These vegan summer rolls with peanut sauce are a refreshing and healthy appetizer or meal that’s perfect for hot summer days. Packed with veggies, tofu, and noodles, and dipped in a creamy peanut sauce, these rolls are both delicious and satisfying.

Summer rolls, also called fresh spring rolls, rice paper rolls, salad rolls, or goi cuon in Vietnamese, are the perfect finger food for sharing. Don’t worry if your rolls don’t turn out perfect on the first try, with my tips and tricks, you’ll be a rice paper roll master in no time!

For a crispy hot rice paper roll version, be sure to try these Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings! They’re great for colder days, but summer is coming, so let’s get summer rollin’!

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Summer Rolls With Peanut Sauce Recipe

These vegan rice paper rolls are packed with fresh, crisp veggies, herbs, and greens, making them a wonderful way to get your daily dose of vitamins. Plus, they’re light and refreshing, which makes them perfect for hot summer days.

You can customize this vegan summer rolls recipe to your liking by swapping out the veggies for your favorites or using a different type of noodle. You can also add different proteins like tempeh, or leave it out and add more veggies or mushrooms.

Once you get the hang of rolling the wraps, these vegan summer rolls with peanut sauce are a breeze to make. Plus, the peanut sauce comes together in just a few minutes, making this a great recipe for busy weeknights or lazy summer afternoons.

Fresh spring rolls are great for entertaining, whether you’re having a picnic, a potluck, or a casual dinner party. They also make for fantastic meal prep, as you can make a batch ahead of time and store them in the fridge for a quick lunch or snack on the go. Just make sure to check our Storage Instructions.

What Goes Into Vegan Summer Rolls With Peanut Sauce?

Vietnamese summer rolls can be made with any vegetables you have at hand. They’re a great way to use up leftover veggies you’d otherwise end up throwing out. I’ve used a colorful variety of vegetables to make rainbow summer rolls (since they look amazing on camera). But feel free to use your favorite veggies.

For this vegan Vietnamese summer rolls recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

For the rolls:

12 rice paper wraps
3.5 oz. vermicelli rice noodles
5.3 oz. tofu
½ avocado, sliced
2 small carrots, cut into small sticks
½ cucumber, cut into small sticks
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
About 4 leaves of lettuce or kale, washed and cut into 3.5-inch pieces
Fresh herbs (such as cilantro, mint, or basil), washed and separated from stems

For the peanut sauce:

¼ cup smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
3 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp. agave syrup (or another sweetener of choice)
2 tsp. sriracha or chili paste or more to taste
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
A bit of water to thin out the sauce as desired

How To Make The Best Vegan Summer Rolls With Peanut Sauce

Step 1: Soak and prepare the rice noodles

Place the rice noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water until they’re covered. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Step 2: Slice the tofu thinly and pan fry

Cut the tofu into thin slices and pan-fry until golden brown on both sides. Set aside.

Make sure you have all the vegetables prepped and your workstation set up.

Step 3: Make the fresh spring rolls

Fill a shallow dish with cold water. Dip a rice paper wrap into the water for a few seconds until it softens. Place the wrap on a clean, flat surface.

Layer the herbs, lettuce or kale, rice noodles, tofu, and veggies onto the wrap, leaving about 1-2 inches of space on either side.

Step 4: Assemble & Roll the Wraps

Fold the sides of the wrap in, then roll the wrap tightly from the bottom up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you’ve used them all up.

Step 5: Prepare the Peanut Dipping Sauce

To make the peanut sauce, whisk or blend the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, agave syrup, sriracha, and ginger, until smooth. Then add a little water to thin it out, but leave it thick enough for dipping.

Step 6: Serve Fresh Rolls with Peanut Sauce and Enjoy

Serve the rolls with the peanut sauce for dipping. Enjoyed fresh is best! Bon appetite!

Notes & Tips

If you can’t find rice paper wraps in the Asian section of your grocery store, you can usually find them at Asian supermarkets or Asian online markets.
Prep the veggies by cutting the carrots and cucumber into thin matchsticks, the bell pepper into thin slices, and washing and cutting the lettuce or kale into approximately 3.5-inch pieces.
Wash the fresh herbs and separate the leaves from the stems. Use the whole leaves and place them on each rice paper wrapper first to have a beautiful design once rolled.
To achieve extra creamy peanut butter sauce, a blender works best. But if you don’t want to get another appliance dirty, you can mix everything in a bowl using a fork or a whisk.

Tips & Tricks For Working With Rice Paper Wrappers

Don’t oversoak the rice paper wrappers. Dip them in cold water for about 8 seconds or until it’s pliable but still firm. The rice paper continues to soften once it’s on the work surface.

To prevent the rice paper from sticking, make sure you dampen your work surface and the serving plate. You can also place the finished rolls on a lightly oiled surface or a piece of parchment paper.

Cut the vegetables and tofu into similar sizes. This will help when rolling the rice paper rolls and prevent them from tearing due to big pieces of veggies.

For extra-sturdy summer rolls, double-wrap each rice paper roll. This means you’ll need 24 rice paper sheets for this recipe. I recommend double-wrapping if you’re meal-prepping.

If you’re double-wrapping the rice paper rolls, place the second sheet with the seam side down so that the thickness of the fresh spring rolls is more even.

Storage Instructions

These vegan summer rolls with peanut sauce are best enjoyed fresh, but they can also be great for meal prepping. Just make sure to store them properly or else they’ll stick to each other and fall apart when you try to separate them.

It’s best to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator separated by parchment paper. The summer rolls keep for up to 3 days. Store the peanut sauce separately for up to 7 days.

If you plan on storing leftover summer rolls, I recommend double wrapping them with two sheets of rice paper for each roll. This will make them sturdier.

Variations & Substitutions

As mentioned previously, you can use any veggies or fruits you’d like to make the best Vietnamese summer rolls. Some tasty ideas could be zucchini, red bell pepper, mango, strawberries, sprouts, or even grilled pumpkin.

Instead of tofu, try other sources of plant-based protein. Canned chickpeas, tempeh, smoked tofu, edamame, or even vegan omelet using one of these Best Vegan Egg Brands.

Use different types of lettuce or greens, such as romaine, butter lettuce, spinach, or rocket. I love how gorgeous lacinato kale looks in these vegan summer rolls.

Instead of the peanut sauce, try dipping the rolls in hoisin sauce, sweet chili sauce, or this Easy Gyoza Sauce With Garlic & Ginger.

If you’re allergic to peanuts, you can also substitute almond butter or sunflower seed butter. The taste won’t be the same, but it’s still delicious.

For a gluten-free option, use tamari instead of soy sauce, and make sure the rice paper wraps are labeled gluten-free.

Vegan Summer Rolls With Peanut Sauce

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Prep Time: 30

Assembly Time: 20

Total Time: 50

Servings: rolls

Calories: 206kcal

Ingredients

12 rice paper wraps
3.5 oz. vermicelli rice noodles
5.3 oz. tofu
½ avocado sliced
2 small carrots cut into small sticks
½ cucumber cut into small sticks
1 cup red cabbage shredded
About 4 leaves of lettuce or kale washed and cut into 3.5-inch pieces
Fresh herbs such as cilantro, mint, or basil

For the peanut sauce:

¼ cup smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
3 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp. agave syrup
2 tsp. sriracha or chili paste or more to taste
1 tsp. fresh ginger finely grated
A bit of water to thin out the sauce as desired

Instructions

Place rice noodles in a bowl and pour boiling water until they’re covered. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
Cut tofu into thin slices and pan-fry until golden brown on both sides. Set aside.
Make sure you have all the vegetables prepped and your workstation set up.
Fill a shallow dish with cold water. Dip a rice paper wrap into the water for a few seconds until it softens. Place the wrap on a clean, flat surface.
Layer the herbs, lettuce, rice noodles, tofu, and veggies onto the wrap, leaving about 1-2 inches of space on either side.
Fold the sides of the wrap in, then roll the wrap tightly from the bottom up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you’ve used them all up.
To make the peanut sauce, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, agave syrup, sriracha, and ginger, until smooth. Then add a little water to thin it out, but leave it thick enough for dipping.
Serve the rolls with the peanut sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

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