Classic Beef Lumpia

This is my version of classic beef lumpia.

"Lumpia is life" –La Lumpia Lady

Ground beef, carrots, onion, garlic, and seasoning. It's that simple for the filling! The secret? Using the right eggroll wrappers for a delicious and pleasant eggroll experience. Once you get a hang of wrapping the lumpia, it's actually quite easy! Just takes some time. Whenever I make lumpia, I make at least 50 or more (each package of wrappers usually comes with 25 wrappers). Don't forget to thaw those eggroll wrappers in the fridge overnight before you prepare them! :)

Food brings people together, and lumpia definitely succeeds in doing that. It is a huge crowd-pleaser. In my experience, it is usually the first thing eaten and gone within the first 5 minutes of serving! From family affairs and parties to military gatherings, my lumpia recipe has satisfied and impressed the ton. What people may not know is how simple the steps really are! I'm sharing (most) of my lumpia secrets and tips with you today!

Classic Beef Lumpia Recipe

Estimated prep time: 20-30 min.

Total time: Varies (depends on your lumpia wrapping skills and the amount you make and fry!). For the purpose of this recipe, I'll say about 1 hour.

Difficulty: Easy - Moderate (more time-consuming than difficult!)

Ingredients

• 1 package of Eggroll wrappers

  • I use this brand:

    

  • I DO NOT recommend using the Commissary brands of eggroll wrappers because they tend to tear very easily even after defrosting properly. Save yourself frustration, time, and money, and find the brand I use at your local Asian grocery!

Filling:

• About 1.5 lbs Ground beef

  • I use 80/20 and drain the fat after browning!

  • You can use any type you want, just be sure to drain the fat if needed!

  • Amount: About 1.5 lbs, or a small pack of ground beef can make roughly 25 eggrolls or 1 package of eggroll wrapers while about 3 lbs can make 50 eggrolls or 2 packages - I like to make a big batch and freeze them.

• 3-4 Carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped

• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

• Seasoning blend of your choice (recommendations: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)

I'm keeping my seasoning blend a secret because I can't give away all the secrets! 😉

Egg wash (for sealing lumpia):

• 1 large egg, scrambled in a bowl

• You will also need one 1 brush

Alternative to egg wash:

• About 2 tablespoons of water and 1.5 teaspoons of flour

• Use the brush, or your fingers to apply the wash to the wrapper and seal

Vegetable Oil for frying

Directions

1. Make the filling first!

   1. In a large pot, brown the ground beef (I like to cook mine all the way through). No seasoning is needed yet. Just cook, remove from pot, and drain the fat (I use a large strainer and a large bowl underneath it to catch the fat so it can solidify later to discard).

   2. 
      

      

      While the meat is browning, prepare the vegetables: Peel and chop carrots, onion, and garlic, and put it all in a food processor to chop into very small pieces. Put the vegetable blend in the large pot with a small amount of oil and cook for about 5 minutes. Once done, turn off the stove.

      

   3. Once the beef is drained, you can add it back into the pot with the vegetable blend. Season and mix.

   4. *Optional step: Before adding the beef in, I also like to chop it in the food processor to break down those large chunks and make it smaller and more manageable when wrapping the eggrolls. I'll show you what it looks like in a photo below! To me, it just makes life easier.

   

   

   
   

2. Let the filling Cool!

   1. Exactly what it says. I like to place the pot/bowl of filling on a table underneath a ceiling fan to cool it down faster. Or outside if you're up north and it's still cold outside 🥶 Just be sure to cover it.

3. Prep and wrap the lumpia!

   1. Prep lumpia wrappers: While the filling is cooling, I also like to open my thawed, packaged eggroll wrappers and unpeel them from each other. After unpeeling them, I place them on top of each other and use an alternating pattern of squares and diamonds (see photo for reference). It is very important to use a damp paper towel under the first wrapper and on top of your final wrapper stack to keep the wrappers from hardening.

      

   2. Wrap the lumpia: I highly recommend using the video https://youtube.com/shorts/UtTHv8P8G8I?si=UhoG8Ld-UDi_DGbY as a reference as articulating this step is a little awkward for me. But! I will try! Grab yourself a cutting board to use as your surface for wrapping. Scoop about a tablespoon and a half of filling (or more if you desire a fatter roll), and place on the bottom of a wrapper near one of the edges/corners (a little above). At that same corner, lift the wrapper and put it over the filling. Take the left and right sides/edges and fold them toward the center, then tightly roll the eggroll toward the top corner, stopping just before to apply the egg or flour wash. Apply the wash and complete rolling the eggroll, and you're done!

4. Time to Fry!

   1. Using a large frying pan, place a good amount of vegetable oil in (roughly 3 cups maybe) and crank the heat to high (exact temp TBD because too high of a heat may burn your lumpia!).

   2. Tip: Test the oil by placing the end of a wooden spoon or chopstick in it and see if bubbles begin to form. If the bubbles form on the sides, it's ready for frying!

   3. Add lumpia in the pan of oil and fry until golden on both sides, flipping them over as needed.

   4. Once golden, remove from pan and place in paper towel-lined plate, or aluminum foil tray.

   
   

5. Enjoy!

Serving suggestions

• I always serve my lumpia with Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce! It's not spicy at all. Even my toddlers enjoy it.

• Serve with soy sauce and vinegar! My nanay (mom) makes the most delicious soy sauce/vinegar/garlic/onion/chili powder sauce that is mind-blowing. She never measures (she uses feeling like Uncle Roger too). I'll try to get that recipe from her. Maybe one day :)

Other Tips

• If you're making this for a gathering, I recommend allowing yourself at least one hour to fry them before your event, more if you're making more than 50 lumpia. You can always make the lumpia itself a different day and freeze. Just allow the lumpia to thaw in the fridge overnight.

• Saving cooked lumpia: Eh. It's not the same. Best reheated in the oven or air fryer :)

• Freezing freshly rolled lumpia: Use gallon zip locks, label them, and freeze! I stack them in the freezer when I make my batches like this:

  

  
  

There are endless possibilities when it comes to lumpia fillings! I've done veggie versions with kale, spinach, and cabbage and dessert versions using banana and brown sugar. The key is ensuring the filling isn't wet and you use good quality eggroll wrappers! Good luck! Let me know if you try it and any additions of your own!

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