Wow! It’s hot here, reeeeeally hot. So I decided to give the oven a break and made these vegan rice paper rolls with mango, mint, and avocado with an easy peanut dipping sauce last night. Boy, were they good!!
Homemade rice paper rolls make such an awesome light dinner on hot summer days. They’re healthy, low in calories, and super easy to make! Plus, they’re also a wonderful appetizer for parties. I mean just look at that color!
We actually first tried rice paper rolls (or rice paper wraps, however you wanna call them) on a trip to Australia almost four years ago. We spent three whole months traveling the country and this was seriously the best time of our lives!! The Australia’s nature is just gorgeous and I could have stayed sooo much longer. I can’t wait to be back one day!
But back to the vegan summer rolls! So we had lots of sushi and summer rolls while we were in Australia and as soon as I got home I just had to try make them myself. I think you could even refer to rice paper rolls as some kind of fast food, just soooo much healthier and more delicious than traditional fast food!
What You Need For The Vegan Summer Rolls:
- Vietnamese rice paper
- avocado
- cucumber
- carrots
- mango
- green onions
- purple cabbage
- radishes
- mint
- lettuce
- glass noodles
- peanut butter
- soy sauce
- garlic
As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the recipe instructions in a separate, printable recipe box at the end of this post.
How to Make Rice Paper Rolls
FIRST STEP: Start by cutting up your veggies into thin stripes. I used a cucumber, carrots, a mango, radishes, purple cabbage, lettuce, green onions, and mint. I also put in some glass noodles, which are really easy to prepare. Just let them soften in hot water for a couple of minutes.
We usually also put in some fried tofu with soy sauce and sesame seeds. As soon as we ate the rice paper rolls last night, I realized that I forgot to put in the tofu, so it’s not in the picture. Sorry about that! I guess the heat doesn’t help with my memory. Haha!
I included the tofu in the recipe though. If you want a soy-free version, the rice paper rolls are, however, also great without the tofu!
SECOND STEP: When you’re done cutting the veggies, fill a shallow bowl with water and dip the rice papers in the water so they get moderately wet on both sides. Don’t let them soak too long, so they don’t get get clumpy.
Andrea from Viet World Kitchen posted a very detailed guide on how to roll summer rolls, so you might wanna check that out if you’re unsure how to wrap the rice paper rolls the right way. But it really isn’t that hard! I suck at stuff like this (I think I’m the worst sushi maker in the world. Haha!), but I managed to make these rice paper wraps, so I’m sure you’ll do just fine!
THIRD STEP: After soaking the rice papers, fill them with the veggies and wrap them like a burrito. I think it’s best to center the filling and then roll it up and fold in the two side flaps.
How to Make Peanut Butter Sauce for Dipping
The peanut butter dipping sauce is just as easy as making the rice paper rolls or actually even much easier. Just combine 1/4 cup of peanut butter with soy sauce, garlic, a bit warm water, and some sriracha sauce. That’s it! You’re good to go. ;-)
I hope you like these colorful, veggie-packed rice paper rolls as much as we do around here! Let me know if you give them a try. As always, I love hearing from you guys!
Rice Paper Rolls with Mango
Ingredients
For the rice paper rolls:
- 6 sheets Vietnamese rice paper
- 1 avocado
- 1 cucumber
- 3 small carrots
- 1 mango
- 3 green onions, cut into rings
- 1 cup purple cabbage, cut into thin stripes
- about 6 radishes, cut into thin slices
- 1 cup fresh mint
- 2-3 cups lettuce, cut into thin stripes
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked glass noodles
For the fried sesame tofu (optional):
- 7 oz block firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
For the peanut dipping sauce:
- 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3-4 tablespoons warm water
- 1/2 teaspoons sriracha sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the avocado, the carrots, the mango, the lettuce, and the purple cabbage into thing stripes.
- When you're done cutting the veggies, fill a shallow bowl with water and dip the rice papers in water so they get moderately wet on both sides. Don't let them soak too long, so they don't get too soft.
- First make the tofu (it's optional but really yummy): Cut the tofu into thin stripes (about 0.10 inches thick) and heat the sesame oil in a medium-sized pan. Add the tofu and the soy sauce and cook for about 4 minutes until the tofu is brown and crispy. Then add the sesame seeds and cook for another minute.
- When you soaked the rice papers, fill them with the veggies and the tofu (if using) and wrap them like a burrito. I think it's best to center the filling and then roll it up and fold in the two side flaps.
- Then make the peanut dipping sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter with the soy sauce, the garlic, the warm water, and the sriracha sauce.
- Serve the rice paper rolls with the peanut dipping sauce.
These look so good! I love any chance to eat more mango.
I enjoy these rice wraps…I also like to add sesame oil to the glass noodles or rice vermicelli noodle for that Asian flavor.
So gorgeous! The perfect light summer meal and would make a great appetizer too. Love it!
These not only look visually stunning but sound SO flavourful and delicious!
Love rice paper wraps! These are so fresh and the mango and mint….flavor explosion!
So pretty! I love using rice paper, they really do make dinner fun. I’m loving all of the colors in this, and that sauce looks amazing.
Just look at all of the seasonal goodness you packed in those babies! I’ve never tried avocado and mango together and am intrigued.
These are so pretty and colorful Sina! I recently tried mango for the first time in my life and am making a dessert with it and was so surprised at how good it was! Reminded me of apples. I love that you added mint, so refreshing!
I could eat rice paper rolls for days!!! These looks so good, and dipping sauce is a MUST!
I have made these several times and they are totally delicious. I think I could eat them every day for the rest of my life. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe.
Haha! So great to hear that you like them, Jeanne! I love how healthy and light they are. :-)
These look beautiful! And so nice that you had a great time in Australia, that’s where I live – we have so much wonderful, colorful fruits and vegetables here, can see where you inspiration came from :) Love your blog!
I’m not very good at soaking the rice paper according to the instructions, I try to get it out of the water as best as I can but it usually falls apart or sticks together! What i it that I am doing wrong?
Visually stunning is right!! That’s half the presentation! I asked the gal at the Vietnamese store exactly how to prepare the rice paper, and she was disgusted and angry with me!! As if I should know as an American!! Anyway, thanks to your tutorial, I made these lovelies and my guests were enthralled. Thanks so much for explaining in detail exactly how these wonderful rolls are prepared!
These are so beautiful! I love making spring rolls—I agree, they’re not as hard to make as you would think! Once you get started it moves pretty quickly!
can I make these an hour or so ahead for dinner parties and how do I keep them from drying out?
Hi Shannon, Yes, this should be absolutely no problem. Just cover them with plastic wrap and store them in the fridge until your guests arrive. Let me know how you liked them. :-)
Yum! I made something like this last night but we didn’t have any sauces for dipping. I bet the sauce makes it so much better! Thanks!
wonderful recipe Sina, thanks for sharing this with us. cheers!
I have never made rice paper rolls before and i wan’t to make them for a work lunch.
Am i best constructing on the day or do they keep fine overnight?
Will the mango make the rice paper too soggy – will it disintegrate?
Thanks!
In Vietnam, at the temple, we make Vietnamese sushi. We do exactly as you have done here, except we place a nori sheet on the rice paper after it has been wetted down. (I cut the nori to fit the rice paper. Then add the filling. We also put some wasabi and ginger on the nori sheet before adding the veggies.
These turned out absolutely DELICIOUS!! Definitely a keeper!
Are the calories for one roll? It seemed high but with the sauce I guess maybe..