*This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
Learn how to make crispy Thai Vegetable Spring Rolls. These popular appetizers are easy to make at home and can be served with sweet chili sauce for dipping.
Table of Contents
Spring Rolls are one of the most popular Asian Dim Sum dishes and can be served with any Asian food, preferably as an appetizer before dinner. Or serve them as a main dish together with other Dim Sums such as those vegan dumplings or Chinese scallion pancakes.
They are fried in oil and are therefore incredibly crispy and tasty. I highly recommend dipping that crispy roll into a sweet chili sauce!
Each country has a slightly different version of spring rolls. Authentic Chinese spring rolls are usually filled with a meat and vegetable filling, whereas the Thai spring roll filling comes additionally with glass noodles. Please don’t confuse them with American-Chinese egg rolls, which are rolled in a thicker egg-wheat-dough and are therefore chewier.
With this recipe, you will learn how to make Thai vegetable spring rolls at home. The vegetarian filling consists of tofu, vegetables, mushrooms, and glass noodles. Wrap it in spring roll wrappers, then fry in oil to make perfect, delicious, super-crispy homemade spring rolls!
Now, why would you make spring rolls at home when you can buy them frozen in any supermarket?
- First, the homemade vegetarian filling is fresh and very tasty.
- Second, homemade spring rolls simply taste the best. Freshly deep-fried, they are incredibly crispy!!! The store-bought ones just can’t compete with that.
- Third, it’s inexpensive.
That’s not even counting the fun factor in. It’s pretty entertaining if you invite your friends over, throw in a bottle of wine, and make the rolls together. You will see, the spring roll recipe is made in no time. 😉
It’s worth making lots of spring rolls at once and freezing them. You can then deep-fry them as you like and have the crispiest spring rolls on the table in minutes!
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities.
- Tofu → Crumbled tofu makes up for the meat and adds some protein!
- Glass Noodles → Also known as Cellophane noodles. Very typical in Thai spring rolls! Make sure to cut them into small pieces using a scissor.
- Black Mushrooms → Also known as wood ear mushrooms. Dried black mushrooms are often used in Asian recipes and are available at the Asian Market. Please don’t get fooled by their small size. They will be tenfold once soaked in hot water. Can be substituted with dried or fresh shiitake mushrooms.
- Carrot, Bean Sprouts, Nappa Cabbage → Vegetables for more taste.
- Soy Sauce, Sugar, Salt, Pepper → To taste!
- Spring Roll Wrapper → You can get them within the freezer section at the Asian market. They come in different sizes, I always go for the middle (yellow) one. Some recipes suggest using rice paper, which I highly advocate against. Rice paper can be used to make those fresh summer rolls or Vietnamese spring rolls, but not for the Thai version!
Instructions
This visual step-by-step instruction will help you along the way – definitely recommended if you’re a cooking beginner!
- If using frozen spring roll wrappers, make sure to thaw them at least 2 hours before preparing the filling. Once thawed, place them on a plate and cover them with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
- Filling: Heat a large skillet with oil. Add minced garlic and ginger, sauté for one minute. Add the rest of the filling ingredients, including the seasonings, and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a large bowl to cool.
- Folding: Carefully peel off one spring roll wrapper and lay it in front of you. Add one heaped tablespoon of the filling on the bottom. Roll it up halfway.
- Fold in both sides, brush the edges with water (to seal), then finish rolling. → Make sure the tip sticks. Otherwise, press to seal with a wet finger!
- Frying: Heat a small pot with peanut oil. → The oil is hot enough when you stick a wooden spoon handle into the hot oil and bubbles appear.
- Fry spring rolls in batches (3-4 at a time), turning occasionally, until golden brown (approx. 2 minutes).
- Transfer to paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Serve hot tofu spring rolls with sweet chili sauce or a dipping sauce of choice.
Reuse frying oil: Let the frying oil cool in the pot, pour it into a glass bottle, store it at room temperature, and reuse it next time. You can repeat this 3-4 times to produce less oil waste. It’s even better if you filter the oil through a fine strainer. I like to use peanut oil for deep frying!
Frying vs Baking
Undeniably, deep-fried spring rolls taste the best. They get a beautiful golden brown color from the frying process and become ultra-crispy.
But they also soak up quite a bit of oil and are more on the greasy side, which may not be ideal if you’re counting calories. Plus, some folks just don’t like to deep fry!
A semi-ideal solution to this is to bake spring rolls. To do so, spread the spring rolls in a single layer on a baking paper-lined baking tray and brush them lightly with oil using a pastry brush. Bake in the preheated oven at 390°F (200°C) for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
But keep in mind that baked spring rolls aren’t as crispy and flavorful as the fried version!
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Spring Rolls are best when eaten fresh. I highly recommend only frying as many spring rolls as you are going to eat and freezing the rest. You can store fried leftover spring rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat them in the oven, but it won’t taste the same.
Freeze uncooked spring rolls in a single layer in the freezer. Transfer to a freezer bag once lightly frozen (takes around 30 minutes). Place frozen spring rolls (do not thaw them first) in a pot of boiling oil and fry until golden brown.
More Asian Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegan Sushi
- Vegan Tofu Fried Rice
- Sweet and Sour Tofu
- Vegetarian Pad Thai Noodles
- Pad Kee Mao – Drunken Thai Noodles
- Vegetable Lo Mein
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below.
Please follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or sign up for my free newsletter to never miss the newest recipes. I would be thrilled to welcome you to my community & thank you so much for your support! 💕
📖 Recipe
Vegetable Spring Rolls
Click on the stars to leave a vote!
Ingredients
Spring Roll Filling
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 medium carrot grated
- ¼ cup (10 g) dried black mushrooms (wood ear mushrooms) or 6 shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, finely chopped
- 2 cups (100 g) beansprouts
- 1 heaped cup (90 g) napa cabbage finely sliced
- 7 oz (200 g) tofu crumbled
- 1 ½ oz (40 g) glass noodles soaked in warm water for 7 minutes & cut into 1-inch/2.5cm pieces (use a scissor)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Spring Rolls
- 30 spring roll wrappers (Note 1)
- 2 cups (500 ml) peanut oil
Instructions
- If using frozen spring roll wrappers, make sure to thaw them at least 2 hours before preparing the filling. Once thawed, place them on a plate and cover them with a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
- Filling: Heat a large skillet with oil. Add minced garlic and ginger, sauté for one minute. Add the rest of the filling ingredients, including the seasonings, and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a large bowl to cool.
- Folding: Carefully peel off one spring roll wrapper and lay it in front of you. Add one heaped tablespoon of the filling on the bottom. Roll it up halfway, fold in both sides, brush the edges with water (to seal), then finish rolling. → Make sure the tip sticks. Otherwise, press to seal with a wet finger!
- Frying: Heat a small pot with peanut oil. → The oil is hot enough when you stick a wooden spoon handle into the hot oil and bubbles appear.
- Fry spring rolls in batches (3-4 at a time), turning occasionally, until golden brown (approx. 2 minutes).
- Transfer to paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Serve hot spring rolls with sweet chili sauce.
Notes
- Spring Roll Wrappers are available within the freezer section of every Asian market. They come in different sizes, I always go for the middle (yellow) one. Feel free to choose larger or smaller sheets, but keep in mind that the yield of spring rolls won’t be the same if going for another size. Some recipes suggest using rice paper, which I highly advocate against.
- Spring Rolls are best when eaten fresh. I highly recommend only frying as many spring rolls as you are going to eat and freezing the rest. You can store fried leftover spring rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven, but it won’t taste the same.
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze uncooked spring rolls in a single layer in the freezer. Transfer to a freezer bag once frozen. Place frozen spring rolls (do not thaw them first) in a pot of boiling oil and fry until golden brown.
- Bake Spring Rolls: If you prefer, you can bake spring rolls. But they won’t become as crispy and delicious. To do so, spread the spring rolls in a single layer on a baking paper-lined baking tray and brush them lightly with oil using a pastry brush. Bake in the preheated oven at 390°F (200°C) for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
