These crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls are easy to prepare and perfect as a snack or as an appetizer to accompany your favorite Chinese dish.
These vegetable spring rolls are crispy on the outside and sooo flavorful on the inside. I grew up eating these in Malaysia, where they’re usually served with sweet chili sauce, which is my favorite way to enjoy them.
They’re filled with vegetables like jicama, cabbage, and carrots, giving the rolls a lighter texture with a bit of crunch.
When I moved to the United States, I was so happy to find spring rolls there too, though a bit different. The filling tends to be more cabbage-based instead of jicama, and they’re usually served with sweet-and-sour sauce rather than chili sauce.
This recipe leans closer to the version I grew up with, but it’s flexible enough to work with whatever vegetables you have on hand.
Vegetables in Spring Rolls
You can use a variety of vegetables in spring rolls, but the most common combination includes cabbage, carrots, and jicama. This is the mix I grew up with, and it gives the filling a lighter texture with a fresh crunch.
Bean sprouts are also commonly used and add a nice crisp bite, especially in Southeast Asian-style spring rolls. For extra texture, I like adding sliced French beans.
Other vegetables that work well include shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, scallions, or bell peppers. Whatever combination you use, slice everything thinly and evenly.
One of the most important things when making vegetable spring rolls is keeping the filling from becoming too wet. Vegetables like jicama may seem watery at first, but they hold up quite well once thinly sliced and cooked. They release moisture gradually and keep their crunch, which is why they’re commonly used in spring roll fillings.
Leafy greens, on the other hand, tend to collapse quickly and release a lot of water all at once, so I wouldn’t recommend them here.
How to Make Vegetable Spring Rolls
The easiest way to prepare the vegetables for these spring rolls is to use a mandoline. It makes quick work of shredding the cabbage and slicing carrots or jicama into long, thin strips.
If you want to save time, a bag of cabbage and carrot coleslaw mix works here, too!
For this recipe, we'll use 4 cups of shredded cabbage, 2 cups of julienned jicama, and 2 cups of julienned carrots.
Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat, then add all the vegetables. Stir-fry just until they soften and release some of their moisture, but don’t let them turn mushy.
Add 1 tablespoon of sugar to add just a bit of sweetness, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a dash of ground white pepper. Black pepper will also work here, but I prefer white pepper in this recipe as the flavor is more subtle and doesn't overpower the veggies.
Once the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the heat and let the filling cool completely before wrapping. This step is important, as warm filling can create steam and make the wrappers harder to seal.
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Wrapping and Frying the Spring Rolls
Spring roll wrappers are usually found in the refrigerated or frozen section of the Asian supermarket. They may be labeled as "spring roll pastry".
Egg roll wrappers are a lot thicker and will not work with this veggie spring roll recipe.
Lay one wrapper flat in a diamond shape.
Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of filling near the bottom corner closest to you.
Fold the bottom edge of the diamond up over the filling. Fold the bottom edge over the filling, then fold in both sides and roll the spring roll almost all the way. Dab a little water along the top edge to seal, then finish rolling.
Heat cooking oil in a wok or frying pan to approximately 325°F. You should have enough cooking oil to deep-fry about 2 to 3 spring rolls at a time.
When the oil is ready, carefully lower the spring rolls into the oil and fry them till they turn a light golden brown.
Remove the spring rolls from the wok with a spider skimmer.
Place the spring rolls on a baking sheet lined with paper towels or oil-absorbing paper.
Serve with sweet chili sauce. Enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips for the Best Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Slice everything thinly and evenly. This helps the vegetables cook at the same rate and keeps the filling from releasing too much moisture.
- Don’t overcook the filling. The vegetables should be just tender, not soft or mushy. Overcooked filling tends to release more water as it cools.
- Let the filling cool completely before wrapping. Warm filling creates steam, which can soften the wrappers and make them harder to seal.
- Don’t overfill the wrappers. About 2 heaping tablespoons is enough. Overfilling makes the rolls harder to wrap and more likely to split during frying.
- Keep the oil at a steady temperature. Around 325°F gives you crisp spring rolls without browning them too quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can prepare the filling up to a day in advance and store it in the fridge. Don't wrap them in the spring roll wrappers until you are ready to fry them, as they will get too soggy.
Greasy spring rolls are usually caused by oil that isn’t hot enough or an overcrowded pan. Make sure the oil stays around 325°F and fry in small batches so the temperature doesn’t drop too much.
This often happens when the filling is too wet or still warm. Make sure the vegetables are cooked just until tender, any excess moisture has cooked off, and the filling is completely cool before wrapping. Over-stuffing can also cause the wrappers to split.
You can, but the texture will be different. For baking or air frying, brush or spray the rolls lightly with oil and cook until golden, turning once. They won’t be quite as crisp as deep-fried spring rolls, but ill yummy!
Sweet chili sauce is the most common pairing (my favorite!) Sweet-and-sour sauce also works well, particularly for American Chinese–style spring rolls. Simple soy sauce is another good option.
Spring rolls are best enjoyed fresh, but if they soften after sitting out for a while, you can easily crisp them up again. Reheat them in an air fryer or toaster oven at about 350°F for a few minutes. Avoid reheating in the microwave, as it will make the wrappers soft and chewy.
Vegetable Spring Rolls (Crispy Chinese-Style Recipe)
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 cups jicama julienned
- 2 cups carrots julienned
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil + enough for deep-frying
- 1 tablespoon sugar optional, for a touch of sweetness
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 dash ground white pepper
- 12 - 15 spring roll wrappers
- Sweet chili sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat, then add the cabbage, jicama, and carrots to the wok.
- Stir-fry the vegetables until they turn soft.
- Add sugar, salt and white pepper to the vegetables. Stir well to combine, then remove the vegetables from the wok. Allow them to cool.
- Wrap the vegetable mix into the spring roll wrappers: Lay the wrapper out flat in the shape of a diamond. Place about 2 heaping tablespoons of the vegetable filling near the lower corner closest to you.
- Fold the bottom edge over the filling, then fold both sides toward the middle. Roll the spring roll almost all the way, then dip your finger in water and run it along the top edge to seal. Finish rolling.
- Heat cooking oil in a wok or frying pan to approximately 325°F.
- When the oil is ready, carefully lower the spring rolls into the oil and fry them till they turn a light golden brown.
- Place the spring rolls on a baking sheet lined with paper towels or oil absorbing paper
- Serve with sweet chili sauce or sweet-and-sour sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- Shred the cabbage using a mandolin.
- To julienne the jicama and carrots, slice them with a mandolin horizontally first then julienne the slices. To save time, use coleslaw mix!
- Make sure the vegetable filling is completely cool before wrapping to prevent soggy spring rolls.
Nutrition
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