Fresh Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Fresh Spring rolls with spicy peanut sauce are a healthy lunch, loaded with fresh veggies. They’re easy to make and a great option to replace sandwiches.

When it comes to lunches, I’ve never been much of a sandwich person. Occasionally, I’ll let my inner child loose and have a PB&J but only once in a while. I’ll have quesadillas some times and if there is dinner leftovers, I’ll reach for those. But all in all, I hate to admit it, lunches around here can get pretty boring. To the point where I’m eating it thinking “ok what’s for dinner?”

Then I made these Fresh Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce and they are a total game changer.

Fresh Spring Roll Ingredients:

You can really put anything you want in them. There’s a great post on White on Rice Couple on How to Roll Fresh Spring Rolls. They have a ton of awesome info there that helped me create this recipe.

• THIN RICE NOODLES: Think vermicelli but made with rice. These noodles are what makes the spring rolls hearty. They are usually found in the Asian foods section of your grocery store.
• SOY GINGER DRESSING: This gives the noodles a bit of flavor.
• BIBB LETTUCE: Also called butter lettuce. I prefer this lettuce for this recipe because while it does add a bit of crunch, the leaves are also tender.
• CUCUMBER/CARROTS/CABBAGE: You want to make sure all of these are cut into thin julienned cuts, all the same size. That will make filling (and eating) the rolls easier.
• MINT: Fresh mint works wonders in this recipe. Just a couple leaves per roll is perfect.
• RICE PAPER WRAPPERS: Like the rice noodles, these will likely be found in the Asian food aisle at your grocery store. They are thin wrappers made with rice. They will look like round pieces of paper but after a soak in water, they will soften and you’ll be able to roll them.

Spicy Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

Now in my opinion, you’ve got to have peanut sauce to dunk your fresh spring rolls in. It should come as no shock to those of you that are regular readers of Life’s Ambrosia, that I’m also partial to SPICY peanut sauce.

This recipe gets a little kick from Sriracha but leave it out if you don’t like the heat. It’s still good!

• PEANUT BUTTER: Creamy works best and I prefer to use the peanut butter that is simply peanuts and salt. If you use peanut butter with sugar in it you may not need to add as much hoisin sauce as that might make it too sweet.
• GARLIC: Pressed or minced fine so you don’t bite into large pieces of raw garlic.
• SRIRACHA SAUCE: This is what gives the peanut sauce it’s heat. Adjust to your desired heat level.
• HOISIN: To add sweetness to the sauce. Again, if you use a peanut butter with sugar, you may not need to use as much hoisin.
• SOY SAUCE: For saltiness/umami flavor
• LIME JUICE: The acidity helps brighten the sauce.
• WATER: To thin the sauce so it’s easier to dip the spring rolls in. Add in as little or as much as you want to your desired consistency.

How to make fresh spring rolls:

STEP #1: Make the peanut sauce first so it has time for the flavors to mingle. Simply whisk together peanut butter, garlic, 2 tablespoons water, sriracha, hoisin, soy sauce and lime juice. If sauce seems too thick continue adding water until desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

STEP #2: Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and pat dry between paper towels. Pour dressing over the top of noodles and toss to coat.

STEP #3: Soak 1 piece of rice paper in the water for about 30 seconds or until it becomes soft and pliable. Carefully lay the wet wrapper on a flat surface. Place a lettuce leaf about about one inch from the edge of the wrapper closest to you. Place a few cucumbers, some cabbage and carrots on top of the lettuce. Place some noodles on top and sprinkle with mint. Working away from you, carefully fold the wrapper over the mixture. Next fold in both sides and then continue rolling away from you to seal. Place finished roll seam side down on the serving platter. Repeat with remaining filling and wraps making sure the rolls do not touch on the serving platter. Serve with peanut sauce.

Storing:

I found that these Fresh Spring Rolls are perfect to make and have for lunches during the week. However, the wrappers themselves can get kind of sticky as they sit. That is why to store them I recommend wrapping them each individually. They will keep fresh for a few days in the refrigerator.

Looking for more Asian inspired recipes? Check these out:

• Filipino Pancit Recipe
• Filipino Lumpia with Lumpia Sauce
• Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
• Chicken Pot Stickers

Note: This post was originally published in 2015. It was updated with new photos, step by step photo collage and nutrition information in 2021.

Fresh Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Fresh Spring rolls with spicy peanut sauce are a healthy lunch, loaded with fresh veggies. They're easy to make and a great option to replace sandwiches.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Easy Appetizer Recipes

Cuisine Asian

Servings 10 Servings

Calories 207 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Spring Roll Ingredients:

• ▢ 4 ounces thin rice noodles
• ▢ 2 - 3 tablespoons Soy ginger dressing such as Tessamae's
• ▢ 10 - 12 bib lettuce leaves rinsed and pat dry
• ▢ 1/2 medium cucumber peeled and julienned
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup finely sliced red cabbage
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups julienned carrots
• ▢ 10 fresh mint leaves
• ▢ 10 - 12 rice paper wrappers

Spicy Peanut Sauce

• ▢ 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 2 - 4 tablespoons water
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons hoisin
• ▢ 1 1/4 teaspoons soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lime juice

Instructions

 

• ▢
  Make the peanut sauce first so it has time for the flavors to mingle. Simply whisk together peanut butter, garlic, 2 tablespoons water, sriracha, hoisin, soy sauce and lime juice. If sauce seems too thick continue adding water until desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• ▢
  Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and pat dry between paper towels.
• ▢
  Pour dressing over the top of noodles and toss to coat.
• ▢
  Arrange all of your ingredients in an assembly line.
• ▢
  To make one roll: Soak 1 piece of rice paper in the water for about 30 seconds or until it becomes soft and pliable. Carefully lay the wet wrapper on a flat surface. Place a lettuce leaf about about one inch from the edge of the wrapper closest to you. Place a few cucumbers, some cabbage and carrots on top of the lettuce. Place some noodles on top and sprinkle with mint. Be careful not to overfill or the wraps will tear. Working away from you, carefully fold the wrapper over the mixture. Next fold in both sides and then continue rolling away from you to seal. Place finished roll seam side down on the serving platter. Repeat with remaining filling and wraps making sure the rolls do not touch on the serving platter. Serve with peanut sauce.
• ▢
  Leftovers can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator. Eat within a few days.

Notes

The peanut butter I used is simply peanuts and salt. If the peanut butter you are using has sugar, I would add the hoisin a little bit at a time to ensure the sauce doesn't become too sweet.

Be careful not to overfill the wrappers or they will tear.

This recipe makes 10 - 12 rolls so it's perfect for a couple of days worth of lunches. Make sure that when you are storing them you wrap them individually in plastic wrap so that they don't stick together.

Nutrition facts for estimation purposes only.

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcalCarbohydrates: 35.1gProtein: 4.4gFat: 5.6gSaturated Fat: 1.1gSodium: 210mgFiber: 2.7gSugar: 3.9g

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Keywords: peanut, spring rolls, vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian