Crunchy vegetables get nestled into a bed of thick, creamy peanut sauce and rolled in rice paper to make a light, fresh, Asian-inspired snack or meal. 
Have you been passing up on spring rolls forever because they look like a squishy, rubbery version of your favorite deep fried egg roll? Well, they’re not, I swear! I spent many many years skeptical of the spring roll. Something just seemed unappetizing about them, and I wasn’t interested. 
But you guys? They are so good. SO GOOD. Spring rolls are like little baby burritos filled with everything fresh and wonderful about sushi, but minus the seaweed and rice. Only, sort of plus the rice because spring rolls are made out of rice paper. It’s paper made out of rice, people. What’s not to love?
Rice paper comes in a package, usually labeled something like “spring roll wrappers”. Creative, I know. They look like round sheets of plastic, but just dip them in warm water for about 10 seconds, and voila! Soft, flexible rice wrappers that are perfect for rolling up all your favorite veggies. I took all the vegetables and herbs in my kitchen, sliced them into thin strips, and stacked them onto the rice paper. A generous slather of peanut sauce on the bottom holds the whole operation together, and then they get rolled, burrito-style, into precious little hand held bites of freshness. 
If you’re getting bored with the same old lunches you pack for work every day, these spring rolls could be the answer to all of your problems. You can just as easily make 5 as you can make 25, so make a big batch and stick them in the fridge for the week! Just leave out the peanut sauce so they don’t get soggy, and instead pack it in a little container on the side for dipping. If you can escape work for a few minutes, take them outside. Sitting on a bench/sidewalk/grassy patch with a container full of spring rolls is a sure way to brighten your workday.
I think you’re going to love these spring rolls just as much as I do! Each bite is filled with cold, crisp, fresh vegetables, herbs, and slightly spicy, bold peanut sauce. They’re an easy hand-held lunch, and one that can be customized to make everyone in your family happy. Raw or baked tofu, or even roasted chicken, salmon, or shrimp would also all work here, easily bumping these rolls from lunch to dinner territory. The only thing I wouldn’t do is leave out the sauce. The thick, creamy, texture and spicy flavor profile melds with the raw veggies perfectly. If you’re allergic to peanuts, tahini is a great substitute; the sauce is adapted from my sushi bowls, so you could definitely use that sauce instead. Whatever you do, get some spring rolls in your life asap! Leave me a comment below to tell me how they turn out or tag me #bakedgreens on Instagram so I can follow along in your kitchen! Happy rolling, friends!
Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- 1 clove garlic finely grated
- 1 lime jested and juiced
- 2- inch piece of fresh ginger finely grated
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce I used liquid aminos. Either works
- 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter*
- 2-3 Tablespoons water to thin
Spring Rolls
- 1 Large dish with an inch of warm tap water in it I used a pie plate
- Rice Paper Wrappers
- Thinly sliced asparagus radish, cucumber, carrot, red bell pepper, scallions and avocado**
- A handful of fresh herbs like mint and cilantro
- Sesame Seeds optional
- Peanut Sauce recipe above
Instructions
- 1. Make the peanut sauce by either combining all ingredients except water in a small blender/food processor, or stirring in a bowl with a spoon. If making it in a bowl, be sure to very finely grate your garlic and ginger. I used a microplane for this. Stir/blend in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. I like it a little thick as a filling, but thin it out more if using as a dip.
- 2. Assemble spring rolls: one at a time, dip the rice paper into water and let sit for 10+ seconds, or until very soft and flexible. Transfer to a plate or cutting board, and add your fillings to the lower third of the circle (see photos above). I used a spoonful of sauce, and 2-3 slices of each vegetable/herb, plus a sprinkle of sesame seeds in each roll.
- 3. To roll, first fold the left and right sides in, so they slightly cover the filling. Then, working from the side closest to you, roll the spring roll into a tight log. If you've made a burrito before, this is the same process. See photos above for visual.
- 4. Repeat the process for as many spring rolls as you'd like to make. For reference, this batch of sauce filled 6 rolls. Double or triple the recipe if you'd like to make more.
Notes
**I let the amount of vegetables I chop up dictate how many rolls I end up with. For reference, 1/2 an avocado, 1 carrot, 4 asparagus spears, 2 radishes, 2 scallions, and about 1/4 of a seedless cucumber made 6 rolls for me. I was left with 10 unused rice paper wrappers in the package, which I used for spring rolls another day. Adapted from the sauce from my Vegetable Spring Rolls