Oh my, oh my, oh my! Practically guilt-free vegan spring rolls are here and they are my new favourite meal... er... snack! How can spring rolls possibly be guilt-free? These spring rolls are not deep fried at all. These are vegan baked spring rolls with almost no oil used- totally oil-free if you prefer! Even though they are baked instead of fried, they come out of the oven crispy, flakey, and totally addictive just as a good spring roll should be.
For this recipe, I did a multitude of tests to see how I could get vegan baked spring rolls crispy in the oven and after much trial and error, I figured out the secrets:
- Bake the spring rolls on a wire rack so that air can circulate around all sides of the rolls. Cripsy all the way around!
- Apply absolutely nothing to the outside of the rolls. Nothing!
I tested brushing the spring rolls with oil, spraying with oil, brushing with plant-based milk, and brushing with a mix of water and sweet & sour sauce. But the spring rolls that turned out the crispiest were the ones that were left completely naked! Sure they aren't as golden brown as deep fried ones but considering this makes the spring rolls practically guilt-free, that's a compromise I'm willing to make.
Not only are my vegan baked spring rolls guilt-free, but you can even prepare and roll them ahead of time, and either store in the fridge for 1 - 2 days, or you can even freeze them. Then just bake when ready to serve, making them a perfect make-ahead appetizer.
To make Vegan Baked Spring Rolls: in a large skillet or frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and ginger.
Cook for about 5 minutes stirring frequently until the vegetables and mushrooms are cooked, about 5 minutes. Stir in the hoisin and soy sauce and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and let cool before assembling the spring rolls. You can pop it in the fridge to cool faster if you like.
Set up a workstation with your spring roll wrappers, spring roll filling, a small bowl of water, and a baking tray fitted with a wire rack.
*I found my spring roll wrappers in the freezer section of my local grocery store. Make sure you buy spring roll wrappers (which are vegan), and not egg roll wrappers (which aren't vegan).
To assemble the spring rolls, take a spring roll wrapper and place it on your work surface with a corner pointing up (diamond shape). Put about 2 tablespoons of the spring roll filling near the bottom corner of the wrapper. Fold up the bottom corner around the filling, then fold in both sides. Wet your finger or use a brush to wet the top edges with water to seal the spring roll. Finish rolling up the spring roll, then place on the wire rack with point side down.
Repeat with remaining wrappers until all of the filling is used up. Bake about 25 minutes until golden around the edges. Serve hot with sweet & sour sauce.
Vegan Baked Spring Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil *omit for oil-free
- 250 g green cabbage (about 2 cups), shredded
- 2 medium carrots (about 1 ½ cups), peeled and grated
- 100 g shiitake mushrooms (about 1 ½ cups), destemmed and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 16 spring roll wrappers (6" x 6"), defrosted (not egg rolls)
- water (for sealing spring rolls)
- Sweet & sour sauce, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- OVEN:Â Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Line a large baking sheet with a wire rack.AIR FRYER:Â Preheat your air fryer to 370F (190C).
- In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring frequently until the vegetables and mushrooms are cooked, about 5 minutes. Stir in the hoisin and soy sauce and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and let cool before assembling the spring rolls. You can pop it in the fridge to cool faster if you like.
- Set up a workstation with your spring roll wrappers, spring roll filling, a small bowl of water, and a baking tray fitted with a wire rack.
- To assemble the spring rolls, take a spring roll wrapper and place it on your work surface with a corner pointing up (diamond shape). Put about 2 tablespoons of the spring roll filling near the bottom corner of the wrapper. Fold up the bottom corner around the filling, then fold in both sides. Wet your finger or use a brush to wet the top edges with water to seal the spring roll. Finish rolling up the spring roll, then place on the wire rack with point side down. Repeat with remaining wrappers until all of the filling is used up.
- OVEN:Â Bake about 25 minutes until golden around the edges.AIR FRYER:Â Place the spring rolls in the air fryer, with the wrapper point side down. Place them in a single layer with room around each roll so they get air around all sides. You may need to work in batches. Fry about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.Serve hot with sweet & sour sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Liane Mills says
Wow, wow and wow again! I live spring rolls but never get them as they are cooked in oil. These are seriously delicious and soooo crunchy! Unbelievable!! Served with a Japanese salad they make a great meal! Peanut or sweet Chili sauce is great with them. I even had some tofu and wrapped a few pieces in the rice paper and they were great too! Thanks Sam for making another food accessible to whole food plant based eaters!!
Abi says
Gorgeous!!! I couldn't get spring roll wrappers so I used filo and it was great! I also added 1 cup of soaked soy curls and doubled the hoisin and soy sauces and made 25 rolls! Amazing - so delicious and so easy to make in advance. THANK YOU!!!!
Zayne says
Is it 76 cal for one spring roll?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes it is! I just made that info more clear in the nutrition. 🙂
Cat Race says
These are amazing but sadly the spring roll wrapper brand pictured is no longer vegan - it has a new sticker that says it has milk in it Just a heads up
Milissa says
I made these for dinner tonight along with a big tossed salad. First, they were delicious! Second, even my self-professed carnivorous 14 year-old daughter devoured them. Third, I used brown rice paper (the kind you have to get wet to use), and brushed both sides lightly with water just until they were pliable enough to roll up. I also just put them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet as I don't have an extra metal rack. I flipped them once and they crisped up nicely. I probably cooked them maybe 5 minutes longer than your recommedations. Fourth, I served them with a simple sauce of almond butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and water with a pinch of crushed red pepper, as I'm trying to reduce sugar intake. The sauce was great with them, very complimentary. Fifth, I just used a bag of broccoli slaw, regular button mushrooms, and added shelled edamame for protein. These seriously made a great light but filling warm weather meal!
Sixth, I've just recently discovered your blog and really love how simple and down-to-earth so many of your recipes are. I planned almost the entire month of June's meals from your recipes! They are easy, creative, and budget-friendly. They are also so adaptable to ingredients I have on hand, so thanks!