Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls are packed with bright, fresh flavours and served with an insanely addictive Vietnamese Peanut Dipping Sauce that takes a minute to make. With a couple of cheeky tricks, step by step photos and an easy to follow video, you’ll be rolling perfect rice paper rolls like a pro in no time!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls – always a hit!!
If I took a platter of these to a gathering with my friends, I guarantee they’d be one of the first things to go. Everybody I know loves these. Even the hardest of hard-core carnivores munch these down as enthusiastically as they would a rack of ribs.
They truly are that good.
Vietnamese food is my idea of the ultimate “accidently healthy” food. Sure, there are a handful of deep fried recipes. But generally, most Vietnamese dishes are super fresh, full of bright flavours, loaded with herbs and salads, with just a bit of protein. Dressings and sauces are refreshingly light and devoid of oil, unlike basically every Western dressing!
I think that Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls are one of those things that people love but always assume are just too fiddly or too hard to make. To dispel of that myth, let me tell you – I am not into fiddly. That’s why you’ll never see fancy decorated cakes on my blog. I simply don’t have the patience or co-ordination for fiddly dishes – sweet or savoury.
I actually posted this recipe way back when I started my blog. A couple of years on, and my photos have somewhat improved but more importantly – VIDEO! I REALLY wanted to remake this with a video, it is so great to be able to demonstrate how to make these rolls.
Serving idea: DIY spread!
Lay out all the ingredients with a large bowl of water for dipping the rice paper in, then make everyone make their own. This DIY approach is a menu item on Vietnamese restaurants here in Sydney which is very popular, I always order it!
Tips to make Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls
In addition to the video, I have 2 little tips that can make your Vietnamese Rice Paper Roll Making Life so much easier:
Bundle up fly-away bits inside a piece of lettuce. I like making these with bean sprouts and vermicelli noodles (other filling suggestions in the recipe notes). Until you get your rolling technique down pat, bundle it up in lettuce before rolling it in the rice paper. This holds the “stuff” together which makes it so much easier to roll the rice paper and it will also prevent things like bean sprouts, carrots, cucumber etc from piercing the rice paper;
Use two rice paper sheets – again, this is a tip while you are an up-and-coming Rice Paper Roll Master. It is much easier to handle when rolling. The downside is that the ends are a touch chewy, because there’s triple / quadruple layers. But it’s not tough chewy, not in the least bit. It’s just chewy compared to how soft and fragile a single layer of rice paper is. It doesn’t deter me at all. My mother noticed it, but it didn’t stop her from hoeing down 4 of these in minutes. Never fails to amazes me that a woman of a certain age can consume so much so quickly. (PS She came over to be my hand model for the video, this was a tough one to shoot by myself!)
PS The reason the prawns and lettuce bundle are laid out in different positions on the rice paper is so there is only layer of rice paper on the prawns once rolled up – makes the prawns more visible. Ie Pretty rolls.
Peanut Dipping Sauce for Rice Paper Rolls
This peanut sauce is everything!! This is a Vietnamese Peanut Dipping Sauce. The 2 key ingredients are peanut butter and hoisin sauce which is thinned out with either milk or water (I prefer milk for colour. With water, the sauce is darker). Plus vinegar for a bit of tang (really needs it), garlic (it ain’t Asian if there’s no garlic in it!) and a touch of chilli if you want (which I love).
It’s different to Thai / Malaysian / Chinese style peanut sauces and I think you and this Vietnamese Peanut Sauce are going to be very good friends. 🙂
So…..what do you think? 🙂 Have I convinced you to try your hand at becoming a Rice Paper Roll Master?? – Nagi xx
PS There are a bunch of other filling ideas in the recipe notes. I’ve kept this fairly classic.
PPS Even if they are wonky, they still taste incredible!!!
Get your Vietnamese fix!
Lemongrass Chicken – one of my favourite things to grill!
Vietnamese Caramel Pork – another iconic Vietnamese food! Also see the Chicken version.
Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Bowls – the super quick version of the above
And some other ways with fresh prawns
5 Prawn Dipping Sauces for a giant bucket of fresh prawns
Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls (this recipe)
Fresh peeled prawns alongside a Corn Salad with Avocado for a quick summer meal
Browse all Prawn / Shrimp Recipes
Watch How To Make It
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls (Spring Rolls)
Ingredients
- 7 – 14 sheets of 22cm/8.5″ round rice paper (Note 1)
- 11 small cooked prawns/shrimp (about 12cm/5″ in length, unpeeled including the head)
- 50g / 1.5 oz dried vermicelli noodles
- 7 lettuce leaves – use a lettuce with soft leaves, like Oak or Butter Lettuce (Note 2)
- 14 mint leaves
- 1 cup bean sprouts
Vietnamese Peanut Dipping Sauce (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp peanut butter, preferably smooth (crunchy is ok too)
- 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar (or lime juice)
- 1/3 cup milk (any fat %) (or water)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp crushed chilli, samba oelak or other chilli paste, adjust to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Peanut Sauce: Combine the Peanut Dipping Sauce ingredients. Mix briefly (it won’t come together), then microwave for 30 seconds. Mix again until smooth. Set aside to cool. Adjust sour with vinegar, salt with salt and spiciness to taste. Thickness can be adjusted with milk or water once cooled.
- Place vermicelli noodles in a bowl and cover with warm water for 2 minutes, then drain (or follow packet instructions).
- Peel the prawns, slice in half lengthwise and devein (watch video).
- Remove the crunchy core of the lettuce leaves (watch video).
- Tip – LETTUCE BUNDLE (Note 4): Place some vermicelli noodles and bean sprouts in a lettuce leaf, then roll it up, finishing seam side down. Repeat.
- Fill a large bowl with warm water. The bowl doesn’t need to be large enough to fit the whole rice paper in one go.
- Place two rice papers together (if using 2). Note which side is the smooth side – this is supposed to be the outside of the spring roll. Submerge the rice papers into the water (both of them at the same time, together) for 2 seconds. If your bowl isn’t large enough to fit the whole rice paper in one go, that’s fine, just rotate it and count 2 seconds for each section you submerge into the water.
- Place both the rice papers (one on top of the other, they will stick together) on a board or the counter with the smooth side down.
- On the top part of the rice paper, place 3 prawns with a mint leaf in between, as per the photo below.
- Place the lettuce bundle with the seam side down onto the middle of the rice paper.
- Fold the left and right edges of the rice paper in, then starting from the bottom, roll up to cover the lettuce bundle. Then keep rolling firmly. The rice paper is sticky, it will seal itself.
- If you placed the ingredients on the rice paper as per the photo below, your rice paper rolls should look pretty with the prawn and mint leaves on the smooth side of the roll and the seam on the side or underside of the roll.
- Serve immediately with the peanut dipping sauce.
Recipe Notes:
* Julienned vegetables like carrots, cucumbers
* Alfalfa, watercress and other similar shaped vegetables
* Thinly sliced tofu
* Shredded chicken and other proteins
* Other herbs like coriander/cilantro, chives (this is classic Viet) 7. ORIGINAL PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE: As requested by a reader! The one provided in the recipe is more authentic and akin to what you get at Vietnamese restaurants here in Sydney. But here is the original one, FYI: ½ cup smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis, it’s thick like syrup)
2 small garlic cloves (or 1 large), minced
1 birds eye chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp lime juice
Water Mix together ingredients, using water to thin to a dippable consistency. 8. Nutrition per rice paper roll, no sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Originally posted in July 2014, updated with new words, an even better peanut dipping sauce, new photos and a video!
Life Of Dozer
“WHY is she setting fire to my food???!!!”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOZER!! I want to tell you that he had an extra special day….but honestly? It’s like every day is his birthday….
Ive tried this on one stall in baga manila here in district imus it was amazing we loved it when we comeback to eat again the stall is not there…so me and my partner plan to DIY….but we cant find any rice paper in any mall or store here in dasmarinas…. Where can we get those rice papers?…..
Hi Leslie! Have you got an Asian store anywhere?? You will definitely find them there!
Dear Nagi,
Thx for your marvellous peanut Sauce, I love it😍
Thx for sharing
Simone😘
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this Simone, thanks for letting me know! N x
Wow, you make it look so easy and effortless. I have made these a couple of times in the past but will definitely be giving them another go, very soon, using your technique of course.
PS thanks also for the video which makes it even easier 🙂
I have made spring rolls before, but used bean sprouts instead of the noodles. I also just bought the dipping sauce from my favorite Vietnamese restaurant because I didn’t have a recipe for it. I am looking forward to trying this recipe out and will let you know how it goes! Thanks for the pointers about rolling the noodles, etc., in the lettuce leaves.
Hope you love it Nancy! 🙂 N xx
Really, really tasty! And so easy to make. Thx so much Nagi!
Terrific to hear John! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it – N x
Absolutely delish!
Love this recipe, thank you so much for sharing.
Dipping Sauce is Devine! I also put Cucumber in the cold rolls, perfect freshness 🙂
That’s wonderful to hear Te! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed this! N xx
Nagi, is using two rice wrappers together a useful technique for beginners because I notice in your video (so helpful) only one was used? My husband I belong to a gourmet dinner club and are taking fresh spring rolls for an appetizer. Rule of the club – you must NEVER have made the dish before. Challenging and you always need a Plan B in case Plan A doesn’t work out.
Lucky Dozer. Dozer and our dog, Ginger, certainly have that every day is my birthday thing in common.
Can you make these ahead or do they have to be eaten immediately?
Thanks so much for the no-nonsense tips (2 rice papers for the beginner + mini roll of sprouts in lettuce = MIND BLOWN!!!) These 2 elements have totally changed my approach and ensures I make these at home FREQUENTLY!
.. and the peanut dipping sauce is bang-on!
🙂
I LOVE hearing that Nicole! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Made this for dinner tonight. Delicious! Fresh coriander, mint & chives make it taste so fresh!
LOVE hearing that Kate!!! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
I just finished eating my rice paper rolls for lunch and they were easy and delicious, my kids have taken them in their lunchboxes too! Thanks for the extra rolling tips too
So glad you enjoyed this Elesha! N x ❤️
Made the peanut sauce in a large mortar and pestle, with whole peanuts lime juice and coconut milk. It was excellent. Definitely a keeper. I still like the classic Indonesian peanut sauce with tamarind, shrimp paste, and soy sauce, but this one is easier and faster. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it David!!! 🙂 N xx
Great recipe and video, I’ve never made these before and my first attempt was successful! This is one of my favorite things to order at our usual pho restaurant here in Portland, Oregon. Thank you!!!
That’s wonderful to hear Kelsey! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Where do you buy the rice paper wrappers?
Hi Sally! Here in Australia it’s sold in the asian section of supermarkets. Otherwise every Asian store carries them!
Thanks for sharing – tips to wrap the lettuce first with vermicelli was very helpful!
Thanks for sharing
You’re so welcome!
Are the vermicelli noodles the kind you get in the pasta section, like angel hair or thin spaghetti noodles? Thanks!
Hi Olivia! I find them in the Asian aisle at normal supermarkets 🙂 They are white and very thin. N x
Yum! I really one to try these.
Just a quick question about the sauce. I only buy natural peanut butter, is the one you use the sweet stuff? (I.e. Kraft) i guess I can use natural and add a bit of sugar to taste? What do you think?
Yep I use Kraft, and you probably won’t even need to add sugar because of the other ingredients in the sauce!
Thank you for sharing!😊
Thank you for sharing !