This Filipino-inspired vegetable lumpia is crispy, savory, and filled with a flavorful vegetable filling. It is the perfect appetizer or finger food for Asian-inspired dinners and parties. The lumpia can be fried, baked, or cooked in the air fryer!
If you enjoy egg rolls, then you will surely love lumpia! This variation of Filipino spring rolls is filled with a light yet flavorful vegetable filling that makes a great snack or appetizer. I love serving them with dipping sauce like sweet chili sauce, teriyaki sauce, and sriracha mayo.
If you are looking for the plant-based version of pork-filled lumpia Shanghai, check out my vegan lumpia recipe.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Golden, crunchy, and incredibly flavorful
- Can be baked, fried, or made in an air fryer
- Great for entertaining - potlucks, parties, festive dinners
- Can be made ahead of time and are freezable!
🤔What is lumpia
Lumpia are fried spring rolls that are commonly found in the Philippines. These delicious rolls come in many varieties and are typically made with a thin, crepe-like wrapper filled with either sweet or savory ingredients.
This variation of lumpia gulay, or vegetable lumpia, is filled with stir-fried vegetables like carrots, cabbage, and bean sprouts. It can be served as a finger food or appetizer alongside dipping sauces like sweet chili sauce or soy sauce.
🧄What you will need
📃Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Wrappers - you can use square/round lumpia wrappers or small spring roll wrappers. Egg roll wrappers can also be used, but they are unsuitable for vegans.
- Soy sauce - can be substituted with tamari or shoyu. Use a certified gluten-free brand if needed.
- Vegetables - Customize and make your own by changing the veggies used! Some vegetables that work great in this vegetable lumpia include jicama, bell peppers, and shiitake mushrooms.
🔪How to make
Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. Once heated, add onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic next and fry until fragrant.
Stir in French beans and carrot next. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add cabbage and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Stir in bean sprouts along with soy sauce, and fry for a minute until everything is hot. Allow the filling to cool down slightly before wrapping your lumpia.
Wrapping lumpia
Add 1 tablespoon of the filling to the bottom part of the wrapper.
Fold the bottom edge over the filling.
Bring in both sides of the wrapper.
Tightly roll it up. Once you reach the top corner, wet it with a bit of water to seal the lumpia. Repeat until the fillings are used up.
Cooking lumpia
To fry
- Heat about ½ to 1 inch of cooking oil in a frying pan or shallow saucepan over medium heat until tiny 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 baking sheet lined with paper towels. You can also take the extra step and pat them using paper towels to remove the excess oil.
- Let vegan lumpia cool down for 5 minutes or so before enjoying them.
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Cooking in the air fryer
- Coat lumpia with some oil using a cooking spray.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes at 200C/400F or until they are brown and crispy.
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.
✅Helpful tips
- Thaw frozen wrappers - If using frozen wrappers, allow them to thaw completely before use to ensure they are pliable and do not tear easily.
- Tips for frying lumpia - Ensure that oil is hot enough, around 350F/180C, to prevent vegetable lumpia from absorbing excess oil. Once they are fried, immediately transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to prevent them from turning soggy.
- Chop veggies with a food processor - If you own a food processor, use it to chop your veggies. It makes the process so much more quicker and easier!
- Allow filling to cool - Steam generated from the hot filling will cause the wrapper to tear and break. Hence, it is recommended to let it cool before wrapping.
- Do not overfill -If you put too much filling in your lumpia, it will become fragile and may break. So, it's better to avoid overfilling it.
❄Storing suggestions
Fridge - Store leftover fried vegetable lumpia in an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for 4-5 days. To enjoy them again, heat them in the oven or air fryer to crisp them up.
Freezer - It is recommended to freeze uncooked lumpia. To do so, place the lumpia on a baking sheet, avoiding contact between them, and put them in the freezer for 1-2 hours until they are completely frozen. Afterward, you can transfer them to a zip-top bag or freezer container for convenient storage. Frozen lumpia can last for up to 3 months.
When reheating frozen lumpia, cook them directly from frozen. You may need to increase the cooking time slightly.
🍚How to serve
It is common to serve vegetable lumpia with a side of dipping sauce. My go-to options for dipping sauce include spicy teriyaki sauce, sweet chili sauce, ketchup, and soy sauce.
Lumpia can also be served as a side dish to complement Asian mains. I especially enjoy serving mine with tofu sisig, vegan chop suey, and tofu adobo. Noodle dishes like bami goreng and tofu noodle stir-fry are also great options to pair with these savory rolls.
❔Commonly asked questions
To avoid lumpia from sticking together when you freeze them, you can flash freeze them first. To flash freeze, place the lumpia on a baking sheet, ensuring they do not touch each other.
Then, put the tray of lumpia into the freezer for 1-2 hours or until they are completely frozen. You can gently transfer them to an airtight container or zip-top bag for convenient storage.
Small spring roll and egg roll wrappers can be used as substitutes for lumpia wrappers. Wonton wrappers can also be used, but the resulting lumpia will be smaller.
You can cook vegetable lumpia in the air fryer by coating them with oil using a cooking spray and cooking for 10-12 minutes at 200C/400F until golden brown.
When frying lumpia, it is crucial to ensure that the oil is hot enough to prevent excess oil absorption. After frying, you can remove the excess oil by placing the lumpia on a paper towel.
To enjoy the best taste and crispness, it is recommended that you serve the lumpia right after cooking. However, if you are not serving them immediately, you can reheat them in an air fryer or oven before eating.
📖 Recipe
Vegetable Lumpia (Lumpiang Gulay)
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small red onion diced
- 3.5 oz green beans chopped
- ½ medium carrot chopped
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 cup beansprouts
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari/shoyu
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 lumpia wrappers or small spring roll wrappers/egg roll wrappers
Instructions
Making the filling
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan or cast-iron skillet. Add onion, and saute until translucent.
- Add garlic next, and fry for a minute until fragrant.
- Now, add french beans along with carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then, add cabbage and cook for 1-2 minutes or until all veggies have softened.
- Lastly, add bean sprout along with soy sauce. Fry for a minute until everything is hot. Let the filling cool down before wrapping.
Wrapping lumpia
- Place 2 tablespoons of filling at the bottom half of a wrapper. Fold the bottom edge over the filling.
- Then, fold both sides inwards. Continue to roll upwards into a log. Wet the last inch of the wrapper, and seal it tightly. Repeat until all the filling is used up.
- You can now choose to bake, deep-fry, or cook your lumpia in the air fryer.
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.
Making 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 tiny 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 baking sheet lined with paper towels. 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
- Use a food processor to chop your veggies. It is much quicker and easier!
- If using frozen wrappers, let them thaw for an hour or so at room temperature before using them. Properly defrosted wrappers are much more pliable and easy to work with.
- Allow the vegetable filling to cool down before wrapping. Or not the steam generated might cause the wrapper to tear and break apart.
- Be careful not to overfill lumpia. This will help prevent the wrappers from tearing.
- You can multiply the ingredients to make a bigger batch.
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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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