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↓ Jump to Recipe ↓Lumpia are the crispy, golden Filipino spring rolls that disappear first at every party, and this pork and shrimp version (also called lumpia shanghai) is the one I grew up eating. The recipe comes from my grandma, and I’ve fine-tuned it over countless batches.
Lumpia are easy to make and hard to mess up. The filling comes together in minutes in a food processor (or with a knife if you don’t have one). Rolling them takes a little while, so it’s a great job to share with helpers.
Tips For Making Lumpia
- Don’t over process the filling. It can turn into a paste which I think doesn’t have a great texture
- Especially if you’re starting out, I recommend frying a tiny bit of the filling in a pan on the stove right after you mix in the spices and fish sauce to taste the flavor. You can then adjust to your taste.
- I prefer to wrap each lumpia individually and close the sides but you can use whatever method you want. The fastest is using a full large sheet, rolling the filling along the whole edge and cutting with scissors. However, you will have filling exit the lumpia and end up in the oil when frying.
- After wrapping, I put the lumpia in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before frying. I do this because it minimizes unraveling during frying.
How To Make Lumpia Step-by-Step
In general, the process for making lumpia is straightforward. Turn all the ingredients into mush then wrap and fry! However there are a few things I want to point out.
Be careful not to over work the ingredients in the food processor. Whether you’re using a food process or a knife, shrimp can easily turn into a gelatinous paste if over worked. I prefer tiny bits of shrimp in my lumpia instead of a shrimp cake.
If you’re using a food processor, I recommend blitzing the carrots, onion, and garlic together first. Then adding the cabbage and finally the shrimp. I do roughly chop everything before adding to the food processor. I never toss in anything whole except for the garlic which I simply crush once.
Alright, enough text, lets get to the photos!
Start by roughly chopping shrimp
Blitz the veggies and aromatics first
Add the shrimp and blitz. Adding the pork is optional since its already ground. I actually take the blitzed veggies plus shrimp and drop them into a separate bowl and adding the pork and flavorings there by hand (not pictured)
Wrap them all up! This part takes the longest but its a fun way to get helpers involved!
Put your wrapped lumpia in the freezer to harden. You can fry lumpia direct from frozen. Doing so will help the lumpia keeps its shape while frying.
Deep fry and dig in but don’t forget to let it cool! Also get creative with the dips and sauces!
FAQs
What is lumpia shanghai?
Lumpia shanghai is the most popular type of Filipino lumpia: thin, crispy rolls filled with ground pork (and often shrimp) and finely chopped vegetables. They’re smaller and crunchier than Chinese egg rolls, and they’re usually served with sweet chili sauce.
There does exist other types of lumpia such as lumpiang sariwa but most of the time when you say “lumpia” it is understood to be lumpia shanghai.
What’s the difference between lumpia and egg rolls?
Lumpia use a much thinner wrapper, so they fry up lighter and crispier. They’re also rolled thinner and tighter than egg rolls, which have a thicker, bubbly wrapper.
What wrappers should I use for lumpia?
Look for spring roll or lumpia wrappers in the freezer section of Asian grocery stores. My grandma claims Menlo brand is the best but I also have used M.Y. San brand.
Can I make lumpia ahead of time?
Yes! Wrap the lumpia, then freeze them uncooked. You can also make the filling up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to roll.
How do I freeze lumpia?
Lay the uncooked rolls in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about an hour. Then move them to a freezer bag. They keep for up to 3 months. There’s no need to thaw: fry them straight from frozen. I actually prefer it, because frozen lumpia hold their shape better in the oil.
Why does my lumpia unravel or burst when frying?
Usually it’s overfilling, a loose roll, or an edge that isn’t sealed. Use about 2 tablespoons of filling, roll tightly, seal the last corner with a dab of water, and set each roll seam-side down. Chilling them in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before frying helps a lot.
Can I air fry or bake lumpia?
I’ve seen people claim to air fry lumpia but I’ve never done it myself. I imagine you would need to ensure the lumpia are coated with a lot of oil before air frying. I highly recommend deep frying because it just isn’t quite the same.
I do recommend using an air fryer to reheat/recrisp already fried lumpia. It works really nicely.
As for baking, I’m sure you can bake but I’ve never done it so I don’t want to weigh in here.
How do I know the lumpia are cooked through?
Fry until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes per batch at 350–375°F oil temperature. The pork filling should reach 160°F inside. If you’re unsure, cut one open: there should be no pink.
For the most part, if the outside is golden brown, you can trust the insides are cooked unless you rolled them too fat.
How do I reheat leftover lumpia?
Skip the microwave, which makes them soggy. Reheat in an air fryer or a 375°F oven for 8–10 minutes until hot and crispy again.
What sauce goes with lumpia?
Sweet chili sauce is the classic (Mae Ploy brand). A spiced vinegar dip (vinegar, garlic, a little salt and pepper) or banana ketchup are great too.
What else do you eat with lumpia?
Lumpia is generally an appetizer but I would be lying if I said I haven’t eaten just lumpia for a meal. You can pair it with the classic Filipino Pork Adobo or with a hearty Chicken Tinola soup.
Recipe
Filipino Lumpia (Pork & Shrimp)
Ingredients
Method
- Dice the shrimp. Peel if needed. Dicing the shrimp prevents the filling to become too stringy in the food processor
- Grab your food processor and throw in the garlic and onions. Blitz them up until they’re minced. Add the carrots and give it a few pulses. Add the cabbage (or whatever veggies you have). Do not over-process the ingredients into mush. You want to have some variety in the texture.
- Add the ground pork, diced shrimp, black pepper, salt, and fish sauce. Blend it all in the food processor. The fish sauce makes a HUGE difference; if you can, please try not to skip this ingredient. It’s very much worth it!
- Next, we will wrap this filling up! At this point you should begin separating the wrappers. If you have the Menlo brand, you can choose to cut them into quarters for smaller wrappers.
- Take 1 wrapper and place it on a flat surface, oriented to you as a diamond shape. Take ~2 tbsp of filling and lay it out in the shape of a log horizontally across the wrapper, leaving about 1½ inches from the side corners. Start with a conservative amount of filling. If you over stuff, the roll might open up during frying. Also, the thicker your roll, the longer you will have to fry
- Fold the bottom part of the wrapper over the filling, tucking it against the filling so that it’s tight and secure. Fold the 2 side corners toward the middle of the wrapped filling, and then continue rolling upwards until those newly folded corners are rolled up. **Keep the wrap tight.
- Dab your fingers in a small bowl of water and apply it to the edge of the wrap (usually the last, unrolled corner) to secure the wrap. The wet edge serves as a seal for the lumpia. Roll the rest of the way up, letting the wrapper stick to itself. Place on a plate with the sealed edge down to assist in keeping it sealed.
- Repeat steps 5→7 until you have used up all of your wrappers or filling.
- (OPTIONAL but recommended) Put your lumpia in the freezer to harden. You can fry lumpia direct from frozen. Doing so will help the lumpia keeps its shape while frying.
- Deep fry the lumpias at 350º – 375º F. If you don’t have a deep fryer, you can fill a saucepan with oil deep enough to submerge the lumpia. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small piece of wrapper into the oil. If it starts to bubble and float, the oil is ready for frying.
- Add only as much lumpia as will fit into the pan at a time. Fry for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once the lumpia is ready, place them on a paper towel-lined bowl or plate to drain them of excess oil. Fry all the lumpia you wish
- Serve the lumpia hot and fresh with your choice of dipping sauce. Sweet chili sauce is the traditional choice.