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Overview

Lumpia

Lumpiang Shanghai — Filipino Fried Spring Rolls

This lumpia recipe is the Filipino fried spring roll: ground pork and shrimp with carrot, water chestnut and green onion, rolled tight in thin wheat wrappers and fried until golden and shatteringly crisp. One serving is 5 rolls, about 305 g including the dip.

Lumpia came to the Philippines with Chinese traders centuries ago — the name comes from the Hokkien lun pia, spring roll — and Filipinos made it their own: thinner, slimmer and crisper than its cousins, filled with pork and shrimp, and fried until it shatters. Unlike the fresh Vietnamese spring roll (goi cuon), which is served cold and uncooked, lumpia is always fried and served hot. It is the dish that appears at every Filipino birthday, fiesta and family gathering, usually in a pile that vanishes in minutes.

Pairs well with: Sweet Chilli Dip & Vinegar with Garlic

Provenance

Philippines flag Philippines

Filipino Heritage

East & South Asia

Time Dedication

50m

30m prep • 20m cook

Batch Yield

4 Servings

714 kcal per serving

1 serving ≈ 305 g

Technical Skill

Intermediate

Easy (Rolling)

Meal Timing & Digestive Fit

Breakfast

Not Advised

Lunch

Inappropriate

Dinner

Inappropriate

Snack & Tea

Ideal Light Bite

Quick Prep (<30m) Occasions: Party food, appetizer, snack, fiesta, finger food Cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home
Tags: Pork Savory Fried
Lumpia — a plate of golden fried Filipino spring rolls, crisp and freshly cooked

Filipino Heritage

Photo: Kguirnela, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Heritage Formulary

Measured Ingredients

Estimated cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home (USD)

A good lumpia is slim, tight and deep golden — it should shatter when you bite it, with a juicy, savoury filling inside.

Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique

Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

Active 50m
P

Prep Stage: Mix the Filling

30 Mins

Chop the shrimp, grate and squeeze the carrot, chop the water chestnuts, onion, garlic and green onion. Mix everything with the ground pork, soy sauce, fish sauce, beaten egg, pepper and salt — use your hands and mix just until combined, about 1 minute. Over-mixing makes the filling tough. Peel the wrappers apart and keep them under a damp cloth so they stay pliable.

Maestro Tip: Squeeze the grated carrot dry — wet filling steams inside the wrapper and the roll never goes crisp.

  1. 1

    Roll the Lumpia

    15 Mins Room temperature, about 22°C (72°F)

    Lay one wrapper on the board with a corner pointing at you. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling in a thin line across the lower third, leaving 2 cm clear at the sides. Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, fold both sides in, then roll away from you into a tight, slim cylinder about the width of a finger. Seal the final corner with a dab of water or beaten egg. Repeat for all 20 rolls.

    Thin and tight is the goal — fat, loose rolls fry soggy. A line of filling no thicker than your thumb is right.

    Done when: Slim, even rolls with no filling poking out and the seam sealed flat.

  2. 2

    Heat the Oil

    5 Mins Oil at 175°C (350°F)

    Pour the oil into a deep pan or wok to a depth of about 4 cm and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 175°C (350°F). Test with a scrap of wrapper — it should sizzle at once and turn golden in about 30 seconds. If it browns instantly, the oil is too hot.

    No thermometer? A wooden chopstick dipped in the oil should bubble steadily around its tip.

    Done when: Oil shimmering and hot; a wrapper scrap sizzles and goldens in 30 seconds.

  3. 3

    Fry in Batches

    12 Mins Oil at 175°C (350°F)

    Lower 5–6 rolls into the oil at a time, seam-side down first. Fry for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crisp all over. Do not crowd the pan — too many rolls at once drops the oil temperature and the wrappers drink oil instead of crisping. The pork inside must reach 71°C (160°F).

    Fry seam-side down first so the seam seals itself shut in the hot oil.

    Done when: Deep golden, blistered and crisp; filling cooked through at 71°C (160°F).

  4. 4

    Drain and Rest

    3 Mins Hot, straight from the oil, about 65°C (149°F)

    Lift the rolls out with tongs and stand them upright in a colander or on a wire rack — never flat on paper towels, which traps steam and softens the bottom. Let them rest for 3 minutes so the crust sets and the filling settles.

    Standing the rolls upright lets oil drip out and steam escape — the difference between crisp and soggy.

    Done when: Rolls stay crisp when tapped; no oil pooling underneath.

  5. 5

    Serve Hot with Dip

    2 Mins Serve hot, about 65°C (149°F)

    Pile the lumpia on a plate and serve immediately with the sweet chilli sauce in a small bowl. Eat them while they are hot — lumpia loses its crunch within 20 minutes, and reheating never quite brings it back.

    Cut one roll open to check the filling is cooked through before serving the batch.

    Done when: Crisp shell, juicy filling, dip ready on the side.

Finishing Touches & Plating

Serve hot and crisp with sweet chilli sauce for dipping. Lumpia is at its best in the first 15 minutes out of the oil — make the eating, not the waiting, the plan.

Nutritional Physiology & Benefits

Nutrition

Energy

714

kcal / serving

Protein

35g

Complete AA

Carbs

53g

Complex

Fats

39g

Healthy

Per serving (4 servings · 1 serving ≈ 305 g)
Energy714 kcal
Protein35 g
Carbohydrates53 g
Fat39 g
Fibre2.9 g
Sugar13.7 g
Sodium1382 mg
Per 100g
Energy234 kcal
Protein11.5 g
Carbohydrates17.3 g
Fat12.8 g
Fibre1 g
Sugar4.5 g
Sodium453 mg

Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin A (carrot), vitamin C (green onion, carrot), vitamin B12 (shrimp, pork), selenium (shrimp, pork). Nutrition is estimated.

Protein-Packed Snack

About 35 g of protein per serving from pork, shrimp and egg — a snack that actually satisfies.

Real Vegetables Inside

Carrot, water chestnut, onion and green onion add crunch, fibre and vitamin A to every roll.

Made for Sharing

Twenty slim rolls from one batch — roll them ahead, fry in batches, and feed a crowd with very little effort.

Food Pairings

What to Eat With

To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:

Sauces

Sweet Chilli Sauce

The sweet heat balances the savoury pork and the crisp, oily wrapper — the classic lumpia partner.

Vinegar with Garlic (Sawsawan)

Sharp cane vinegar with crushed garlic cuts through the fried richness and is the traditional Filipino dip.

Sides

Pancit Malabon

A plate of saucy noodles turns the snack into a full Filipino party spread — lumpia and pancit always appear together.

Drinks

Iced Calamansi Juice

Cold, tart and refreshing, it cleanses the palate between crisp, savoury rolls.

Complete menu

Lumpia with sweet chilli sauce and vinegar-garlic dip, followed by pancit noodles and iced calamansi juice — a classic Filipino party spread.

Digestive Guardrails

What NOT to Combine

To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:

Leaving Fried Rolls Out for Hours

The pork filling is perishable. Do not leave cooked lumpia at room temperature for more than 2 hours — refrigerate leftovers and reheat until steaming hot, 74°C (165°F). This is general food-safety information, not medical advice.

Reheating in the Microwave

Microwaving makes the wrappers soggy and chewy. Reheat in a hot oven at 200°C (400°F) for 5–7 minutes instead, and eat them straight away. This is general information, not medical advice.

General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.

Who Should Eat It

Who Should Eat

  • General adultsA crowd-pleasing snack for most adults — crisp, savoury and easy to share at a gathering.
  • ChildrenChildren love the finger-food format; serve the dip on the side and skip the chilli sauce for little ones.
  • ElderlyBest in small portions — the rolls are crisp but fried, so serve 2–3 rolls with a salad on the side.
  • Pregnant womenGenerally suitable when the pork is cooked through to 71°C (160°F); keep the portion modest and the dip light.
  • Breastfeeding womenGenerally suitable; the protein is satisfying — keep portions modest and pair with vegetables.
  • AthletesA handy protein-rich snack after training; add an extra roll or two and a side of fruit.
  • Weight gainA good choice — take a generous serving with plenty of dip and a noodle dish alongside.
  • Weight lossFried and energy-dense, so keep it to 2–3 rolls; load the plate with salad and skip the sweet dip.

Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid

Conditions

  • DiabetesThe wrapper and the sweet dip are the main carbs — keep to 2–3 rolls and go easy on the sweet chilli sauce.
  • High blood pressureThe filling and sauces are salty; use low-sodium soy sauce and a lighter dip, and ask your clinician about portion size.
  • Kidney diseaseThe dish is high in protein and sodium; keep the portion modest and ask your clinician about portion size.
  • GoutPork and shrimp are moderate in purines; enjoy occasionally and keep portions modest.
  • Stomach issuesFried food can bother a sensitive stomach — eat a smaller portion and choose the vinegar dip over the sweet one.
  • Cardiovascular diseaseThe rolls are fried, so the fat is high; keep the portion to 2–3 rolls and add a fresh salad.
  • Fatty liverKeep the portion small and favour the salad and vinegar dip over the sweet chilli sauce.
  • Food allergiesContains wheat (wrappers), egg, shellfish (shrimp) and fish (fish sauce). Check the wrapper label for soy.
  • Special therapeutic dietsIf you follow a prescribed low-sodium diet, use low-sodium soy sauce and skip the fish sauce, and check with your clinician.

If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.

Storage & Use

Storage & Use

How to store
Uncooked rolls freeze well in a single layer; cooked rolls are best eaten the same day.
In the fridge
Cooked rolls 2 days, refrigerated; uncooked filled rolls 1 day.
In the freezer
Uncooked rolls up to 3 months — freeze in a single layer, then bag. Fry straight from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes.
How to reheat
Reheat cooked rolls in a hot oven at 200°C (400°F) for 5–7 minutes until steaming hot, 74°C (165°F). Do not microwave.
Freezing recommended
Yes — freeze uncooked, fry from frozen.
Signs it has spoiled
Soggy, limp wrappers; sour smell from the filling; any mould on the rolls.

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