Filipino Lumpia are crispy, delicious Filipino egg rolls that are perfect to serve at parties. They also freeze well and are perfect to make for snacks, lunch, dinner, or for last minute guests!
Growing up, food was a huge part of my life. I gained my passion for cooking from watching my Lola -- my great-grandmother, who lived with us -- make magic in the kitchen morning, noon, and night.
My parents entertained A LOT. We were constantly going to relatives' houses. Family and friends were always in and out of our own home. The one single food that you could always find at all of our homes: Lumpia.
What is lumpia?
Lumpia is a Filipino egg roll or Filipino spring roll. It's also known as Lumpiang Shanghai, and Lumpia Shanghai. Whatever you call it, it's the best spring roll you will have in your life!
Yes, I am biased, but it's true. Just ask anyone who has ever had authentic Filipino lumpia.
These traditional Filipino egg rolls are filled with a mixture of ground beef and tons of chopped vegetables. Then they are wrapped using thin egg roll wrappers. You'll find various lumpia versions that include fillings like ground pork, shrimp, and even ground chicken.
Learn how to make Filipino lumpia from scratch
I've been so spoiled living in the same state as my mom, that it took me a long time to learn how to make Lumpia on my own.
So one weekend I invited some friends over for a little cooking class. It was easy to find friends who wanted to participate -- everyone loves lumpia! In fact, I ended up hosting a lumpia cooking class again for a school auction event.
Our lumpia cooking class always starts off with the most important part: a cheers to good friends and good food.
Then, my mom put us to work!
How do you make lumpia from scratch?
Lumpia requires a lot of prep work. A LOT.
You start by chopping a lot of vegetables: carrots, celery, garlic, onions, potatoes, green beens, jicama, cabbage, and mushrooms.
Or, as exhibited in the photo below, enlist your mom and friends chop veggies. Meanwhile, you silently raid a plate of delicious bacon-wrapped dates.
Once all of the veggies are chopped and prepped, it's time to sauté the garlic and onions in a large stockpot.
Once the garlic and onions are translucent, add the ground beef, Shitake mushrooms, Johnny's Seasoning Salt (see pic below in the post), salt, pepper, soy sauce, and sauté until the beef is browned.
We decided to give this job to the muscles of the group.
Drain the excess oil from the pan, add chicken broth and bring to boil. Add the potatoes and carrots and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Then, add the green beans, cabbage and celery and simmer for another 5 minutes.
The vegetables should be slightly crisp. Remove the pan from heat and add the jicama. You could add bean sprouts instead of jicama, but I prefer jicama. I find the texture and shape of the bean sprouts to be too distracting in this dish.
Drain excess fats and liquid mixture, which you could do by pouring the pot over a strainer. Or, you could use my mom's method and use a large slotted spoon to scoop out the solids into a separate large bowl, and then draining the remaining liquid in the pot.
Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature.
Drink more wine and eat more bacon-wrapped dates while waiting. I'd say this part is optional, but we all know it's mandatory.
How to assemble Filipino lumpia
Now it's time to assemble these beautiful Filipino spring rolls.
Separate individual sheets of Lumpia wrappers very carefully, so as not to tear them. Do not allow them to dry out and become brittle, or you will be dealing with sad broken wrappers.
Place 1 full tablespoon of the filling diagonally near one corner of the wrapper, leaving a 1.5 inch edge of space at both ends. Fold the corner along the length of the filling over the filling, tuck in both ends so that it almost looks like an envelope, and roll neatly and tight. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge.
The egg rolls can be fried immediately or frozen for later use (see Frying Tips below).
If frying them immediately, cover them with plastic wrap or a moist towel to keep the wrappers from drying out while you are frying the rest.
Frying fresh lumpia
Heat a skillet over medium heat, add vegetable oil to about 1 inch depth, and heat for 5-10 minutes. Fry the egg rolls for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until all sides are golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil.
Enjoy immediately. I know every recipe says this, but seriously: eat these right away, before your friends and family gobble them all up!
I hope you all enjoy our family's authentic Filipino Lumpia rolls!
These lumpia shanghai are perfect for holiday parties. They're also great to keep on hand in the freezer, ready to fry up when those unexpected guests come into town -- or when you have a gaggle of hungry kids descend upon your house after school!
I leave you with some lumpia cooking tips, lumpia freezing tips, and serving sauce tips, plus the printable recipe.
Tips for cooking lumpia
- For the best lumpia, use these lumpia wrappers (pictured above, right). These spring roll wrappers are thinner and are part of what make these egg rolls AWESOME. You could try other spring roll wrappers, but make sure they are thin enough.
- You can keep the lumpia wrappers moist and pliable during assembly by storing them in a plastic bag, or under moist towel.
- Another key to making Lumpia: add Johnny's sea salt seasoning to the meat while it's browning.
Can I freeze lumpia?
Yes, you can freeze lumpia! Any respectable Filipino has at least one bag of frozen lumpia in the freezer at all times. You can assemble a huge batch of lumpia. Then freeze them, uncooked.
Uncooked lumpia frozen will keep in tightly sealed freezer bags for up to three months.
Can I fry frozen lumpia?
Yes! If you have a batch of uncooked, frozen lumpia, it's easy to fry them. When you are ready to cook the lumpia rolls, take the frozen lumpia out of the freezer and fry them right away. You do NOT need to thaw frozen lumpia before frying.
In fact, it's so much better when you fry lumpia frozen straight from the freezer. They are crispier and the flavor is locked in. SO GOOD!
What do I serve lumpia with?
We love eating lumpia with everything. It really goes with almost every kind of Asian-inspired meal imaginable! Most of the time, my family enjoys it simply with some rice and an easy cucumber salad.
If you want to serve an authentic Filipino meal, you can serve lumpia shanghai rolls as a side dish to go with Filipino Adobo Chicken or Filipino Fried Rice. Lumpia would also be an excellent side dish to easy, unfussy Homemade Ramen Noodles.
As far as dipping sauces go, we always enjoy lumpia with sweet chili sauce. You can make your own Sweet Chili Sauce, or enjoy lumpia with my favorite store-bought sweet chili sauce.
What wine do I serve with Filipino lumpia?
The richness of Filipino lumpia calls for a white wine that can cut through the grease and complement the Asian flavors of the dish. I'd pair lumpia with a Sauvignon Blanc, like the Browne Family Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. This wine has notes of green apple, lime, and passionfruit that complement the Filipino spices well.
More Filipino recipes & other Asian recipes
Instant Pot Filipino Chicken Adobo- Pork and Shrimp Wontons in Chili Oil
- Thai Peanut Curry
My Filipino Fried Rice with Bacon or Sausage
Filipino Lumpia Recipe
Lumpia (Filipino spring rolls)
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup yellow onions chopped
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 can Chicken Broth
- 2 medium potato peeled and diced
- 1 cup carrots peeled and julienned
- 1 cup green beans French cut
- ½ cup celery diced
- 1 cup bean sprout or jicama
- 1 cup cabbage thinly sliced
- 4 pieces dried Shitake mushrooms softened and coarsely chopped
- 50-75 frozen Lumpia wrappers from any Asian market
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a skillet, sauté the garlic and onions in hot oil until the onions are translucent. Add the ground beef, Shitake mushrooms, salt, pepper, soy sauce, and sauté until the beef is browned.
- Drain the excess oil from the pan, add chicken broth and bring to boil. Add the potatoes and carrots and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add the green beans, cabbage and celery and simmer for another 5 minutes. The vegetables should be slightly crisp. Remove the pan from heat and add the bean sprouts or jicama. Drain excess fats and liquid mixture. Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature.
- Separate the individual sheets of wrappers, being careful not to tear them. Keep them moist and pliable during assembly by storing them in a plastic bag, or under moist towel. Do not allow them to dry out and become brittle.
- Place 1 full tablespoon of the filling diagonally near one corner of the wrapper, leaving a 1.5 inch edge of space at both ends. Fold the side along the length of the filling over the filling, tuck in both ends, and roll neatly and tight. Moisten the other side of the wrapper with water to seal the edge.
- The egg rolls can be fried immediately or frozen for later use. If frying them immediately, cover them with plastic wrap or a moist towel to keep the wrappers from drying out. If freezing them, place them in a Ziploc (for freezer), putting plastic wrap between layers. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Do not thaw the frozen egg rolls before frying them. Just separate them and fry them while still frozen.
- Frying instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, add vegetable oil to about 1 inch depth, and heat for 5-10 minutes. Fry the egg rolls for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until all sides are golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil.
Notes
PIN IT:
Pech says
OMG I love these things, they are like crack I just can't eat 2... or 5.
Kayla says
What a fun time to do the cooking together!
Jenifer says
Thank you so much for sharing! I am sad I missed this party, but super excited to give this recipe a try!
Renée ♥ says
I totally agree with Pech - I love them!! What wonderful experience for you and your Mom to share too.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Pech - they are like crack! Super addictive!
Simona Michel says
Lumpia but with plantain instead of meat are so yummy. Are the also called lumpia!
Simona Michel says
I love the ones with plantain
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Kayla - it was fun! I always love getting together with friends to cook.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Jenifer - let me know if you try out the recipe. It's SO good!
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Thanks, Renee! It was fun to do this with my mom!
Elaine says
Where do you find the lumpia wrappers? I live in Eastern Oregon so there's no filipino stores nearby.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Elaine! There are no Filipino stores here either :) - we just get them at the Safeway, Fred Meyer, New Seasons, or Whole Foods Market. That said, I know not every store carries the same merchandise. Sometimes specialty stores, like Newport Avenue market in Bend, OR, tend to carry a larger variety of ethnic food items. Hope you can find them at one of those shops in your area! Otherwise, you can use large egg roll wrappers, which almost every grocery store carries.
Tammy says
Thank You for sharing this recipe. It was soooo good!
Sarah says
Thank you for the recipe! I am Filipino and my family usually buys the Lumpia from this Filipino restaurant but I will try making them for the first time. You make it sound so easy! It's gonna be messy in the kitchen when I do make them, haha.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
LOL - the mess in the kitchen is almost inevitable when making lumpia, I think. But so worth it! Thanks for visiting, Sarah, and good luck making lumpia! ;)
Maki Ling says
I'm Filipino and have been making Lumpia for a long time, though, I have never used ground meat. I've always used thinly sliced pork, chicken and/or shrimp, which is more time-consuming, so I'll try the ground meat version. Also, I have never used potatoes in my Lumpia, but do use bean sprouts rather than jicama. I look forward to trying jicama and maybe sweet potatoes. I buy my Lumpia skins from Uwajimaya, 10500 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, Beaverton, OR 97005, (503) 643-4512. Thanks for the fabulous tips. I'm really enjoying your website.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
One of the things I love is how all Filipino families make traditional Filipino foods just a little differently. It's great to have recipes that are handed down in families! I've never had lumpia with thinly sliced meat, but that sounds delicious. Thank you so much for visiting and taking the time to comment. I appreciate it!
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Kevin says
I think its amasing how many people compare lumpia to crack. I am sure that those unlucky enough to never have had it just cant understand.
Peggy says
Elaine, I live in southeastern Washington! I'm thinking Pendleton, Hermiston, WallaWalla may have them. My sister is married to a Filipino so she taught me. There are different kinds of wrappers, but my sister who lives in Puyallup, WA always brings me her favorite ones which are Menlo brand and they are square, and have gluten. I used large round ones when I lived in Seattle and they were made with rice. They are in the FROZEN food section...
Clark Pacis says
I still remember making these with my mom when I was little. I would always break the wrap during assembly. lol
Pinning this so I could surprise the relatives on our next potluck! A great post indeed. :)
Big Daddy P says
My first experience with the heavenly taste of a lumpia was during a food day in elementary school. One bite of the lumpia and the rest is history! I admit, while living in SF,CA I had all the opportunities to learn from Filipino friends how to make amazing lumpias; sadly, I never took advantage of those opportunities :(
Finding a Filipino restaurant is not an easy task; therefore, I have ventured to research and learn how to make my own!
I look forward to trying your recipe soon! Thank you for sharing!
Big Daddy P says
* OKlahoma
Apikaila Dee says
So loving all the ono(Delicious) Filipino yummy recipes keep up the good work. Will b you cab fan from From the ALOHA State.
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Maria says
Is there anyway to prolong the crispness?