Filipino Turon – Banana Rolls Fried in Coconut Oil

Turon are a popular street food in the Philippines sold by bike vendors. Traditional Turon are made with bananas or plantains rolled in brown sugar, then fried in oil with more brown sugar, along with sliced jackfruit on top. My recipe keeps it more simple and also a little healthier.

I typically avoid deep-frying, but I have to make an exception here. To fry the bananas I used coconut oil, which is a Filipino staple that tastes wonderful and is even said to have many health benefits. I use it for most of my frying, some people even use it as a skin lotion or to nourish their hair. I also like this recipe because I didn’t have to fry all of the wrapped bananas at once. They can be made in advance and stored in the freezer for up to two weeks. Just thaw and fry whenever you’re ready to eat them. I like to serve mine with honey or Nutella. Also, don’t throw out the coconut oil after frying. Instead cool it down, then store in fridge and re-use a few more times.

Place banana on wrapper & sprinkle with sugar. Roll in wrapper once, then turn in edges & keep rolling.

Seal the edges with water and set aside until ready to fry.

Filipino Turon Recipe

  • 2 bananas (each banana sliced into 8 pieces)
  • 16 egg roll wrappers (*use spring roll or gluten-free egg roll wrapper for gluten-free version)
  • 2-3 cups coconut oil (enough to cover bananas, use canola oil as a substitute)
  • sugar, to taste
  • water, for sealing

    Slice each banana in half, then cut each piece into quarters. Lay out one egg roll wrapper on a clean surface. Place a banana piece on wrapper near bottom edge and sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar on top. Roll sugared banana in wrapper once, then turn in edges and keep rolling. Seal the opposite edge with water.

    Deep fry at 350°F until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.


    [try this with a scoop of Mango Sorbet for a truly tropical experience]


    Total Time: 20-30 minutes

    Yield: Makes 16
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  • Comments

    1. Angel says

      My mother prepared some for me and froze them. After my failed first attempt at frying, I decided to bake them. Although it wasn’t the fried goodness of a regular turon, it saved me a ton of calories and they still have the sweet plantains and jackfruit inside! 🙂

    2. says

      Awesome! Thanks for the tutorial! I am IN LOVE with this “dessert”. In my culture though, plantain is considered to eaten as a meal, not dessert. Would it be okay if I link to my blog? I wanted to include the image of what the turon looks like in the post I will be publishing later this month with a chocolate plantain cupcake recipe 🙂 Hope it’s okay. Thanks!

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