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Easy Summer Rolls are packed full of bright, fresh veggies and make the perfect light and delicious appetizer or meal! You can even prep them the night before and enjoy them for lunch the next day! Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce!
These easy summer rolls are crisp, vibrant bundles filled with crunchy carrots, sweet mango, cucumber, red bell pepper, lettuce leaves, mint and avocado, all wrapped in soft rice paper. Then dip them in peanut sauce for maximum flavor!
Making these rolls is a so easy, too! Simply, moisten the rice paper, fill the paper with your favorite ingredients, and roll everything up. These are great for any occasion, whether it’s a unique appetizer, quick snack or a light lunch.
I like to keep rice paper wraps on hand, so that I can whip together these rolls whenever I end up with a ton of extra veggies that I need to get rid of. This recipe makes about 8 rolls, but feel free to alter it based on the veggies you already have on hand.
I always seem to find myself with extra cabbage and carrots lying around but don’t feel like you need to buy all of these things if you don’t already have them.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here’s a list of what I like to use to make this summer rolls recipe, however get creative with the fillings and make them just how you want!
- Rice paper: You’ll need at least 8 sheets of see-through rice paper to make 8 rolls. You’ll be able to find these down the international food aisle of your local grocery store or your local Asian markets!
- Carrot: For crisp sweetness.
- Mango: I love the texture of juicy, sweet mango in my summer rolls and it adds incredible fruity flavor.
- Cabbage: The color of red cabbage really pops, plus it adds a variety of nutrients.
- Cucumber: You will love the refreshing flavor of julienned cucumber.
- Bell pepper: Any color works but I recommend red, orange or yellow for a subtle sweetness.
- Lettuce leaves: You can use any greens, I used about 4 large pieces of collard greens. Butter lettuce is another great choice.
- Herbs: Mint is super refreshing and pairs nicely with the other ingredients, but feel free to add cilantro or another herb instead.
- Avocado: Thinly sliced avocado adds creaminess to the rolls.
- For serving: We love dipping these into peanut sauce, which is a deliciously sweet, savory and nutty dip with a peanut butter and soy sauce base. If you don’t like peanuts, feel free to change up the sauce with a spicy mayo or sweet chili sauce.
While it takes away some of the pretty look of a summer roll, I LOVE adding fresh greens into my rolls. I pretty much always have extra greens in my fridge and anything will work in these rolls.
How to make this recipe
The hardest part about making these rolls is figuring out how to wrap them up properly without all of the veggies trying to pop out. I made a video (down below) so that you can see how I roll them.
- Prep wraps: Prepare your rice paper wrappers as you’re ready to roll them but running each wrap under warm water for 5 seconds each. I like to use 2 wraps per roll and run them under the water at the same time. You can do this with just one wrap if desired. Lay the first wrap down (I find that doing this on parchment paper or wet towel helps it not stick as much). Lay the second wrap down on top of the first so that there’s about an inch over hanging (this just give you more space to work with).
- Add filling: Lay the green leaves down in the center of the rice paper (I split mine into small pieces to make it easier). Stack up all of the veggies, mango, and the mint so that you’re using about 1/8 per roll. I usually just eyeball it to try and make them all even. Leave 1/2 of an inch clean on the sides.
- Roll: Start rolling the wrap from one end and tuck it gently but tightly over the top of the veggies. Fold over the sides and continue to roll. Watch my video above to see how I do it.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately or the next day with a big bowl of peanut sauce!
Helpful tips and variations
Here are some tips and different variation ideas for easy-to-make, restaurant-quality summer rolls every time!
- Don’t overfill wraps: Be careful not to add too much filling to the rice paper wraps. You want to be able to roll them tightly without falling apart.
- Don’t roll them too tight: Once softened and filled, be gentle rolling the wraps. You want them rolled tightly but not so tight that the papers tear.
- Sauce: I love the peanut sauce for this recipe but another great dipping sauce for summer rolls is a sweet chili sauce or a spicy mayo.
- Add protein: If you aren’t concerned about keeping this recipe vegan and vegetarian, feel free to add protein to the rolls such as cooked shrimp, pork, steak, tofu or chicken.
- Add rice noodles: you can add rice noodles to these as well which makes them a little more filling!
Frequently asked questions
Typically, spring rolls are wrapped in a dough made of flour and water and then fried, while summer rolls are wrapped in a translucent rice-wrapper and served cold. However, the two names often get interchanged and you will find spring rolls that are also made with rice paper and not fried.
Summer rolls can fall apart if the rolls are overfilled or rolled too tightly. The wrappers can also be too wet, and therefore too soft.
Storage recommendations
If meal prep is your thing, then you’ll love these rolls. I wasn’t sure how well they would hold up in the fridge but after testing it, they keep extremely well for a couple of days just store them in an airtight container. Even the avocado stays pretty fresh when nestled among all of the other veggies.
More vegetarian appetizers
As usual, PLEASE let me know if you make this recipe and how you like it! You can come back here and leave a comment and/or tag me on instagram (@foodwithfeeling).
Easy Summer Rolls
Ingredients
- 8-16 sheets of rice paper, This makes 8 but you will need 16 if you want to double up the wraps for each roll. More about that below.
- 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
- 1 mango, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cabbage, shredded
- 1 small cucumber, julienned
- 1 small bell pepper, julienned
- lettuce leaves, you can use any greens here, I used about 4 large pieces of collard greens
- handful of mint, about 4 medium leaves per roll
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- peanut sauce for serving
Instructions
- Prepare your rice paper wraps as you’re ready to roll them but running each wrap under water for 5 seconds each. I like to use 2 wraps per roll and run them under the water at the same time. You can do this with just one wrap if desired. Lay the first wrap down (I find that doing this on parchment paper helps it not stick as much). Lay the second wrap down on top of the first so that there’s about an inch over hanging (this just give you more space to work with).
- Lay the green leaves down in the center of the rice paper (I split mine into small pieces to make it easier). Stack up all of the veggies, mango, and the mint so that you’re using about 1/8 per roll. I usually just eyeball it to try and make them all even. Leave 1/2 of an inch clean on the sides.
- Start rolling the wrap from one end and tuck it gently but tightly over the top of the veggies. Fold over the sides and continue to roll. Watch my video above to see how I do it.
- Enjoy immediately or the next day with a big bowl of peanut sauce!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I personally don’t like carrots but I really really love cabbage, so I’m probably skipping it or replace it. Anyway, this looks really yummy! Thank you for this! This is really going to be perfect for summer.
where can I find the rice paper wraps?
I’e always been able to find them at my local store in the asian foods section. Otherwise a local asian store should have them or even try world market!
I definitely need practice rolling them to make them as lovely as yours but the taste was delish! Do i need to wrap in moist papertowels to save for lunchbox tomorrow?