Vegetarian Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon Chay)

These vegetarian Vietnamese spring rolls (goi cuon chay) are the vegetarian version of the beloved Vietnamese spring rolls. Filled with addictive lemongrass tofu and fresh herbs, these spring rolls are just as good as their meat filled counterparts. Included in this blog post are tips on how to perfectly boil vermicelli noodles for spring rolls and 3 options for dipping sauces!

Something I really want to achieve with this blog is to show that Vietnamese food is good even without meat. That means making my favorite dishes vegetarian and vegan friendly. Some dishes I’ve made in the past are vegetarian banh cuon and even vegetarian nuoc cham. Both animal friendly and still full of flavor. The next dish I wanted to make a vegetarian version of is Vietnamese spring rolls. These vegetarian Vietnamese spring rolls replace the shrimp and pork belly with lemongrass tofu. Let me tell you this tofu is SO GOOD. I could even eat these spring rolls without the sauce. The savory tofu is then balanced out with fresh vegetables to make the perfect, fresh veggie dish.

What are spring rolls?

Spring rolls are a traditional Vietnamese dish that includes a protein, vermicelli noodles, and fresh herbs wrapped in rice paper. They are typically eaten in the summer because they’re a cold dish, but my family eats them all year round. Almost any protein can be used for spring rolls. Traditional ones are pork belly, shrimp, beef, nem nuong, and even turmeric fish. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of unique ones like fried chicken (bought from Popeyes or Church’s Chicken) and salmon. The best part of spring rolls is the balance between the savory protein and the fresh herbs. This balance makes this a light dish which is why we eat it all the time, especially when we need something healthier.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

Lemongrass Tofu

• Firm tofu – It is important that you use firm tofu for this recipe because firm tofu holds its shape the best when frying. If you try to use soft, silky or medium tofu, it will fall apart as you fry it.
• Garlic – Adds flavor to the dish. Garlic can be substituted with 1/2 tsp of garlic powder.
• Shallot – Adds sweetness to the tofu. 1 shallot can be substituted with 1/4 sweet yellow onion.
• Lemongrass – Lemongrass adds a slight lime-y flavor to the tofu and balances out the other savory ingredients. Substitute with 1 tbsp of lime juice.
• Soy sauce – Adds umami flavor to the dish. The soy sauce also gives the tofu a nice color. I used low sodium soy sauce. Substitute with tamari for a gluten free alternative.
• Vegan oyster sauce – Vegan oyster sauce is a new favorite ingredient of mine. It is made of mushrooms and some brands are even gluten free. The brand I use is Lee Kum Kee, and their vegan oyster sauce is also gluten free. If you don’t care if this dish is vegetarian, substitute with regular oyster sauce.
• Honey – Adds sweetness to the tofu and balances out the savory ingredients.
• Light brown sugar – Adds more sweetness to the tofu. Light brown sugar can be substituted with dark brown sugar. I would add a little less dark brown sugar because it is sweeter than light brown sugar.
• Water – The first time I tested this recipe, it was way too salty. I found that adding water helps give the tofu more balance.
• Vegetable oil (for frying the tofu) – I would recommend using some kind of oil with a high smoke point. This means it doesn’t burn easily. I use vegetable oil, but another good option is avocado oil.

Spring Roll

• Rice paper – All spring rolls are made with rice paper. These can be found at most Asian grocery stores and even some Western stores.
• Lettuce – Use any kind lettuce you want.
• Carrots – I buy pre-shredded carrots from the store, but you can also make them at home with a box grater.
• Cucumbers – I personally use Persian cucumbers for my spring rolls. I find they have better flavor than regular cucumbers. You can use whichever cucumbers you want.
• Mint – Use any kind of mint you want. Some great substitutes are Vietnamese coriander, Thai basil, and perilla leaves.
• Vermicelli noodles – I love the Three Ladies Brand vermicelli noodles.
• Vegetarian Vietnamese Dipping Sauce – I make my own vegetarian Vietnamese dipping sauce. It substitutes soy sauce for fish sauce.

How to make vegetarian Vietnamese spring rolls

Prepping the filling

First, prep the contents of the spring roll by shredding carrots, cutting the cucumbers, boiling the vermicelli noodles, and making the vegetarian Vietnamese dipping sauce. Set aside everything in the food.

Pat the tofu dry. Cut the tofu horizontally and then cut each piece into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Set aside. Cover a large plate with 1-2 pieces of paper towels. Heat 1 cup of vegetable oil in a large pot to 356 degrees F. I usually test fry 1 piece of tofu to see if the oil is hot enough. Fry tofu for 3-4 minutes on each side until a light golden brown. Once done, transfer onto the paper towels to soak up excess oil. Set aside.

Combine 3 cloves of garlic, 1 shallot, 1 stalk of lemongrass, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of oyster sauce, 2 tbsp of honey, 2 tbsp of light brown sugar, and 1 tbsp of water in a small bowl. Mix until combined. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour sauce into the pan and cook until it starts to bubble (~30 seconds – 1 minute). Add the fried tofu to the pan and coat with the sauce. Turn off the heat.

Rolling your spring rolls

Now it’s time to make your spring rolls! Wet a sheet of rice paper with warm water. Add a few pieces of lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, mint, and vermicelli noodles. Top with 1-2 pieces of lemongrass tofu. Roll the spring roll once. Fold the left and right side over the roll and then finish rolling your spring roll. Repeat this process until you run out of ingredients. Enjoy with vegetarian Vietnamese dipping sauce!

How to properly prepare vermicelli noodles for spring rolls

There is definitely a way to prepare vermicelli noodles for spring rolls that make a huge difference. Here is how I do it. I would also like to note that boiling the vermicelli noodles is one of the first things I do because you want them to cool down before you put them in the spring rolls. If you want a more detailed guide, check out my post on how to cook vermicelli noodles properly.

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Make sure the water comes up at least halfway.
2. Once boiling, add the vermicelli noodles and stir to make sure they’re submerged in the water.
3. After 2-3 minutes, pull out a noodle to taste for doneness. Keep cooking if it’s not done.
4. Pour out the noodles into a colander. Rinse with cold water and set aside to cool. Rinsing the noodles is an important step because it washes the starch off the noodles which causes it to be gummy.

Tips on how to make the perfect vegetarian Vietnamese spring rolls

Buy pre-cut vegetables to save time

I love buying pre-cut vegetables when I can find them to save time. You can buy minced lemongrass (in the frozen section), shredded carrots, and minced garlic at the store.

Which dipping sauce should I use?

You can use either vegetarian Vietnamese dipping sauce, Vietnamese peanut sauce or nuoc cham (not vegetarian). I personally prefer vegetarian or regular nuoc cham because the tartness in the sauce balances out the savory flavors of the lemongrass tofu better than the peanut sauce. The orange sauce I used in the images is regular nuoc cham (not vegetarian) since that is what I had on hand. Use my vegetarian Vietnamese dipping sauce recipe if you want something vegetarian.

Do not overfill the spring rolls

Be careful not to overfill the spring rolls because it will rip the rice paper.

How do you store vegetarian Vietnamese spring rolls?

The components of these spring rolls should be stored in separate airtight containers. The tofu can last up to 3 days in the fridge. The vegetables can last up to a week in the fridge. The rice paper should be able to last up to a year since it’s dried.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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