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Amazing as per usual. Every recipe from this website is gold! Loved the Swiss chard! I was looking for a recipe to use it up in!
Esther
It’s SUMMMAHHHH.
No, it’s not really. I lie. It’s actually the 2nd day of May. And even May isn’t safe – sometimes you still get the Sn word in May when you live in the Northland.
But just look at that picture and try to not feel all like SUMMMAHHHHH. See? Right?
I mean, I have my windows and doors open all day long, and I find myself doing things like searching all the random compartments in the cars and house and basement for my sunglasses which Bjork stashed away five months ago, and I can finally turn the heat from 90 million degrees to “Away” — umm we have a Nest, like true internet nerds, and so we don’t turn it off because we are fancy and we get to select options like “Away” — and most importantly?
Most importantly –>
I’m munching on fresh, rainbow-colored, RAW vegetables and herbs wrapped neatly (okay but just don’t look too closely at the back side of those five) in deliciously chewy rice paper and dipping them in a homemade peanut sauce and here’s the catch – I’m feeling toe-tingly happy about it. About raw vegetables. !! Watch me unleash the summer self within.
My real brain knows it’s not summer, but all these things? Come ON. The spirit of summer is all around.
Here’s the honest to oh my goodness truth about these summer rolls.
I almost didn’t post them.
Not because of taste! Guys, hello! THE FRESHNESS. The chewy rice paper. The sauce. It’s all so good.
But in the looks department – not so much. On a scale of 1-10, I’d rank my rice paper rolling skills as a zero. Every wrapper broke in at least three places and the ends looked like they were “wrapped” by a three year old. I’d wrap one up and, knowing it wasn’t going to be good enough to be pictured, I’d just stand over the cutting board and eat it. It wouldn’t even make it to the plate, ever. Straight to sauce to mouth. This happened way more times than would be considered normal for a person trying to warm up their rolling skills.
In the end, I had this batch of mediocre-looking summer rolls that I was planning to eat for lunch for the week, end of story. No blog post, no pictures. Time: wasted. Me: crabby.
But then I had the magic food inspiration to do just one simple thing: cut them in half.
And you wouldn’t even believe it but a rainbow of colors and shapes and textures emerged from the cut-in-half summer rolls and covered up all the failure of my wrapping skills. I put them in a bowl to show off the colors aka hide the slopped wrapping and they looked sososososooo pretty.
And I thought: I AM AWESOME AT LIFE RIGHT NOW.
Not only was I eating raw veggies (100 bonus Awesome Points), but I figured out a way to make the average person feel really good about their summer roll rice paper wrapping skills and enjoy the fresh, raw veggies with me. BOOM!
We can do this, you guys.
This recipe is some kind of a cross between Vietnamese spring rolls and the summer rolls I get at my favorite sushi place (see also: these Spring Roll Bowls for a similar vibe!). I couldn’t resist doing the zig-zag with the sauce over the top of these thai summer rolls to give them the looks of sushi summer rolls, but they are, by definition, really similar to my favorite Vietnamese spring rolls.
These portable rainbow mint-and-cilantro-fresh veggie guys dipped in that creamy-sweet peanut sauce are ready to be your perfect summer lunch. Or dinner, or snack, or everythannnggggg.
It totally is summer, okay?
Thai Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 rolls (nutrition is for one roll or two halves) 1x
Description
Thai Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce – these fresh veggie rolls make for the best easy, healthy, portable lunch! with tons of herbs and a delicious sauce.
Ingredients
For the Summer Rolls:
- 8 rice paper wrappers
- a few torn leafy greens like rainbow chard
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 medium bell pepper
- 2 medium carrots
- a handful of fresh mint
- a handful of fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado
- crushed peanuts for topping
For the Peanut Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (sub a gluten free tamari if you need to make the recipe GF)
- 1–2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
- 1 tablespoons honey
- a big squeeze of lime juice
- a dash of fish sauce
Instructions
- Place the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a food processor or blender. Pulse or blend until smooth.
- Slice the cucumber, pepper, and carrots into thin strips about 3 inches long. Slice the avocado into pieces.
- Soak one rice paper wrapper at a time into a bowl of warm-ish water for about 30 seconds. When you see or feel the wrapper getting loose and elastic-y, remove it from the water and set it on a damp towel. Pat it dry gently and dry your hands.
- Arrange a few of the vegetables and herbs in the center of the wrapper horizontally, starting with the leafy greens and ending with the avocado. Fold the left and right sides towards the middle; fold the top flap over the vegetables, tuck everything in, and tightly roll it all up. The wrapper will be very sticky and delicate so work carefully.
- Cut the rolls in half and place on a serving platter (because if you’re like me, they’ll look better when they’re cut in half and you’re looking at the pretty vegetables inside instead of the wrap job). Drizzle with the sauce or dip in the sauce or both! I topped mine with crushed peanuts.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Lunch
- Cuisine: Thai
Keywords: thai summer rolls, peanut sauce, summer rolls
This recipe is nearly a decade old (and I’ve been a follower since then). I just made this sauce to pair with my spring rolls – WOW! So easy, tangy and sweet. Truly loved it.
These summer rolls are the perfect balance of fresh and flavorful, paired with a delicious peanut sauce!
Thanks for sharing Lindsay.
My favorite peanut sauce.
I chose your recipe because your picture look so DELICIOUS. I canāt wait to share them with friends at Christmas. A stroke of genius to cut them in half. Thank you
Really love this!
Love these!!
How long do you think theyāll stay good in the fridge? Iād love to pack some for a healthy lunch the next day.
I bet with the peanut sauce, this will taste very good. Thanks for sharing.
Yummy! Looks like something I will love to eat.
Try doubling up the rice paper wrappers when soaking. They wont fall apart as easy. I try to get a small and a large size so I can use the smaller one in the center to keep it from splitting when you roll it. I also add a little of the peanut sauce into each one before rolling, since dipping can be hard sometimes and the sauce is always the best part!
Cette recette semble trĆØs dĆ©licieuse.
J’adore la nourriture thaĆÆlandaise, alors je vais l’essayer bientĆ“t.
Merci de partager la recette ici!
Thanks for your guide! It is fascinating. If possible, try to use seaweed leaves to swing outside. Do you know about Vietnamese Nem?
if i wasn’t allergic to peanut i would eat this every day! Thank you Lindsay for a great recipe!
I love the peanut sauce but I was wondering…would the 5 minute Magic Green Sauce work well with these?
Thanks!
Yeah, I think so! š
I love Thai cuisine, thanks for your recipe <3
This recipe looks very yummy.
I love Thai food, so I will try it soon.
Thank for share the recipe here !
Amazing recipe.
I’m trying to make it
This Thai summer rolls recipe looks very delicious. I will try it soon.
Thank for share, Lindsay !
Hi Lindsay,
I love Thau food and I have eat this dish some times.
It’s very delicious.
Beautiful ! I had the same challenges with the rice wrap until I found the slightly more textured ones. They look like waffles and are more sturdy. There’s no branding on them but light green package from Vietnam .????
Thanks for the tip, Linda!
Thank for sharing the recipe ,its look so delicious!
Awesome, I love Vietnamese Spring Rolls so much. Your summer rolls look so delicious. I will try to make it for my family. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
LOVELY post. Found you while searching for the perfect fresh spring roll recipe. Yum!
Iāve been so into Thai food recently and am so happy you posted this! So excited for summer! And now for these rolls!! Spring rolls are the best.
this recipe looks great,
thank you š
To whoever wrote Thai summer roll review and recipe. I believe it’s Lindsay. A solution to your rice paper tear problem. Try taking some cellophane, smear a little honey on one edge to hold in place (optional). Place toothpick on front cello(edge closest to you)(unglued side of cello) . Then lay paper on cello, leaving pick sticking out. Put in ingredients. Lift pick away from cello to grab edge. Fold over filling and fold in sides over filling. Now use cello to roll and tighten, like a sushi mat. Walla! Cello should stop caring and veg poking through. Hope this helps.
Tried these for dinner; very delish! 7 yr old grande loved them too. We all had fun making them but we didn’t have fish sauce so threw in a couple drops of Sirachi chili sauce and it was great. We were going to save a couple for my cousins hubby but then on second thought decided that was a bad idea and the five of us finished them off!
Dear Nanette,
There is a product by “Soy Vay” called “Veri Veri Teriyaki” that is excellent! I add thin sliced green onion, crushed garlic and ginger and let it meld for at least 1-2 hrs (more if you can) and WOW! It makes this “9” marinade/sauce and makes it a “12”! If you want to try it the “China King” franchises uses it for their steamed or fried dumpling dipping sauce. Hope you like it.
Love hearing that! Thanks, Nanette!