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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yum! I love the idea of putting sweet potatoes in a spring roll.
Do you think we could somehow force spring to come by eating these en masse until it does? I'm up for trying.
Well, I'm off to a good start. I've eaten them both yesterday and today... it's worth a shot 🙂
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!
Spring cooking might be cheaper 🙂
I love spring roll so much. How great is to fill it with sweet potato and onion. I will definitely make it!
Love this idea! I have soooo many rice paper wrappers that I need to use up!
So fun! I love these. All your recipes are wonderful.
Aww... thank you!
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!
Oh you definitely need to change that! I think you'll be addicted to making them at home!
Two of my favorite things... spring rolls and sweet potatoes!
and... I will try these as well! Thanks girl!
What a fun idea! I love spicing up sweet potatoes and using them in savory dishes. I wholeheartedly agree with "no more mallows!"
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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 🙂 )
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!
Thanks!!! My roommates and I always use your blog and recipes...we've loved everything we've ever made 🙂
Would like a printer friendly version.... Thanks
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!