Vegetarian Spring Rolls Recipe (Vegan)

Jump to Recipe

My recipe for Chinese Vegetarian Spring Rolls is a perfect finger food for any of your Game Day celebrations. Crispy and golden on the outside, filled with a tantalizing mix of vegetables and served with a savory dipping sauce, this is one starter that is sure to satisfy everyone!

pile of homemade vegetable spring rolls with one broken open to show the filling

Jump to:

Why You Will Love This Recipe
Ingredients & Possible Substitutions
How to Make Spring Rolls
FAQs and Storage Suggestions
Expert Tips
Add-Ins
Need more appetizer inspiration? Check out some of my other favorite recipes
📖 Recipe

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Crisp on the outside, stuffed to the gills with a spicy vegetable filling, and served with your favorite dipping sauce, these spring rolls are downright delicious.

Even better? They're very simple to make at home and are much healthier than what you would get from your favorite takeout restaurant. Feel free to adjust the filling with your favorite veggies to make these entirely your own.

They also just happen to be naturally vegan and gluten free, meaning they are a perfect addition to any party spread. Omnivores and plant based dieters alike will love this savory snack!

Ingredients & Possible Substitutions

This easy recipe for homemade Spring Rolls doesn't require a ton of ingredients, making it quite accessible to all home cooks. Here is everything you need.

Spring rolls require a wrapper, and while I love using my homemade spring roll sheet, there is zero shame in purchasing pre-made wrappers from the store. Just be sure to grab rice wrappers that are both gluten free and vegan if you have any dietary limitations.

The base of any traditional Chinese spring roll always includes shredded cabbage. To that I have added some of my favorite veggies including carrots, green beans, green bell pepper and a trio of alliums - garlic, spring onions and onions.

Feel free to experiment with your own favorite veggies here! Anything you would use in a stir fry would be appropriate here. That includes (but is not limited to) mushrooms for extra umami flavors, other colors of bell peppers, zucchini or summer squash for sweetness and crunch.

As someone who loves spice, I add red chili sauce to my veggie mixture. If heat isn't your favorite flavor, you can dial it back or omit it altogether. Green chili sauce can also be used here, depending on what you have on hand. You can also feel free to add fresh chilis for extra heat.

To add some good umami flavor, this homemade spring roll recipe also calls for soy sauce. If you are gluten free, swap in Tamari or coconut aminos instead. A touch of toasted sesame oil rounds out the delicious Chinese flavors.

The filling also calls for rice wine vinegar as the acidic component. While I love the light, almost sweet flavor of rice wine vinegar, you can easily sub in either plain white vinegar or apple cider vinegar depending on what you have in the pantry.

Since Chinese spring rolls are fried, we should talk about oil. I recommend using a neutral oil with a high smoke point. I used a refined vegetable oil, but grapeseed, peanut, or corn oil would all work as well.

To seal the spring roll, we use a slurry of either maida (an Indian wheat flour that resembles cake flour) or cornflour (also known as cornstarch). A slurry is just a mix of water and whatever ingredient you choose.

So, what are you waiting for dear folks?? Gather these ingredients and rush to your kitchen. Believe me, you will love this simple recipe for homemade spring rolls! 🙂

How to Make Spring Rolls

This recipe has three steps. First, make your filling. Second, wrap the rolls. Finally, cook the spring rolls by deep frying or air frying. Read on to learn how to do each step.

Step 1 - Make Veggie Filling

In a pan or a wok, heat vegetable oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and fry until *just* golden, being careful not to burn it.

TIP: If you are ever sautéing something and the heat is getting away from you, you can stop the process of frying by adding a few drips of water. The act of adding onions and spring onions to the pan achieves the same effect by bringing their natural moisture to the party.

Add sliced onions and spring onion whites to the pan. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

sliced red onions and spring onion whites added to wok with oil and garlic

Increase the heat to high. Add cabbage and sauté until the water evaporates from the bottom of the pan, roughly 4-5 minutes.

TIP: Using other veggies for your homemade spring roll mix? If they are julienned, this is the time to add them.

Now add carrot, capsicum (green bell pepper), beans, salt and pepper and sauté on high heat for 2 minutes.

TIP: If you are using other veggies in your mix, now is the time to add the chopped ingredients.

carrots, green beans, green bell peppers, salt and pepper added to wok with cabbage and alliums

Add chili sauce, soy sauce and rice vinegar, sautéing for another minute.

chili sauce and soy sauce added to veggie mix for spring rolls

Finally, add your spring onion greens and sesame oil. Continue to sauté on high for approximately another 30 seconds, ensuring all liquid has evaporated.

green onion greens added to veggie mix for homemade spring rolls

Remove the veggie mixture from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before proceeding to assemble the rolls.

completed vegetable filling mix for homemade chinese spring rolls

Step 2 - Fold Spring Rolls

Working with just one wrapper at a time, keep your remaining wrappers covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to ensure that they don't dry out and become brittle.

Place your wrapper in the shape of a diamond on a work surface in front of you. Place one hefty spoonful of your filling about a quarter of the way up from the bottom corner.

first step of wrapping a spring roll - spoon full of filling added to bottom corner of wrapper laid out like a diamond

Tuck the bottom corner over the filling, then roll it once to secure the mixture inside.

bottom corner tucked over filling and rolled once

Wrap the side corners over the first roll, leaving you with a wrapper that resembles an open envelope. Wet the exposed edges of the top of the wrapper with slurry.

side corners of spring roll wrapper folded in over first roll to look like an open envelope

Tuck your fingers into the crease and tightly roll the wrapper almost to the end, leaving the top corner exposed. Using a finger, rub on some of the slurry mix to the edges of the exposed corner.

spring roll with final corner exposed and wetted with slurry to seal

Securely seal the spring roll by attaching the last corner to the roll. Move the completed roll to the side and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to prevent drying out. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.

completed vegetarian spring roll on a blue plate prior to frying

Step 3 - Deep Fry, Air Fry or Bake Rolls

Deep Frying : Now, heat enough oil in a wok pan to cover your spring rolls. Make sure your oil is between 175C-190C (350F-375F) before proceeding.

When the oil is hot, work in batches and gently slide in a few rolls. Fry them until golden and crisp, approximately 4-5 minutes.

Deep frying spring rolls in hot oil in wok

Remove them from the oil and allow to drain on a plate lined with an absorbent paper towel. Deep fry the remaining rolls in the same manner.

Air Fryer : To air fry your spring rolls, brush or spray with a touch of neutral oil. Cook in a pre-heated fryer at 200C (390F) for 5-6 minutes.

Oven Baked : To bake them, place a single layer onto a parchment lined sheet tray. Spray or brush with oil and bake them in a pre-heated oven at 200C (390F) degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Serve these crispy spring rolls hot from the fryer or oven with dipping sauce of choice. Enjoy!

FAQs and Storage Suggestions

Are these spring rolls vegan?

As the recipe is written, yes! That said, not all spring rolls are vegan (or even vegetarian!). Feel free to adjust the recipe as needed.

Can I freeze them?

Yes! Once the rolls are assembled (but not yet cooked) place them on a tray or a plate without allowing any to touch. Freeze for 2 hours, or until frozen through. Transfer them to a a zip top freezer bag and label them. They should keep for up to 4 months.
Before frying frozen spring rolls, defrost them on the counter for 5-7 minutes and then proceed to fry as needed.

What is the difference between spring rolls and egg rolls?

While both are delicious fried Chinese appetizers that can be eaten with your hands, spring rolls and egg rolls are different because of their wrappers.
Spring rolls are typically made with a thin, delicate wrapper made from rice flour, whereas egg rolls are made using a thicker, wheat based wrapper that is dipped in egg for additional crispiness.

Expert Tips

Many store bought spring roll wrappers come frozen. Be sure to thaw them on the countertop for about an hour, or until they are pliable.
Keep both the stack of wrappers that you are not using and the assembled spring roll covered with either a damp cloth or plastic wrap until you are ready to fry or bake them. When they are exposed to air, they become dry and brittle.
Before filling the spring rolls, be sure that stuffing is completely cool.
Always be sure to heat the oil well before frying anything, as the subject will take on excess oil if it isn't hot enough. Aim for between 175-190C (350-375F) for frying to prevent soggy spring rolls. I recommend a deep fry/candy thermometer for this purpose.

Add-Ins

While this recipe for homemade spring roll is vegetarian (vegan, in fact!), not all traditional rolls are. Feel free to add in meat to your liking, like cooked ground meat or chopped shrimp.
If you are not vegan, a shake or two of fish sauce adds a nice umami flavor to the filling.
Feel free to experiment with the vegetables in the filling. Cabbage is very traditional, but everything from peppers to squash, beans sprouts and noodles, broccoli to cauliflower could all be quite tasty. Get creative! Just be sure to cut your veggies into thin slices or small dices for best results.

Pile of vegetable spring rolls on a white plate garnished with green onions — Veg Spring Roll

Need more appetizer inspiration? Check out some of my other favorite recipes

If you tried this recipe for homemade Vegetarian Spring Rolls, please comment below to let me know how they turned out!

You can also tag me in your Instagram pictures to show me your creations. 🙂

If you'd like more recipes of mine delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for my email newsletter.

You can also follow my kitchen adventures on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook if you prefer.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Ingredients & Possible Substitutions