Vegan Air Fried Spring Rolls (Vegan Lumpia)

Learn how to make delicious and healthy vegan air-fried spring rolls (vegan lumpia) at home! Along with the tasty recipe, you can find step-by-step photos & instructions on how to fold spring rolls, cooking and reheating methods, and other useful tips!

This spring roll/lumpia recipe is my dear friend, Mya's recipe. When our friends had a party, my friend, Mya would cook up a batch of her spring rolls and bring to a party. I always looked forward to these crispy and delicious treats.

Now that I moved, I no longer have the privilege to eat her spring rolls. Then one day I asked her if those spring rolls are hard to make. Then she said, "No, George. They are SUPER EASY to make!" "Please teach me!!!

So after getting an ingredient list and a quick prep instruction over the phone from my friend, we hopped on FaceTime. Cooking with my friend was so much fun and they were so delicious! Ever since our little cooking session, I've been making her spring rolls almost every week!

What is Spring Roll/Lumpia?

Lumpia is various types of spring rolls found in Indonesia and the Philippine. They can have either savory or sweet fillings. Then you wrap the fillings with lumpia paper (made with flour and water). I have seen some grocery stores carrying spring roll/lumpia paper in their frozen or refrigerated section. But you can definitely find these at any Asian grocery store in their frozen section next to the dumpling wrappers.

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What is the difference between egg rolls and spring rolls/lumpia?

The biggest difference is in the wrappers. Egg roll wrappers are a lot thicker and have eggs in them (vegetarian). However, the spring roll wrappers are made with flour, water, salt, and sometimes starch (vegan).

Ingredients in my Vegan Air Fried Spring Rolls (Vegan Lumpia)

Most lumpia that people are familiar with have vegetable and meat fillings. And I have seen many vegan lumpia recipes with plant-based meat. But this recipe is made with all vegetables.

This spring roll/lumpia has celery, carrot, onion, garlic, and vermicelli noodle. And they are seasoned simply with salt and pepper. My friend, Mya said I can use vegetable bouillon powder for extra umami but I really enjoy the combination of all the vegetables in its true taste. Although I've tried to seasoned them with soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and vegan chicken flavor bouillon powder, I like the simplest seasoning of salt and pepper the most for this recipe.

How to fold Spring Roll/Lumpia

1. Place the wrapper in a diamond shape on a surface. Add about 2 tablespoons of filling.
2. Bring the bottom part of the wrapper over the filling.
3. Gently but firmly tuck the filling with the spring roll paper and pull towards you.
4. Roll it once.
5. Fold in each side of the wrapper.
6. Roll them tightly until you see the top part of the wrapper to be a triangle.
7. Wet the triangle part of the wrapper with water.
8. Roll it up and ensure it's completely sealed. Place the spring roll seam side down and cover with a damp towel so it won't dry out. Repeat until you use up all the fillings and wrappers.

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Cooking methods for Spring Rolls/Lumpia

• Air frying method - Ever since I got my air fryer, air frying has become my favorite way to cook things. This method doesn't necessarily produce that gorgeous even browned spring rolls/lumpia. However, the crunch is definitely there. I use about a tablespoon of oil to cook 10 spring rolls. So I believe it's a very healthy way to enjoy these delicious treats!
  • Fresh spring rolls/lumpia - I brush each spring roll with some vegetable oil and cook them at 390F for 5 minutes. I flip them over, brush with a little more oil, and continue to cook them for additional 5 minutes.
  • Frozen spring rolls/lumpia - I brush them with oil and cook them at 390F for 7 to 9 minutes, flip, brush with a little more oil, cook for 7 more minutes.
• Deep frying Method - This is a traditional method and how my friend, Mya cooks her spring rolls. You can heat some vegetable oil and fry them for 3-4 minutes until it's golden brown. This method does yield the most crunchy spring rolls/lumpia.
• Baking in the oven method - If you do not have an air fryer, you can brush your spring rolls with oil and bake for 12-15 minutes at 400F until they are golden brown. Although it is harder to achieve the same level of crunchiness with the oven method, it is a healthier option than deep frying.

Helpful tips on storing and reheating methods

• Store your leftover (uncooked) spring rolls in the freezer - Most wrappers come with 25 wrappers. If you don't plan on cooking them all, You can freeze them. Place the spring rolls on a freezer-friendly tray and freeze them until they are hard (about 45 minutes to 1 hour) and transfer them into a freezer bag. It keeps for a month.
• How to keep spring rolls crispy longer - If you are not serving them right away, cool your spring rolls on a cooling rack instead of a plate. This prevents the wrapper to absorb the steam from the filling and get soggy.
• Reheat the spring rolls in an air fryer, toaster oven, or oven. Do NOT microwave. I reheat my spring rolls in the oven at a lower temperature (350F to 365F) for a shorter time (8 to 12 minutes). An air fryer cooks things a lot faster so you don't need to reheat them for longer than 5 minutes at 360F. When you microwave the spring rolls, they get soggy. And I do not recommend this method.

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How to and what to serve with vegan air-fried spring rolls/lumpia

• I like to serve my spring rolls with sweet chili sauce. The sweetness and mild heat from the sauce go really well with spring rolls.
• Any types of fried rice (such as extra spicy vegetable fried rice, Thai basil fried rice, or 5 ingredients egg fried rice), a stir-fried noodle dish like vegan Pad Thai or hibachi vegetable ramen stir fry would be an excellent main dish to serve this delicious vegan lumpia with!

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