Vegan Spring Rolls
*Disclosure: some links may contain affiliate links. For more information on what this means, visit my disclosure page.
These easy vegan spring rolls were inspired by my favorite spring rolls from a Thai restaurant my husband used to work near! Unfortunately, we don’t live in that area anymore, so we had to re-create them.
Originally published: December 4th, 2019
Have you ever loved a food out so much that you were willing to try to make it at home?
I have! These are called copycat recipes and you can find them all over the internet.The recipes I have recreated at home include the spring roll recipe below, a burrito I loved from Moe’s (nowhere to be found where we lived, when we lived in Washington), and a Starbucks frappuccino.
It Took Team Work to Recreate These Spring Rolls!
If you’ve ever attempted to make a food taste exactly like a food out, you’ll find that it sometimes takes a few tries!
Sometimes you’ll completely fail the first couple of times, other times the food may be just slightly off.
Luckily, this spring roll recipe was easier to make than we had first thought. I say we, because my husband was part of this recipe creation, too!
We started off with the only egg roll wrappers we could find from where we usually get groceries, it failed…
Then we tried the see through dry spring roll wrappers…those failed, too.
Ingredients for Vegan Spring Rolls
Cabbage: There are only 3 ingredients that fill these spring rolls and cabbage is one of them. It must be shredded and steamed to get it soft and to taste amazing in these spring rolls. Red and green cabbage both taste amazing in these!
Carrots: I’ve only ever tried regular orange carrots in this recipe, but it would be fun to use other colors if you have them
Vermicelli: Vermicelli might be difficult to find, we always buy them at the Asian supermarket near us. If you don’t have one near you, then check the international sections in grocery stores. And if you still can’t find them, the ones I get can be found online here.
Frozen Spring Roll Wrappers: This one is important – you NEED FROZEN SPRING ROLL WRAPPERS. When I first attempted to make spring rolls I tried all the spring roll wrappers that said they were spring rolls on the package – they are not made the same!
They might be called spring roll pastry or spring roll shell, if it’s not called spring roll wrappers in your area. There’s only one place near me I can find them and that’s at an Asian supermarket. They will be in the freezer section.
If stores near you have a good international section then you might be able to find it there, otherwise you might have to check out some stores to find them, but trust me, it’s worth it! If you can find the same brand in the image above – so you know it’s right – just buy 2 (or more)!
Peanut Oil: Peanut oil is needed if you choose to deep fry these spring rolls. They do taste best deep fried, but I understand there are many reasons not to deep fry in peanut oil (allergies, WFPB no SOS diet, etc.). If you are not deep frying these, then you don’t need this oil. I have not tested this recipe in any other type of oil.
How to Make these Easy Vegan Spring Rolls
Now that I know how to make these the right way I know that these are super simple to make!
Start by getting your frozen egg roll wrappers out to thaw. The amount of time it takes for them to thaw will vary depending on the exact kind you get. Mine said half an hour to thaw, so taking them out before I started making the insides of them was just about the perfect time.
Start by washing the cabbage, getting as much water out of it as possible! This is what I use to get water off all the cabbage leaves.
Then add to a food processor and process til fine. (This is the one I have.)
Chop up the carrots as fine as you can. Seriously, the finer they are the better!
Saute the cabbage and carrots on the stove on medium heat. This helps with getting rid of excess water. DO NOT add any water or oil to the veggies!
Once done, let cool, then place in the fridge to cool more.
Next, boil water on the stove.
Once boiling, add in the vermicelli. Cook the vermicelli til tender, about 5 minutes.
Drain and let cool.
Once cool enough to tough, chop it up and mix in with the cooled veggies.
How to Fill and Roll Spring Rolls
Once the insides are cooled and mixed well, it’s time to fill and roll the spring rolls!
First place a single wrapper on a plate or clean surface, with one point at you and the opposite point away from you, like a diamond.
Then add some of the filling.
These do NOT need a lot of filling inside of them, a tablespoon, possibly a little more than a tablespoon at most, as you can see in the picture above.
Place the filling halfway between you and the middle of the wrapper.
Then fold the end closer to you up. After that, fold in both sides so they are even. Finally, just roll the filling up.
If they start to unroll, add a tiny bit of water at the tip to help it stick.
Once you have the spring roll wrapped (the hard part is over!), then fry them.
Add oil to and turn on your fryer to 450ºF and be sure it’s all the way heated before frying. Or, if using a skillet on the stove, add oil and turn stove onto medium to high heat and wait for it to be hot enough. It should sizzle if you add a drop of water to it.
Be careful not to burn yourself if you are frying them, this is one part that I would not let my kids do by themselves.
Place one in crease side down and wait about 30 seconds to 2 minutes before turning it over. If you’re keeping on eye on them, which you should be, then you’ll notice when the bottom is golden, turn them over at that point. Then wait for the other side to golden. If need be, tilt it on both sides in the oil to have them be gold all around.
Let them cool and then enjoy with some plum or orange sauce!
Alternative Ways to Make Vegetable Spring Rolls
All my spring rolls, when made in a deep fryer are made with peanut oil, this was a choice my husband made about them, so that’s what we’re going with.
However, I understand peanuts is one of the top nine allergens, and I don’t want the type of oil, or the fact that it uses oil (if you’re on a no SOS diet) deter you from trying these. So I’ve tested them in other ways, as well!
You do everything the same until you reach the point of placing them into something to cook.
No Oil Methods:
Bake: Preheat oven to 400°F, once all of the spring rolls are rolled, bake for about 10 minutes on a baking sheet. Don’t overlap spring rolls, and make sure they have space around them so they’re heated evenly.
Air Fry: Preheat air fryer to 400°F, once preheated add in the spring rolls in a single layer with no overlapping. You will have to air fry these in batches if air frying all of them
We usually deep fry most of them, and then air fry and bake a few as well.
How to Store Vegan Spring Rolls
Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. For best results reheating, reheat in the airfryer for a few minutes.
Freezer: Store in a freezer safe container. Reheat in the air fryer to get a nice crisp again. Or, if you’re like one of my kids, reheat in the microwave – it will get soggy, but apparently it’s still good that way…
More Vegan Appetizer Recipes You’ll Love
Vegan Spring Rolls
Shawna ClapperEquipment
- Deep Fryer
- Large Skillet
- flipper or spoon
- Tongs
- medium sized pot
- strainer
- cutting board
- food processor optional
Ingredients
- 1 cabbage green or red
- 2 carrots medium
- 1 bundle vermicelli
- 1 package frozen spring roll wrappers
- peanut oil (optional, only need if frying)
Instructions
- Wash, dry, and process cabbage in the food processor.
- Finely chop up carrots.
- Cook veggies over medium to high heat to remove excess water (do not add anything other than veggies to pan), let cool in the fridge.
- Take frozen spring roll wrappers out to thaw.
- Cook Vermicelli, then let cool, chop into 1 inch sections, let cool, mix well into the bowl with veggies.
- Preheat the deep fryer to 400-450°F with oil in it.
- Fill and roll the spring rolls, making sure ends stick, each roll only needs about 1 tbsp of filling.
- Add one spring roll at a time to the deep fryer basket, crease side down, allow the oil to seal the spring roll before dipping the basket down further into the oil. Fry for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the deep fryer and place on a plate or platter, preferable with a clean towel or paper towels to help soak up excess oil.
- Continue rolling spring rolls and frying them all until you either run out of filling or run out of spring roll wrappers (you will most likely run out of spring roll wrappers first).
- Let cool and enjoy with your favorite plum or orange sauce!
Video
Notes
- Make sure to use spring roll wrappers from the freezer section.
- This freezes and reheat in the oven and air fryer well.
- You may have leftover filling, feel free to sprinkle some orange or plum sauce over the leftovers and enjoy as is!
