Fresh veggie summer rolls are the perfect healthy snack or light meal for any time and any season. Who can turn down fresh colorful veggies, rolled in soft rice paper wrappers with mango, avocado and vermicelli noodles and dipped into a nut-free, soy-free creamy tahini sauce.
While summer rolls look like the quintessential summer dish, they're endlessly customizable, so you can make them with any fresh veggies you have on hand. Making them colorful makes everyone want to try them, no matter what's inside. It's the perfect dish for your next neighborhood cookout or gathering, book club, or just lunch for one!
Ingredients
Despite their cheery appearance, summer rolls do take a little ingredient gathering, prepping and assembly to make. But, here's the thing. Whenever a recipe requires a little effort, you have to assess if they're worth it. Are they so good, so fun to eat, and deliciously satisfying? Yes. Let's go for it.
For the Summer Rolls
- Rice paper wrappers: Rice paper wrappers come in different sizes. I tried a few and found that these 22cm ones by Cathay worked the best. They soften up easily and keep the insides sealed inside securely.
- Red bell pepper: Red bell peppers are generally available year round in supermarkets. At local farmer's markets, their peak season is in late summer, which is when you'll find the freshest and best tasting ones.
- Carrots: Try to find carrots with their tops still on, which means they are less than three weeks old. They'll be sweeter.
- Mango: I used honey mangos in these rolls because they're consistently available and sweeter than the larger Keitt ones.
- Avocados: Any variety of avocado will do for this dish. You just have to time the ripeness of the avocados you have on hand to when you want to make the rolls.
- Persian cucumbers: Look for Persian cucumbers, which are smaller and have fewer seeds than other varieties. I also think they have a better more refereshing flavor.
- Red cabbage or radishes: Raw red cabbage adds vibrant purple color, sweetness and crunch to these rolls. But, if you don't have any on hand, you can substitute watermelon radishes or purple daikon radishes. The result is equally vibrant but a little spicier. Worth trying!
- Vermicelli noodles: This was a first time making vermicelli noodles for me and they couldn't be easier. Boil for 8 minutes and cool under hot water. I used these noodles purchased on Amazon.
- Microgreens (or arugula or other delicate leafy greens): Microgreens are becoming more common and available. They're at all the Farmer's Markets. You may have to check the produce section at your local supermarket. If you don't see one, ask the store to carry one.
- Fresh mint leaves, cilantro, or thai basil: Every herb offers it's unique characteristics to a fresh summer roll. Mint is sweet and refreshing. Cilantro is lemony and bright. Thai basil adds a bold, peppery element.
For the Tahini Dipping Sauce
- Tahini (sesame seed paste): The popularity of tahini evolved as it's nutrition profile became more well known. Tahini has a high content of lignans, which can play an important role in antiaging effects, and improvement of multiple health functions. Plus it has a peanut butter-like texture but is lighter, slightly sweet and adds a bitter edge that keeps things interesting. Read more about it's nutritional profile here.
- Limes (for juice): Always squeeze fresh citrus for juice to get the best flavors in dips, dressings and sauces.
- Coconut nectar: I like to use coconut nectar instead of honey or maple syrup because it has a lower glycemic index (doesn't spike your blood sugar) and tastes as good or better.
- Water: In this recipe, the water will serve to emulsify the tahini sauce, making it light, creamy and perfect for dipping.
- Salt: I used Himalyan pink sea salt.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
After you learn the basic steps of making summer rolls, you can wing it on the next hundred times you'll make them. That's the beauty of easy recipes. Once you know the fundamentals, you can make it your own in a million different ways.
- Prepare your ingredients. Arrange prepared veggies in assembly line fashion near your workspace.
- Dip each rice paper into warm water for five seconds to soften.
- Then, place the softened rice paper on your work surface.
- Add veggies, herbs and noodles to the bottom quarter of the rice paper. Be careful not to overfill.
- Tuck the side edges of the rice paper in and then roll from the bottom up into a burrito shape.
- Repeat with the remaining rice papers until you run out of filling ingredients.
Tahini Dipping Sauce
You can make the tahini dipping sauce before or after you make your rolls. I like to make it afterwards because otherwise, it's super tempting to dip some of the veggies into the sauce while you're rolling. Just sayin'
- Gather your dipping sauce ingredients
- Mix the tahini, lime juice, coconut nectar and salt together.
- Add water to the sauce to emulsify the mixture and make it creamy.
- Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
Every recipe calls on a few kitchen tools and this one is no different. The heavy lifting required to make summer rolls is really just the prep. After that, the assembly line is easy and fast. Here's what you'll need:
- Prep bowls: When you have to manage a large number of ingredients, it's helpful to organize each ingredient into its own bowl. It makes assembly super easy. I use these glass prep bowls and also these ceramic ones which keep ingredients upright and in good shape.
- Chef's knife: A good chef's knife is a foundational kitchen tool and at the heart of almost every recipe. I use this classic 8" knife from Wustoff.
- Cutting board: Protect your knives with a good quality cutting board like this one from Sonder LA.
Storage
Summer rolls are best made a la minute (just when you plan to eat them). The challenge is that, while the rice paper wrappers are soft when made, they dry out and harden over time. Additionally, they don't taste as fresh and vibrant even when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
If you do save them, place them in an airtight glass container separated by parchment paper so they don't stick together.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Ideas to Consider
Explore additional articles and recipes on the site to continue your colorful journey:
Fresh Veggie Summer Rolls
Ingredients
For Summer Rolls
- 8 round rice paper wrappers
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
- 2 large carrots, peeled, cut into matchsticks
- 1 honey mango, peeled, flesh cut into matchsticks
- 2 avocados, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 persian cucumbers, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup cooked vermicelli noodles
- 1 cup microgreens or arugula (or another leafy green)
- 1 cup cilantro or thai basil, stems removed
For Tahini Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoon water, to emulsify and thin the sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon coconut nectar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients. Arrange prepared veggies in prep bowls near your workspace. Fill a large, wide shallow bowl with warm water (like a glass pie dish or even a large dinner plate).
- Dip one rice paper wrapper into the warm water for about 5 seconds. Once it softens, remove it from the water carefully and lay it flat onto your workspace (like a large cutting board).
- Add veggies, herbs and noodles to the bottom third of each rice paper wrapper. Tuck the side edges of the rice paper in and then roll from the bottom up into a burrito shape. Repeat with remaining rice papers.
- Cut the summer rolls in half or in thirds if desired. Serve immediately with the tahini dipping sauce. And enjoy!
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