Air Fryer Filipino Veggie Lumpia

We wanted to find a healthier way to prepare and cook lumpia, so we thought, how about we try making vegetarian lumpia with our air fryer?

Air fryer veggie lumpia is a healthier option for the Filipino egg roll. In this recipe, the vegetarian filling is rolled in a thin egg wrapper, then air-fried to crisp, brown perfection. Lumpia is often served with rice and chili sauce.

On a mission to cut down on fat and calories, we developed a recipe that’s just as delicious as the traditionally deep-fried dish. Read on for the recipe!

Air-Fried Lumpia vs. Traditional Lumpia Shanghai

Traditional lumpia shanghai is prepared by making a meat filling of ground pork, onions, garlic, celery, carrot, etc. The filling is rolled inside an egg wrapper then deep fried into crispy egg rolls.

Our air fried lumpia is prepared with chickpeas as the main filling ingredient. The vegetarian filling is rolled inside an egg roll, basted with neutral oil, then air fried.

In comparison with traditionally made lumpia, our air-fried lumpia has less fat and calories because there’s no deep frying.

Air-fried lumpia uses much less oil than deep-fried lumpia. There’s a misconception that air frying means you don’t use any oil in the cooking process — but the truth is that some oil is necessary for golden, crisp texture.

Air-fried lumpia also offers non-nutritional advantages. Many air fryers are dishwasher safe (check your manufacturer’s guide), and since you don’t have any splatter or oil to clean up, you can cut down on clean up time.

Also, your kitchen won’t smell of used frying oil afterwards, so you don’t have to open all your windows to air out your space. In this way, you can save time and effort by choosing to air fry lumpia.

Cultural Importance of Lumpia Shanghai

Lumpia shanghai is believed to be born from Chinese-Filipino culture, specifically when people migrated from Fujian to the Philippines. The name “shanghai” refers to its resemblance to Chinese style egg rolls.

You’ll almost always see this dish at Filipino celebrations and gatherings. It’s appropriate for every occasion, from casual get-togethers to weddings to funerals.

Growing up, whenever our large family got together, we would always have a huge catering tray full of freshly made egg rolls.

Filipinos also enjoy lumpia as an every-day food. Making lumpia is a fun activity to do with the family, and offers a chance to bond and have quality time!

Because the dish is influenced by personal preferences, diets, ingredient availability, and food trends, lumpia shanghai is an ever-evolving dish that not one person cooks the same.

And in our opinion, so long as Filipino food culture keeps evolving, so will lumpia shanghai. We’ve seen lumpia made from chicken, lumpia topped with sea urchin, and now (with our recipe) there’s lumpia that’s air-fried!

Ingredients

Lumpia filling

• 1 cup chickpeas smashed
• 1 carrot shredded
• ½ large onion minced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup chives finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery finely chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• ½ tsp chinese five spice
• salt & pepper to taste

You can also switch up the filling by using ingredients such as: raisins, cabbage, shredded daikon radish, water chestnuts, zucchini, etc.

Don’t limit yourself on what you ingredients you can add to the filling. Be playful and use your favorite vegetables!

Lumpia wrappers

• 8 square egg roll wrappers halved into triangles
• 1 egg white

Serve with:

• sweet chili sauce
• fried onions
• cilantro

How to Make Air Fryer Veggie Lumpia

Prepare the filling

1. In a large mixing bowl, smash the chickpeas with a fork.

2. Add the remaining filling ingredients to the bowl. Mix well.

Wrap the lumpia

1. Unpack the egg roll wrappers and cut each diagonally in half to form 2 triangles. To prevent the wrappers from drying out, keep them a lightly damp paper towel laid on top.

2. Grab a spoonful of filling and place it about 1/2 inch from the edge of the triangle. Pack and shape it into a long cylinder. Fold the sides of the triangle over the ends of the filling. Then starting at the base of the triangle, roll up the lumpia. Use egg white to “glue” the tip of the wrapper.
3. Repeat the previous step until you run out of filling.

Air fry the lumpia

1. Generously brush the lumpia with a neutral oil. Make sure to get every nook and cranny.

2. Arrange the lumpia in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Work in batches so you don’t crowd the air fryer.

2. Air fry at 360°F for 9 min. Flip and then air fry for another 3 min.
3. Remove from the air fryer and place on a cooling rack for 5 min.
4. Serve with sweet chili sauce, fried onions, and cilantro!

How to Serve Air Fryer Veggie Lumpia

Lumpia is best eaten immediately as an appetizer or as a standalone meal. It’s also a pulutan (a type of drinking food) so we encourage you to have this with your favorite beer!

You can also eat lumpia with a bowl of rice. We like to eat it with a fork and spoon this way, because we’ll cut up the lumpia into smaller pieces then push it into the spoon with some rice. This is a classic Filipino way!

The most popular condiments for lumpia are sweet chili sauce or banana ketchup. Lumpia also tastes great with vinegar, spicy mayo, or a slice of citrus (calamansi, lemon, or lime.)

Lumpia is also a popular topping for pancit noodles! Lumpia gives pancit an extra crunch and adds variety to the dish. You’ll often see lumpia as an optional topping at Filipino restaurants.

Tips on this Air Fryer Veggie Lumpia Recipe

• If you’re having trouble wrapping the lumpia, remove some filling and try again. As you get more practice you’ll be able to wrap with more filling. Keep trying!
• Wrap the lumpia just tight enough so the filling doesn’t move. It should be snug but not so tight that the wrapper might rip.
• Be generous when coating the lumpia with oil – if you don’t use enough it won’t brown and crisp properly. Make sure to brush every surface, nook, and cranny of the egg roll.
• Place lumpia in a single layer in the air fryer basket – this is important for cooking each piece evenly. Work in batches so you don’t crowd the air fryer.

Final Thoughts

With this recipe, you’ll enjoy all the satisfying flavor of Lumpia Shanghai with no meat, less fat, and less calories. You might want to double or triple this recipe, because the pieces are sure to disappear in the blink of an eye!

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References & Further Reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumpiang_Shanghai#:~:text=Despite%20the%20name%20of%20the,over%20by%20migrants%20from%20Fujian.

https://www.tasteatlas.com/lumpiang-shanghai

https://connect2local.com/l/59767/c/282098/the-history-of-lumpia-a-filipino-food-favorite

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