Turon (Filipino Banana Springrolls)

Turon is a classic Filipino street food where ripened bananas are wrapped in spring roll wrappers to create a light and crispy snack! Paired with thin strips of jackfruit, this turon is not only tropical and delicious, but also incredibly simple to make at home.

Bananas are found everywhere in the Philippines, and so there’s no surprise why Filipinos are such huge fans of them.

When the bananas are rolled in brown sugar, wrapped in spring roll wrappers, and deep fried, the result is a light and addictive snack that can be eaten at any time of the day or even for dessert!

Ingredients for turon

(Makes 6 turon)

• 6 ripe saba bananas, sliced in halves (can be substituted with plantains or regular bananas)
• 1/2 cup jackfruit (langka), cut into thin strips (optional, but highly recommended)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 6 spring roll wrappers
• Cornstarch slurry (1 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp cold water)
• Oil, for frying

If you love CRISPY recipes as much as I do, then you’ll love some of my favorites!:

• Traditional Lumpia (Filipino springrolls)
• Fried Enoki Mushrooms
• Peach Mango Pocket Pies (Jollibee copycat)
• Crispy Roasted Potatoes

Bananas: Which to use?

The two most common bananas used for Filipino turon are either Saba bananas or Plantains.

Saba bananas can be found either fresh or frozen. For me out in the West, fresh ones are incredibly difficult for me to find, so I usually go for the frozen option. You’ll typically find saba bananas being sold in most Asian or Filipino groceries. This is my go-to whenever I make turon since these bananas are a tad-bit more firm (allowing it to hold up to frying and wrapping), and sticker/starchier (perfect for coating in brown sugar!)

Plantains are another great option. The darker in color they are, the sweeter and more perfect they are to use for our turon. I’ve had a lot of luck finding fresh plantains in most standard supermarkets, so make sure to check your local grocery if they carry any.

Of course, you could always use the regular/standard bananas (Cavendish) for turon! Just be extra careful with frying these since they tend to soften up a lot when heated.

Spring roll wrappers

Any spring roll wrapper should work for this recipe! I typically go for the “Spring Home” wrapper brands. They’re relatively cheap and sturdy enough to resist ripping and to keep all the bananas and jackfruit inside.

If you really wanted to go for authentic turon, I’d highly recommend visiting your local Filipino grocery or supermarket (if accessible) to find the Filipino springroll wrappers (aka. lumpia wrappers). Unlike standard spring roll wrappers that are square, lumpia wrappers are much thinner and circular in shape. When fried, they take on a signature lightness and crisp that one would usually taste whenever eating fried Filipino foods.

Instructions for turon

Cut the saba bananas in half, lengthwise (if using plantains or regular bananas, you might need to section these into smaller pieces since they tend to be larger), and slice the jackfruit into thin strips.

Coat 2 banana slices evenly with brown sugar, then place it in the middle of your spring roll wrapper along with the jackfruit strips. Roll the banana and jackfruit tightly with the wrapper and seal shut using the cornstarch slurry mixture. Repeat this for the rest of the remaining ingredients.

There are 2 ways that you can fold turon:

• Standard spring roll method: With the banana and jackfruit strips in the middle of your wrapper, lift the bottom corner to envelop/cover the filling. Fold the left and right corners to the centre and gently roll upwards, keeping the roll tight to prevent unravelling. Just before finishing the roll, brush some of the cornstarch slurry mixture on the remaining top section of the wrapper to act as the “glue” in order to seal the turon shut.
• Traditional “one-roll” method: With the banana and jackfruit strips in the middle of your wrapper, lift the bottom corner to envelop/cover the filling. Gently roll upwards, keeping the roll tight, and making sure the filling stays in the middle of the wrapper (not coming out of the sides). Just before finishing the roll, brush some of the cornstarch slurry mixture on the remaining top section of the wrapper to seal the turon.

*The traditional method is my preferred way of rolling these since the end parts become extremely crunchy after frying (which is absolutely delicious and amazing!).

Pour enough oil to deep fry the turon in a wide pan or pot and heat the oil to around 350F. Once the oil is hot, spoon in around 2 teaspoons of brown sugar directly into the oil. Gently swirl the sugar around until it floats to the surface.

Place your turon into the oil, deep frying for about 2-5 minutes, or until the turon is golden brown and crispy (this will depend on how big you make your turon). Make sure to turn and flip occasionally to prevent burning on one side.

Drain the turon on a wire rack and let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Final tips

• Spring roll wrappers dry up very easily when exposed to air. To prevent them from becoming brittle and/or drying up while you’re rolling, cover the unused wrappers with a moist paper towel or a damp kitchen towel until use.
• This recipe calls for 2 slices of banana per turon, which usually makes medium-sized or jumbo-sized turon. If you want smaller portions, I’d recommend only using 1 slice of banana (half of a Saba banana) for each spring roll. This would double the recipe to make 12 mini/small turon!
• When frying multiple batches of turon, make sure to strain/scoop out most of the leftover brown sugar floating in the oil because they tend to be very bitter after frying. For best results, always ensure to add new spoonfuls of brown sugar to the oil for each batch you fry.
• When finished frying, always rest/cool the turon on a wire rack (if you have one)! Paper towels will only soak up the oil, leaving the bottom-side of the turon soggy. The sugar glaze on the outside also has a tendency to stick to the paper towel and we definitely don’t want that.