Crispy vegetable spring rolls
Golden, crunchy spring rolls filled with seasoned veg — perfect party finger food or a midweek treat.
These crispy vegetable spring rolls are the sort of thing you can justify eating straight from the platter — finger‑friendly, full of texture and properly crunchy. They’re ideal for parties, a cheeky weekend starter or whenever you need a satisfying bite.
The trick is dryish filling, a tight roll and hot oil. Once you’ve practised the fold a couple of times you’ll be rolling like a pro — and yes, they freeze brilliantly uncooked for batch cooking later.
Ingredients
- 20 spring roll wrappers
- 900 ml vegetable oil — for deep frying; you will not consume all of it
- 30 g plain flour — for sealing wrappers (slurry)
- 60 ml cold water — for flour slurry
- 1 brown onion — medium, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves — finely chopped
- 20 g fresh ginger — peeled and grated
- 150 g carrot — finely grated
- 300 g white cabbage — finely shredded
- 150 g chestnut mushrooms — thinly sliced
- 1 courgette — medium, cut into matchsticks
- 4 spring onions — white and pale green parts sliced thinly
- 30 ml light soy sauce
- 15 ml rice vinegar
- 15 ml toasted sesame oil
- 5 g caster sugar
- 0 ml white pepper
- 0 g salt
- 15 g toasted sesame seeds — for sprinkling
Equipment
- deep‑frying thermometer
- slotted spoon or spider
- baking tray
- box grater
Instructions
Prepare all the vegetables: finely dice the brown onion, grate the carrot, shred the white cabbage, thinly slice the chestnut mushrooms, cut the courgette into matchsticks, slice the spring onions, finely chop the garlic and grate the fresh ginger. Put everything to one side.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium hob. Add the brown onion, garlic cloves and fresh ginger and sweat gently for 3 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Add the chestnut mushrooms, courgette, carrot and white cabbage. Stir-fry over a medium‑high hob for 6 minutes until the veg has softened and most moisture has evaporated.
Stir in the light soy sauce, rice vinegar, caster sugar, toasted sesame oil, white pepper and salt. Cook for a further 2 minutes to let the flavours marry, then remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool.
Leave the filling to cool for 10 minutes so it isn't steaming hot when wrapped. Cooling helps prevent the wrappers from going soggy.
Make a sealing slurry by whisking the plain flour with the cold water until smooth.
To assemble: lay one spring roll wrapper diamond‑shaped in front of you. Brush the bottom third with a little flour slurry. Spoon about 25–30 g of cooled filling across the centre (a heaped tablespoon). Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, fold the two side corners in, then roll up tightly. Seal the top corner with more slurry. Repeat until all wrappers are filled.
Pour the vegetable oil into a deep heavy pot or deep fryer to a depth of 6–8 cm and heat on the hob to 180°C. Use a deep‑frying thermometer to check the temperature.
Fry the rolls in batches seam‑side down for 3–4 minutes, turning if needed, until evenly golden and crisp. Do not overcrowd the pot — maintain the oil temperature between batches.
Drain the cooked spring rolls on a baking tray lined with kitchen paper. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds while still hot. Serve immediately with your favourite dipping sauce.
Tips
- Dry the shredded cabbage by salting lightly and squeezing in a clean tea towel — less moisture equals crisper rolls.
- Cool the filling completely before wrapping to prevent the wrappers getting soggy or tearing.
- Maintain oil at 180°C — a thermometer is worth the money. If you don’t have one, a small piece of wrapper should sizzle steadily and rise to the surface.
- Assemble on a slightly damp tea towel to stop wrappers from drying out; only fill as you’re ready to fry.
- Make‑ahead: wrap the rolls and freeze flat on a baking tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Fry from frozen but add an extra minute to the cooking time.
Substitutions
chestnut mushrooms → shiitake mushrooms, same weight
Stays closetoasted sesame oil → light olive oil, same quantity
Stays closespring roll wrappers → rice paper wrappers (use oil to seal and fry carefully), same count
Noticeably differenttoasted sesame seeds → chopped roasted peanuts, same quantity
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 495
- Calories
- 10 g
- Protein
- 55 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I bake these instead of frying?
Yes — brush with oil and bake at 200°C fan/220°C conventional for 12–15 minutes, turning once, until crisp. They won’t be quite as uniformly blistered as deep‑fried ones.
How do I stop the wrappers from splitting?
Don’t overfill and avoid stretching the wrapper when rolling. Ensure the filling is cooled and the slurry seal is applied well to the final edge.
Can I make these ahead?
Assemble and freeze uncooked on a baking tray, then transfer to a bag. Fry from frozen (add ~1 minute). Cooked rolls are best eaten the same day; store leftovers in the fridge and reheat in a hot oven to regain crispness.
Are these nut free?
As written this recipe is nut‑free, but if you use the peanuts substitution it will no longer be nut free.
Community Photos
No photos yet
Be the first to share your creation!