How to make Turon (Saba Bananas wrapped in Lumpia Wrappers)

The turon is a popular Filipino snack or dessert. It is a simple, deep-fried banana recipe made with Saba bananas, lumpia wrapper and if you choose, jackfruit (langka in Filipino), and brown sugar. Basically, all you have to do is wrap a Saba banana in lumpia wrapper, fry it until golden brown, then you may eat as is or make it a fancier dessert by adding some vanilla ice cream with additional garnishes of chocolate syrup, peanuts, cherries, and whip cream. Sort of like a decked out banana split.

Why do I like turon?
While others have it as a dessert, I usually eat turon in the afternoon as a part of my merienda ( directly translates to snack). When I take a late breakfast and early lunch (brunch), I often times go in search for turon because one turon is good enough to fill me while perking me up and it goes well with my cup of coffee.

Related: Simple Oven Toaster Fudge Chocolate Brownie Recipe

Another reason is that it's relatively cheap and very easy to make. With the skyrocketing of prices of commodities here in the Philippines, I believe it is a sign to go back to traditional affordable Filipino snacks and desserts rather than buying high-priced pastries or food items. However, if you have heard about the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Ultra Lotto Jackpot reaching a Billion Pesos (roughly $18.5 Million USD) and have seen the long queues to the Lotto ticketing outlets with people spending so much just to place their bets, it makes you wonder if the Filipino is really having financial hardships. Well, the bright side to all this is that with every bet placed, a contribution to a fellow Filipino who is in dire need of medical attention and hospitalization is given. Feels good to do some charity. ☺️

Enough of Philippine current events although congratulations are in order for the 2 lucky winners of the Billion Peso Jackpot.  Anyway, let's go back to the humble turon.

How To Make Turon (Recipe)

Print Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves 10.

Ingredients:

10  Peeled Ripe Saba Bananas (not overripe since overripe bananas taste sour when cooked)

10 Lumpia Wrappers

1/4 cup brown sugar or as needed

10 slices of jackfruit (optional)

1/4 cup water

cooking oil for deep frying

Preparation Instructions:

1. On a lumpia wrapper, place 1 saba banana, a slice of jackfruit (optional), and sprinkle a teaspoon of brown sugar on top of banana and jackfruit. I place my banana 1 inch at one end of the wrapper.

2. Fold sides of the wrapper towards the center covering banana, jackfruit, and sugar. Then roll end of wrapper closest to the banana and continue rolling your banana until you have reached the other end. Using water, wipe some with your finger unto the wrapper to close the roll that you have made. Sprinkle more brown sugar on the done roll.  The brown sugar will caramelize when fried.  Repeat 1 and 2 for the rest of the bananas and jackfruit.

3. In a wok or frying pan, heat cooking oil to 350°C (175° F). When the oil has reached the optimum temperature, deep-fry until golden brown (roughly 5 minutes).

4. Remove your turon from oil and place on a serving dish with paper towels or tissue. The paper towels or tissue will soak up excess oil. Allow it to cool for a bit.

5. Serve as is or add ice cream, peanuts, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, whip cream, and cherries. Enjoy!

I sometime stick mine with barbecue sticks to make it look like bananacue (deep-fried caramelized banana fritters). Plus, it's easier for me to turn them around to cook evenly.

Nutrition Facts below:

I hope you enjoy this recipe. A simple classic Filipino snack and dessert.

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Other recipes you may like:

Caramelized Saba Bananas 
in Thick Syrup

Mango Float Recipe