A couple weeks ago I posted about my love of crispy spring rolls. Then we were invited to go to my cousin’s New Year’s Eve party and I wanted to bring them. To accommodate everyone, I chose to make vegetable spring rolls and you know what? I think I may like them even more than the pork and shrimp ones!!! Crispy and filled with veggies and glass noodles, you get a perfect bite every time!

To elevate your game a bit more, I also included an absolutely delicious sweet chili sauce recipe inspired from simplyhappening.com. While it is admittedly easier to purchase a bottle of your favorite sweet chili sauce, I find great satisfaction in making my own, where I can control what ingredients are in the sauce and there are not any preservatives or artificial food dyes.

Once you make your own spring rolls and sweet chili sauce, you will choose them over takeout every time! Do not get intimidated by the process – it’s a bit time consuming – but so worth it!

The great thing about spring rolls is that you can make huge batches, freeze them, and fry some up whenever you want a quick appetizer. You can even make them in the air fryer! Come cook with me!

How to Make Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce

Instructions:

Prepare the Filling:

Slice and shred all of the vegetables. Set aside.

Prepare the glass noodles according to the package directions.

*Sweet potato glass noodles usually require a few minutes of boiling while mung bean glass noodles soak in hot water.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of oil in a wok or deep skillet on medium-high heat. Add the vegetable mixture along with the minced ginger and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until it is mostly done. Add the soy sauce, mix well. Cook for another minute. Turn off the heat and toss in the fresh basil and mix again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer to a colander to drain excess liquid. Then spread out on a lined rimmed baking sheet. Add the glass noodles and toss to mix. Cool for about 10-15 minutes until room temperature. You do not want hot filling for your spring rolls. They will get soggy and difficult to roll.

Sweet Chili Sauce:

In a saucepan, whisk together all of the ingredients except the cornstarch and cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer and stir often for 8-9 minutes.

Mix cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. Turn heat to medium-high. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly until it thickens and gets a glossy sheen (about 1 minute).

Take off of the heat and let cool. Transfer to a serving bowl or jar.

Spring Roll-Making Station:

Set up your spring roll station. You want to have a large baking sheet to put your rolled up spring rolls. Have a light towel to cover them so they do not dry out while you are rolling the rest of the spring rolls.

Have your spring roll wrappers ready and covered with a towel. Spring roll wrappers are very thin and can dry out quickly. Covering them with a towel will keep them moist and pliable.

Lightly beat the egg in a small bowl and have it near your spring roll station with a pastry brush.

Rolling Spring Rolls:

Take one spring roll wrapper and lay it on the counter in a diamond shape with the corner pointed at you. Scoop about 2 Tbsp. of filling and place it on the bottom third of the wrapper.

Gently fold over the bottom corner and start rolling your spring roll. When you get to the center (halfway) of the wrapper, stop. Fold in the left and right sides of the wrapper towards the center. Brush the top corner of the wrapper with the egg wash to help seal it tightly. Finish rolling the spring roll and place on the baking sheet, seam side down. Cover with the towel to keep moist.

Repeat the process with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Cooking Spring Rolls:

Line a large baking sheet with paper towels to absorb the excess oil from the spring rolls.

Fill a small stockpot or 2 qt. saucepan with about 2” of high temperature cooking oil. Or if you have a deep fryer, you can use that. Heat the oil over medium-high heat for several minutes. To test if the oil is hot enough, stick a bamboo skewer or chopstick into the oil. If you see tiny bubbles rapidly bubbling around the skewer, it is ready for frying.

Using a pair of tongs, gently add 3-5 spring rolls into the hot oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes until they are evenly browned. Don’t overcrowd the pot, you do not want the oil to cool down and absorb into the spring rolls. Once the spring rolls are golden brown, remove them and place them on the paper towels or wire rack to drain. If the spring rolls appear to be browning very quickly, reduce heat slightly.

Continue frying the remaining spring rolls and draining on the paper towel lined baking sheet.

Serve with sweet chili sauce and enjoy!

Notes:

You can add 1 cup of bean sprouts or chopped water chestnuts for additional crunch.

This recipe easily doubles if you want to make a large amount for a party.

Spring roll wrappers are found in the frozen section at Asian supermarkets. You can use the smaller 5” wrappers, just use 1 Tbsp. of filling instead of 2 Tbsp.

Do not use the dried rice paper wrappers in the grocery stores! They are used for making fresh spring rolls and will not fry well at all!

To Freeze: Spring Rolls freeze very well! Place fried spring rolls in the freezer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, they can be put in a ziploc bag and will keep for about 3 months. Follow the same instructions for frying – they may need an additional minute or two.