Fresh and colorful vegan summer rolls made with rice paper wraps. Fun, filling, veggie-packed and served with the best peanut sauce ever!
These vegan summer rolls are super yum!
They are Vietnamese style vegan rice paper rolls packed with delicious veggies for a really fresh and delicious appetizer.
They’re also called ‘rainbow’ spring rolls and I guess this is because they are so colorful!
And the sauce? Oh my, you will love the sauce. The sauce is almost the whole reason you want to make these summer rolls.
I’m not even joking, you’ll just be like, I need things to dip into this sauce!
What You Need To Make It:
Ingredient Notes
- Extra Firm Tofu – I was keen to get some protein in these summer rolls and make them really filling so I put some tofu strips in. This way if you want to have them as a main course – you totally can. This does add a bit of time to the recipe, so if you’re just like – give me the rolls and the sauce and I don’t care about the tofu – that’s fine too, you can leave off the tofu and make these rolls much faster. But if you do want to make the tofu, it really makes this recipe next level delicious.
- Hoisin sauce – check the label for vegan friendliness as not all brands are vegan friendly.
- Soy sauce – can be switched for tamari.
How To Make Vegan Summer Rolls
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
Prepare the tofu and veggies:
- Start off by pressing the tofu for 20 minutes. This makes it extra firm so that it holds together well when frying. I use (and love) a tofu press, but you can also just place the tofu on a plate with another plate on top of it and then place something heavy on top of that, like a heavy pot or a stack of books.
- While the tofu is pressing, prepare your veggies. Sliced cucumbers, sliced red cabbage, sliced red pepper, sliced avocado and shredded carrot.
Make the sauce to fry with the tofu:
- Then mix up some soy sauce, hoisin sauce and maple syrup with some ground ginger, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper in a measuring jug which is the sauce you’ll use when frying your tofu.
Fry the tofu:
- When your tofu is pressed, cut it into strips and then fry it up with some olive oil, gently turning the tofu until it’s lightly browned.
Add sauce:
- Then pour over the sauce and fry until the tofu is sticky and browned.
Assemble your summer rolls:
- Now that your tofu is done, you’re ready to assemble your spring rolls.
- Add the veggies to the middle of the rice paper wrap and top with tofu and sliced avocado. Then you just tuck in the sides and roll it up.
- The recipe makes 8 large summer rolls that you can then cut in half so that you have 16 in total.
Make the peanut sauce:
- Now you can make up the vegan peanut sauce, which is a simple mix of peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, garlic powder, ground ginger, fresh lime and dried chili flakes. Just add all ingredients to a measuring jug and whisk them up into a sauce. Set aside for later.
Pro Recipe Tips
Use two sheets of rice paper for each spring roll. This helps enormously, because if you just use one, it can be a little flimsy and breakable. Using two sheets makes it much more sturdy and easier to roll.
It does make the rice paper more noticeable though, it’s not just a ‘barely there’ cover for your filling, it’s more there there, but considering how much easier it makes them to roll, I think it’s needed.
And when it’s smothered with peanut sauce, you don’t mind slightly thicker rice paper, it makes it easier to scoop more sauce too. Which is only a good thing.
You can mix and match your veggies. You don’t have to use exactly what we used, if you want to switch the red cabbage for some shredded lettuce, you totally can. Mix and match veggies as you like, you just want it to be colorful and of course, the peanut sauce is a non-negotiable!
Recipe FAQ
These are definitely best when fresh. Wrap leftovers in foil and keep in the fridge but ideally consume them all within a day.
You can store leftover peanut sauce in the fridge for up to 5 days. It is also freezer friendly.
The rolls themselves are not freezer friendly, though you can freeze leftover sauce.
More Delicious Vegan Appetizers
- Vegan Bruschetta
- Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce
- Vegan Zucchini Fritters
- Vegan Tomato Basil Soup
- Vegan Jalapeño Poppers
- Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Summer Rolls
Ingredients
Tofu and Sauce:
- 8 ounces Extra Firm Tofu (226g) Pressed, and cut into strips
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil For frying
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Summer Rolls:
- 1 and ½ cups Sliced Cucumbers (200g)
- 2 cups Red Cabbage (178g) Shredded
- 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper Sliced
- 1 Medium Avocado Sliced
- 1 Large Carrot Shredded
- 16 Sheets Rice Paper Round
Peanut Sauce:
- ⅔ cup Peanut Butter (166g)
- ½ cup Coconut Milk (120ml)
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce (60ml)
- 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 Tbsp Lime Juice
- ⅛ tsp Dried Chili Flakes
Instructions
- Prepare the tofu and veggies: Press the tofu, ideally using a tofu press, or by placing the tofu on a plate with another plate on top of it and then placing something heavy on top like a stack of books or a heavy pot. Let it press for around 20 minutes while you prepare the veggies.
- Slice your cucumbers and red cabbage and red bell pepper and avocado and shred your carrot.
- Make the sauce for the tofu: Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, maple syrup, ground ginger, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper into a jug and whisk it up into a sauce for the tofu.
- Fry the tofu: When your tofu is pressed, cut it into strips and then fry it up with the olive oil, gently turning the tofu until it's lightly browned.
- Add the sauce: Pour the sauce over the fried tofu and fry the tofu in the sauce until the tofu is sticky and browned.
- Assemble your summer rolls: Now you're ready to assemble your summer rolls. Fill a bowl with warm water. Ideally the bowl should be big enough to fit the rice paper but if it’s not, it will still work, you will just have to swirl it around.
- Place two of the rice paper wraps into the bowl of water at the same time. They will stick together. Submerge them for a couple of seconds until softened.
- Place both rice paper wraps onto a wooden board with the smooth side down.
- Add a selection fo the veggies to the middle of the rice paper wrap and top with tofu and sliced avocado. Then you just tuck in the sides and roll it up. The rice paper is very sticky so it doesn't need to be held in place, it just seals itself.
- Make the peanut sauce. Add all the ingredients for the peanut sauce to a measuring jug and whisk together until smooth. Serve alongside the spring rolls as a dipping sauce.
Notes
- Check the hoisin sauce for vegan friendliness as not all brands are vegan.
- This recipe makes 8 large summer rolls that you can then cut in half so that you have 16 in total.
- Nutritional information is for everything including peanut sauce.
- This recipe was first published in April 2019. It has been updated with extra tips but the recipe itself is unchanged.
Delicious! A couple things I did: I didn’t press my tofu but cut into strips, coated in minced ginger and then popped it into my air fryer at 325 for 10 minutes while I prepared the tofu sauce….then added it to tofu sauce in skillet. Worked wonderfully to give my tofu a little extra firmness . I then used some of the tofu sauce as a second dipping option to the peanut butter sauce. HINT: I always double sauce recipes because there is rarely enough….fortunately I did not double….and still have enough sauce for another 4 batches. Waaaayyyyyy too much sauce…but delicious. I did tone down intensity with a little extra coconut milk. One more thing…I dipped one wrap at a time on cool water so it was easier to lay on my prep mat without getting wonky. By the time I finished filling the wrap was perfectly pliable for rolling….worked great and saved a bit of frustration keeping wraps behaved. All in all this recipe is a keeper….really good! Thank-you
Thanks for sharing Denise! So glad you enjoyed them!
Ever so tasty, colourful and nutritious! A must for unexpected guests too!
Thanks Anna!
Very colorful and so yummy with the peanut sauce.