Apple turon is filled with buttery cinnamon apples and fried until golden and crisp, with a sweet, crunchy caramel coating. A fantastic fall twist on the classic Filipino treat.
I wanted to get into the fall spirit with an apple dessert, but of course, I had to give it a little Filipino flair.
So I took classic apple egg rolls and gave them the turon treatment, complete with that signature crunchy caramel coating. And it works SO well!
You get buttery cinnamon apples, a crispy wrapper, and crunchy caramel in every bite. Top it with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, and you’ve got one decadent, delicious fall dessert.
What Is Apple Turon?
Apple turon is my own spin on the Filipino classic. Traditional turon is made with saba bananas wrapped in lumpia (egg roll) wrappers, then fried with brown sugar until crisp and caramelized.
It’s a lot like apple pie egg rolls, but instead of tossing them in cinnamon sugar after frying, the brown sugar goes right into the oil. As it caramelizes, it sticks to the wrapper and gives the turon that signature crisp, sugary coating.
Inside, you get buttery cinnamon apples, so it’s a little Filipino turon, a little apple pie, and very, very good.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Apples. Choose firm, crisp apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady so the filling doesn’t get mushy.
- Butter. Adds richness to the apple filling and helps the brown sugar coat the apples.
- Brown sugar. Sweetens the apple filling and is also added to the frying oil for the caramelized coating.
- Cinnamon. Gives the apples that classic apple pie flavor.
- Lumpia wrappers. Thin wrappers used to make Filipino egg rolls, or lumpia. They get wonderfully crisp when fried and are much thinner than traditional egg roll wrappers.
- Vanilla ice cream. Turon is good, but turon a la mode? So much better.
How to Make Apple Turon
1. Cook the apple filling.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and most of the liquid has cooked off. Let cool completely.
2. Wrap the turon.
Place a lumpia wrapper on a clean surface. Add the apple filling across the lower third. Fold the bottom over the filling, tuck in both sides, and roll tightly. Seal the edge with water.
3. Fry the turon.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle brown sugar into the hot oil and wait until the sugar floats to the surface.
Add the turon and fry until golden and crisp, turning occasionally so the caramelized sugar coats the wrappers evenly.
4. Cool and serve.
Transfer the turon to a wire rack and let it cool for a few minutes so the sugar coating hardens. Serve warm, or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for apple turon a la mode.
How to Get the Crispy Sugar-Coated Wrapper
The secret is adding the brown sugar directly to the frying oil, just like with traditional Filipino turon.
Heat the oil over medium heat, then sprinkle in the brown sugar. Wait until the sugar floats to the surface before adding the turon. As the turon fries, turn it occasionally so the caramelized sugar sticks to the wrapper.
Tips for the Best Apple Pie Turon
- Choose firm apples. Use apples that soften when cooked without becoming mushy. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Pink Lady are all good options.
- Watch the heat. Keep the oil at a steady medium heat so the wrappers crisp without burning the sugar.
- Wait for the sugar to float. After adding the brown sugar to the hot oil, wait until it floats to the surface before adding the turon. This helps give the wrappers that classic caramelized sugar coating.
- Add some cheese. Tuck a few small cubes of cheddar in with the apple filling before rolling. Sweet, buttery apples with salty, melty cheese are great together.
- Serve it a la mode. Top warm apple turon with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cold, creamy ice cream is delicious with the crisp wrapper and warm cinnamon apples.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Polvoron (Classic, Matcha, and Apple Flavors)
Apple Turon (Filipino Apple Pie Egg Rolls)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 medium apples peeled and diced
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar divided
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 lumpia or spring roll wrappers
- Water for sealing
- Neutral oil for frying
- Vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce optional topping
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat. Add diced apples, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and the juices have reduced. Let the filling cool before wrapping.
- Place a wrapper on a clean surface. Spoon the apple filling in a line across the lower third of the wrapper, leaving space on both sides. Fold the bottom edge over the filling, fold both sides toward the center, then roll tightly. Brush the top edge with water and finish rolling to seal.
- Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar into the hot oil and wait until the sugar floats to the surface. Add the turon and fry until golden and crisp. Turn them occasionally so the caramelized sugar sticks to and coats the wrappers. Transfer to a wire rack while cooking the rest.
- Serve warm as is, or make apple turon à la mode with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Enjoy!
