Shrimp Spring Rolls

Often served cold and accompanied by a dipping sauce, shrimp spring rolls are an ideal appetizer or light weeknight dinner. The specialty, which hails from Southeast Asia, is traditionally composed of rice noodles, shrimp, pork, vegetables, herbs and other ingredients wrapped in rice paper. This shrimp spring roll recipe features plump shrimp, a medley of crunchy lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, red cabbage and a nutty dipping sauce—components that combine to create a symphony of flavors and textures. It’s a wonderful shrimp recipe to have on hand and much easier to make than you think!

Ingredients for Shrimp Spring Rolls

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• Creamy peanut butter: This pantry staple is the foundation of the dipping sauce for the shrimp spring rolls. If you prefer a chunkier consistency, use crunchy peanut butter.
• Condiments: Store-bought or homemade sweet chili sauce gives the peanut sauce a gentle spiciness and a touch of sweetness, while soy sauce adds umami-rich flavor. Rice vinegar brings brightness and acidity.
• Aromatics: Minced garlic and ginger add warm, peppery notes to the dipping sauce.
• Rice paper: These gluten-free spring roll wrappers, available in the international section of many grocery stores and Asian supermarkets, are typically made with rice, salt, water and tapioca. After a quick soak in water, the ultra-thin, gluten-free sheets become soft, pliable wrappers that hold spring rolls together.
• Veggies: Boston lettuce leaves, carrots, cucumbers and shredded red lettuce provide a bounty of crunch and freshness to the spring rolls.
• Rice noodles: Thin rice noodles, also known as vermicelli or rice sticks, are a refreshing complement to the crispy veggies and flavor-pack peanut sauce.
• Shrimp: You can use any type of shrimp (fresh or frozen) for this recipe, but you’re more apt to find white shrimp at your local grocery. Pre-cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp are the easiest option, but making your own with raw shrimp takes minutes (especially if it’s already cleaned and deveined). This recipe calls for medium-sized shrimp, which you’ll find in a 31 to 40-count bag (meaning you can get up to 40 shrimp per pound). If you opt for the frozen variety, defrost the shrimp overnight in the refrigerator or under cool running water.
• Cilantro: Cilantro gives the spring rolls a citrusy kick that harmonizes with the neutral flavors of the shrimp, veggies and rice noodles.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dipping sauce

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In a small bowl, combine the creamy peanut butter, hot water, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger. Whisk the mixture until it’s smooth and set aside.

Step 2: Cook the rice noodles

Cook the rice noodles according to the package’s directions. Drain, rinse the strands with cold water and set aside.

Step 3: Rehydrate rice paper

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Fill a large shallow dish with 1 to 2 inches of water. Submerge one sheet of rice paper in the water for about 45 seconds until it’s pliable (don’t soften it completely). Gently remove it from the water and allow the access water to drip off.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t use hot or warm water to soften the rice paper, as this will make it stickier and more likely to tear. Fill your dish with cold water and make sure not to completely soften the sheet. You should be able to remove it from the water without it falling apart.

Step 4: Assemble the shrimp spring rolls

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Place the wrapper on a flat surface and layer one lettuce leaf half across the bottom third of the wrapper. Top the lettuce with noodles, carrots, cucumber and cabbage. Fold in both ends of the wrapper, then fold in the bottom side over the veggies. Top the roll neatly with three shrimp and about 1-1/2 teaspoons of cilantro, and roll it up tightly. Place the roll seam-side-down on a serving plate and repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.
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Editor’s Tip: The rice papers are sticky! Rolling them on a slightly damp towel can help prevent them from adhering to themselves and your work surface.

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Step 5: Serve with sauce

Enjoy the shrimp spring rolls with the peanut butter sauce.

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Recipe Variations

• Swap in different herbs: If you’re one of the many who don’t like the taste of cilantro, don’t fret. You can omit the herb entirely or substitute it with a different one. Mint, Thai or sweet basil, and perilla are all great options. You can also use a combination of fresh herbs.
• Make it vegetarian: Plant-based eaters can easily add 1 pound of tofu to the spring roll recipe instead of shrimp. To prepare tofu, buy firm or extra-firm tofu (for the best results), press it to remove excess liquid, and cut the block into 1/2-inch slices.
• Try a different dipping sauce: Instead of making a peanut butter sauce, use homemade sesame ginger salad dressing or keep it easy with sweet chili sauce.
• Go wrapper-free: Instead of halving the lettuce leaves, serve them whole alongside the fillings (veggies, shrimp and rice noodles) and build your own lettuce wraps, which also play well with the peanut sauce.

How to Store Shrimp Spring Rolls

While spring rolls are most delicious when fresh, leftovers will last for three to four days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, the rice paper may get drier or soggier after a day or two. To keep the spring rolls from sticking together, store them individually folded in plastic wrap or spaced in the container so they’re not touching. Store the peanut sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If the mixture thickens, reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds and whisk in more hot water to thin it out.

Can you make shrimp spring rolls ahead of time?

It’s best to assemble spring rolls right before you eat them, but you can prepare most of the components ahead of time, including making the peanut sauce, prepping the vegetables and cooking the shrimp (if needed). If you want to wrap and serve them the next day, prep the fillings the night before.

Shrimp Spring Rolls Tips
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What’s the best way to cook shrimp for shrimp spring rolls?

There are several ways to cook shrimp for your shrimp spring roll recipe, but steamed shrimp is one of the easiest and will help the briny beauties stay plump and moist. Steam the shrimp with their shells on, which protects them from drying out, but if you use peeled and deveined shrimp, just reduce the cooking time by a minute or two to prevent them from overcooking and becoming rubbery.

How do you clean and devein shrimp?

Shell-on shrimp is often more affordable than its peeled and cooked counterparts, but you must clean and devein them yourself. To clean shrimp (fresh or thawed from frozen), remove the head and legs before peeling off the shell and tail. To devein the shrimp, cut it along its back with a paring knife to expose the vein. Grab the vein with your fingers and pull it toward the shrimp’s tail end until it comes out.

What can you serve with shrimp spring rolls?

This recipe for spring rolls with shrimp is a light and fresh addition to a spread of Vietnamese dishes, such as lemongrass-kissed Vietnamese pork chops or soul-warming chicken meatball soup.

What else can you stuff in spring rolls?

If you love spring roll recipes with shrimp, there are oodles of other customizable variations, such as spanakopita spring rolls, garden spring rolls and pork and vegetable spring rolls.