Are Spring Rolls Vegetarian or Vegan? (Shrimp, Pork & Fish Sauce)

Spring rolls look like vegetables wrapped in rice paper, which is exactly why they surprise people. The filling and the dipping sauce are where the shrimp, pork and fish hide. Here is how to tell.

Key Takeaways

• Spring rolls vary: many contain shrimp or pork, and the dipping sauce is often fish sauce.
• Fresh Vietnamese rolls (gỏi cuốn) commonly contain shrimp and pork.
• Vegetable-only spring rolls are common, but confirm the filling and the dip.
• For vegan, ask for no shrimp, no pork, and a soy or peanut dip.

TL;DR: Spring rolls vary: many contain shrimp or pork, and the dipping sauce is often fish sauce. Vegetable-only spring rolls are common, but check the filling and the dip.

Fresh vs. fried, and what’s inside

• Fresh Vietnamese spring rolls (gỏi cuốn): rice-paper rolls that commonly contain shrimp and/or pork; served with a fish-sauce dip (nước chấm).
• Fried spring rolls: the filling is often pork or mixed meat; the wrapper is usually vegan.
• Vegetable spring rolls: cabbage, carrot, mushroom, vermicelli; vegetarian.

So the wrapper is usually fine: the filling and the dipping sauce are what matter.

How to order them vegan

• Ask for vegetable filling, no shrimp, no pork.
• Ask for a soy or peanut dip instead of fish sauce.
• Check fried rolls for oyster sauce or lard in the filling.

The bottom line

• Vegetarian? Order vegetable spring rolls and skip the fish-sauce dip.
• Vegan? Same, plus confirm no egg wash and no oyster sauce.

See our Spring Rolls dish guide for the full breakdown.

Check before you eat. The Verify Veg app scans a barcode or reads an ingredient list from a photo and flags ingredients against your diet (vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Jain and more). Download on the App Store - Android is coming soon.

Written by Samir Narain, founder of Verify Veg. Verify Veg helps people check packaged food against their diet by scanning barcodes and reading ingredient lists from photos.

Note: Verify Veg provides ingredient-based compatibility checks, not certification. Recipes and preparations vary by restaurant, region and cook, so always confirm with the restaurant, brand or vendor.