How to Use Rice Paper Wrappers

Learn about rice paper wrappers, the best ones to buy, plus my favorite ways to use them, including summer rolls!

If you’ve enjoyed a summer roll (or salad roll) at a Vietnamese restaurant, you’ve already encountered rice paper wrappers. These are incredibly thin, slightly chewy wrappers traditionally made from rice, water, and salt. They’re transparent so that you can see the delicious fillings inside.

While they’re often filled with shrimp, pork, fresh vegetables, and noodles, rice paper wrappers are incredibly versatile. You can get creative and use them with almost any filling you can imagine. We’ve even made BLT summer rolls using bacon, lettuce, and tomato!

Depending on where you live, you might find rice paper wrappers in the international food aisle of your local grocery or health food store. Otherwise, Vietnamese or Chinese markets are your best bet, or you can easily order them online.

Tips for Choosing Rice Paper Wrappers

• Avoid 100% Tapioca: These can be tricky to work with. Instead, look for wrappers made with rice or a combination of rice and tapioca. (Rice paper wrappers are naturally gluten-free, so if a package lists wheat, it’s likely a translation error).
• Size: I recommend 8 1/2 inch wrappers, as they’re the easiest to handle compared to smaller or larger sizes.
• Brands: Look for the “Three Ladies” brand or ones with a red rose on the label. These are widely considered high-quality options.
• Price: If there are multiple choices, go for the priciest one. Rice paper is relatively inexpensive, so spending a bit more for quality is worth it.

How to Store Rice Paper Wrappers

Once opened, place the package in a resealable plastic bag and store it in your pantry or cupboard. This will help keep them fresh and prevent them from drying out.

Ways to Use Rice Paper Wrappers

The most well-known way to use rice paper wrappers is to make fresh summer rolls (sometimes called spring or fresh rolls). You can also use these thin wrappers to make rice paper dumplings or Vietnamese fried spring rolls (see Andrea Nguyen’s article for her expert tips on frying rice paper rolls).

Other nontraditional but super fun ideas include using them as a base for pizza, rolling them up as sushi, and even making vegan bacon.

Rice paper is sold in dried sheets. Before using it, you must rehydrate it to make it pliable. I fill a shallow dish with warm water and then dip one rice paper wrapper at a time into the water for a few seconds, just until it becomes pliable and soft (usually 5 to 10 seconds). Any longer, it will become too soft and difficult to work with.

How to Wrap Rice Paper Rolls

You can wrap just about anything in rice paper, from cooked shrimp, grilled chicken or beef, and baked tofu to fresh vegetables like shredded carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, lettuce, avocado, bean sprouts, and herbs like mint, cilantro, and basil. Then, add some cooked and cooled rice vermicelli noodles to make your rolls more substantial.

Wrapping rice paper is as easy as wrapping a burrito and becomes even easier with practice. Don’t worry about perfection!

As mentioned above, since rice paper comes in dried sheets, you’ll need warm water to make it pliable. Fill a shallow dish or baking tin wider than your rice paper with warm water. Then, slide one sheet at a time into the water for 5 to 10 seconds (any longer, and it’ll become too soft and sticky). Think of it as a quick dip.

Remove the moistened sheet and place it onto your work surface for a minute or two. It will become even more pliable and slightly sticky, ready to be filled and rolled.

Now, wrap it up like a burrito:

1. Place your filling in the middle of the lower third of the wrapper.
2. Bring the bottom edge up and over the filling.
3. Fold in the two sides.
4. Roll it up tightly, using your fingers to keep the filling snug in the center.

If the rice paper tears a little, don’t worry! Just overlap the torn edges and continue rolling. No one will notice once it’s all deliciousness inside.