You will absolutely love my take on these Vegetable Spring Rolls. They are paired with a creamy cashew dipping sauce and packed with a hearty lentil and rice filling, making it an easy fuss-free appetizer or meal for hot summer nights.
Whenever summer is in full swing, these vegetable spring rolls always make an appearance. You might know them as summer rolls but no matter what the name, these rolls are packed with healthy goodness that doesn’t take long to put together, especially if you’ve got leftover ingredients in the fridge. They’re delicious at room temperature or slightly chilled, making them perfect for a hot summer evening.
These are not authentic like the rolls you might find at your local Vietnamese restaurant, but my take on them, packing them with ingredients that are always on hand for me.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
These vegetable spring rolls are perfect for all occasions. They are so pretty and no one ever turns down a roll. Pair it up with my Tofu Pudding with Sweet Potato for the best weeknight dinner! More reasons these rolls work are:
- They’re vegan-friendly
- They’re gluten-free
- They’re paleo-friendly
- Can be made with pantry staples and leftovers
Key Ingredients
Cashew sauce — I made a homemade cashew sauce with just a few simple ingredients: cashew butter, coconut milk, tamari, coconut sugar, lime juice, and sriracha. These are usually ingredients found in my kitchen and you probably have them as well! See down below for substitutions.
Rice paper — The packages of rice paper can usually be found in the international aisle at a grocery store. If you cannot find it, it’s also available online! They’re naturally gluten-free!
Lentils — To make these vegetable spring rolls more hearty and filling, I use lentils. We always have a bowl or two kicking it in the fridge at the end of the week and these rolls are a great way to use them up. Along with the mashed sweet potato and brown rice, they are the protein base for this meal.
Beets — To liven up the rolls and add a pop of colour, we mix red beets with golden beets! They’re also a source of fibre, folate, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C.
How to Make This Recipe
If your brown rice is not cooked, do so before starting the vegetable spring rolls recipe.
Step 1: Combine the ingredients for the cashew sauce. Then combine half of the cashew sauce with the brown rice, lentils, and sweet potato.
Step 2: Fill a large bowl with warm water. Submerge the rice paper into the water for 2 seconds and transfer to a clean board or counter with the smooth side of the paper facing down. To the damp rice paper, add a pinch each of the shredded veggies, herbs and cashews. Top with a generous 1/3 cup or so of the rice and lentil mixture.
Step 3: Fold the left and right edges of the rice paper inwards, then starting at the bottom, roll it up to cover all of the filling. Serve hand held with the remaining cashew sauce.
Expert Tips
If you do not require this to be gluten-free, you can swap the tamari for soy sauce. The coconut sugar can also be swapped for honey.
Make sure the rice paper has been fully submerged and is soaked through. It is not very malleable when dry as well as being not edible. I suggest using a large shallow plate to ensure the whole sheet can be soaked.
Don’t have all of the fresh herbs listed? Feel free to mix it up by using whatever you have at home or replace it with lettuce if you have no herbs. It will change the flavour profile of the vegetable spring rolls a bit.
Recipe FAQs
You are welcomed to add whatever ingredients you’d like! Think of it as a salad in a roll form. Try adding bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, avocado, rice noodles, green onions, and more!
Pan fried crispy tofu goes so well with these vegetable spring rolls! If you don’t have to keep this vegetable, shredded chicken breasts and steamed shrimp pairs wonderfully as well.
I suggest you enjoy these the day of making them. The rice paper will firm up overnight in the fridge and change the texture. Luckily they don’t take long to put together and you can cook/slice up the components beforehand and then pull them out of the fridge to roll them up for dinner. The sauce can also be made ahead of time.
You can swap the cashew butter for almond butter or peanut butter if you’d like! Use what you have on hand.
More Recipes You Might Like
Want some more easy weeknight dinners like these vegetable spring rolls? Try these ones!
- Gochujang Soup (Vegan & Gluten Free)
- Vegan Curry Soup with Yellow Beets
- Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups (Low Carb & Keto Friendly)
- Pizza Soup (Healthy & Keto Friendly)
What are your favourite hot night dinners? Leave me a comment below with your favourite combinations!
Vegetable Spring Rolls with Cashew Dipping Sauce (Vegan!)
Ingredients
Cashew Sauce
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. natural cashew butter
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. lite coconut milk
- 2 tsp reduced sodium tamari gluten free
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- Sriracha to taste
Rolls
- 16 round rice papers
- 1 cup raw brown rice
- 1 can lentils rinsed and drained
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato
- Pinch each of salt and pepper
- 1 red beet peeled and grated
- 1 golden beet peeled and grated
- 1 bunch of mint
- 1 bunch of basil
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 1/3 cup cashews toasted
Instructions
- Mix together the cashew sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Cook the brown rice according to package directions and allow to cool. Mix in the lentils and sweet potato as well as half of the cashew sauce. Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper, to taste.
- Fill a large bowl with warm water. Submerge the rice paper into the water for 2 seconds and transfer to a clean board or counter with the smooth side of the paper facing down.
- Towards the bottom quarter of the roll add a pinch each of the shredded veggies, herbs and cashews. Top with a generous 1/3 cup or so of the rice and lentil mixture. Fold the left and right edges of the rice paper inwards, then starting at the bottom, roll it up to cover all of the filling. Serve hand held with the remaining cashew sauce.
Notes
- If you do not require this to be gluten-free, you can swap the tamari for soy sauce. The coconut sugar can also be swapped for honey.
- Make sure the rice paper has been fully submerged and is soaked through. It is not very malleable when dry as well as being not edible. I suggest using a large shallow plate to ensure the whole sheet can be soaked.
- Don’t have all of the fresh herbs listed? Feel free to mix it up by using whatever you have at home or replace it with lettuce if you have no herbs. It will change the flavour profile of the vegetable spring rolls a bit.
Nutrition
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
jill conyers says
I have a thing about foods I can wrap. This looks like a perfect light lunch. And tasty too.
Abbey Sharp says
haha yes! Everything is better in a roll lol
Chrissy @ Snacking in Sneakers says
I’ve never made a cold summer roll, but these look divine for a hot day! I love how colorful they are – perfect for a summer party.
Abbey Sharp says
Yeah girl! So perfect for that occasion 🙂
Esther says
I love all the gorgeous colors Abbey! They almost look too beautiful to eat!
Natalie says
These rolls look so delicious Abbey. And that cashew sauce.. oh my… just yummy!
Abbey Sharp says
so delish! You must try Natalie 🙂
Ilka says
This is definitely a recipe I would to try! So perfect and light for Summer!
Abbey Sharp says
Yes, I’m all about the light meals in this heat!
Carmy @ carmyy.com says
Love the lentils!!
Carmy @ carmyy.com says
I posted too early! Ha. I meant to also add that I love that it’s also meat free. Definitely perfect in this Toronto heat.
Abbey Sharp says
haha yes! Toronto’s been getting cray lately!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
I love summer rolls too have not tried with the sweet potato great idea
Abbey Sharp says
tastes amazing!
Susan says
Are the beets raw, I am assuming they are.
Abbey Sharp says
Yes!
Rachel says
Wow. Not only are these packed with nutrition, but they’re so darn pretty! I wonder if I could make them look halfway decent if I made them…
Abbey Sharp says
Yes totally you can! I believe!