This is one of those recipes that has found a way into the rotation every winter. It's a lovely mix of fresh ingredients with the feeling of a hearty lunch. Best of all, these spring rolls can be made up to 24 hours in advance making them perfect for lunches or even get-togethers. This recipe heavily inspired by Vietnamese Spring Roll recipe (gỏi cuốn) but given the significant departure from the traditional Vietnamese recipes, I've changed the name to rice paper rolls.
Rice Papers
Rice papers are a pantry staple in my house. I want to know that if I have produce on hand, I could easily whip up a batch of spring rolls. I usually prefer these brown rice wrappers but they aren’t the friendliest version to start your rolling journey.
There are also discrepancies among different brands of regular rice papers. Some are too thin and tear easily while some have other ingredients outside of tapioca and rice. This older post about the differences can also be super helpful.
Older version: Noodles
This recipe has actually lived on the site for years but was one that needed a solid update. The original version called for using rice noodles with the sweet potatoes. While I still like this version, it’s heavier than these all veg and green version.
If you want to add rice noodles, cook according to the package, drain, and then rinse. Add a about ¼ to ⅓ cup of noodles to each other. I really like Annie Chun’s Maifun brown rice noodles. Beyond adding these noodles to the sweet potato rolls, they also work well as the basis for veg-heavy noodle bowls.
Heat Level
One thing to watch with this recipe is the spice-level. I like these spring rolls pretty spice so I use what feels like a decent amount of crushed red pepper. You can obviously use less or you can switch up the source of the heat.
If I have sambal oelek or a garlic-chili paste on hand, I’ll often use that as a substitute. If you’re not a fan of spice, ditch the crushed red pepper all together or go with ½ teaspoon.
Make into a Salad
If you’re not feeling confident in your rolling ability or can’t find the rice papers, turn this into a salad. The sweet potatoes and spinach make for a great salad combination. Use a ginger-based dressing to boost up the flavor.
Save for later/Make-ahead
Spring rolls can be made ahead of time, up to 24 hours. When I do this, I wrap them in a damp towel and place in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
{Sweet Chili} Roasted Sweet Potato Rice Paper Rolls
These sweet potato spring rolls make for a delicious and vibrant lunch that is gluten-free and easily vegan.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3 to 4 servings 1x
- Category: lunch
- Method: oven
Ingredients
8 rice papers
4 cups shredded spinach
1 medium sweet potato, peeled
1 bunch (8-10) scallions
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons chili flakes
2 tablespoons honey or vegan-friendly sub
1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
soy sauce, for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚F.
- In a small bowl, combine the chili flakes, garlic, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, and salt. Cut sweet potato into long and thinner sticks (¼″ thick). Slice the scallions lengthwise into quarters and roughly the same length as the sweet potatoes. Toss sweet potato and onion with the chili mixture. Place on a baking tray and roast for 25-30 minutes- sweet potato should be just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before assembly.
- Roughly chop the spinach and place in a bowl.
- Set up an assembly station with the slightly cooled sweet potatoes, spinach, sesame seeds, a bowl of warm water, and a cutting board.
- Soak the rice paper for 10-15 seconds (you don’t want it too soft when taking it out of the water.) Place rice paper on a cutting board and load with spinach and sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds then roll, tuck, and fold in sides as you go. Continue with remaining ingredients.
- Once done slice in half and serve with a little bowl of soy sauce.
Notes
The key with the rice papers is to not overly soak them before laying on the cutting board. They will continue to soften as you stack ingredients.
Keywords: vegetarian spring rolls, sweet potato spring rolls
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking says
Yum! I love the idea of putting sweet potatoes in a spring roll.
Joanne says
Do you think we could somehow force spring to come by eating these en masse until it does? I'm up for trying.
erin says
Well, I'm off to a good start. I've eaten them both yesterday and today... it's worth a shot 🙂
Margarita says
Cute spring dress! You just reminded me to do some spring shopping. But, maybe some spring cooking is better. I like the oven roasted sweet potatoes in a rice paper... I can already imagine how good this is. Nice creation!
erin says
Spring cooking might be cheaper 🙂
Zita says
I love spring roll so much. How great is to fill it with sweet potato and onion. I will definitely make it!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Love this idea! I have soooo many rice paper wrappers that I need to use up!
Fresh and Foodie says
So fun! I love these. All your recipes are wonderful.
erin says
Aww... thank you!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
These are the best of both worlds. Comforting winter-y filling wrapped up in springy-ness 🙂 I've only made spring rolls in a cooking class I took, never at home. Not sure why!
erin says
Oh you definitely need to change that! I think you'll be addicted to making them at home!
sweet road says
Two of my favorite things... spring rolls and sweet potatoes!
Cheryl McCormick says
and... I will try these as well! Thanks girl!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
What a fun idea! I love spicing up sweet potatoes and using them in savory dishes. I wholeheartedly agree with "no more mallows!"
Gaby says
I'm planning on making this for a party- would subbing some leafy greens for the noodles and adding basil be weird? (I also struggle to follow recipes 🙂 )
elalderson says
Nope, not weird at all 🙂 I will sometimes do fresh cabbage, spinach, or even a baby leaf lettuce mix. Roasting the cabbage with the sweet potatoes would also be delicious. Hope that helps!
Gaby says
Thanks!!! My roommates and I always use your blog and recipes...we've loved everything we've ever made 🙂
Susan Stafne says
Would like a printer friendly version.... Thanks
★★
Erin Alderson says
Hi! Looking into getting one onto the recipe card but there's a link at the top of the post that you can print from!