These lumpia, or filipino spring rolls, are filled with ground pork, onion, and carrots and fried till perfectly golden brown and crispy on the outside. They are amazing with some chicken adobo and pancit, or bring a tray to your next gathering and watch it become the biggest hit! They are super delicious and easy to make. Plus, they freeze really well. So you can make and store them for later when you're craving some!
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What is lumpia?
Lumpia, or filipino spring rolls, are an adaptation of Chinese spring rolls called rùnbǐng (润饼), meaning soft pastry, or bópíjuǎn(薄皮卷), which translates to thin-skin roll. There are several variations of lumpia, from fresh to fried and sweet to savory.
This recipe focuses on the most popular and common lumpia, also known as lumpiang shanghai or lumpia shanghai. The filling is a basic mix of ground pork, onion, carrot, garlic, and seasonings.
Ingredient notes
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Lumpia wrapper - You can find lumpia wrappers at most Asian markets in the freezer aisle, where dumpling wrappers and egg roll wrappers are found. If you can't find lumpia wrappers, spring roll wrappers (also called spring roll pastry) are a good substitute.
- Ground pork - Lumpia shanghai is usually made with ground pork, preferably 70 percent lean and 30 percent fat. But some family likes to make it with a mix of ground beef or shrimps.
- Yellow onion - A must! It adds so much flavor to the filling. If you prefer, you could add the same amount of green onions instead.
- Carrot - This is a common vegetable added to the lumpia filling, both for color and flavor, which also adds a hint of natural sweetness.
- Garlic - For flavoring. We do recommend fresh garlic instead of granulated garlic for this.
- Eggs - To act as a binder for the filling and some for egg wash to help seal the lumpia.
- Soy sauce - To season and to add color to the filling. If you prefer, you could substitute with more salt instead. We used low sodium soy sauce.
- Chicken bouillon powder - Although this is not necessary, it really adds a nice touch of umami to the filling. Highly recommended! You can find chicken bouillon powder at most Asian markets.
- Salt and black pepper - For seasoning.
Lumpia wrapper
We highly recommend using lumpia wrapper if you can find it. They are available at most Asian markets, in the freezer aisle where dumpling wrappers and egg roll wrappers are found.
Although you can use spring roll wrappers (aka spring roll pastry) instead, we find that lumpia wrappers makes the crispiest and best texture lumpia and the color after frying is better too. This is because lumpia wrappers are thinner than spring roll wrappers. You'll also notice that lumpia wrappers are quite porous as well.
How to make lumpia
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!
1. Finely chop the vegetables. Place the carrot and garlic cloves into a food processor and blend until everything is finely chopped.
Then add the onions and blend until finely chopped as well. Scrape down the sides as needed.
2. Make the lumpia filling. Combine the finely chopped vegetables, ground pork, eggs, and seasonings in a bowl and mix until well combined.
Then give it a more vigorous mix until the fill is well binded and looks kind of pasty.
3. Prepare the wrapping station. Prepare a plate or sheet pan for the finished lumpia, a cutting board or a clean work surface for wrapping, a brush for egg wash, a damp, clean towel or paper towels, and a pipping bag or Ziploc bag for the filling.
4. Prepare the wrapper. Separate each sheet of the wrappers before you start wrapping. This will save you lots of time later.
5. Wrap the lumpia. Transfer an appropriate amount of filling into the pipping bag and snip off the tip to make a ¼ to ½ inch opening. Pipe the filling onto a sheet of wrapper, roll into a cylinder, and seal with the egg wash. Please refer to "How to wrap lumpia" below for more details.
6. Fry the lumpia. Heat up 2 to 3 inches of oil to 350°F and gently place the lumpia into the hot oil and fry for 4 to 5 minutes or util the filling is cooked through and the outside is crispy and golden brown.
7. Serve. Remove the lumpia from the oil and allow them to drain on paper towels or a rack. Enjoy by itself or with some banana sauce, sweet chili sauce, or sweet and sour sauce!
How to wrap lumpia
If using lumpia wrapper:
1. On a sheet of lumpia wrapper, pipe a 4 inch long log about 1 inch above the bottom edge.
📝 Note: Lumpia wrappers tend to be more porous and you'll most likely find holes or tears in the wrappers. But no worries! Simply roll the filling up a couple of rounds to give the filling a couple extra layers of protection.
2. Fold the bottom flap over the filling and tuck it tightly (not to tight though!) and roll it up 1 to 2 rounds.
We also like to press the ends of the filling to help prevent air pockets and leaking.
3. Fold the left and right flaps towards the center. Overlapping may happen and that's okay.
4. Brush the top inch of the wrapper with a light layer of egg wash and roll up to seal.
If using spring roll wrapper:
1. After separating the spring roll wrappers, stack them back as best as possible. Then cut the wrappers in half, diagonally, to make right triangles.
📝 Note: This is if you're using the largest size spring roll wrappers. We found that having too thick/too many layers of spring roll wrapper tends to make the lumpia chewier. If that's what you like, you can use a whole sheet. Also, if you are using smaller size spring roll wrappers, you can either cut the wrapper in half, like the larger sheet, and pipe shorter logs of filling or pipe a regular size filling parallel to the wrapper and use a whole sheet.
2. Place a triangle sheet of the wrapper long-side down (right angle pointed away from you). Pipe a 4 inch long log about 1 inch from the bottom of the wrapper.
3. Fold the bottom flap over the filling, tuck tightly, and roll up 1 round.
4. Fold the right and left flaps toward the center. Overlapping is okay.
5. Brush the tip of the wrapper, about 1 inch, with a thin layer of egg wash.
6. Roll the lumpia upwards to seal.
Recipe tips
- Keep the lumpia wrappers covered at all times. This is very important and helps to keep the wrappers from drying out. Cover with a damp towel or damp paper towels.
- Don't overcrowd the oil! This applies to any fried food. Overcrowding the oil dramatically decreases the oil temperature, which makes whatever you're frying soggy.
- Roll the lumpia tightly. This will prevent having air bubbles and gaps in the lumpia, which could yield a soggy, oil lumpia. But don't roll it too tightly either or the wrapper may tear.
- Separate the wrappers before you start. Lumpia wrappers and spring roll wrappers are both really thin and are stuck together. So it'll save you lots of time to peel and separate each sheet before starting the wrapping process.
- Also, especially when it comes to lumpia wrappers, they can be a little frustrating to separate because they are so thin and tend to tear. Try to be patient and treat it as meditation! It really pays off.
Storage
Leftover fried lumpia can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. We do not recommend freezing cooked lumpia because the filling will likely become overcooked and dry.
If you wish to freeze lumpia, we recommend arranging uncooked lumpia in an airtight container or freezer bags and freezing them without cooking. Also, there's no need to keep them separated with parchment. Frozen lumpia will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 to 4 months.
Reheating
Refrigerated cooked lumpia can be reheated in the air fryer at 400°F for about 3 to 5 minutes or until hot and crispy. For the oven, reheat at 425°F for about 5 to 10 minutes until hot and crispy.
Frozen lumpia can be fried at 350°F for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are cooked through and crispy and golden brown on the outside.
FAQ
Lumpia is usually made with ground pork (sometimes a mix of ground beef or shrimps), onions, carrots, seasonings, and eggs for binding. Some variations are the addition veggies like cabbage, green onions, and/or celery.
Although spring rolls and lumpia are similar, they are not the same. Lumpia are usually longer and skinner than spring rolls. Besides the shape, spring rolls from Chinese restaurants are usually vegetarian, while lumpia, lumpian shanghai specifically (this version), is mostly meat.
Unlike lumpia, which is usually long and thin, egg rolls are quite thick. Egg rolls are also filled with mostly cabbage and some meat while lumpia are made with mostly pork. Egg rolls are also wrapped in a thick wheat wrapper while lumpia wrappers are paper thin.
Lumpia originated from China and is an adaptation of Chinese spring rolls.
What to do with leftover oil
Leftover oil can be reused for cooking or more frying. Transfer the leftover oil into a heatproof bowl, jar, or container. Let the oil cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap or a lid. If you're uncomfortable with handling hot oil, set the oil aside to cool first!
If you plan on reusing the oil again, make sure to strain it through a fine mesh strainer or a couple layers or cheesecloth to remove any debris. Keep the oil in a cool, dark place and use within a couple of weeks.
If you're disposing oil, pour it into a jar or a container that can be sealed. Dispose of it in your trashcan. DO NOT pour it down your drain! It may damage your pipes and also cause damage to the environment!
📖 Recipe
Lumpia (Filipino Spring Rolls)
Ingredients
For the lumpia:
- 50 sheets lumpia wrapper or spring roll wrapper *see notes
- 2 pounds ground pork preferably 70 lean/30 fat
- ½ large yellow onion peeled and cut into smaller chunks
- ½ large carrot peeled and cut into smaller chunks
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and trimmed
- 2 large eggs (plus 1 egg beaten for egg wash)
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium (if using regular soy sauce, use a little less)
- 2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or more if you prefer
To serve:
- Banana sauce
- Sweet chili sauce
- Sweet and sour sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables:Into a blender, add the carrot and garlic cloves. Blend until finely chopped. Add the onion and blend until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides as needed.*You can also finely chop everything by hand or use a fine grater.*
- Make the lumpia filling:In a large mixing bowl, add the finely chopped vegetables, ground pork, eggs, and seasonings (soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder, salt, and black pepper).
- Mix everything together until combined, then mix in a circular motion (kind of vigorously) until the filling is well binded and looks kind of pasty. Set the filling aside until needed.
- Prepare the lumpia wrapping station:Prepare a plate or sheet pan for the finished lumpia, a cutting board or a clean work surface for wrapping, a brush for egg wash, a damp, clean towel or paper towels, and a pipping bag or Ziploc bag for the filling.
- For the filling, go ahead and transfer some into the pipping back or Ziploc bag. Fill up the bag enough so that it's comfort for you to handle. Twist the end to close off the bag and cut the tip of the bag to make a small opening, about ¼ inch. A little large is okay too. Don't make it larger than ½ inch!
- Prepare the lumpia wrapper by carefully separating each sheet. We recommend using a whole sheet of lumpia wrapper for that ultra crispiness. If you're using large spring roll wrappers, cut the wrapper in half, diagonally. Keep the wrappers covered with the damp towel to prevent drying out.
- If using lumpia wrapper:Pipe a line of filling about 4 inches long and about an inch from the bottom of the wrapper (the edge closest to you). Fold the bottom flap up, over the filling. Roll the filling up 1 to 2 rounds, then fold the left and right flaps towards the center. Overlapping is fine. Brush the top inch or two of the wrapper with a light layer of egg wash and roll the filling upwards for make a cylinder.*Please refer to the post above for step by step photo reference!*
- If using spring roll wrapper:Turn the wrapper point side up (away from you). Pipe a line of filling about 4 inches long and about 1 inch from the bottom of the wrapper. Fold the bottom edge over the filling and roll the filling up one more round. Then fold the left and right flaps towards the center. Brush the tip of the wrapper (about 1 to 2 inches) with a thin layer of egg wash and roll the lumpia all the way up to seal.*Plese refer to the post above for step by step photo reference!*
- Place the finished lumpia seam-side down on the prepared plate or sheet pan. Repeat the wrapping process until all the filling and/or wrappers are used.
- Fry the lumpia:Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in to 350°F. Maintain the heat between 325°F and 350°F. Also prepare a plate lined with paper towels or a sheet pan with a wire rack.
- Once the oil is heated, gently place the finished lumpia into the hot oil. Fry the lumpia for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until the filling is cooked through. Make sure to fry in batches if needed and never overcrowd the oil!They usually float to the top and are crispy and golden brown on the outside when done. Lumpia made with spring roll wrappers may only be golden brown on the ends and pale golden in the middle.
- Remove the lumpia and allow them to drain on the prepared plate or sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining lumpia.
- Enjoy the lumpia while hot by themselves with with some banana sauce, sweet chili sauce, or sweet and sour sauce.
Notes
- Wrappers - The lumpia wrapper is our most preferred choice because it yields the crispiest, best texture lumpia. However, spring roll wrappers are a good substitute if you can't find lumpia wrappers near you.
- Also, do note that this recipe makes an average of 50 lumpia, but the number can vary, depending on how much filling you're putting in each lumpia.
- If using spring roll wrappers - The instruction for using spring roll wrappers above is for large spring roll wrappers that's been cut in half, diagonally, into a right triangle. If you're using smaller spring roll wrappers, you can keep it whole. Wrap following the lumpia wrapper directions.
- Egg wash - Although you can use water to seal the lumpia, we find that egg wash do a better job.
Nora says
I love lumpia but You never added the onion…
Mei says
Hi Nora!
Thank you for bring it to our attention and apologies for the confusion! I made a typo in the recipe card. It is now fixed =) Thanks again!
Mei ❤️