Name: Vegan Summer Rolls with Tahini-Based Dipping Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 8 circular rice papers (also known as spring roll rice wrappers); 1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks; 2 large carrots, peeled, ends removed, cut into matchsticks; 1 ripe Ataulfo mango (champagne mango/yellow mango), skin and core removed, cut into matchsticks; 2 ripe avocados, thinly sliced; 1 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks; 1 cup red cabbage, shredded OR 1 cup watermelon radishes or regular radishes, thinly sliced; 1 cup cooked Vermicelli noodles; 1 cup microgreens (or arugula or other greens); 1 cup fresh mint leaves, stems removed; 1 cup fresh cilantro and/or Thai basil leaves, stems removed; 1/4 cup tahini; 1/4 cup water; 1 large juicy lime, juiced; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup tahini; 1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds; 2 large juicy limes, juiced; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ginger; water to thin as needed

These light and refreshing summer rolls are the quintessential summer dish. Freshly cut vegetables combined with mango, avocado and vermicelli noodles rolled together in soft rice paper, then paired with a nut-free and soy-free creamy tahini-based sauce make it impossible to have just one. And with each one being fully customizable, they are perfect for cookouts and gatherings where everyone gets exactly what they want!

Vegan summer rolls showing the colorful ingredients on the inside.

Here I cover:

What are Summer Rolls?
The Roll - What's in It?
How to Assemble the Roll
The Dipping Sauce
How to Store Leftover Summer Rolls
Can Summer Rolls be Made Ahead of Time?
Spring Rolls vs. Summer Rolls - What's the Difference?
More Rainbow Recipes
More No-Cook Summertime Recipes

Various vegan summer rolls on a white and black cutting board next to lemon wedges, cilantro, herbs, bowls of sauces and sliced cabbage with a white background.

Vegan summer rolls next to a bowl of a white tahini dipping sauce on a white plate next to a striped towel, cabbage, cilantro and sliced lime with a white background.

What are Summer Rolls?

Summer rolls are a Vietnamese dish and are often referred to as Vietnamese fresh spring rolls or Vietnamese summer rolls. My favorite is that they are called sommerrollen in Germany - rolls right off the tongue!

Traditional summer rolls, served cold, use soft and translucent rice paper wraps to encase fresh veggies, vermicelli noodles (thin rice noodles) and shrimp (or pork) and are paired with a soy sauce-based creamy peanut sauce.

This vegan version includes a colorful array of fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs along with vermicelli noodles, which are naturally gluten-free. The two dipping sauce options are tahini-based and are therefore peanut-free and soy-free.

The Roll - What's in It?

In this recipe, you get the beauty of a handheld rainbow: red bell pepper, carrots, champagne mango, avocado, English cucumber and purple cabbage (or radishes). Each of the following ingredients on their own deserve a little praise for their health benefits, but feel free to use your favorite veggies as well!

Vegan summer roll ingredients with a white background.

Red bell peppers: Red peppers contain 11 times more beta carotene and four times more vitamin C than green bell peppers.
Carrots: Carrots are high in beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. This is good for eye health but also your immune system as well as healthy skin.
Mangos: Mangos offer fiber, potassium and vitamins A and C, which together boost immunity, improve heart health and reduce your risk for many chronic diseases.
Avocados: Avocados offer healthy fats, dietary fiber and nearly 20 vitamins and minerals such as potassium, folate, vitamin E, C and B6.
Cucumbers: Cucumbers are low in calories, high in vitamin C, and high in water. They're also high in fiber, which makes them great for stomach health.
Cabbage: Cabbage is high in fiber, low in calories and loaded with antioxidants, phytochemicals and vitamins. It is considered an excellent source of immune boosting vitamin C.

Vegan summer rolls on a white platter with one showing the veggies on the inside.

How to Assemble the Roll

The first step in assembling the roll is to soften the rice paper wrappers. Place a sheet of rice paper in a wide shallow bowl of warm water for approximately 5 seconds until it softens. Then lift it carefully from the water and place it onto a towel over a clean surface such as the kitchen counter or a cutting board.

Two hands pressing a rice paper sheet into a wide bowl of water with sliced carrots, avocado, cabbage, mangos and fresh herbs next to the bowl with a white background.

Sliced vegetables, fruits and herbs in the center of a wet rice paper sheet next to sliced carrots, avocado, cabbage, mangos and fresh herbs next to the bowl with a white background.

Then simply add the fruits, veggies, noodles and herbs to the center of the sheet and wrap it up! The spring roll wrappers will be extremely pliable and stretchy, so you can pack a good amount in there if desired.

To roll it, fold one edge up and over the fillings first. Then fold in the sides and roll it the rest of the way. Now you are ready to dip!

The Dipping Sauce

I love the crunchiness of the vegetables, the juiciness of the mangos and the creaminess of the avocados, but the real magic to this dish is the dipping sauce. My sauces are tahini-based and are therefore peanut-free.

Tahini has a peanut butter quality to it but is made up from sesame seeds ground into a paste. It is a great source of fiber, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, iron, calcium, plant-based protein, and it has vitamin B and antioxidants galore.

The dipping sauce options provided below are both so delicious that I honestly could not decide which to feature, so you get both! See the recipe card below for each.

The first is a simple quick dip with ingredients you likely have on hand: tahini, lime juice, maple syrup and salt. You can add water to thin as needed. When you whisk in water with tahini it makes it extra creamy.

Ingredients of a tahini dipping sauce with a light gray background.

A whisk in a white cup of tahini dipping sauce next to a gray and white striped towel with a light gray background.

The second dipping sauce option is a little more classic with the sesame oil and sesame seeds added. This is actually also the same sauce I use for my easy vegan stir-fry! The flavors are a bit more authentic to a summer roll dipping sauce but I know not everyone always has these ingredients on hand.

A whisk in a white cup of tahini dipping sauce with a light gray background.

I also love the summer rolls paired with my green goddess dressing for a fun, herby spin.

A hand dipping a vegan summer roll into a glass bowl of dipping sauce with blurred summer rolls on a white cutting board in the background.

How to Store Leftover Summer Rolls

Store leftover summer rolls in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Use parchment paper or another type of divider to keep the rolls from sticking to each other. When re-serving, lightly splash some water over them (do not douse!) about 15 minutes in advance to soften the wraps as they will be a little tough.

The dipping sauces should be stored in a separate container for 5-7 days.

Stack of vegan summer rolls showing the insides filled with carrots, cilantro, cabbage, cucumbers, mangos, red peppers and avocados on a white cutting board with a white background.

Can Summer Rolls be Made Ahead of Time?

Summer rolls are best when served immediately because the rice paper wrapper tends to dry out. If you plan to serve a few hours after making, it is best to wrap them individually in a damp towel until serving.

Spring Rolls vs. Summer Rolls - What's the Difference?

Spring rolls are typically wrapped with dough and are fried, whereas summer rolls are wrapped with rice paper and are served cold.

More Rainbow Recipes

More No-Cook Summertime Recipes

Let's Make these Easy Vegan Summer Rolls!

This summer roll recipe is very easy to make because it is essentially raw. There is no real cooking here outside of the vermicelli noodles. It is basically just slicing fruits and crunchy veggies and then mixing together a dipping sauce.

Multiple colorful vegan summer rolls, a lemon wedge and a tahini dipping sauce on a white plate.

This recipe is also kid-friendly! Kids can pick and choose what they include in their rolls and then can dunk them into the dipping sauce. My kids have so much fun any time I make this and it is such an easy way to get them to eat extra veggies.

Multiple colorful vegan summer rolls and a glass bowl of dipping sauce on a white serving plate with a dark blue border next to a white bowl of sliced carrots, cucumbers and red peppers and a white bowl of sliced cabbage with a white background.

These rainbow summer rolls are vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free and refined sugar-free! It's a really delicious allergy-friendly option to put on the table. If you make it, please comment below and tag me on Instagram so I can see your creations!

Vegan Summer Rolls with Tahini-Based Dipping Sauce