Banana Turon

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.

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.