These Avocado Veggie Spring Rolls are the Perfect No-Cook Summer Snack

No-Cook Avocado Veggie Spring Rolls With Chili-Lime Garlic Dipping Sauce

If you've never attempted fresh spring rolls at home, you'll be surprised to learn how simple they are to make. Rice paper wrappers are also relatively easy to find. Just check the international food aisle at your local grocery store, or search for an Asian supermarket near you. While there are many different types of spring rolls (they can also be fried), we opted for the translucent kind, as they require nothing more than a quick soak in tepid water before being filled and wrapped into convenient snack-size rolls. 

You might be most familiar with Vietnamese-style fresh spring rolls, filled with cooked shrimp, rice vermicelli noodles, pork, lettuce, cucumber and fresh herbs. These are delicious, of course, but the shrimp and pork do need a bit of cooking, so for a true no-cook snack, we're going to stick with fresh veggies and avocado.

TIP: An easy way to make raw vegetables taste better is to quick pickle them. We pickled some julienned carrots and red onion slices together to soften the carrots, reduce the pungency of the raw onion and infuse a delicate marinated flavor into them both. 

Although pickling kind of "cooks" the vegetables, it doesn't need heat, so we made an exception here. It really makes a difference in the overall flavor, so don't skip it! 

NO-COOK AVOCADO VEGGIE SPRING ROLLS WITH CHILI-LIME GARLIC DIPPING SAUCE

The dipping sauce can be made before you fill your rice paper wrappers, as this will also allow the garlic and minced jalapeno to infuse the sauce with flavor. Once you've got all your ingredients ready, fill a shallow dish with slightly warm water. Make sure it's big enough to hold a rice paper wrapper. 

TIP: The rice paper wrappers should be just soft and pliable enough to garnish and roll up without breaking. We held each one in the water for about 10 seconds, then flipped a few times until it felt flexible but still a tad firm. 

The wrapping part is easy, too. It's just like rolling up a burrito! We started the filling process with fresh mint leaves so they could provide some structure against the wrappers (which will become flimsy upon eating). Then we stacked the veggies, alternating each one and topped with two or three slices of avocado and fresh herbs. You should have about two heaping tablespoons-worth of filling on the wrapper. Don't put too much, or it will be difficult to wrap. You'll know if the wrapper was oversoaked or overfilled if it starts to break when rolling.

These fresh spring rolls can be served whole, cut in half or maki-style. Get the full recipe below.

NO-COOK AVOCADO VEGGIE SPRING ROLLS WITH CHILI-LIME GARLIC DIPPING SAUCE

Fresh, crunchy veggies and creamy avocado make up the filling for these satisfying no-cook spring rolls. Served with a chili-lime garlic dipping sauce, they make for an ideal snack or light meal on hot summer days. Plus, they're vegan-friendly!

Prep time: 15 minutes + 15 minutes (assembly time)

Pickling time: 10-15 minutes

Total time: 40-45 minutes

Makes 12 spring rolls

Ingredients

Spring rolls:

• 12 rice paper wrappers
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, julienned 
• 1/2 cucumber, julienned
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• About 36 fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced

Quick-pickling solution: 

• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp sugar

Dipping sauce:

• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 small jalapeno, minced

Variations & Notes

• You can add cooked protein to these if you like: tofu, chicken, pork, etc. Just make sure it's either ground or diced very small so it doesn't take up too much room in the filling. Or go the traditional route, and add thinly sliced cooked shrimp.
• Quick-pickling your veggies won't make them as soft as they would be if you marinated them for longer, but it gets the job done. It especially helps to mellow out red onion's sharp flavor and makes them easier to digest.
• Soaking the wrappers may seem tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it'll become more intuitive. Avoid oversoaking them; you can always put them back in the water if they're not pliable enough.

Instructions

For the dipping sauce:

1. Whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar and jalapeno. Taste & adjust seasoning, if necessary.

For the spring rolls

1. In a bowl, stir together the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar until the latter two ingredients are dissolved.

2. Add the julienned carrots and sliced red onions to the pickling liquid. All veggies should be about 1.5-2" in length.

3. Let sit for at least 10-15 minutes. Leave in the pickling dish and place alongside your other prepared veggies.

4. Fill a shallow pan or dish with warm water (big enough to hold your spring rolls). Make sure you have all your fillings ready to go.

5. Place a rice paper in the water, and let sit for roughly 10 seconds. Then flip it over, and let rest another 10 seconds, until it becomes soft and pliable but not soggy. You can flip it several times to check its texture.

6. Lay the rice paper flat onto a clean dish or cutting board. Add 2 to 3 mint leaves on the lower third of the rice paper.

7. Then stack your carrots, onions, cucumbers and bell peppers on top, alternating as you go. You should be able to add about 3-4 pieces of each veggie. 

8. Top with 2-3 very thin slices of avocado.

9. Top with fresh cilantro torn from the stems. 

10. Fold both sides in over the toppings. Pull the bottom over tightly, and roll up like a burrito.

11. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

12. Serve with chili-lime dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Hungry for more? Try this delectable wow-worthy fruit tart with velvety sweet pastry cream!