Summer rolls are one of the most refreshing foods on the planet, and they get bonus points for fitting in to just about any diet you’re on, from low carb and gluten free, to vegan, Paleo, Whole 30, Noom, and Weight Watchers!
summer rolls are like a cool breeze on a hot day
This meal is ideal for those days when you don’t even feel like eating, much less cooking…the idea comes from Southeast Asia where they know a little bit about hot humid weather. Their food is famous for being fresh and clean, with very little gluten, dairy, oil, or sugar. The focus is on fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices, and it’s a beautiful way to eat.
what are summer rolls? (aka G?i cu?n, Vietnamese spring roll, or rice paper roll)
Summer rolls consist of finely julienned veggies (also greens, herbs, and sometimes seafood) wrapped up tightly in a thin rice paper wrapper. They’re raw, and serve chilled, usually with some sort of dipping sauce. The stretchy wrappers are translucent, and make a stunning dish. The contrast of the chewy wrappers with the crisp filling is so good.
what you’ll need to make summer rolls
Think summer rolls outside of your comfort zone? They’re jus super refreshing salad wraps, and don’t worry, they’re not filled with exotic or hard to find ingredients ~ any fresh crunchy salad veggies will work. Today I’ve used
- cucumbers
- jicama
- radishes
- carrots, both regular and rainbow variety
- sprouts
- cilantro and basil
- you can also use zucchini, firm avocado, bell peppers, green onions, beets, snap peas, lettuce, spinach, and kale
You’ll also need rice paper wrappers
if you’re lucky your local supermarket will stock them, right in the same place you find other Asian foods like soy sauce and ramen noodles. These round wrappers come in dried, flat circular disks. You can always buy them on Amazon, here, and because they last forever, I’d recommend stocking up on several packages so you’ll have them on hand. Once you start making summer rolls you’ll never want to be without them.
let’s make it!
The translucent wrappers look delicate, but are surprisingly elastic and sturdy, so you don’t have to have any special skills to make these rainbow summer rolls. If you can roll a burrito or make a sandwich wrap, you’ve got this!
- First slice your vegetables into fine matchsticks. The leafy greens and sprouts will lend a delicate crunch to balance out the harder raw vegetables.
- Working one at a time, dip your rice paper wrapper briefly in a pan of cool water for about 15 seconds, just until they become pliable.
- Arrange your herbs and veggies in a pile in the center.
- Wrap everything up tightly, burrito style, and slice in half with a sharp knife.
- I’ll show you just how easy it is in the video below.
don’t forget the dip!
The dip is super important and provides some wonderful flavor to every bite. You can go light and cool, or spicy. I’ve done a Spicy Peanut Sauce which makes a great contrast to the rolls, but today I’m going with an uber simple coconut milk and lime mixture. Dunk, crunch, dunk, crunch…once you get a rhythm going it’s hard to stop.
tips and faqs for summer rolls
Spring rolls are wrapped in a flour dough wrapper and fried. Summer rolls are wrapped in a rice paper wrapper and served raw.
Look for them in the Asian markets, or the international section of your supermarket, they’re sold on the shelves, not in the refrigerated section. You can always order them online, here.
No, they’re completely different and won’t work for summer rolls.
Summer rolls are best enjoyed immediately, because the wrappers will dry out. You can make them up to a few hours ahead if you refrigerate them covered in a damp towel, and then in plastic.
They’re extremely healthy, not to mention low in calories. They’re a great way to get more veggies into your diet.
more healthy appetizers
- Green Goddess Veggie Dip Cups
- Lemon Artichoke Hummus
- Muhammara (roasted red pepper & walnut dip)
- Crudité is the new charcuterie!
- Whipped Basil Ricotta with Spring Crudité
Rainbow Summer Rolls
Ingredients
- 10 9-inch rice paper spring roll wrappers, find them here
- 3 rainbow carrots of assorted colors
- 1 orange carrot
- 1 watermelon radish
- 1/2 jicama
- 2 Persian cucumbers
- 1 1/2 cups sprouts, any type
- handful cilantro or basil leaves
dipping sauce
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- juice of 1-2 limes
Instructions
- Peel and cut your carrots, radish, jicama, and cucumbers into very thin matchsticks, about 5 inches long, or as close as you can get to that. Don’t stress too much about the length. Keep them under a wet kitchen towel so they won’t dry out as you work. If you plan to chop your veggies ahead of time, make sure they are well wrapped and kept damp.
- Pour a little cool water into a large pie plate or other dish that is large enough to fit the spring roll wrappers. Work one at a time and immerse a wrapper into the water for about 15 seconds, just until it starts to soften.
- Lay the wrapper on a flat surface and arrange a few of the cilantro or basil leaves, face down, onto the center of the wrap. Pile the cut veggies on top of the herbs. Bring the edge of the wrap up and over the pile of veggies, folding in each side as you go, just like you would wrap a burrito or flatbread sandwich wrap. Slice in half with a very sharp knife before serving. Place the rolls under a damp paper towel while you make the others, to keep them moist.
- To make the sauce whisk the coconut milk together with the lime juice, adding the lime juice to your taste. If you are making it ahead, the coconut milk will solidify in the refrigerator, so bring it to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Experiment with different types of sauces, or serve a selection for people to sample.
- Summer rolls can be filled with lots of different kinds of things, including fruit! Consider cutting matchstick pieces of apple, pear, or mango, and serving with a sweetened sauce for a snack or dessert roll. The rice paper wrapper has no flavor of its own, so it can go sweet or savory.
- Try my Chicken Salad Summer Rolls for something completely different!
Nutrition
They look like they would be the perfect thing for a hot day when you’d like to have something cool and crisp to eat. Planning to try them. I love vailla bean ice cream.
My favorite ice cream is strawberry. I had honey lavender ice cream at my birthday celebration and would love suggestions or recipe on how to make it please. Thank you
Someone else mentioned honey lavender, Kimberly, so I may have to give it a try on the blog!
So pretty and I love your selection of veggies, especially the jicama and sprouts.
These summer rolls are very appetizing…I’ve never had the spring roll wrappers like these. My favorite flavor ice cream is chocolate almond. I would love to win the ice cream maker as there are only two of us now so it would make just the right amount for us. Homemade ice cream has always been a big thing in the summertime here. It gets so hot…our high today will be around 107 and we have a heat advisory…so, ice cream is definitely in order…summer has struck a few days early! Really enjoy your blog and recipes…keep them coming!
My favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
I’m making these summer rolls but adding somen noodles to the mix.
The rolls look like stain glass. I enjoy reading your blog and have saved/used your
recipes – Thanks. Favorite ice cream, that would be vanilla with bing cherries, or vanilla
with chocolate or vanilla with….
Thanks Phyllis, the way the herbs or greens show through on the front side is one of my favorite things about these rolls ~ I’ve seen them done with edible flowers and they’re gorgeous!
I was so excited about the Summer Rolls recipe I forgot my favorite ice cream.
My favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip. A close second is raspberry chocolate. But nothing beats vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and peanuts. My dad’s speciality. Happy Father’s Day.
That last one is kind of like a Tin Roof sundae? Love those 🙂
My favorite is coffee ice cream. I love your page and enjoy the recipes, thank-you for posting them.
As always your food creations are a work of art. Love vanilla ice cream!
Vanilla!