Banana turon is the ultimate fruit treat! With caramelized crispy wrapper and soft, sweet banana and langka strips filling, this Filipino spring roll is sweet, crunchy, and seriously addictive!
Banana Turon or lumpiang saging is a Filipino lumpia made of ripe saba bananas rolled in sugar, wrapped with a spring roll wrapper, and then deep-fried into golden perfection. It's popular street food and is commonly enjoyed as a midday snack or after-meal dessert.
What you'll need
- Bananas- use saba or cardaba, which is a type of cooking banana indigenous to the Philippines. Choose ripe and sweet bananas but firm enough to hold shape during frying. Plantains will work in a pinch if you're in the U.S. and can't find them. Do not substitute cavendish (Dole) bananas, as they'll turn mushy.
- Jackfruit- adds another layer of sweetness. For convenience, use sweetened langka sold at most Asian supermarkets.
- Lumpia wrappers- thin spring roll wrappers that come in round or square shapes.
- Sugar- use granulated white sugar to coat the bananas for a touch of sweetness and the wrappers to caramelize during frying
- Oil- use oil with a neutral taste and high smoke points, such as canola, safflower, corn, or grapeseed oil.
You can add cream cheese, ube halaya, quick-melt cheese, peanut butter, or chocolate for flavor variety.
Cooking notes
- Cover the lumpia wrappers with a damp cloth or paper towel during wrapping to prevent them from drying out.
- Roll the turon as tightly as possible to keep oil from seeping in during frying.
- For best texture, deep-fry in enough oil to cover the turon fully and maintain an optimal temperature of 350 F to 375 F. Too hot and the sugar will burn before the wrapper is fully cooked; too low and the turon will absorb more grease.
- Do not drain on paper towels, as the caramel will stick. Use a wire rack set over a baking sheet or colander set over a bowl or plate to catch oil drips.
Quick tip
After rolling in sugar, do not let the coated turon stand for too long. Fry as soon as possible as the sugar will melt and create moisture, softening the wrapper.
Serving suggestions
Banana turon is delicious, but you can make it more special by serving it a la mode with a generous scoop of your favorite ice cream for that luxury dessert feel!
Storage instructions
- This crispy lumpia is best enjoyed freshly cooked as it tends to lose its texture over time.
- Store, uncovered, at room temperature, and do not refrigerate, as the wrapper will turn soggy.
- To store in the freezer, arrange uncooked turon in a single layer on a baking sheet with space in between and freeze until firm. When hard, transfer to a resealable bag, squeezing as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 3 months. This process ensures the wrappers don't stick together.
Ingredients
- 12 saba bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- 24 spring roll wrappers
- ½ cup sweetened jackfruit, cut into strips
- canola oil
Instructions
- Prepare bananas by peeling and cutting lengthwise into two halves.
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat about 1-inch deep of oil.
- Separate wrappers into individual sheets. On a flat working surface, lay a wrapper like a diamond.
- Roll a banana half in sugar and place in the middle of the wrapper. Place 2 to 3 jackfruit strips lengthwise on top of the banana.
- Fold the bottom pointed end of the wrapper over the filling. Fold side ends of the sheet inward and roll the turon into a tight log. Wet the pointed edge of the wrapper to completely seal.
- Roll sealed spring rolls in sugar to coat. Repeat with the remaining bananas.
- Add banana spring rolls with seam side down in a single layer in the oil and fry, turning once or twice, until golden and sugar is caramelized.
- Remove from the pan and drain on a wire rack. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Cover the lumpia wrappers with a damp cloth or paper towel during wrapping to prevent them from drying out.
- Roll the turon as tightly as possible to keep oil from seeping in during frying.
- After rolling in sugar, do not let the coated turon stand for too long. Fry as soon as possible as the sugar will melt and create moisture, softening the wrapper.
- For best texture, deep-fry in enough oil to cover the turon fully and maintain an optimal temperature of 350 F to 375 F. Too hot and the sugar will burn before the wrapper is fully cooked; too low and the turon will absorb more grease.
- Do not drain on paper towels, as the caramel will stick. Use a wire rack set over a baking sheet or colander set over a bowl or plate to catch oil drips.
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
CM Prietto says
Hello Lalaine, I had these recently in the Philippines and tried to make them at home. I used brown sugar and had trouble with the sugar burning in the oil and then had a tough time cleaning the pan. Any suggestions on the type of pan that works best and any other tips to avoid wrecking my cookware>
Thank you
Rizz says
How much is the cost of each ingredients that is used?
Claire says
If I slack dried Vietnamese wrappers would it work or should it be another type of wrapper that I can buy frozen and defrost?
Selina says
I'll cook this tomorrow for my kids. I will let you know how this turns out. My childhood faves. Interestingly, my middle name is Manalo 🙂
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Lalaine
~Selina 🙂
Dina says
I love banana turons. I've never had jackfruit, but i'd love to try it!
Lalaine says
Hello Dina
I like sometimes to substitute jackfruit with cream cheese. Here is a link for that recipe http://www.onionringsandthings.com/2012/12/banana-and-cream-cheese-spring-rolls/