Vegan Summer Rolls

7 summer rolls cut in half in a white bowl. Filled with tofu, mango, cucumber, red bell pepper, lettuce, and mint. Served with peanut dipping sauce.

5 from 8 votes

Easy Vegan Summer Rolls with smoky tofu and juicy mango. Served with an addictively delicious peanut dipping sauce. Gluten-free and oil-free options.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish or Main Course

Cuisine: Vegan

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: Rolls

Calories: 132kcal

Author: Nisha Melvani

Ingredients

For the smoked tofu:

16 ounces extra firm tofu pressed and drained, or pre-pressed super firm tofu (1 16-ounce block)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon chipotle powder
¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut aminos

For the filling:

2 medium mangoes pitted and peeled
1 large English cucumber ends trimmed
1 large bell pepper ribs removed and seeded
1 cup fresh mint leaves (1 ounce fresh mint)
4.5 ounces green lettuce leaves tough parts removed (about 1 small head)*

For the peanut dipping sauce:

⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce (preferably reduced sodium)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice plus more to taste (about 1 lime)
1 tablespoon maple syrup plus more to taste
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons sriracha (optional)
3 to 4 tablespoons warm water

For serving:

16 sheets Vietnamese spring roll wrappers (rice paper)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Prepare tofu: Cut the block of tofu widthwise into approximately 16 (¼-inch-thick) rectangles. Lay them on paper or kitchen towel and pat dry both sides. Transfer them to a large nonstick baking sheet in a single layer.
Prepare spice paste: In a medium bowl, mix the smoked paprika, garlic powder, chipotle powder, and salt to taste. Add the olive oil and mix well until fully incorporated, adding a little water as needed to thin out the paste if it is too thick. (For oil-free, use coconut aminos instead of oil.)
Cook tofu: Use a pastry brush to coat the top and bottom of the tofu rectangles with the spice paste. Bake them for 10 minutes. Flip them over and brush with any remaining paste. Bake for about 10 minutes more, or until lightly crispy. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into about 6 (¼-inch-thick) batons.
Prepare filling: Cut the mango, cucumber, and bell pepper into matchsticks about the size of the tofu sticks.
Rice paper: Fill a large shallow dish or pie plate with about 1 inch room temperature water. Dunk one rice paper sheet into the water for 3 to 4 seconds (see packet directions), or until it is just pliable enough to roll, but still stiff.
For serving: Place some lettuce, tofu, mango, cucumber, bell pepper, and 2 to 3 mint leaves in the lower third of the rice paper (the third closest to you). Start with the lettuce, and stack the other ingredients on top, leaving at least 1 inch clear of fillings on all edges of the wrappers.
Roll: Wrap the rice paper roll much like rolling up a burrito. Pick up the rice paper wrapper from the end closest to you, pulling it over the fillings to enclose them. Then, fold both sides in towards the center. Complete by rolling the whole roll away from you. You should end up with a log shape roll with the filling completely enclosed.
Make peanut sauce: Add the peanut butter, tamari, lime juice, maple syrup, and ginger to a medium bowl. Press or grate the garlic into the bowl. Add sriracha, and warm water as needed, stirring continuously until fully incorporated. Adjust maple syrup, and lime juice to taste.

Video

Notes

Super firm tofu comes pre-pressed (Wildwood, Nasoya). No pressing required. For extra firm tofu, press for at least 20 minutes before using to remove excess water.
For oil-free, use coconut aminos instead of olive oil to make the spice paste. Add water to thin out the mixture as needed until it is spreadable.
Lettuce - Butterhead, Iceberg, Little Gem, or Looseleaf lettuce are good choices.
Remove any hard stems from the mint and lettuce to prevent the rice paper from tearing.
Do not dunk the rice paper for too long or it will become mushy. It should still be slightly stiff. It will continue to soften as you work.
Add as much filling as you can, without overstuffing the rice paper.

Nutrition