The Best Vegetables to Add to Spring Rolls

Vegetable spring rolls
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Whether for a light meal or a healthy snack, Thai spring rolls are a great way to add freshness to your diet. There are lots of yummy vegetables you can add, some more common than others. Here are some fresh and some cooked options to try out.

Fresh

For fresh vegetables, the most common found in spring rolls are shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and cilantro. For some added crispness, try adding thinly-sliced cucumber, sliced bell pepper, and a few mint leaves. For a kick, slice some red onions or even a bit of jalapeno if you like spice. Or, take your inspiration from tacos and pickle the red onions to add extra flavor.

Cooked

You can really add any cooked vegetable you like to a spring roll, but it’s a good idea to pay attention to what can most easily be cut into strips. Remember that you will have to roll the filling into a rice paper later, so you want to make that process as easy as possible. Some great vegetables to try frying up with spices are cabbage (again, yes) and sweet potato.

These can both be cut into strips, so they are great from a flavor and a structural standpoint. Try seasoning the cabbage with sesame oil, chili oil, and soy sauce and frying it up. Sweet potato goes nicely with warmer, sweeter spices, so try seasoning with ginger and turmeric before cooking in a pan or in the oven.