These baked rice paper rolls are hearty, flavourful , slightly crispy and perfectly sweet and spicy. A great gluten-free and vegan alternative to traditional spring rolls.
One of the reasons I love taking part in The Marinate recipe competition is that it forces me to step out of my comfort zone and try new things in the kitchen. I would never have thought to make these baked rice paper rolls if it wasn’t for this week’s ingredients.
I made rice paper rolls during the last competition but those were pretty basic and filled with mostly fruit. This time around, our ingredients were rice paper, rice noodles and black and white rice. With that much rice in one recipe I knew I needed to up the flavours and textures a bit so the spring rolls wouldn’t turn out gummy and bland.
I started by stuffing the rolls with some of my favourite fall produce: carrots, red cabbage, parsnips, brussels sprouts and green apples. Then I threw in some sweet chili tofu for a protein and flavour and topped it off with cilantro to temper the heat of the chili.
The rice paper rolls were pretty tasty on their own and even more so with the sweet chili dipping sauce. But I felt really strange eating something so cold when it was gloomy and rainy outside. So I decided to try baking them.
Sweet Chili Tofu Baked Rice Paper Rolls
It was a great idea in theory but baking the spring rolls caused me quite a bit of trouble and maybe a few tears. I ended up losing my first batch of rolls to the baking tray and the second to foil. Turns out rice paper basically turns into superglue when heated up.
Luckily, parchment paper is a life saver and the third batch just slid right off. And I gotta say, the early morning trek for parchment paper and that extra 20 minutes of baking were 100% worth it. Because biting into a warm, slightly crispy baked rice paper roll is an experience of mouth-gasmic proportions.
The Challenge
If you’re a fan of these baked spring rolls, I’d love it if you could head over to Progressive Nectar’s IG and vote for me. If my photo gets the most likes I win a prize & you have a chance to win too.
Here’s how to vote:
- Follow @progressive_nectar
- Like and comment on my photo of these rolls on Progressive Nectar’s IG
- If I win the recipe competition Progressive Nectar will randomly pick one of the commenters on my post & reward them with a prize too
What about you?
Have you ever baked rice paper spring rolls before? What did you think?
p.s. If you make these rolls, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment and rate the recipe or take a pic and tag it @ExSloth on Instagram!
More vegan appetizers
- ¼ cup agave
- 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce*
- ½ tsp rice vinegar (optional)
- 6 - 8 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and sliced into ½ in strips**
- 3 tbsp sesame oil, divided
- 1½ tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- ⅓ cup carrots, sliced into matchsticks
- ⅓ cup parsnip, sliced into matchsticks
- ⅓ cup red cabbage, shredded
- 4 - 6 brussels sprouts, shredded***
- ½ a granny smith apple, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 4 ounces vermicelli or other thin rice noodles
- ⅓ cup cooked black rice (optional)
- ½ tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 24 - 30 small rice spring roll papers
- olive oil for brushing/baking
- Start by preparing rice noodles according to package directions, then drain and set aside
- Combine all ingredients for the sweet chili sauce in a small bowl and set aside
- Heat about 2 tbsp sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat
- Toss tofu in cornstarch and panfry until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes
- Add ½ tbsp tamari and 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce and stir until tofu is evenly coated
- Allow to cook for 2 - 3 more minutes then remove from skillet and set aside
- Add remaining sesame oil to the still hot skillet then panfry noodles with ½ tbsp soy sauce and another tbsp of sweet chili sauce
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly
- Prep veggies if you haven't already
- Preheat oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper (IMPORTANT) and set aside
- Prep rice paper according to package directions - usually by submerging in a shallow dish of very hot water for 10 - 15 seconds
- Transfer to a damp cutting board or plate and gently spread out edges into a circle
- Add a small handful of rice noodles and/or black rice to the middle of the rice paper, then add cabbage above it and 1 - 2 pieces of tofu below, closest to you. Top with parsnips, carrots, brussles sprouts, one apple slice and cilantro
- Gently fold the sides of the rice paper over the filling, then fold the bottom over the tofu. Start rolling from the bottom up - tucking in the filling as you roll - until completely wrapped
- Wrap the roll in a second rice paper, brush with olive oil and place seam side down on parchment paper lined baking tray
- Repeat until all filling is used up and each roll is wrapped with two pieces of rice paper – you should get about 12 - 15 rolls
- Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, flipping halfway through and allow to cool a little before eating
- Serve with sweet chili sauce
- The baked rice paper rolls don't hold up that well, but you can store them the refrigerator after rolling and bake when ready to eat
**I used smoked and regular tofu with these and liked them both
** Can sub brussels sprouts for green cabbage or more red cabbage
Liked this recipe? Pin it for later:
Want more spring rolls? Try these:
[…] baked rice paper rolls with sweet chili tofu […]