Chinese Vegetable Spring Rolls

Chinese Vegetable Spring Rolls

The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Prep: 45 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 20 servings
Yield: 20 rolls

This Chinese spring roll appetizer stuffed with vegetables is easier to prepare than you might think. These rolls can also easily be made vegan if vegetarian oyster sauce (made with mushrooms) is used.

How did spring rolls get their name? This delicate but filling appetizer has its origins in the annual Chinese Spring Festival. The first spring rolls featured fresh vegetables from the harvest; meat was added later.

Ingredients

For the Filling:

For the Sauce:

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce, or vegetarian oyster sauce

  • 1 tablespoon chicken broth, or water

  • 2 teaspoons light soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sugar

For the Spring Rolls:

Steps to Make It

Make the Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Chinese Vegetable Spring Rolls filling ingredients

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. About 30 minutes before assembling the filling, rinse and drain the mung bean sprouts to give them time to dry thoroughly.

    rinse and drain the mung bean sprouts

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Soak the mushrooms in warm water to soften (20 to 30 minutes). Squeeze any excess water out of the mushrooms and slice thinly.

    soak mushrooms in a bowl of water

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  4. Squeeze any excess water out of the mushrooms and slice thinly.

    drained and sliced mushrooms on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  5. Dice the red bell pepper. Grate the carrot and finely slice the bamboo shoots.

    diced vegetables on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  6. In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, chicken broth or water, soy sauce, and sugar. Set aside.

    sauce in a bowl

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  7. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan, swirling so that it coats the pan. When the oil is sizzling, stir-fry the vegetables, starting with the dried mushrooms, followed by the bamboo shoots, bell pepper, mung bean sprouts, and grated carrot.

    vegetables cooking in a pan

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  8. Stir in the sauce ingredients. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper if desired. Remove from the heat and cool.

    seasoned vegetables cooking in a pan

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Assemble the Spring Rolls

  1. To make the spring rolls, lay a wrapper in front of you so that it forms a diamond shape. Brush the edges of the wrapper with lightly beaten egg or water.

    spring roll wrapper brushed with egg

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. Place 2 tablespoons of filling in the bottom half, spreading it out sideways to form a rectangle shape but not touching the edges.

    vegetable filling on top of wrapper

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Lift the bottom corner of the wrapper and tuck it in under the filling.

    roll the wrapper around the filling

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  4. Fold over the left and right sides of the spring roll wrapper.

    fold the wrapper over the filling

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  5. Continue rolling up the wrapper.

    spring roll wrapper rolled around the filling

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  6. When you are almost finished, lightly brush the edges of the top corner of the diamond with the beaten egg mixture, fold over and seal.

    brush the egg roll wrapper with egg to seal

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Fry the Spring Rolls

  1. Heat a few inches of oil for deep frying to 360 F over medium high heat in a heavy-bottomed pot or wok. When the oil is ready, carefully add the spring rolls, a few at a time, cooking until they are golden brown and crispy (3 to 4 minutes).

    spring rolls frying in a pot of oil

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve with plum sauce, hot mustard, or sweet-and-sour sauce.

    Chinese Vegetable Spring Rolls on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
139 Calories
9g Fat
12g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 20
Amount per serving
Calories 139
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 12%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 136mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 11mg 57%
Calcium 7mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 63mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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