5 Vietnamese Rice Paper Brands You Should Buy

What are rice paper wrappers?

Rice paper wrappers are thin, round sheets made from the mix of rice flour, tapioca starch, salt and water. They are widely used in Vietnamese cuisine.

The most popular dish that use rice paper sheets are Vietnamese spring rolls. There are seven types of Asian spring rolls, but only the Vietnamese recipe calls for these sheet.

They can hold a variety of fillings like vegetables, herbs, tofu, pork or shrimp. The sheets are naturally gluten-free and almost translucent.

They are typically sold dry. I do not know when single person who makes them from scratch. You need to soak them briefly in lukewarm water to make them soft and flexible for rolling.

Cathay

Cathay rice papers blend rice flour with tapioca starch, creating a flexible yet sturdy wrapper that’s perfect for fresh spring rolls.

The addition of tapioca gives these papers extra elasticity, making them thinner than a 100% rice-based sheet.

Cathay comes from various shapes and sizes, from square to round, from 6 inches to 12 inches.

I particularly value their square shape, which offers more room for fillings and makes rolling easier for beginners.

Three Ladies

Three Ladies rice paper wrappers also contain tapioca starch, rice flour, water and salt. But since the first ingredient is tapioca starch, it means that it is thinner and more delicate than Cathay.

These round, translucent sheets measure 8-9 inches in diameter and turn beautifully pliable when soaked.

Due to its high tapioca starch content, you need only 1-2 seconds to soak them in lukewarm water. This way when you use them, they will not tear.

I would not recommend it to full beginners. I found that the higher the rice content, the easier it is to work with these sheets.

Tanisa Brown Rice Paper

Tanisa brown rice paper is made from organic tapioca starch and organic brown rice flour. They stand out with their nutty flavor, extra fiber content and light brown color.

Tanisa also sells classic white rice sheets, pink ones colored with beetroot and yellow ones colored with turmeric. The filling looks stunning under a colorful hue.

These translucent wrappers are slightly thicker than traditional white rice papers, since the first ingredient is rice flour.

They come in one classic size (8-inch in diameter), albeit Tanisa sells both round and square-shaped wrappers.

Blue Dragon

Blue Dragon rice paper wrappers is one of the cheapest option, but it does not mean bad quality.

I like using Blue Dragon since it is easy to work with, due to its high % of rice flour. It comes in the classic 8-inch size.

I also regularly use Blue Dragon nori sheets to make tofu sushi and Blue Dragon soba noodles to make these miso noodles.

The semi-transparent appearance and medium thickness provide enough structure to hold ingredients without tearing. If I see them in the store, I prefer to buy these over the others.

It is also a beginner-friendly choice, perfect for first-time spring roll makers.

So Thai

I haven’t found any brands in the United States that sell rice paper wrappers made with 100% rice and no tapioca starch.

So Thai is a brand I found in Europe. It is made of only rice flour, so the perfect choice for beginners.

100% rice-based sheets need a few extra seconds to soften when soaking. However, they’re slightly thicker, making them easier for beginners to handle and less likely to tear.

Other Vietnamese brands

You cannot find any of the above in your local store or Asian specialy store. Do not worry, there are plenty of quality options to explore beyond the most common ones.

Here are a few other Vietnamese rice paper brands worth trying:

• Bamboo Tree
• CAF
• Four Elephants
• Soeos
• 52USA
• Best of Thailand is not a Vietnamese brand hence the name, but still a good quality rice paper sheet.