There’s something incredibly comforting yet exciting about Vietnamese spring rolls. They’re loved around the world, either as a snack or a main dish. Each bit brings that irresistible crunch of golden fried rice paper filled with a mixture of vegetables, glass noodles, mushrooms, herbs and seasonings. Served with the signature tangy dipping sauce, nước chấm, these rolls really are a meal in themselves. One of the best ways to enjoy them is in a Vietnamese Spring Roll Noodle Bowl. In this dish, the crispy rolls are served over rice noodles. It’s topped with fresh herbs, pickles and generous drizzle of nước chấm. The result is light, satisfying and full of flavour.
Preparing the Vietnamese Spring Rolls
This bowl builds on my Vietnamese spring roll recipe, which I often make in big batches. Since rolling and cooking them takes a bit of time, I like to prepare plenty in one go. I usually air-fry them at 180° for 10-12 minutes until they’re cooked through but not yet fully crispy, then freeze them in batches for further meals.
When I need them, like today, I defrost a portion in the fridge overnight. Just before serving, I brush them with oil and air-fry again for 5 minutes at 220°C. The result? Perfectly crispy, piping hot spring rolls, ready to take centre stage in the Vietnamese Spring Roll Noodle Bowl.
Cooking the noodles and making the pickles
For the noodle base, I use drive round rice noodles. Simply pour boiling water over the noodles in a large pot, cover with a lid and let them sit for 4 minutes. Then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and set aside.
I also love adding a quick pickle to this dish. Just 30-45 minutes before serving is enough time to make it. This light pickled crunch balances the richness of the fried spring rolls beautifully.
The tangy nước chấm
Every Vietnamese Spring Roll Noodle Bowl needs nước chấm. This sweet, salty, sour and spicy dipping sauce ties everything together. I make it by combining 1 part fish sauce, 1 part sugar, 1 part lime juice and 5 parts water. Then I stir in some minced garlic and finely chopped red chilli for that extra punch. It’s refreshing, bold and essential.
How to assemble the Vietnamese Spring Roll Noodle Bowl
Here comes the fun part, assembling our bowl! Strat with a bed of cooked rice noodles. Add your favourite salad vegetables – lettuce, coriander, mint and if you have them, a few beansprouts. Top with a spoonful of pickled veg, then cut your crispy spring rolls into bite-sized pieces and place them on top. Finally drizzle everything with plenty of nước chấm.
And that’s it. Your Vietnamese Spring Roll Noodle Bowl is ready to enjoy. It’s packed with texture, flavour – crunchy, soft, tangy, savoury, fresh. Whether you’re making it for a casual weeknight dinner or a lunch to impress, this is a dish that always hits the spot.
Craving more refreshing noodle-salad-style meals for this hot summer? Why not try one of these next?
Grilled Salmon Noodle Salad Bowl
Vietnamese Spring Roll Noodle Bowl (Bún Nem)
Description
This Vietnamese Spring Roll Noodle Bowl (Bún Nem) is a light yet satisfying dish featuring crispy homemade spring rolls served over rice noodles with fresh herbs, crunchy pickles and a punchy nước chấm dressing. It’s the perfect balance of textures and flavours, ideal for hot summer days or any time you’re craving something refreshing and delicious.
Ingredients
For the noodle bowl
For the nước chấm dipping sauce
Instructions
-
Cook the rice noodles
- Place dried noodles in a large pot.
- Pour over boiling water, cover and let it sit for 4 minutes.
- Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Set aside.
-
Prepare the spring rolls
- If frozen, thaw overnight. Brush with oil and air-fry at 220°C for 5 minutes until crispy.
- If cooking from scratch, follow my spring roll recipe link in the blog post.
-
Make the nước chấm sauce
- In a jug, combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and water.
- Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Add garlic and chilli. Set aside.
-
Assemble the bowls
- In each bowl, add a bed of noodles.
- Top with lettuce, herbs and pickled vegetables.
- Cut the crispy spring rolls into bite-sized pieces and arrange on top.
- Drizzle generously with nước chấm and enjoy immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 5
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 1004.91kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 10.38g16%
- Saturated Fat 1.52g8%
- Sodium 2238.96mg94%
- Potassium 419.22mg12%
- Total Carbohydrate 195.12g66%
- Dietary Fiber 7.16g29%
- Sugars 12.89g
- Protein 28.61g58%
- Vitamin A 51.5 mcg
- Vitamin C 17.66 mg
- Calcium 256.22 mg
- Iron 8.83 mg
- Vitamin E 1.18 mg
- Vitamin K 28.89 mcg
- Thiamin 1.14 mg
- Riboflavin 0.81 mg
- Niacin 10.34 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.23 mg
- Folate 65.64 mcg
- Vitamin B12 0.05 mcg
- Phosphorus 368.7 mg
- Magnesium 98.48 mg
- Zinc 2.88 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- You can make and freeze spring rolls in advance to save time.
- Adjust chilli in nước chấm to your heat preference.
