Fresh homemade Vietnamese shrimp rice paper rolls filled with prawns, greens, carrots, red cabbage and vermicelli noodles – the perfect summer appetizer or light lunch!
About This Recipe
Impress your family and friends with this fresh and delicious starter made in less than 20 minutes. These fresh rolls are not fried, so they’re light, summery and healthy.
I first tried Vietnamese spring rolls at a Vietnamese restaurant a few years ago. Instantly, I fell in love with the flavours and textures! I knew that I had to create my own recipe for Vietnamese Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls, and I’m thrilled to share it with you.
This recipe makes summer rolls that are crunchy, healthy, and packed with protein. They’re also naturally gluten-free and a favorite appetizer for all ages, young to old.
What is Rice Paper?
Rice paper makes the wapper for these Vietnamese shrimp rolls. It’s is a thin translucent edible sheet made from the flattened dried pith of a shrub. It originates in East Asia. As a result, you can find it all sorts of dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Elsewhere in the world, you can find rice paper sheets in most Asian supermarkets. It’s very affordable. You’ll find it in a hard, dry form. But for most recipes, including these Vietnamese Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls, you’ll soften the rice paper in warm water. It becomes pliable and sticky, which makes it easy to roll and seal these fresh rolls.
How to Roll Rice Paper For Vietnamese Shrimp Rolls
Rolling rice paper is easy. In fact, if you’ve ever rolled a burrito before, you’ll be a pro at making these light and healthy Vietnamese Shrimp Rolls.
Here’s how to do it:
- First, lay one piece of rice paper on a flat surface.
- Next, arrange fresh vegetables and cooked vermicelli noodles on one half of the rice paper.
- Then, arrange a line of cooked prawns on the opposite side. Make sure that the ingredients are not too close to the edge of the rice paper.
- Finally, fold each of the sides of the rice paper inwards. Tuck and roll the side with the vegetables towards the prawns until the rice paper overlaps on itself and seals closed.
For easy step-by-step instructions on how to roll these fresh summer rolls at home, check out the video!
Ingredient Substitutions and Swaps for Homemade Vietnamese Shrimp Rolls with Rice Paper
These beautiful spring rolls make an easy DIY recipe. You can mix and match many of the ingredients to use what you have on hand.
- Fill Vietnamese rolls with any ingredients of your choice. Such as chicken, pork, salmon, eggs, tofu, and more. In fact, this recipe is easy to make vegetarian, plant-based, and dairy-free.
- You can also use either large fresh or frozen prawns for this recipe.
How to Serve Vietnamese Fresh Rolls with Shrimp
You can serve these homemade Vietnamese rolls with dipping sauce as a refreshing appetizer. Or, they also make an excellent light entree for lunch or dinner.
I like to present my fresh rolls on a platter, with each roll sliced in half to show off the beautiful, colorful vegetables inside.
If you do serve these shrimp rolls with rice paper as an entree, here are some other light and bright recipes to serve with it:
How to Store Vietnamese Shrimp Rolls
Uncooked rice paper can be stored in a cool and dry place, such as your pantry. Whereas, cooked Vietnamese shrimp rolls can be refrigerated for 2-4 days in a sealed container. In addition, spring rolls are served at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
While the rice paper may get sticky, it’s easy to loosen it up again. To do so, sprinkle a bit of warm water on top of each spring roll to keep the rice paper from sticking to itself.
Rice paper is not keto-friendly and therefore should be avoided on low carb and keto diets. However, this recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free.
Rice paper is gluten free. However, some vermicelli noodles contain gluten, so be mindful.
Yes, you can make a batch of Vietnamese fresh rolls ahead of time. Store them in the fridge and be sure to let the rolls come up to room temperature before serving. These rolls are best served at room temperature. If the rolls start to get sticky, simply sprinkle them with warm water.
Yes! In fact, most traditional Vietnamese vermicelli rolls are fried. I decided to keep this recipe not fried, as it’s still crunchy and flavorful, but a bit healthier. However, if you’d like to fry them, simply follow the recipe as written, and fry in a few inches of hot oil.
More Tasty East Asian Recipes
If you’re a fan of prawns, then add these light and vegetable-packed shrimp recipes to your next menu:
Thanks for reading this recipe, comment below if you made this and let me know how it went! Follow @simshomekitchen on Instagram, take a photo, tag and hashtag it with @simshomekitchen.
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Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/2-1 carrots (chopped)
- 1 handful of greens (chopped)
- 1/4 red cabbage (chopped)
- 70-100 g vermicelli rice noodles
- 100-150 g prawns
- 1/2-1 tsp of soy sauce
- A splash of lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 7-8 rice paper sheets
- A large bowl of warm water
- A splash of vegetable of oil
Instructions
- Pour water into a medium sized sauce pan and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and add vermicelli noodles. Cook for 7-10 minutes on a low/medium heat, drain and set aside.
- Heat a splash of oil in a pan. Add prawns and season with, salt, pepper, lemon juice and soy sauce. Cook for 3-5 minutes on a medium heat or until done.
- Chop carrots, greens, red cabbage and set aside.
- Dip one sheet of rice paper in a bowl of warm water. Then, transfer the rice paper to a plate. Add the prawns, greens, carrots, red cabbage, vermicelli noodles and roll. Repeat this step with the remaining rice paper sheets and ingredients.
Video
Notes
PRODUCTS USED TO MAKE VIETNAMESE SHRIMP SPRING ROLLS
Yes you are correct. You can use the rest later as they are dried.
This was amazing and such a treat! Thank you!
These are gorgeous and so refreshing. This is great summer dinner and a super impressive party food.
Shrimp is one of my favorite ingredients, and I’m always looking for new ways to eat it. I’ve never made a dish with rice paper before so I’m looking forward to trying this out!
One of my favorite Vietnamese recipes ever! The flavors here are spot on. Thanks for all the great tips too!
So fresh and delicious! A perfect appetizer to make all summer long!
I was surprised at how easy this recipe was to make – very very tasty!