Goi Cuon

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallyCrustaceansHalved cooked prawns are the classic filling.
• UsuallyPeanutsPeanut butter or ground peanuts in the dip, and crushed peanuts on top.
• UsuallySoyHoisin or fermented soybean sauce is the base of the peanut dip.
• UsuallyGlutenHoisin normally contains wheat; the rolls themselves are rice.
• OftenSesameMajor hoisin brands contain sesame.
• OftenFishFish sauce dip (nước chấm) is the other common sauce.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Not vegetarian as standard: prawns and pork. Gỏi cuốn chay with tofu is common, but ask about the sauce.
• Coeliac (celiac) diners: the rolls are rice paper and rice noodles, but the hoisin dip usually contains wheat.
• Not halal as standard: the classic filling includes pork.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is goi cuon?

Goi cuon is a cold roll of soft rice paper wrapped around poached prawns, boiled pork, rice noodles and herbs, eaten dipped in a thick hoisin and peanut sauce. It's a southern Vietnamese dish, light and unfried, and it's usually sold as a starter or snack. The name means roughly "salad roll".

What's in it

• Rice paper (bánh tráng), softened in water
• Poached prawns, cut in half so they show pink through the wrapper
• Thin slices of boiled pork belly
• Rice vermicelli, lettuce, mint, Thai basil and garlic chives
• Dip: tương đậu phộng, made from hoisin or fermented soybean sauce, peanut butter or ground peanuts, and garlic, topped with crushed peanuts and chilli

Some places serve a fish sauce dip instead of, or as well as, the peanut sauce.

Allergens and diets

The roll and the sauce need separate questions. The roll is mostly simple: rice paper and rice noodles are wheat-free, and the classic filling adds crustaceans through the prawns. Vegetarian or pork-only rolls exist, but they're usually made on the same board.

The peanut dip is where most allergens hide. It contains peanuts by definition, and it's built on hoisin sauce, which normally contains soy and wheat; the best-known brands also contain sesame. So rolls that look gluten-free usually aren't once you dip them. If you avoid peanuts, the fish sauce dip (nước chấm) is the usual alternative, but it brings fish, and it's often served in a shared tray alongside the peanut sauce.

Ask what's in the dip, and whether it can come in a separate, clean bowl.

On the menu

In northern Vietnam you may see similar rolls called nem cuốn. Don't confuse fresh rolls with chả giò, which are deep-fried.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.