Rice paper rolls are a Vietnamese-inspired dish with fresh vegetables, rice noodles, and a tangy peanut sauce. Add cocktail shrimp for an easy optional protein, or leave it out or substitute edamame for a vegan twist. This recipe is no-cook, flavorful, and takes only 20 minutes to put together.
This naturally gluten-free and dairy-free dinner or appetizer can be streamlined with a few helpful hacks like buying pre-cut vegetables! We make it every single summer.
Where do rice paper rolls originate?
Rice paper rolls originate from Vietnam and are locally known as Gแปi cuแปn. They are a cold roll filled with fresh vegetables and rice vermicelli wrapped in rice paper. Some Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls include shrimp or pork, tofu, beef, or squid.
When served in Vietnam, they are sometimes served with hoisin sauce, peanut sauce, or stir-fried with garlic and chili flakes or sprinkled with crushed peanuts.
For more easy Asian-inspired recipes, check out my Stir-Fry Sauce, Shrimp Stir-Fry, Thai Peanut Butter Sauce Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Salad, Salmon Sushi Bowl, Spam Musubi Bowl, Five Spice Chicken, and Pumpkin Curry with Chicken.
How to make Rice Paper Rolls
Fresh ingredients, pantry staples, and 20 minutes are needed to put this recipe together.
Ingredients Notes
See our notes for picking the best ingredients for this recipe and substitutions:
The Rolls
Rice Paper Wraps - We like large rice paper sheets that are circular with a diameter of about 10 inches.
Fresh Vegetables - We use cucumber, carrots, bell peppers, and red cabbage, but feel free to change it up based on what you have around. I do recommend picking a colorful assortment because they are most fun to eat as rainbow rolls (and also more fun to serve to guests)!
Shrimp - To make these truly no-cook, use ready-to-eat cocktail shrimp. If you cannot find cocktail shrimp, sautรฉ uncooked shelled and deveined shrimp in a skillet with a little oil on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature is 145 degrees F.
The Peanut Dipping Sauce
Peanut Butter - Choose a creamy peanut butter for a creamy dipping sauce, or a crunchier version if you like the extra texture! We usually use an unsweetened creamy variety, and sometimes sprinkle crushed peanuts on top of each bite after dipping.
Soy Sauce - For a soy-free version, use coconut aminos instead. And if you are gluten-free, you must choose a gluten-free soy sauce or gluten-free tamari because soy sauce almost always contains gluten. We like Kikkoman's Gluten-Free Soy Sauce or Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos.
Seasoned Rice Vinegar - We use and like Marukan Seasoned Rice Vinegar and it is readily available in grocery stores where I live.
Variations
Here are two other tasty substitutions to consider for your homemade rice paper rolls:
- Vegan - To make vegan rice paper rolls, simply leave out the shrimp or replace it with edamame. They taste amazing either way. We often serve the vegan version as a delicious summer appetizer.
- Pork - Add thinly sliced or shredded cooked pork in place of shrimp.
How to Make Rice Paper Rolls
- Prep the rice noodles: Place rice vermicelli in a medium bowl or pot. Pour boiling water over the noodles, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Make the Peanut Sauce: Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the sauce in a jar and secure with a lid. Shake until well mixed. Alternatively, add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk.
- Soften a rice paper wrap: When all ingredients are assembled, fill a large bowl or saucepan with warm water. Gently submerge the rice paper in the water for 10 seconds. Note: They will continue to soften even after removed from the water.
- Fill the wrap and roll: Place the soaked rice paper on a plate. Fill with noodles, vegetables, and shrimp. Fold like a burrito and set aside. Repeat until all rolls are assembled.
- Serve: Slice rolls in half (for presentation) and serve with peanut sauce. We like to spoon a bit of sauce onto each crunchy and delicious bite.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
Traditional Peanut Dipping Sauces for Gแปi cuแปn in Vietnam often use hoisin sauce as a base. Hoisin sauce is made from fermented soybean paste, sugar, starch, sesame seeds and spices.
Authentic hoisin sauce usually includes a starch that is not gluten-free. Our peanut dipping sauce is made from scratch with gluten-free ingredients.
Chef's Tips
Set up an assembly line - I recommend setting up an assembly line to make this process super quick. Set the noodles aside while they cook. Then lay out the rice paper wraps followed by a large dish or pan of warm water for softening, then a surface to place the softened wrap.
Surround this surface with your vegetables and fillings. Then designate a spot to lay the finished wraps with enough room so that they can rest without touching each other for at least 10 minutes.
Cut long vegetable strips for easiest assembly - Having long strips of vegetables makes assembly easier because there are less pieces needed to fill each wrap. It also helps them stay together when taking a bite.
However, if you are making these on a weeknight and have a need for speed, using shredded carrots and shredded cabbage will be a little messier but cuts down on about half of the chopping time.
Recipe FAQs
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions we get about rice paper rolls:
Store leftover rice paper rolls and peanut dipping sauce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Rice paper wraps do not need to be cooked, but they do need to be softened for use. Simply submerge them in warm water for 10 seconds. They will continue to soften even after they are removed from the water.
In Vietnam, sometimes gluten is added to the dipping sauces or other components of Gแปi cuแปn (rice paper rolls). It's important to always ask or use a translation card to communicate your allergy. Even when the highest precautions are taken, it is still possible that gluten ingredients or cross contact with gluten could contaminate your food.
Be extra careful with hoisin sauce and hoisin based sauces, as they often contain a gluten containing starch. This recipe is 100% gluten-free as written, but always read the ingredients of packaged and processed foods to look for gluten additives.
More easy Asian-inspired dinner recipes to consider...
Looking for more easy Asian-inspired dinner recipes like these rice paper rolls? Check out these favorites:
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๐ Recipe
Rice Paper Rolls
Ingredients
Rice Paper Rolls:
- 10-12 large rice paper wraps round, with a diameter of about 10 inches
- 1 medium cucumber seeds removed, sliced into thin strips
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeds removed, sliced into thin strips
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper seeds removed, sliced into thin strips
- 2 medium carrots peeled, sliced into thin strips
- ยฝ small red cabbage sliced into thin strips
- 2 servings ~ 125 g gluten-free rice vermicelli
- optional: 20 medium cocktail shrimp shelled, deveined, and tail removed
Peanut Dipping Sauce:
- ยฝ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or alternative
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ยฝ teaspoon sriracha
- ยฝ teaspoon sesame oil
- ยฝ teaspoon water or add to desired consistency
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยผ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Prep the rice noodles: Place rice vermicelli in a medium bowl or pot. Pour boiling water over the noodles, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Make the Peanut Sauce: Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the sauce in a jar and secure with a lid. Shake until well mixed. Alternatively, add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk.
- Soften a rice paper wrap: When all ingredients are assembled, fill a large bowl or saucepan with warm water. Gently submerge the rice paper in the water for 10 seconds. Note: They will continue to soften even after removed from the water.
- Fill the wrap and roll: Place the soaked rice paper on a plate. Fill with noodles, vegetables, and shrimp. Fold like a burrito and set aside. Repeat until all rolls are assembled.
- Serve: Slice rolls in half (for presentation) and serve with peanut sauce. We like to spoon a bit of sauce onto each crunchy and delicious bite.
Notes
Variations
- Veganย -ย To make vegan rice paper rolls, simply leave out the shrimp or replace it with edamame.ย They taste amazing either way. We often serve the vegan version as a delicious summer appetizer.
- Porkย - Add thinly sliced or shredded cooked pork in place of shrimp.
Bobby says
Just made these awesome peanut sauce wraps last night and am enjoying the leftovers! I love the texture with the noodles and veggie crunch. And I will be eating any leftover peanut sauce with a spoon when I'm done! Next time I'll be making a double batch.