Ever ordered Thai, Chinese, or Vietnamese without getting some hot, crispy spring rolls or fresh, soft summer rolls to start? Didn’t think so. With their sweet and spicy sauces, these little parcels are the perfect appetizer or snack. The only catch? Traditional spring rolls are deep-fried, packed with sodium, and often leave you feeling weighed down before you start in on your main dish.
Luckily, baked spring rolls are surprisingly easy to make at home and still provide that all-important crunch factor, just without oil dripping out the ends. Here are 10 inventive recipes—dipping sauces and all—that will help you build a better spring roll. And we adore summer rolls too, so we’re throwing in 11 of those in case you can’t be bothered to turn on an oven.
1. Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls
Corn, black beans, and red peppers give these chicken egg rolls their southwestern personality. Since there’s lots of cheese holding them together, we’d be surprised if these didn’t appeal to a huge crowd.
2. Crispy Baked Broccoli Sriracha Spring Rolls
Stuffed with slaw that’s been seasoned with soy, garlic, and ginger, this seems like your standard vegetarian spring roll recipe. But a few generous tablespoons of Sriracha give it just the right amount of kick, ensuring it’s just as memorable as it is simple.
3. Baked Avocado Egg Rolls
This blogger proves the popular Cheesecake Factory appetizer can actually be a healthy, creative option. She packs the wrappers with black beans, corn, and plenty of avocado before baking them. No funny ingredients, no frying.
4. Baked Pork and Napa Cabbage Egg Rolls
Pork spring rolls sound like they’d be heavy, but these opt for the lean ground version. Shredded napa cabbage and carrots make sure there’s still more veggie than meat in each roll, making this a perfectly satisfying, but still light, appetizer.
5. Healthy Jalapeño Popper Egg Rolls
These bites contain all the goodness of the sports-bar snack (spicy jalapeños, cream and shredded jack cheeses)—but are wrapped in baked egg roll wrappers instead of a deep-fried batter. They’re just as addictive as the original but much lighter.
6. Skinny Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls
Buffalo sauce + chicken is one of the most popular combos in the snack world (we even did a whole roundup on it!), so why not serve it up in spring roll form? With reduced-fat blue cheese crumbles, lots of celery and carrots, and crockpot-cooked skinless chicken breasts, these rolls are a lighter take on the typically decadent app—but no less yummy.
7. Baked Chicken and Mushroom Spring Rolls
Sauté chicken, mushrooms, and coleslaw mix in a sweet and spicy hoisin mixture before tucking them into egg roll wrappers. Thanks to an egg wash brushed on top of each roll before baking, you’ll get that perfect crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside result
8. Cheesy Shrimp Baked Spring Rolls
Create fusion cuisine in your own home by stuffing egg rolls with both soy-soaked shrimp and mozzarella cheese. The Chinese-Italian combo works surprisingly well, especially when dipped into the accompanying homemade ketchup and Sriracha sauce.
9. Baked Mexican Spring Rolls
With pulled pork, grated cheese, black beans, and corn, these are practically enchiladas in spring roll costumes! In fact, they’re even served with enchilada sauce for dipping. They’re a great way to still enjoy all the flavors of the heavy entrée but in smaller starter portions.
10. Baked Dumpling Rolls With Ginger Chilli Sauce
Fact No. 1: Dumplings are delicious. Fact No. 2: Wrapping spring rolls is a lot easier than wrapping dumplings. Fact No. 3: This recipe is awesome because it combines classic dumpling ingredients with spring roll-style preparation, and keeps things healthy by baking the rolls.
11. Nutty Power Summer Rolls
Most summer rolls are stuffed with rice noodles, but these go for soba for a heartier take. Paired with chewy smoked tofu and crispy veggies, and wrapped with a creamy almond butter dressing, they pack practically every texture into one bite.
12. Sweet Potato Spring Rolls With Sesame Ginger Dipping Sauce
Spiralized sweet potato gives these rolls a bit of bulk with some healthy carbs, while tofu adds filling protein and avocado provides healthy fat. Plate enough of these and they actually make a satisfying main meal.
13. Vegan Summer Rolls With Peanut Dip
Between the sauce and the filling, many summer roll recipes tend to call for a lot of ingredients. This one, with a simple veggie filling and a peanut-buttery sauce, calls for just six basic components, keeping flavors clean and hands-on work easy.
14. Quinoa Spring Rolls With Cashew Dipping Sauce
If you’re tired of salads but know you still need to eat your veggies, just package them differently. These spring rolls pair them with quinoa, wrap ’em in rice paper sheets, and serve them with a creamy cashew dipping sauce instead of dressing. All the nutrients of a salad but way more fun.
15. Teriyaki Soba Noodle Spring Rolls
Another soba noodle spring roll recipe, this one is pretty much the appetizer version of teriyaki noodles. The homemade sauce not only cuts way down on the added sugar count, but it also gives you the opportunity to use wheat-free tamari sauce and make these completely gluten-free.
16. BLT Summer Rolls With Avocado Dipping Sauce
Have your BLT and eat it too with this lighter (and gluten-free!) version of the lunchtime favorite. With thin rice paper sheets replacing the thick slices of bed, you can really savor the crispy bacon filling. If you want to make it even lighter, swap out the crème fraîche in the dipping sauce for yogurt instead.
17. Apple Peanut Spring Rolls
The fruit and nut vibe here is unusual, but it’s a fantastic way to switch things up. The blogger recommends adding chopped peanuts to the filling for extra crunch factor; we concur.
18. Mushroom Rice Paper Rolls
Most of the time fresh summer roll fillings are cold and raw. These heat things up a bit, with warm sautéed mushrooms nestled inside the rice paper sheets. The ‘shrooms do a great job of soaking up the thick soy sauce so that the rolls don’t get soggy, and the result is an irresistible mouthful of umami flavor.
19. Squash Spring Rolls With Maple Dijon Dipping Sauce
With squash, kale, and pears in the ingredient list, these rolls are like little wrapped fall salads. The cashew-based dipping sauce hardly needs any added sugar; just a touch of maple syrup is enough.
20. Easy Veggie Spring Rolls With Spicy Coconut Curry Sauce
Fresh spring rolls are a great way to downsize a richer, heavier main dish. These are a great example. You get all the flavors of a coconut curry—but in dipping sauce form rather than as an entrée—while fresh veggies take the place of rice.
21. Vegan Rice Paper Rolls With Mandarin-Tahini Dipping Sauce
A fresh squeeze of mandarin orange juice gives the dipping sauce a hint of sweetness without adding any sugar whatsoever. It does a great job of cutting the tahini that forms the base of the sauce and goes perfectly with the mint leaves in the rolls.
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