Shrimp Summer Rolls

Cool and crisp Shrimp Summer Rolls stuffed with a mixture of shrimp, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro, green onions and sweet chili sauce.

Looking for a fresh, cool snack to enjoy on a hot summer day? Then you’ve got to make these Shrimp Summer Rolls ASAP. They are loaded with crisp veggies and shrimp tossed in a sweet n’ spicy tangy sauce and wrapped in a thin rice wrapper.

Basically a little bundle of flavor!

If you’ve never heard of a summer roll before, they are sometimes also called fresh spring rolls, salad rolls or rice paper roll. They are different than egg rolls or lumpia because they aren’t fried. Instead they include various kinds of veggies and usually shrimp all wrapped up in rice paper. They are easy to make and so full of flavor!

Let’s talk about what you need to make them.

Shrimp Summer Roll Ingredients: 

• SHRIMP: You can use small, medium or large shrimp for this recipe. I use medium and it worked out to about 3 shrimp per roll. If you want to make this a completely no-cook recipe, use pre-cooked shrimp that you buy at the seafood counter of your grocery store.
• GARLIC: Make sure to mince it so that you don’t get large pieces of raw garlic in the rolls. 
• RICE VINEGAR: Rice vinegar is a vinegar made with fermented rice it has a sweet and sour flavor and is popular in Asian cooking. 
• SWEET CHILI SAUCE: A savory, sweet and tangy sauce that is a popular condiment in Thai cooking. It is sometimes called Thai Sweet Chili Sauce or Asian Sweet Chili Sauce. You should be able to find it in the Asian or International Aisle of your grocery store. I like to use Mae Thai Chili Sauce (affiliate link) but you can use your favorite. 
• BLACK SESAME SEEDS: Add a little crunch and nutty sesame flavor. I like the color that the black seeds add but you can use white roasted sesame seeds as well, they might be a bit easier to find. 
• CILANTRO: You can omit it if you have an aversion to cilantro. 
• SHREDDED CARROT: I recommend shredding the carrot yourself. It will have a better flavor and texture than pre-shredded carrots. 
• CUCUMBER: Adds crisp freshness to the roll. You’ll want to cut them very thin, think matchsticks. 
• GREEN ONIONS: Adds color and a slight oniony flavor. 
• SALT 
• RICE PAPER WRAPPERS: Super thin wrappers made from rice, water and salt. They are smooth and can crack easy until they are wetted. Once wet they are soft, pliable and can be filled with a variety of ingredients.  

Step by Step Photos and Instructions: 

Shrimp summer rolls are easy to make once you get the rolling technique down. The hardest part will be using the rice paper. The paper can get stuck on itself and it’s hard to get it apart once it does. For that reason, I recommend having some extras on hand. 

Follow along with these step by step photos and instructions: 

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• STEP #1: Cook the shrimp. Keep in mind that shrimp don’t take long to cook, it’ll be 2 – 3 minutes. Drain well and cool. 
• STEP #2: In a large bowl mix together garlic, sweet chili sauce, sesame seeds, and cilantro. 
• STEP #3: Add the cooked shrimp, carrots, cucumbers and green onions. Mix well. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
• STEP #4: Soak a rice paper wrapper for 30 seconds or until soft. Carefully remove from water and lay on flat surface. Place just under 1/4 cup of filling on wrapper 1 inch from the side closest to you. Working away from you, carefully fold the wrapper over the mixture. Next fold in both sides and then continue rolling away from you to seal. Place finished roll seam side down in the dish you are storing them in. Repeat with remaining filling and wraps.

Storage and Leftovers:

These are best eaten the day that they are made and storing them can be difficult because if they are touching the wrappers will stick to each other. If you do have leftovers, keep them in a single layer, not touching each other, in the refrigerator and eat within a day.

These Shrimp Summer Rolls are great on their own but I also love to dip them in more sweet chili sauce for added sweet heat.

FAQ

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Skip take out and make this Salt and Pepper Squid at home!

Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2009 and was updated in 2023 with new photos, nutrition information and a slightly modified recipe.