This Vegetable Lumpia Recipe, also known as lumpiang gulay is perfectly fried until crispy and golden brown. This Filipino favorite dish is perfect as an appetizer, side dish, or everyday snack. It is made with a lumpia wrapper, filled with a mixture of vegetables, and aromatics, and seasoned well. It is a crowd-pleaser and freezer-friendly dish.
I know you all love my crispy and crunchy beef lumpia recipe and pork lumpia recipe, and it motivates me to share different variations of our beloved lumpia dish. The difference between this veggie lumpia compared to the pork lumpia and beef lumpia is it doesn't contain any meat products. This Filipino Spring roll is a favorite party appetizer all year round.
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Ingredients
This vegetable lumpia requires simple and easy-to-find ingredients.
- Lumpia Wrapper - Lumpia wrappers are lool like a paper-thin and usually square or round in shape. They are usually called spring roll wrappers that are available in Asian Stores with different brands.
- Vegetables - The most popular vegetables to add to lumpia are cabbage, carrots, mung bean sprouts (tongue), and green beans. Make sure to slice the carrots into matchstick size, shred the cabbage, slice green beans, and chop onion, and garlic.
- Aromatics - Add some minced and chopped yellow and green onions for more flavor.
- Seasonings - Soy sauce, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Other seasoning options - You can add a tablespoon of sesame oil for a nutty flavor. The oyster sauce will add some umami, sweet and savory taste.
See the recipe card for exact quantities and a printable full recipe.
Instructions
The instructions on how to make vegetable lumpia or lumpiang gulay in Tagalog are fairly simple from start to finish. Photos below are step-by-step procedures for cooking the vegetable filling, wrapping the vegetables in lumpia wrappers, and pan-frying them.
Cook the vegetable fillings. Step 1. Start by cooking minced garlic and chop the onion in cooking oil until translucent. Step 2. Then add the carrots, cabbage, green beans, soy sauce, salt, and black pepper. Stir fry for 3 minutes. Step 3. Then add the mung bean sprouts and green onions. Cook for 1 minute. Step 4. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Wrap the vegetables. Step 1. Transfer the cook vegetables to a colander to drain excess liquid. Let it cool. Step 2. Lay a lumpia wrapper diagonally on a plate. Scoop a tablespoon and a half of the vegetable mixture onto the bottom third of the wrapper. Leaving a small border around the edges. Step 3. Start folding the side closest to you, then fold the left and right. Keep rolling it tightly away from you. Step 4. Seal the top edge with water to act as glue. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture and lumpia wrappers.
Fry the vegetable lumpia. In a frying pan over medium heat, pour enough cooking oil to fry lumpia in batches. Fry all sides of the lumpia until golden brown and crispy. Do not overcrowd the pan. Transfer the fried lumpia to a wire rack to drip the excess oil.
Serve this crispy vegetable lumpia in a dish with your favorite dipping sauce. You can use ketchup or try my 5-ingredient sweet and sour sauce recipe.
Storage
Storage: Store leftover fried lumpia in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a tight container with a lid. The best way to store uncooked lumpia is in the freezer. Lay each lumpia in a flat tray without touching each other.
Freeze until firm and transfer them into a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. It is good for 3 months in the freezer. Take them out when ready to cook. You don't need to thaw them. Then proceed to fry the lumpiang gulay until golden brown and crisp.
Reheat: To reheat leftover cooked lumpia, re-fry them in hot cooking oil to achieve crispiness. Fry until warm through. Or use an air-fryer to reheat and achieve a crispy lumpia without cooking oil. Air-fry them at 400F for 3-5 minutes or until warm through.
Helpful Tips
- Use a spring roll wrapper (lumpia wrapper) instead of an egg roll wrapper or rice paper wrapper. Egg roll wrappers are thicker than spring roll wrappers, while rice paper wrappers are a lot thinner. I recommend lumpia wrapper also known as spring roll wrapper, as it has perfect thickness.
- Use a colander to drain excess water from the vegetable filling. Moisture will cause the oil to splatter while frying.
- Do not overstuff with vegetable filling. 1 and a half tablespoon of lumpia filling is enough for a piece of lumpia. It is easier to wrap the wrapper with just enough amount of vegetable filling.
- Heat the cooking oil until you reach the right temperature of 350-375F (175-190C) before you start frying the lumpia. If the oil is not hot enough, the lumpia will absorb more oil, and it will be greasy. Adjust the heat temperature when needed.
- Do not overcrowd the pan to achieve crispiness. Fry them in a few small batches to keep the heat temperature steady. This is one of the keys to crunchy and crispy lumpia.
- Once it's finished frying, transfer the fried lumpia to a wire rack to allow the excess oil to drip.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
The difference between spring roll wrappers is that they are thicker and sturdier than rice paper wrappers, which are thin and delicate and are usually used to make fresh spring rolls. Spring roll wrappers (lumpia wrappers) are perfect for frying to achieve crispy lumpia, while rice paper wrappers can be prepared by soaking them in water to soften before using them as a wrap for fresh vegetables and cooked protein and can be eaten without cooking.
Absolutely yes! Lumpia is a freezer-friendly dish that can be made in large batches. Start all the steps from cooking the filling, then wrap the lumpia and freeze in a tray. Once it is frozen, you can transfer them to a container. You can also store the wrapped lumpia in the refrigerator for 2-3 days until ready to cook.
Yes! You can bake or air-fry to cook lumpia with less oil. For air-fry and baking lumpia, you need to brush each piece with enough cooking oil. Then air-fry or bake them at 400F (200C) until golden brown and crispy for about 10-12 minutes on each side. Be sure to brush them with oil after flipping.
Why You Will Love This
- Crispy and crunchy in every bite.
- Perfect for a vegetarian and vegan diet.
- Healthy and nutritious.
- Easy and fun to make.
- Freezer-friendly snack. Make a huge batch. Grab some from the freezer, fry it, and then enjoy!
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Vegetable Lumpia Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil more for pan-frying
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 cup carrots julienned
- 2 cups cabbage shredded
- 1 cup green beans cut diagonally
- 3 cups mung bean sprouts
- ½ cup green onions chopped finely
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 25 pieces spring roll wrappers
Instructions
- Start by cooking minced garlic and chop the onion in cooking oil until translucent.
- Then add the carrots, cabbage, green beans, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
- Then add the mung bean sprouts and green onions. Cook for 1 minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning according to your taste.
- Transfer the cook vegetables to a colander to drain excess liquid. Let it cool.
- Separate each piece of lumpia wrapper individually. Lay one wrapper diagonally on a plate.
- Scoop a tablespoon and a half of the vegetable mixture onto the bottom third of the wrapper. Leaving a small border around the edges. Start folding the side closest to you, then fold the left and right. Keep rolling it tightly away from you. Seal the top edge with water to act as glue. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture and lumpia wrappers.
- In a frying pan over medium heat, pour enough cooking oil and let the oil reach 350F to start frying lumpia in a few batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry all sides of the lumpia until golden brown and crispy.
- Transfer the fried lumpia to a wire rack to drip the excess oil.
- Serve immediately with sweet and sour sauce.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
- Use a spring roll wrapper (lumpia wrapper) instead of an egg roll wrapper or rice paper wrapper. Egg roll wrappers are thicker than spring roll wrappers, while rice paper wrappers are a lot thinner. I recommend lumpia wrapper also known as spring roll wrapper, as it has perfect thickness.
- Use a colander to drain excess water from the vegetable filling. Moisture will cause the oil to splatter while frying.
- Do not overstuff with vegetable filling. 1 and a half tablespoon of lumpia filling is enough for a piece of lumpia. It is easier to wrap the wrapper with just enough amount of vegetable filling.
- Heat the cooking oil until you reach the right temperature of 350-375F (175-190C) before you start frying the lumpia. If the oil is not hot enough, the lumpia will absorb more oil, and it will be greasy. Adjust the heat temperature when needed.
- Do not overcrowd the pan to achieve crispiness. Fry them in a few small batches to keep the heat temperature steady. This is one of the keys to crunchy and crispy lumpia.
- Once it's finished frying, transfer the fried lumpia to a wire rack to allow the excess oil to drip.
Nora
This is probably my favorite type of lumpia, filled with yummy vegetables. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll make it over the weekend.
Jomelyn
Thanks Nora!