I LOVE fresh spring rolls. It is one of my very favorite ways to eat raw vegetables (sorry salad). Yes, they are a little bit of work to make as you have to roll up your prepped veggies in the spring roll wrappers, but I have NEVER been upset or felt like it was a waste of time when I’ve made them at home. My only issue is I might eat all the spring rolls in less time than it took me to make them. Ha.
The secret to great spring rolls is that it’s ALL about the dipping sauce. Probably my favorite is a spicy peanut sauce, but I have a few others that I really love as well, so I thought I’d share all three spring roll sauces here so you can print and make any of them that sound good to you.
The spicy peanut sauce is creamy, slight spicy, slightly sweet, and just totally delicious. I’ve made this exact recipe but swapped the natural peanut butter for almond butter and it was still really good, so feel free to try that if you have a peanut allergy or are just avoiding legumes.
The sweet and spicy sauce is exactly what it sounds like, a thinner dipping sauce that really packs a punch! You can use fresh chilis or even just a good amount of dried red pepper flakes to make this recipe.
If you’re looking for a super quick and easy sauce that you can make from things you probably already have in your kitchen, then make some Yum sauce to dip those spring rolls in. Yum!
And if you’ve never made fresh spring rolls before and would like a straightforward photo tutorial, just check here. Enjoy! xo. Emma
3 Easy Spring Roll Sauces
Ingredients
For spicy peanut sauce:
- 3/4 cup which is 1/2 can coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons red curry
- 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4-1/3 cup water
For sweet and spicy sauce:
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 red chili finely chopped OR 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrow root powder
For the Yum sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons water
Instructions
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For the spicy peanut sauce, first shake well your can of coconut milk. Then add all the ingredients, except water, to a pot and cook over medium heat. Stir as you cook until the sugar is dissolved and everything is heated through. Taste and add more red curry paste if you prefer (start with just 1 tablespoon). Then thin the sauce with water to the consistency you desire.
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For the sweet and spicy sauce, first mince the garlic and finely chop the fresh chili if using. Remove some seeds if you prefer a less spicy sauce. In a sauce pan, combine the vinegar, 1/2 cup water, sugar, garlic, soy sauce, and chopped chili or pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat and stir well to dissolve the sugar. In a small bowl with a fork, whisk together the 1 tablespoon water and 2 teaspoons arrow root powder or corn starch. Whisk until combined well. Drizzle this into the pan and continue to cook until the sauce thickens and coats the spoon well. Remove from heat.
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For the Yum sauce, simply combine all the ingredients except water in a small mixing bowl. Stir together. Taste and add more salt or seasoning you prefer. Then thin to your desired consistency with water.
21 Comments
I love fresh spring rolls too – they’re so easy to make and such a healthy, light meal too! I normally just dip mine with Thai spicy sauce, but I’m definitely trying out some of these recipes! 😀
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Yum! Definitely adding spring rolls to my meal plans for next week! Thanks for sharing!!
My favorite way is with good ole fish sauce (not the kind out of the bottle, the vinaigrette type diluted with sugar, salt, and rice vinegar) but my second fave is peanut sauce. So happy to have other recipes to try! Nothing is more light and refreshing than spring rolls in summer!
Hey Emma, all of these look so good that I want to make them for dinner tomorrow, yay! For the spicy peanut sauce, am I looking for red curry powder or red curry paste?
I do have to make spring rolls again just to try out these sauces, they look so delicious!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
These spring rolls look amazing! I’m totally going to make them for lunch today!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
All of these sauces look so delicious! And your spring rolls are beautiful! We made some on our honeymoon in Cambodia and I want to try making them again!
Laura
http://www.laurelandfern.com
Yes yes yes!!!! ????????????
For those with nut allergies, try a sesame dressing. It’s my go to sauce when I make spring rolls. I even prefer it over the traditional peanut sauce. They sell premade at any Asian supermarket (or the Asian aisles for regular supermarkets, but choices are not as good). You can make your own if you have a Vitamix!
I am really lucky that I got a chance to read your article. It was great.
Yum! Definitely adding spring rolls to my meal plans for next week! Thanks for sharing!!
Ahh so good! So easy!!! I was looking for a quick sauce for some egg rolls that I made and found the sweet and spicy one a perfect flavor fit. Thanks for sharing!
I made the first two sauces and both are excellent!
3/4 cup + 1/2 can coconut milk ??????
Looks great, can’t wait to try, but I too am wondering about what amount of coconut milk she’s asking for .
Typo that I’ve corrected now (thank you!)
Hi! These sauces look amazingly delicious ????. How long are they good for in the refrigerator?
Just made the sweet chili sauce and it’s AMAZING!
Question though; for the sweet chili sauce, could I make a big batch of this and keep it in the fridge? What is the refrigerator shelf life?
A question: What? is red curry? I have no idea. Curry powder? Curry leaves (although I don’t think they are ever red)?
Curry paste. Here’s a link to a common red curry paste on Amazon but you can find them at most grocery stores:
https://amzn.to/2vAV7HA
Son and his wife have become vegan. This is a great side dish for squash soup on family nights. Garbanzo is awesome ingredient. Trying 5he peanut sauce tomorrow. So easy and yummy. Prefer uncooked to cooked rolls though.