Crispy golden, easy vegetable spring rolls recipe, made with fresh mixed vegetables, glass noodles, and simple cupboard-friendly seasoning ingredients. You can either deep fry, bake, or air fry them. A healthier, tastier alternative to store-bought options!
Serve with sweet chilli sauce or with your favourite dipping sauce for a crowd-pleasing treat for your dinner guests to impress! They are surprisingly easy to make and perfect for parties, potluck, or any occasion.
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Spring rolls originated in China and are always enjoyed during festivals, celebrations, or just a simple family dinner. Typically deep-fried, with a crispy outer skin and juicy, flavourful fillings made from a mix of meats and vegetables.
There are countless variations, such as Prawn Spring Rolls, or Chicken Spring Rolls, and you can customise the fillings to suit your taste. If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer, spring rolls are a timeless favourite!
Ingredients
Spring Roll Wrappers: Thin, store-bought pastry sheets/wrappers work best for easy rolling and a crispy texture.
Vegetables: Shredded cabbage, carrot, garlic, spring onions.
Dried shiitake mushroom: presoak in warm water for a few minutes. You can also use fresh mushrooms as an alternative.
Glass noodles: Chewy glass noodles soak up the excess water in the vegetables and add extra texture and flavour to the fillings.
Seasonings:
- Soy Sauce
- Sugar
- Sesame Oil
- Salt & Pepper
Flour Glue: A simple mixture of plain flour and water to seal the wrappers.
Oil for Frying: Use a high smoke point neutral oil like vegetable or sunflower oil for deep frying. Or use oil spray for baking or air frying.
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and a printable recipe.
Top Tips
Seal Well: Wrap the spring rolls tightly and use flour glue or egg wash to seal the edges. This keeps them from bursting while frying and creates a crispy, non-greasy result.
Avoid Overfilling: Adjust the amount of fillings according to the size of the wrappers and roll them tightly without tearing them.
Maintain oil temperature: Keep frying oil temperature at 180°C/350°F for perfectly crisp, golden vegetable rolls. Overheating can cause burning, while low heat leads to soggy-texture spring rolls.
Fry in Batches: Don’t overcrowd the pan, as overcrowding can drop the oil temperature and result in greasy rolls.
Variations and Substitutes
- Gluten-Free Wrappers: Use rice paper wrappers as a gluten-free option. Swap plain flour with cornstarch to make flour glue. Some of the soy sauces are not gluten-free, so make sure to check the label.
- Protein Additions: Add cooked chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken, minced prawns, or tofu for a protein boost. See my Thai Spring Rolls Recipe for your reference!
- Vegetable Swaps: Substitute cabbage with shredded bok choy or napa cabbage, and add extra bean sprouts or shredded zucchini for added crunch.
- Mushroom Options: Replace dried shiitake mushrooms with fresh button mushrooms or wood ear mushrooms for a different flavour.
- Noodle Alternatives: Swap glass noodles with rice vermicelli or skip the noodles for a lighter filling.
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Soak shiitake mushrooms in warm water for 15 minutes, then squeeze out the water and dice. Soak glass noodles in hot water for 15 minutes, drain, and cut into smaller threads. Shred cabbage and carrots, and slice spring onions thinly.
- Cook the Filling: Heat a pan over medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil. Sauté minced garlic until fragrant, then add mushrooms, carrots, and cabbage. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until slightly wilted, then add the glass noodles. Season with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper, and toss well. Remove from heat and mix in spring onions. Let the filling cool completely.
- Wrap the Spring Rolls: Mix plain flour and water to create a paste for sealing the spring rolls. Place 2 tablespoons of filling on one side of a wrapper. Roll halfway, fold in the sides, and continue rolling tightly.
- Seal with Flour Glue: Seal the edge with the flour glue. Repeat the process until all the filling is used.
- Preheat the Oil: Fill a deep pot with at least 3 inches of oil and heat to 350°F (200°C).
- Fry the Spring Rolls: Add the rolls to the hot oil and deep fry for 6–8 minutes or until they are crispy and golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.
Note: Frying time may vary depending on the spring roll size, wrapper thickness, and oil temperature. Adjust as needed for perfectly crispy, golden brown rolls.
Storage
You can easily make these vegetable spring rolls ahead of time and store them in the fridge or freezer for later use.
Freezing: Lay uncooked spring rolls on a tray without touching and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. Fry straight from frozen, and no defrosting is needed.
Prepare Ahead: Assemble the spring rolls a day in advance, place them over a tray in a single layer, cover them with cling film, and refrigerate. Fry just before serving for fresh, crispy results. Perfect for parties or gatherings!
Reheating
Reheating: To reheat and make fried spring rolls crispy again, you can use an oven or air fryer. Place them in a preheated air fryer at 180°C/350°F or an oven at the same temperature for 5–8 minutes or until crispy. This method restores their crunch without making them greasy.
Avoid microwaving, as it softens the wrapper and results in a chewy texture.
FAQ
Avoid over-stuffing the rolls, and seal the wrappers tightly with flour glue. It’s also important to fry at the correct temperature, around (350°F/180°C) to prevent them from bursting open.
Absolutely! Brush or spray cooking oil over the vegetable rolls and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 15-20 minutes or air-fry at 375°F (190°C) for 12-15 minutes until crispy.
Baked or air-fried spring rolls may not achieve the same golden-brown colour as deep-fried ones, but they’re equally delicious!
Store leftover fried spring rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer for crispiness.
In the USA, it is also called vegetable egg rolls, and the wrappers are slightly different. Egg roll wrappers are thicker, while spring roll wrappers, like the ones in this recipe, are thinner in texture and made from wheat or rice flour.
Pairing Suggestions
These vegetable rolls go well with classic dipping sauces like sweet chilli sauce, hot chilli sauce, Sriracha, soy vinegar dip, hoisin sauce, or a tangy peanut sauce.
For a complete dinner, pair it with Chicken Chow Mein, Asian Ground Beef Noodles or a light salad like Japanese Cucumber Salad. For a cosy, satisfying meal, add some soups on the side, like Chinese Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup. Here are more of our favourite pairings:
More Crispy Appetisers
Looking for more easy party finger food? Try these popular dishes:
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📖 Recipe
Vegetable Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 14-15 sheets Spring roll wrapper 8" x 8"
- 200 gram Cabbage Shredded
- 200 gram Carrot Shredded
- 80 gram Dried shiitake mushroom Or wood ear mushrooms
- 50 grams Glass noodles Or mung bean or vermicelli noodles
- 2 cloves Garlic Minced
- 3-4 Spring onion Chopped
- 1 tbsp Plain flour Mix it with 2 tbsp water to make flour glue
- 2 tbsp Cooking oil For stir frying fillings
- Oil for frying For deep frying
Seasonings
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce Regular all-purpose soy sauce
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Sesame oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
Instructions
- Soak the shiitake mushroom in the warm water for 15 minutes. Then squeeze the water out and cut it into small pieces. Soak the glass noodles in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain the water out and cut into small threads. Shred cabbage and carrots. Cut spring onions into thin slices.
- Heat the pan over medium high heat, drizzle oil. Add minced garlic and saute for a few seconds until fragrant. Add mushrooms, carrots, cabbage and saute for 1-2 minutes until the vegetables are slightly wilted. Next, add the glass noodles. Add seasonings: soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.
- Toss everything well. Remove from heat and finish with spring onions. Let it cool down completely.
- Make a flour glue with water and plain flour to seal the spring rolls. Scoop 2 tablespoons of fillings and place it on one side of the wrapper. Roll to the middle and fold from both sides. Then, keep rolling it tight and seal it with flour glue. Repeat the process until all the fillings run out.
- Fill the frying pot with oil at least 3” high for deep frying. Heat the oil to 350F/200C and once the oil is hot enough add the spring rolls and fry for 6-8 until crispy golden brown.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of fillings according to the size of the wrappers and roll them tightly without tearing them. Do not overstuff the fillings.
- Maintain frying oil temperature at 180°C/350°F for perfectly crisp, golden vegetable rolls. Overheating can cause burning, while low heat leads to a soggy texture of spring rolls.
- Customise vegetables: You can substitute cabbage with shredded bok choy or napa cabbage and add extra bean sprouts or shredded zucchini for added crunch.
Hazel says
Simple ingredients and good tutorial how to make every dish.
Khin says
So glad that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks, Hazel.