My father is from Ecuador and he ate Chinese food when he was a child, so he loves it. Here in Spain there weren't many Chinese restaurants until 2 or 3 decades ago, but I've always loved this kind of food, and these vegan spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce are so delicious.
It's almost impossible to find vegan spring rolls where I live, so I need to make them myself. This recipe is so simple and the sauce tastes amazing, much better than store bought.
This recipe isn't gluten free, but you can use rice papers instead of spring roll pastry or wrappers. You can also steam your spring rolls, it's a healthier and lighter version (we've fried them) and you can also make summer rolls with rice paper and raw veggies.
For the filling we've used garlic, onion, carrot, Chinese cabbage and soy sprouts, but you can use other vegetables and your spring rolls will be delicious too.
We used a wok to cook the filling, but you can also use a frying pan. We always use a wok when we cook Asian recipes, we love it! It's easier to cook these kind of dishes and they taste better.
You can see how to make the vegan spring rolls in the photo below. You only have to place wrapper like diamond, place 2 tablespoons of filling near corner, tightly roll the wrapper, fold over left side, fold over right side, paint a little water along the edge and close it up.
We usually eat these spring rolls with vegan Chinese fried rice, we'll share the recipe with you soon! You can eat the rolls with tamari or soy sauce, but we prefer sweet and sour sauce.
The ingredients you're gonna need to make the sweet and sour sauce are: ketchup or tomato sauce, tamari or soy sauce, vinegar (we prefer rice vinegar, but you can also use cider or white wine vinegar), agave syrup, water and cornstarch. Easy, right?
You can use honey (if you're not vegan), maple syrup, coconut syrup or other kind of sweetener instead of the agave syrup. You can also use other kind of starch or even flour instead of the cornstarch.
We love to eat at Chinese restaurants, but you can prepare awesome Chinese dishes at home, it's really easy. Cooking at home is cheap, fun, healthier, lighter and you can always make a vegan version of your favorite dishes, such as these delicious vegan spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce.
Vegan Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 4 leaves of cabbage
- 1 ounce soy sprouts
- 2 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- 8 sheets spring roll pastry
- Water
- Sweet and sour sauce
Instructions
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a wok (1 tablespoon is enough), add the vegetables (the sliced garlic, julienned onion, carrots and cabbage, and soy sprouts) and the tamari sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
- You can see how to make the vegan spring rolls in the sixth photo of this post. You only have to place wrapper like diamond, place 2 tablespoons of filling near corner, tightly roll the wrapper, fold over left side, fold over right side, paint a little water along the edge and close it up.
- Heat plenty of extra virgin olive oil in the wok and when it's very hot, add the spring rolls and cook them for about 1 minute or until both sides are golden brown.
Serene Lee says
Looks tasty will try to make them.
Plus I love your blog.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Serene! I hope you like it 🙂
Lisa Jarrett says
Please help me be a vegan
Iosune Robles says
Hi Lisa! I'm sure our recipes will help you 🙂
Miya says
What brand do you use for spring roll wraps? I've found vegan wraps, but they bubble up when golden (like the thick, brown, egg rolls from Chinese restaurants). I've never been able to find the thin wraps that are crispy and also vegan. I did come across a brand that listed glycerin as an ingredient, but glycerin can sometimes be an animal product. Because they didn't specify, I had to assume it was animal and couldn't use it.
Iosune Robles says
We are from Spain so the brands are completely different, sorry! Maybe, you can try to buy it in a vegan online shop 🙂
Ethan says
Hi there,
Did you deep fat fry these or is a little oil in a fry-pan enough to fry these up?
Iosune Robles says
Hi Ethan! You need plenty of extra virgin olive oil 🙂
Gabby says
This recipe was absolutely delicious!!! Although, I sort of played with the ratio of cabbage/carrots/onion/sprouts. It would have been helpful to have the amount of those in grams so that it was more precise as produce varies in size. Otherwise, these were great!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Gabby! So glad you liked it 🙂 We will take your suggestion into consideration! Have a nice day!
Carol says
Very good cooked in air fryer lightly sprayed with oil
Iosune Robles says
Hi Carol. I have never try to cook them in an air fryer but sounds good!
Christina Redondo says
I bought spring roll papers without a plan and they sat in my fridge because I was intimidated by the thought of making them. This recipe was SO easy and frikkin delicious, I can't believe it! I will be making these again and again.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Christina!!! It is great to know you found this recipe useful and yummy! Thank you so much 🙂
Marian Meade says
Thanks so much for your simple and delicious recipe! I served it today for lunch with a friend and we raved about it!
Iosune says
Hi Marian! Thank YOU 🙂 So glad you guys enjoyed it!
Skip Wagner says
These came out so good that I made them 2 nights in a row for dinner. What was even better was that instead of frying them in a pan with oil I cooked them in the air fryer and was blown away at how crispy they were. I could not tell that they weren't deep fried. I did take a brush and lightly brush them with olive oil before air frying them but in total it was probably no more than 2 tablespoons of oil used for 10 spring rolls. And they were done within 5 minutes of putting them in the air fryer. Great recipe!!
2 other points to note: I used 1 tbsp sesame oil instead of olive oil when stir frying the vegetables.
After stir frying I let the veggies cool and then squeezed as much moisture out of them with a paper towel as I could because I found that if they were too moist they would cause the egg roll wrappers to tear as I was rolling them.
Iosune says
Hi Skip! Sounds amazing 🙂 I’ve never used an air fryer, but I’d love to. Have a nice day!
Emma says
I haven't tried yet as I'm struggling to find spring roll pastry sheets but OMG those pics are making my mouth water
Iosune says
Hi Emma! You can find them frozen in some local supermarkets and also in many Asian supermarkets 🙂
Sarah says
Every time I want to make spring rolls I come back to this recipe. I switch up the filling - I usually put some mushrooms in there as well - but the result is always the same awesomeness on my plate! I have to say though, the first time I tried making them I used rice paper, but the dough sucked up a lot of the frying oil and it was difficult to get a crunchy layer on the outside. Since then I've been making them with spring roll pastry (we can get it frozen in most supermarkets) and now I cannot live without!
Iosune says
Hi Sarah! So glad you like our recipe 🙂 I've also tried to make this recipe with rice paper and didn't work either. Have a nice day!
catherine says
I thought spring roll pastry was made with some egg in it.
Iosune says
Hi Catherine! You can also find vegan spring roll pasty, at least here in Spain 🙂
Christy says
Hello. I tried this recipe with rice paper and they fell apart when I put them in the pan to fry them and the rice paper never got crispy. What did I do wrong? The rice paper was sticky and goopy. I put the rice paper in warm water before rolling them up. Thanks for your help. I'd love to try again!
Iosune says
Hi Christy! You should use sheets of spring roll pastry instead of the rice paper 🙂
VenusinStyle says
Love your recipe and photos! I bake my vegan spring rolls, cutting added oil, 475°F for 5-6 minutes. I also use bean sprouts and all organic ingredients. Most ingredients are purchased at farmer's markets in season, I then slice them into the proper proportions and freeze in small quantities to make 6 rolls at a time. Freezing and thawing negates the need for cooking in a wok, so no oil is used for those with cholesterol levels. Thank you!
Iosune says
Hi! Thanks a lot for the awesome idea, I've never tried to bake them! 🙂
patti says
I am making these for tonight and I made a 'sample' roll to taste.
Although I used a few different things in the fill and my wraps were much lighter and more see through, they turned out amazing. I wanted to post a pic of them but can't seem to figure out how to here.
Thanks for the inspiration. I will be making these more often now. : )
Iosune says
Hi Patti! I'm so glad you liked them 😉 You can share the recipe on your favorite social media (facebook, instagram, twitter, etc) and tag it #simpleveganblog Have a nice day!
Stephanie says
Hi!
These are delicious, and I make them often! My mother-in-law asked me to bring these to a family function June 30, so I was wondering if they can they be frozen? If so, would you bake them first, and then freeze them, then bake them again?
Thanks!
Iosune says
Hi Stepanie! Thanks 🙂 I've never frozen them, but I think you're right. Have a nice day!
Loni Mathison says
hello, I dont think they can be 279 calories for one. The veggies are super low and one spring roll wrap alone is 27 calories
Iosune says
Hi Loni! We don't count calories anymore, but we used this web before: https://www.caloriecount.com/ Thanks for the help 🙂
Rachel says
Looks like a great recipe
Donna try in the frozen food section with the pastry sheets, that's where I found them...I am in Australia.
Iosune says
Hi Rachel! Thanks a lot 😉 Hope you like it!
Ruby says
can you use egg roll paper instead of spring roll paper? Are they the same?
Iosune says
Hi Ruby! I think egg roll is not vegan, but I'm not sure... I'm sorry!
Donna says
Where would I find the spring roll pastry? Would it also be under any other name? For some reason, I'm not finding these (used for frying) anywhere.
Iosune says
Hi Donny! I live in Spain, so I can't help you 🙁 But you can also use rice spring roll papers. Have a nice day!
Donna says
Iosune, you suggested rice spring roll papers. Would these be suitable for frying?
Iosune says
Hi Donna! Yes, you can fry them too 🙂
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
These photos are stunning! And seriously, the most professional, unbelievably perfect spring rolls ever!
Iosune says
Thanks Katie! You are so nice 🙂