Refreshing and colorful salad wrapped in rice paper and two dipping sauces (peanut sauce and spicy hoisin sauce) to enjoy your vegan rainbow summer rolls!
Hey guys! Are you excited for 4th of July?!! I am!!!!
I'm not going to lie. I'm little (just a tiny bit) worried that I won't be able to enjoy the 4th of July stuffing my face with hot dogs, hamburgers, and beer like I used to. If you are on the same boat as me, you can maybe bring my vegan rainbow summer rolls (with two sauces) to the party to enjoy with everyone. Plus, I don't think anyone would mind (especially after bringing this yummy appetizer) grilling your vegan hot dogs and hamburgers. We can still enjoy this!!!
There really isn't a set recipe for summer rolls. Traditionally, this well-loved Vietnamese appetizer has shrimp, pork, lettuce, mint, garlic chives, cilantro, rice vermicelli, and bean sprouts. Since I'm making my summer rolls vegan, I took out the meat and ..... cilantro.
If you are a cilantro lover, good for you. I wish I can eat this "extremely good for you" herb but I just simply can't stomach the smell or taste. I'm not allergic to this herb but I just simply....hate it. I've heard it's genetic and you can read more about it here, if you are interested.
Back to yummy summer rolls recipe!
People often eat with their eyes and I tried to make my summer rolls as colorful as possible like a rainbow! I used different color bell peppers and purple cabbage to really give that rainbow color. The addition of apple in summer rolls not only provides you with a different texture but also a sweetness that goes extremely well with the rest of the veggies. If you think about it, people like to add fruits to their salad, and summer rolls are essentially salad wrapped in rice paper, so why not?!
Tips on making Vegan Rainbow Summer Rolls with 2 sauces:
I think the most tricky part of the recipe is to manage this delicate rice paper. My tip is to just wet the rice paper super quick to a point where you can see the color difference. Then transfer the rice paper to your plate and start piling on all the veggies on top. I promise you the rice paper will be soft and ready by the time when you put the last ingredient on the wrap. I wrap mine like a burrito and it works beautifully.
If you mess up and your roll has tears, no need to worry! Just get another rice paper and re-roll your torn summer roll. They are very thin and no one will know the difference 😉 Easy, right?!
For the sauce, I made two different sauces. One is my sweet peanut sauce and the other is spicy hoisin sauce. They are really easy to make and they are not just delicious for these summer rolls. But I think they will be a great sauce for any Buddha bowls.
Tomorrow will be my very first 4th of July as a vegetarian and I have a good feeling that I will enjoy it as much as any other year.
Happy eating, my friends.
Vegan Rainbow Summer Rolls with Two Sauces
Refreshing and colorful salad wrapped in rice paper and two dipping sauces (peanut sauce and spicy hoisin sauce) to enjoy your vegan rainbow summer rolls!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 to 12 rolls 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Assemble
- Cuisine: Vietnamese-Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For Peanut Sauce
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ to 1 tablespoon hot water
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (optional)
For Spicy Hoisin Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
For Summer Rolls
- 10 - 12 rice paper
- 1 bundle of rice vermicelli noodle, cooked according to the package
- 1 small avocado
- ¼-½ red bell pepper, cut into strips
- ¼-½ orange bell pepper, cut into strips
- ¼-½ yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 small carrot, cut into match sticks
- ½ English cucumber, cut into thin strips
- ½ cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1 small apple, cut into strips
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients for peanut sauce and set it aside. Do the same for spicy hoisin sauce.
- Cook the rice vermicelli noodle according to its package. Drain the noodle and rinse with cold water and set it aside.
- Prepare all the vegetable and cut into thin strips.
- Wet the rice paper quickly with water by submerging it in a big bowl of water. Take it out and place it on a glass plate. If you place it on a wooden board, the rice paper might stick to it. The rice paper should still feel pretty hard.
- Start piling all the vegetables, apple, and noodles on top of rice paper. It is always easy to roll the small size summer roll than a big one, especially if this is your first time. Try not to stuff your roll with too many ingredients.
- By the time when you are done piling all the ingredients, the rice paper should be soft to the touch.
- Wrap your roll like you would burrito.
- Place prepared rolls on a glass plate and assemble the rest of the rolls.
- Enjoy two different dipping sauces.
Notes
- You can customize these summer rolls in any way you'd like. Feel free to skip and/or add ingredients you might enjoy in the summer rolls.
- Chili garlic sauce in the peanut sauce is optional. I personally LOVE spicy food and I thought it would balance the sweetness of the peanut butter. You can use half the amount or skip it altogether.
Leave a Reply