Craving Spring Rolls but not sure how to make a vegan version? This delicious vegan spring roll recipe makes use of mixed vegetables to create a simple filling that is packed with incredible flavor.

Filled with a succulent mix of perfectly seasoned onion, carrot, celery, and cabbage, these crispy bars of vegan perfection are perfect for potlucks, homemade dim sum, or even Chinese New Year feasts. Best of all, they’re so good, nobody will even notice they’re vegan.

Don’t tell him, but I almost enjoy these vegan rolls more than Papa G’s classic Seafood Spring Rolls.

Intrigued? Keep scrolling for our foolproof vegan spring roll recipe. Here’s to new vegan-nings!

Tips for Nailing These Vegan Spring Rolls

If you’re new to making your own vegan spring rolls, then there are some important tips you should keep in mind.

Pick the right wrapper

The perfect vegan spring rolls start with the perfect wrapper! This recipe calls for large (8.5″) Chinese spring roll wrappers, usually labelled as “Spring Roll Pastry” in the Frozen section of any Asian supermarket.

These wrappers are made from wheat flour, water, oil, and salt, so they are fully vegan.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You want the Chinese-style spring roll wrappers which are made of wheat flour, not the Vietnamese style “Spring Roll Wrappers” which are rice-based, so be sure to pick the right ones. When in doubt, look at the pictures on the package. You want to see photos of crispy, golden brown spring rolls like these:

Make sure to properly dry all your ingredients

Since our filling is entirely made of vegetables, squeezing out all the excess moisture is really crucial when it comes to nailing your vegan spring roll filling.

In this recipe, we both boil and sautee our vegetables before adding it to our sauce and seasonings.

It is really important before you start wrapping that you properly dry all the veggies with a paper towel, and squeeze out excess moisture, otherwise too much moisture might get released during the frying process, which disrupts their frying/crisping.

Wrap your rolls tightly

If you’re new to spring rolls, hands down the toughest part of this Vegan Spring Roll recipe is nailing the wrapping technique.

We explain how to roll them in the step by step instructions below, but one thing to always remember is you don’t want any excess space/air inside your spring roll!

Your goal is to ensure the roll is tight and packed with filling, so anytime you are folding/rolling, make sure you wrap tightly around your log of filling so that it’s nice and secure, with no air bubbles or excess room.

Wrap your spring rolls and then fry them right away

Speed is SO important when it comes to making these vegan spring rolls.

Leaving the filling or wrapped spring rolls out sitting too long gives a chance for moisture to escape and potentially make the end product soggy, so work quickly, and be sure to fry them ASAP.

NOTE: If you leave your wrappers out too long, they might also dry out, so make sure to keep your wrappers partially covered/protected while you work.

Ingredients for Our Vegan Spring Rolls Recipe

• 1 pack of large spring roll wrappers
• 1 tsp oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 50g sliced onion
• 50g shredded carrot 
• 250g green cabbage 
• 80g purple cabbage
• 80g shredded celery 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar 
• 1 tsp mushroom (or vegetable) bouillon
• 1 pinch white pepper 
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 1 tbsp water (for sealing spring rolls)

Step by Step Instructions for Our Vegan Spring Rolls Recipe

These vegan spring rolls might take a bit of work, but they are more than worth the effort. Here are the step by step instructions!

Prep your wrappers in advance by separating them. This will help make the wrapping process more efficient later on.

To prepare the “sealer” for your spring rolls later, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water.

Heat a wok/pan to medium heat, then add 1 tsp of oil. Add garlic and stir fry for 15 seconds.

Then add sliced onions and stir fry for 30-40 seconds. Remove and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to boil with 1/2 tsp baking soda.

Add purple cabbage first and cook for 30 seconds, then add in the rest of your vegetables like carrots, green cabbage and celery. Boil for another minute, then drain and put all the veggies in ice water to cool them down.

After the vegetables have cooled, squeeze all the excess water out and put them in a bowl.

Add the onions in, along with your salt, sugar, mushroom bouillon powder, and white pepper. 

Drain and squeeze out any water again because the salt draws moisture out and we need the filling to be dry so it doesn’t break the wrapper.

Add cornstarch and sesame oil, then it’s ready to use for your filling!

Be sure to start wrapping right away. Lay your wrapper flat on a table/counter with a corner pointing towards you, like a diamond.

Add 2 tablespoons of filling halfway between the corner closest to you, and the middle of the wrapper.

Then fold the corner closest to you up to meet the middle of the wrapper, like in the photo below.

Roll the wrapper inwards towards the middle once, so it looks like this:

Then fold the two sides of the wrapper inward to meet with the filling, creating the look of an opened envelope like this:

Keep rolling until you reach the final corner, then to firmly seal your spring roll, dip your fingers into your cornstarch slurry, then apply to the final corner of your wrapper before sealing.

Roll upwards one final time and press that loose corner in to seal everything properly.

Repeat this process until you’ve used up all your filling.

To deep fry all your beautiful spring rolls, heat a pot of oil to about 350°F until golden brown.

Remove and drain on some paper towel to remove excess oil, then enjoy with some plum sauce or a dipping sauce of your choice!

We Hope You Enjoy Our Vegan Spring Rolls Recipe!

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions, or be sure to let us know if you’ve tested the recipe out. We’re always looking to improve our recipes and make sure they taste great for everyone.