Cheese Lumpia

This 2-ingredient cheese lumpia recipe is an afternoon snack for kids and adults. It comes together in less than 15 minutes from start to finish. This crowd-pleaser cheesy and crispy lumpia is a family and friends favorite appetizer, side dish, and all-time snack.

Why you will love this recipe

• You will only need two easy-to-find ingredients plus cooking oil. You can pan-fry or air-fry them and they will be still crispy all the time.
• Kids-approved snack. As a finger food, this is an easy-to-grab-and-go snack for kids and adults too.
• Freezer-friendly. Make a big batch of this recipe and freeze some for a grab-and-go snack.
• If you love more appetizers like this, be sure to check my:
  • Beef Lumpia
  • Crispy Pork Lumpia
  • Crab Rangoon Eggrolls
  • Crab and Shrimp Rangoon
  • Crispy Fried Tofu

Ingredients

Mozzarella Cheese - I love buying the mozzarella cheese stick because they are convenient in making this cheesy lumpia, you don't need to slice them one by one.

Cheese Options: You can use sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, or any type of cheese you prefer or whichever is available. Then you have to slice each of them like a stick size about 4 inches long. Eden cheese is my favorite and the closest taste to this cheddar cheese is the Veelveta (US brand).

Lumpia Wrapper - This is usually sold at Asian Stores. It is a square that is thicker than paper and it is thinner than eggroll wrappers. If you couldn't find them, you can use an eggroll wrapper as well which is always in the frozen sections of most stores in the United States.

How to make cheese lumpia

This step is super easy. No need for chopping, mixing ingredients, or spending too much time and effort in the kitchen to make a crispy lumpia cheese flavor, right?

How to fold lumpia

Step 1. First, we need to cut the lumpia wrapper in half since we are making a mini cheese stick lumpia. Then lay it on a chopping board and place the lumpia on the very edge closest to you. It looks like a pyramid triangle.

Step 2. Start folding the side that is closest to you then the left and right sides.

Steps 3-4. Keep going until you reach the last edge. Using your other hand, moisten the tip of the wrapper with water and seal the edge. Place the finished lumpia roll on a plate. Repeat the steps until everything is wrapped.

Frying the lumpia

How to fry cheese lumpia? It takes about 2-4 minutes at most! But we need the cooking oil to reach about 350 degrees Fahrenheit or just hot enough to start frying. You can use a frying pan or air-fryer. My favorite is pan-fried since it will only take about less than 5 minutes.

Pan-fried: Heat enough cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Drop each lumpia making sure there is enough space between each of them. You can make a few batches. This will help to achieve crispy lumpia without crowding and steaming them in the pan.

Air-fry cheese lumpia: You know I am a fan of air-fryer because of two reasons. Cooking oil is getting expensive around here and some cooking oil is not good for our bodies anyway. I am using an air-fryer that doesn't need to preheat and it is amazing I have been using this for over 3 years now. Place lumpia in the air-fryer basket and spray cooking oil. Make sure to have enough space between lumpia so they are not crowded. Air-fry them until golden brown and crispy, or about 10 minutes.

Helpful Tips

• Heat your cooking oil until it reaches about 350F before starting frying. This will help to achieve crispy lumpia without absorbing too much oil.
• Don't overcrowd the pan or air-fryer so they don't steam. We want a crispy lumpia.
• Instead of placing fried lumpia on a paper towel plate, lay it on a cooling rack to drip excess oil.
• Serve this lumpia cheese with a dipping sauce such as ketchup, or try my easy-to-make 5-ingredient sweet and sour sauce recipe.

Storage Tips

• Storage: I recommend consuming lumpia after cooking to keep it crispy and crunchy. If you wish to make a large batch, store them uncooked in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freezer for up to 3 months. Take them out when you are ready to fry or air-fry them.
• If you have left-over lumpia and you wanted to reheat and achieve crispiness, re-fry them in preheated cooking oil. Or you can air-fry them at 400F for about 3-5 minutes.