These vegan lumpia Shanghai, or Filipino spring rolls, are incredibly flavorsome and addictive! You can deep-fry, bake, or cook them in an air fryer. A delicious appetizer or snack that is a crowd-pleaser.
This plant-based version of lumpia is perfectly crispy and is filled with a savory and meaty filling. Even my non-vegan family is impressed by this amazing appetizer!
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Packed with flavor, perfectly crispy, and incredibly tasty
- Healthier and is lower in fats and calories than the traditional version
- Great for feeding a crowd
- Can be made ahead of time and freeze well
🤔What is lumpia
Lumpia is essentially the Filipino version of spring rolls with many variations. Thin, crepe-like lumpia wrappers can be filled with both sweet or savory fillings and are served either fresh or deep-fried. Lumpia is commonly served as a snack or an appetizer.
As for lumpia Shanghai, they are the most common type of lumpia and are characterized by their thinner and longer shape. They are usually filled with ground meat (pork or beef) and veggies like chopped carrots or onions. Lumpia Shanghai is traditionally deep-fried and served alongside dipping sauces like sweet Thai chili sauce or banana ketchup.
To make lumpia Shanghai vegan, we will use veggie grounds instead of meat. You can either deep-fry, bake, or make them in an air-fryer.
🧅What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Plant-based ground meat - I am using the omnipork mince, but beef-flavored mince like the Beyond Beef ground will also work. You can also substitute it with 1 block of extra-firm tofu. Press, drain, and crumble it up into small pieces before using.
- Soy sauce - Can be substituted with tamari or shoyu. Use gluten-free ones, if needed.
- Wrappers - You can either use lumpia wrappers or small spring roll wrappers. Wonton wrappers are another good alternative.
🔪How to make
If you use tofu, crumble it into tiny pieces with your hands before using it.
To make the filling, combine everything in a bowl and mix well.
Wrapping lumpia
Place the wrapper in such a way that a corner is facing you. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of mixture onto the wrapper, about 2 inches from the edge closest to you. Shape it into a thin cylinder, about 4-5 inches long.
Fold the corner facing you up, then fold in both edges like making a burrito. Tightly roll it up into a log. Wet the last inch of the wrapper using your fingers, then seal it. Repeat for the remaining mixture.
Cooking
You can either bake, air-fry, or deep-fry your vegan lumpia.
To bake
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
- Brush on some oil, or spray lumpia with some cooking spray.
- Arrange lumpia onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Turn them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Brush on some oil, or spray lumpia with some cooking spray.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes at 200C/400F or until they are brown and crispy.
To deep-fry
- Heat about ½ to 1 inch of cooking oil in a frying pan or shallow saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles form.
- Add a few lumpia into the pan, and fry for around 2 minutes on each side or until golden.
- Using a slotted spoon, gently remove them from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain off excess oil. You can also take the extra step and pat them using paper towels to get rid of the excess oil.
- Let vegan lumpia cool down for 5 minutes or so before enjoying them.
✔Helpful tips
- If you are unsure if the filling for vegan lumpia is salty enough, do a taste test by frying a small spoonful of filling. Taste and adjust the seasoning from there.
- Let the frozen spring roll wrappers thaw completely before using. You can place them overnight in the fridge or countertop for 30 minutes.
- Cover unused wrappers with a damp towel while wrapping lumpia to prevent them from drying out.
- If you can't securely seal lumpia with just water, use a cornstarch slurry instead by combining 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water.
- Avoid overfilling your lumpia. Depending on the size of your wrappers, about 2-3 tablespoons of filling should be sufficient.
- If you choose to deep-fry your lumpia, ensure the oil is at the right temperature. You can test simply by placing a wooden spatula or spoon in the oil. If bubbles dissipate around it, the oil is hot enough. However, if your spring rolls are browning too quickly, your oil might be too hot.
❄Storing suggestions
Fridge - Place cooked or uncooked vegan lumpia in a sealed container or Ziploc bag. You can refrigerate them for 2-3 days.
Freezer - If storing cooked lumpia, you can simply transfer them to a container or Ziploc bag, then freeze them.
As for uncooked ones, you will need to first place them on a lined baking sheet in one layer. Pop them into the freezer for an hour or so until frozen. Transfer them to a container or bag before freezing.
Both will stay well in the freezer for 3 months.
Reheating - You can reheat vegan lumpia without thawing. For cooked ones, you can either bake them in the oven preheated to 200C/400F for 10-15 minutes or in the air fryer for 6-8 minutes until they are thoroughly warmed.
As for uncooked lumpia, follow the recipe instructions, but increase the baking time by 5 minutes. If frying, simply fry them until they are browned.
🍜How to serve
These vegan lumpia are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed as a quick snack, appetizer, or side to accompany Asian main dishes. They are also great finger food to serve at parties and potlucks!
- Dipping - Some classic dipping includes Thai chili sauce, sweet and sour sauce, banana ketchup, or spicy teriyaki sauce. If you love creamy dips, I highly recommend this vegan sriracha mayo.
- Rice and rice dishes - You can serve vegan lumpia with freshly steamed white or brown rice or this vegan egg fried rice if you want something more substantial.
- Noodles - A classic Asian combo! You can pair baked lumpia with literally any kind of noodles, but I love pairing mine with some chow mei fun or tofu pad see ew.
- Other main dishes - I recommend pairing lumpia with Asian mains like tofu sisig, vegan orange chicken, or tofu adobo.
❔Commonly asked questions
Lumpia are not gluten-free as the wrappers are usually made from wheat flour. However, you can modify this recipe to make it gluten-free by using Vietnamese rice paper. They can be trickier to work with, but it should be easy once you get the hang of it!
However, you must be careful not to let them come into contact with each other as they will stick together easily. Lumpia made with rice paper cannot be fried and can only be baked.
Unlike egg rolls, lumpia filling is usually not cooked before wrapping. The filling will be cooked thoroughly after frying or baking as they are on the thinner side.
Lumpia wrappers can be found in most local Filipino or Asian markets. You can also try purchasing them online through Amazon or other retailers. Alternatively, make your own wrapper by following this recipe for making lumpia wrappers.
If your lumpia turns out soggy, especially after frying, you might have fried them in oil that is not hot enough. By doing so, the food will absorb too much oil, yielding soggy and greasy lumpia.
Other than that, you might not take the extra steps to get rid of the excess oil, like draining them on a wire rack set on a baking sheet and patting off the excess oil using paper towels.
Lastly, you might have covered freshly cooked lumpia that is still hot. Water vapor will form and be absorbed by the lumpia.
🍽More Asian appetizers
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Lumpia Shanghai
Ingredients
- 1 lb plant-based ground meat or extra-firm tofu (see notes)*
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- salt and pepper to taste
- 24 sheets lumpia wrappers or spring roll wrappers (see notes)**
Instructions
- If you have decided to bake them, preheat oven to 200C/400f.
Making filling
- In a large bowl, combine together veggie ground, onion, garlic, carrot, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
Wrapping lumpia
- Place the wrapper in such a way that a corner is facing you. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of mixture onto the wrapper, about 2 inches from the edge closest to you.
- Fold the corner facing you up, then fold in both edges like making a burrito. Tightly roll it up into a log.
- Wet the last inch of wrapper by brushing on some water using your fingers. (I usually keep a small container of water near me to wet my fingers) Repeat for the remaining filling.
To bake
- Preheat oven to 200C/400F .Arrange lumpia onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. .
- Brush on some oil, or spray lumpia with some cooking spray
- Turn them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden.
Cooking in air fryer
- Brush on some oil, or spray lumpia with some cooking spray.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes at 200C/400F, or until they are brown and crispy.
Deep-frying
- Heat about ½ to 1 inch of cooking oil in a frying pan or shallow saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles start to form.
- Add a few lumpia into the pan, and fry for around 2 minutes on each side or until golden.
- Using a slotted spoon, gently remove them from the pan and transfer them to a wire rack set over a baking sheet to drain off excess oil. You can also take the extra step and pat them using paper towels to get rid of the excess oil.
- Let vegan lumpia cool down for 5 minutes or so before enjoying them.
Notes
- Let the frozen spring roll wrappers thaw completely before using. You can place them overnight in the fridge or countertop for 30 minutes.
- Cover unused wrappers with a damp towel while wrapping lumpia to prevent them from drying out.
- If you can't securely seal lumpia with just water, use a cornstarch slurry instead by combining 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water.
- Avoid overfilling your lumpia. Depending on the size of your wrappers, about 2-3 tablespoons of filling should be sufficient.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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