eat spring rolls fresh within an hour or 2 of rolling them. They can be rolled in plastic wrap, refrigerated and eaten within 24 hours but you will find that the rice paper hardens, making them harder to chew.
Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing shrimp spring rolls.
Top Tips
Soak briefly: Only dip the rice paper for a few seconds so it stays workable.
Don’t overfill: A little goes a long way to keep the roll easy to wrap.
Use a damp surface: Roll on a damp plate to prevent sticking.
Slice carefully: Use a sharp knife and cut gently to avoid tearing the wrappers.
Homemade Spring Roll FAQs
It depends where you live! 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.
You can prepare the filling and sauce a day prior, but rolls are best served within an hour or 2 of making them for freshness and to prevent the wrappers getting chewy.
Shrimp Spicy Spring Rolls Recipe
Shrimp Spring Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 Pieces rice paper
- ½ Head lettuce
- 24 shrimp, peeled, de-veined and cooked
- ½ Cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 2 cucumbers, baby, peeled and julienned
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- ¼ red cabbage, thinly chopped
- ½ Cup microgreens
- ½ Package rice noodles, cooked and drained
- ½ Cup basil, fresh and chopped
For the Spicy Garlic Sauce
- ¼ Cup red chili sauce
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ Teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice cucumbers. Thinly slice peppers and red cabbage. Set aside. Cook rice noodles and drain.
- Add warm water to a shallow dish. 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, add 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.
Notes
Don’t overfill: A little goes a long way to keep the roll easy to wrap.
Use a damp surface: Roll on a damp plate to prevent sticking.
Slice carefully: Use a sharp knife and cut gently to avoid tearing the wrappers.
Nutrition
Shrimp spring rolls are a colorful and refreshing dish that’s perfect for light lunches, appetizers or warm weather meals. With a zesty garlic chili dipping sauce on the side, they’re sure to be a hit. You can swap out the filling ingredients to match what you have on hand or what’s in season. These rolls are fresh, crunchy and full of flavor without being heavy.
Other Recipes to Try
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.
The fresh crunch of the veggies with the tender shrimp is just perfect, and that spicy garlic sauce? Absolutely addictive. I could eat these all summer long!
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!!