The Unlikely Baker

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Turon (Filipino Banana Lumpia) with Salted Caramel Sauce

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Turon (or banana lumpia or spring rolls) is a Filipino snack made of ripe plantain wrapped in spring roll wrapper then deep fried to perfection. Top with vanilla ice cream then drizzle with salted caramel sauce and you have yourself a dessert that transports you straight to the tropics where the sun is always shining and the sound of banana trees swaying with the warm breeze lulls you into a sweet siesta.

Turon Filipino Banana Lumpia

I stopped counting the years I’ve lived away from home. Too long is always my default answer now. The first few years my dad would say if it gets too hard just pack your bags and come home immediately. They didn’t raise a quitter though (BTW – remember to greet your dads on Father’s Day!). So here I am, years later, luckily thriving in the new country I chose to live in.

I’ve had the good fortune of meeting new friends, finding a job I like and learning to make the things I miss from home. Food has helped with my homesickness a lot. I cannot begin to describe to you the euphoria I get when I take that first bite of something, anything and it tastes like the ones from home.

Turon a.k.a. banana lumpia

Turon Filipino Banana Lumpia

Which brings me to this turon or banana lumpia recipe. Ironically I’ve never been a big fan of it. My mom would buy half a dozen from the local market and I would mostly ignore it.

But now, turon and I – we’re tight. It’s a simple snack but topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with salted caramel sauce – I would serve this to our most important guests at our fanciest dinner party in a heartbeat.

Deep frying adventures continue

I told you on Monday that we bought a new deep fryer and made Churros con Chocolate. We (by “we” I mean Red; I watched from a safe distance) took it for another spin and made turon. A deep fryer is optional though. You’ll just need to flip your plantains once one side is golden brown.

Turon Filipino Banana Lumpia

The uglier the plantain, the better

Unlike bananas, you want bruises on your plantain. You want a dull yellow plantain that’s semi-soft with patches of black (or mostly black). That means they’re ripe and ready to use. You don’t want perfect green ones because they are unripe and unripe plantains are bitter and just nasty.

Do you like jackfruit?

Traditionally, turon is made with jackfruit; a sliver of jackfruit is included in the roll. We don’t particularly like jackfruit and it’s difficult to find fresh ones here so we left it out.

This version is made with cinnamon and brown sugar and it’s just delicious (this is Red’s recipe BTW. I shared her ultimate nachos a few weeks back. She’s like Skynet eh? Slowly taking over my blog).

Salted caramel sauce and ice cream

Turon Filipino Banana Lumpia

Salted caramel sauce is optional too. So is ice cream (vanilla or coconut or even mango if you can find it). Turon is great on its own (seriously good). But the warm weather is here and if you want a tropical dessert to cool you down, I highly recommend this combination. It is just delicious.

So go ahead and try your hand at making turon or banana lumpia. Dress it up or down, it’s a mouth-watering, beloved Filipino treat.

Related: How to Take Stunning Food Photos

Turon Filipino Banana Lumpia

Turon (Filipino Banana Lumpia)

Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Filipino
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 pieces
Calories: 80 kcal
Author: Jolina
Turon (or banana lumpia or spring roll) is a Filipino snack made of ripe plantain wrapped in spring roll wrapper then deep fried to perfection.
Print

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 pcs ripe plantain each one cut into 4 3-inch pieces (see note 1)
  • 8 pcs 8x8 inch spring roll wrapper thawed according to package instructions (see note 2)
  • 1/8 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup canola oil enough to deep fry the turon
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix the 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

  2. Position a spring roll wrapper on the counter so that when you look down on it, it's diamond shaped.

  3. Take a piece of cut plantain and roll it in the sugar/cinnamon mix until completely coated. Then place it horizontally in the middle of your diamond.

  4. To wrap the plantain, imagine you're making an envelope that's supposed to hug the plantain tightly: do the bottom then the sides and then up (see note 3). Gently roll away from you until you have a small triangle flap left on top. To seal, dab a generous amount of cornstarch mix on the flap then close.

  5. Once all plantains are wrapped, get your oil ready for frying. If using a deep fryer, set it to 338F (or approximate - like ovens, deep fryers are all different). While waiting for the oil to get hot enough, prepare a baking sheet by placing several pieces of paper towels on it. This is where you'll place the banana lumpia after frying to drain excess oil.
  6. They are done when golden brown on both sides.
  7. Let the banana lumpia cool a bit before serving. You can also drizzle salted caramel sauce on them or serve them with ice cream.

Notes

  1. A plantain has a slightly harder shell than a banana so the easiest way to cut it is by cutting the ends off first then making a slight cut at the side, making sure not to cut all the way through and hitting the plantain inside. Once you've done that, you can easily peel the skin off. To cut the plantain for this recipe, cut it in half lengthwise first then again half crosswise so you end up with 4 pieces.
  2. You can usually find spring roll wrappers in Asian stores or at the international aisle/frozen section of your local supermarket. Don't buy the rice paper kind. You need the ones that can also be used for wontons.
  3. Check out this post for detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to wrap turon.
Nutrition Facts
Turon (Filipino Banana Lumpia)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 80 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Sodium 9mg 0%
Potassium 18mg 1%
Total Carbohydrates 14g 5%
Sugars 13g
Calcium 1.3%
Iron 0.7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Happy frying!

Did you make banana lumpia? Tell me about it in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you.

If you’re curious about Filipino cuisine, here are some recipes you can try:

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. We are having a Missions dessert feast at church. Thought I’d try these. One question though, how long do these stay edible. Can I make them in advance and how long are they good??

    Reply

    • Hi Brenda! You would want to serve these as soon as possible so they stay nice and crunchy. If you want to prep ahead, you can do everything the day before and just fry them the day of your event (put the uncooked turon in a Ziploc bag and chill in the fridge). As to how long they are good for….I’d say 3 days for sure since they don’t last longer than that around here 🙂 They’re not as crispy but still delicious. BTW, the best way to transport these is to not cover them so they stay crispy and not soggy. If you absolutely need to cover them, just do so loosely with aluminum foil that has holes in it so steam can escape. Enjoy!

      Reply

    • Hi Igor. You don’t know how happy this made me! 🙂 You made my day 🙂 I am so glad you liked it! Awesome.

      Reply

  3. This looks divine! I’ve never had a sweet spring roll before so I’d love to try this 🙂 Plus, everything tastes better with ice cream on top!

    Reply

    • Thanks Laura! Hope you get the chance to try some 🙂 And yes, agree 100% about ice cream (and if I may add caramel sauce lol)

      Reply

    • Then my job is done lol! You are most welcome. Hope you and your husband like it! Try the full ice cream + salted caramel combo. It is delicious 🙂

      Reply

    • My blog is a result of me missing Filipino food so much! 🙂 It’s become my way of curing my homesickness.

      Reply

    • Ironically, I’m not a big fan of banana, the fruit haha. But transformed into a turon (or banana cake, since we’re talking about bananas), I would devour it 🙂 Hope you could try the recipe out!

      Reply

  12. Yum! Yum! Yum! It’s looks so delicious. I feel like grabbing a bite while putting my hands inside the laptop. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Have Pinned it!

    Reply

  13. Turon is one of my favorite merienda options. I’ve tried a similar dish with the ice cream and I have to say it’s delicious.

    Reply

    • Strangely enough, when I still lived in Manila I didn’t like turon all that much lol! But NOW, now I can make and eat it everyday 🙂

      Reply

  15. I’ve never heard of this, but I love anything with plantain! The ice cream and caramel makes it even yummier, no doubt!

    Reply

    • Hi Amy! In the recipe I mentioned ice cream and caramel sauce optional but personally I would really strongly recommend the combo! 🙂

      Reply

  18. I recently tried plantain for the first time and it was delicious. I’d love to try to make these lumpias.

    Reply

    • Thanks very much! Hope you can grab some plantains soon 🙂 The turon and ice cream combo is perfect for summer 🙂

      Reply

  21. Jolina, these look too good to be true! I had something very similar to this at a restaurant in Florida once, but haven’t been able to replicate it. Thank you for sharing your recipe, I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

    • Thanks Raven! Isn’t it great when we can recreate dishes at home? 🙂 You’ll see how simple to make this is 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply

    • Thanks very much Tess! That’s really my preferred way of eating turon and I highly recommend it to everyone! 🙂

      Reply

  23. I love your unique and ethnic recipes. So fun. I LOVE plantains but I have never used them in a dessert….you’ve peaked my curiosity!

    Reply

    • Thanks Amanda! I love sharing Filipino recipes – not very many people know about them 🙂 Hope you get to try this soon. With ice cream and salted caramel, it’s the perfect summer snack 🙂

      Reply

    • Thanks Sandhya! I don’t dislike the TASTE of jackfruit, I just find it too fibrous (i.e. I can’t chew properly lol!). But if you have fresh ones over there that will complement the turon perfectly 🙂 Just add a small slice on top of the plantain before wrapping it 🙂

      Reply

  25. Oh, this one sounds so good! I’m obsessed to salted caramel – cannot resist it. Could I have a double serving of that sauce, please?

    Reply

    • Oh me too! I’m a fairly new fan of salted caramel and now I can’t get enough of it. I put it on everything it seems haha. Thanks Tina! Happy Saturday!

      Reply

    • Hi Liz! Absolutely. Pair the turon with salted caramel and ice cream – before you know it you’ll be hooked on plantain desserts 🙂

      Reply

  33. The Turon look fantastic! Also, I love jack fruit, and live in a part of the U.S. where it is occasionally available (McAllen, TX.) I’m going to pin this and hopefully remember I’d like to make it 🙂

    Reply

    • Thanks Tamara! Jackfruit would complement the turon perfectly. Just put a slice on top of the plantain before wrapping it 🙂 And thanks for the pin!

      Reply

    • Oooh. Now you make me want to go to a Brazilian steakhouse! Love their grilled pineapples 🙂 So back to these plantains lol – hope you like it! Let me know how it goes.

      Reply

  35. Dear Jolina, you have a beautiful site and these turon look absolutely marvelous. What a wonderful breakfast treat for the family. xo, Catherine

    Reply

  37. I say salted caramel sauce and ice-cream is never optional 😀 Oh, my goodness….these look so good. Well, any sweet treat fried has got to be good, right? Plus, I’m totally getting my potassium intake for the day 🙂 Pinning!

    Reply

    • LOL! I just thought I’d give people a choice haha 🙂 But I agree, I always eat these with ice cream and salted caramel 🙂 Thanks Dawn! And thanks for the pin. Happy Saturday!

      Reply

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