Shrimp Spring Rolls
on Aug 12, 2023, Updated Sep 12, 2023
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These Shrimp 🍤 Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce are as beautiful as they are delicious! Spring rolls are one of my favorite nutritious, colorful, flavour-packed meals. After a little bit of practice and patience learning to handle rice paper wrappers, you will not only be surprised at how easy it is to make homemade spring rolls, but how limitless the filling and flavor possibilities are.
Why You’ll Love These Shrimp Spring Rolls
What makes this recipe so beautiful and nutritious is the variety of fillings that work here. Any colorful vegetable can be used: sprouts or micro-greens, sliced avocado 🥑, strips of bell pepper, crunchy lettuce leaves, shredded radishes, and so much more. The vegetables included in the recipe make some of my favorite combinations but are just a suggested starting point.
The creamy peanut-soy dipping sauce is so simple. Just stir together a few condiments and add a bit of water 💦 to thin the dip to your desired consistency. The smooth, salty dip is a must alongside the fresh, crunchy rolls. Everything is best enjoyed fresh, served right after you finish assembling the rolls.
Preparing the Shrimp Spring Rolls
We begin with briefly submerging rice paper in a shallow bowl of water. Rice paper wrappers are available at most major grocery stores, as well as many Asian grocery shops. These super thin wrappers are generally made from tapioca and rice 🌾, making them naturally gluten-free (note: condiments such as soy sauce often contain gluten but can be replaced with gluten-free tamari). Once the wrappers are wet, they take on a soft, pliable, sticky texture that makes them ideal for wrapping.
I’ve provided a simple method for poaching raw shrimp 🦐 at home, but you can also purchase cooked cocktail shrimp from the store and use those in this recipe; just don’t forget to remove any shells. You can also use firm tofu (ideally marinated) in place of shrimp, or other seafood, such as cooked crabmeat or cubes of salmon.
Nonna’s Tip
I like to prep all my spring roll fillings and set up a workstation before I begin wetting the wrappers and rolling them.
Variations and Substitutions
Feel free to customize these Shrimp Spring Rolls to suit your taste preferences and dietary needs. Explore protein swaps, colorful veggies, dipping sauce tweaks, and more, giving you the freedom to customize these spring rolls to your liking. Here are just a few options:
- Crabmeat 🦀 or tofu instead of shrimp
- Leave out the protein for a veggie-only spring roll
- Add bean sprouts or thinly sliced mango to your rolls
- Seed butter instead of peanut butter (for those with a peanut allergy)
- Large lettuce leaves 🥬 instead of rice paper to wrap the spring rolls
Best Served With
- You can make a quick and easy dipping sauce by combining soy sauce and fresh lime juice instead of, or in addition to, the peanut 🥜 dipping sauce.
- Serve the rolls alongside a simple Asian-inspired slaw: combine a package of coleslaw mix with some of the peanut dipping sauce or a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, and lime juice.
- These pair wonderfully with pickled vegetables 🥕 (you can purchase pre-made from Asian grocery stores or make your own), which add bright acidity and crunch.
- If you love Asian-inspired rolls, be sure to also check out my Vegetable Egg Rolls.
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This is an amazing tool if you don't want to sit and manually julienne vegetables. This peeler will do the job for you in a fraction of the time!
These rice paper sheets are perfect for making spring rolls! It's made of 100% natural ingredients with no preservatives or additives.
This knife is my most used tool in the kitchen. The love I have for this knife is unmatched.
This cutting board is not only aesthetically pleasing but will last you for years and years!
I use these bowls for everything in my kitchen. I use them to prep my ingredients, to mix batter or dough in them and so much more!
Common Questions
You can make this sauce with seed butter or other nut butter of your choice.
You can buy Vietnamese rice paper at most major grocery stores or Asian markets. They are thin, dry, translucent circular sheets made from rice.
While it’s best to enjoy spring rolls fresh, you can make them a few hours ahead of time if needed. To prevent them from drying out, place a damp paper towel or cloth over them and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You can replace shrimp with various options, such as marinated firm tofu, cooked chicken, crabmeat, or even smoked salmon. These substitutions allow you to cater to different dietary preferences and tastes.
Yes, you can make gluten-free spring rolls by using gluten-free tamari or soy sauce in the dipping sauce. Ensure that all condiments and ingredients used are gluten-free to accommodate those with gluten sensitivities.
Yes! While peanut sauce is a classic choice, you can explore other dipping sauces. Some options are sweet chili sauce, hoisin-based sauce, or a sesame ginger sauce to suit your taste preferences.
Shrimp Spring Rolls
Ingredients
Poaching Ingredients
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ lemon
- salt
- 9 raw jumbo tiger shrimp, thawed if frozen; peeled and deveined
Additional Ingredients
- 5 rice paper wrappers
- finely sliced red cabbage
- julienned carrots
- julienned cucumber
Peanut Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup natural creamy peanut butter, use seed butter if allergic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce , I used coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon sweet Thai chili sauce, or your favorite chili sauce
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar, optional
- 2 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
- NOTE: If the shrimp are not already peeled, you can peel them after they are poached.
- Julienne the veggies of choice by slicing them as thinly as possible. You can use a julienne peeler for the carrot and cucumber or cut them as thin as possible with a knife. Set aside.
The Shrimp:
- Add about 4 cups of water to a large pot. Add the bay leaves, squeeze in the lemon juice and the squeezed lemon half, and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once the water boils, turn off the heat and add the raw shrimp. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for about 3 minutes or until the shrimp curl into themselves and turn pink. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
- After 3 minutes, transfer the shrimp with a spider (or small strainer) to the ice water. Let the shrimp chill for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate and set aside.
Peanut Dipping Sauce:
- To a small bowl, add the peanut butter, soy sauce, and sweet Thai chili sauce, and rice vinegar. Gradually add hot water, stirring, until you reach your desired consistency. Set aside.
Assembly:
- Take one sheet of rice paper, submerge it in warm water for 15 to 20 seconds and lay it onto a plate or a clean, damp kitchen towel.
- Add the vegetables in the bottom third of the wrapper. Roll halfway up into a cylinder, then fold in the sides. Lay two pieces of shrimp on top. Roll into a tight cylinder to seal.
- Repeat the same step for each roll. Serve right away, alongside the peanut dipping sauce, and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love these so much especially the dipping sauce I’ve made a different variation of it, all veggies. I added the mentioned veggies in the recipe plus some thinly sliced red peppers, mango and cilantro. Came out superb! Absolutely love this recipe.
wow so happy Edyta 🙂
See previous comment…
Delicious! A little time consuming to prep the veggies however totally worth it! I’ve never poached shrimp and they came out tasty and scrumptious. I added a little cilantro to the inside of the spring rolls to bring out more of the freshness and that dipping sauce, I could absolutely chug on its own!