These crispy rice paper dumplings are a kid-friendly twist on viral rice paper dumplings – we made them a fun pink colour using beetroot juice to soak the rice paper, with a delicious vegetable and tofu filling so they are nutritious and tasty, and paired it with the best peanut dipping sauce. We pan-fried these until crispy on the outside, so they are a bit reminiscent of takeaway but with a healthier at-home family take.

These are made with simple, everyday ingredients, which you can mix and match with whatever ingredients you have on hadn or that need to be used up. The trick here is double wrapping the dumpling with an extra sheet of rice paper to create a sturdier dumpling, however this makes them a little chewier for kids. We tried using one wrapper and also with two – and one wrapper does work, so long as you don’t leave them sitting around before frying in a pan. So if you opt for one wrapper, place in a frying pan immediately!

The sweet peanut dipping sauce is what brings everything together for these and what keeps kids going back for more. It’s made with peanut butter, soy sauce and a few other simple ingredients – it’s creamy, savoury and slightly sweet, making it the perfect accompaniment to the crispy dumplings. You can adjust the flavours to suit your family, adding chilli if you prefer a little heat.

These pink rice paper dumplings are also a fun way to introduce more vegetables and tofu into family meals. The colourful wrappers make them a little more exciting for kids, while the familiar spring roll-inspired filling keeps them full of flavour. They’re great for sharing, serving as part of an Asian-inspired dinner or enjoying as a weekend cooking project with the family. For the best texture, enjoy them fresh, as the rice paper will soften as they cool (although we did test and they were also great cold from the fridge). Enjoy!

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Pink Rice Paper Dumplings

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings 3

Suitable For 24+ months

Metric - US Customary Units

Ingredients

Filling

1 tbsp olive oil
200 g firm tofu (crumbled)
200 g mushrooms (finely chopped)
300 g cabbage (1/4 small green cabbage, finely shredded)
1 medium carrot (grated)
3 spring onions (finely sliced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

To wrap

9 rice paper rolls (or 18 depending if you double wrap, see notes)
2 tbsp coconut oil (for frying in batches)
60 ml beetroot juice (plus 1/2 cup/125ml of water for diluting the beet juice)

Peanut dipping sauce

85 g peanut butter (100% natural)
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp soy sauce (low salt)
1 whole lime (juice only)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
125 ml water (to thin, add more or less to desired consistency)

Instructions

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add all of the filling ingredients and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and any liquid has cooked off (this will make them soggy if you leave too much liquid in the filling). Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
While the above cooks off, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in a small pan, and stir together to combine (you could blend this together if you preferred).
Add the beetroot and water to a large plate and dip one rice paper sheet into the water for a 5-10 seconds, until softened but still slightly firm. Lay it flat on a clean, damp surface (like a chopping board).
Place 1/4–1/3 cup of filling in the centre. Fold the sides over the filling, then fold over the top and bottom to create a parcel. If frying straight away transfer immediately to a preheated frying pan seam side down, making sure they aren’t touching - If folding all at once you will need to double wrap each dumpling in an extra sheet of rice paper as they soften and can tear otherwise.
Cook for 2–3 minutes without moving, until the underside is golden and crispy. Carefully turn and cook the remaining sides until crisp and golden, adding a little more oil if needed.
Serve immediately with the dipping sauce and enjoy!

Storage

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 day.

Notes

Double wrapping the rice paper helps create a sturdier dumpling, however a little chewier for kids (we tried with using one wrapper and with two - and one does work, so long as you don't leave them sitting around before frying in a pan, so if you opt for one wrapper, place in a frying pan immediately and opt for one wrapped dumplings for kids!)

These ones are for 24+ months given the chewy texture.