Ube Turon
Golden, crispy, caramelised, with a heart of soft banana and purple ube: the turon is the favourite street snack of the Philippines.
A simple roll, but terribly addictive.
The street snack par excellence
The turon is banana rolled in a thin sheet of pastry, fried until crisp and coated in caramelised sugar.
You'll find it on every street corner, hot and crunchy. The ube version adds a spoonful of halaya to the banana, for a soft purple heart that contrasts with the golden crunch. Simple, comforting, irresistible.
The turon is sold in the street, on a skewer or in a paper bag, as an afternoon snack or impromptu dessert.
Ube Turon, step by step.
The Filipino tradition with ube, step by step.
Ingredients
- 6 sheets of spring roll pastry (lumpia or brick pastry)
- 3 bananas cut in half lengthwise
- 6 tsp ube halaya
- Brown sugar
- Oil for frying
Equipment
- A frying pan
- A brush or a little water to seal
Method
- Place half a banana and a spoonful of ube halaya on each pastry sheet.
- Sprinkle with a little brown sugar, then roll tightly, folding in the sides, and seal the edge with a little water.
- Heat the oil and sprinkle in a little sugar for the caramel.
- Fry the rolls until golden and caramelised, then drain and leave to cool slightly.
The whole Filipino recipes family
Halaya, pandesal, bibingka: the Filipino classics with ube, from one recipe to the next.
Ube Halaya
The ube jam, queen of the Philippines.
See the recipe →
Ube Pandesal
The Filipino bread roll, purple edition.
See the recipe →
Ube Ensaymada
The soft brioche with butter and cheese.
See the recipe →
Ube Hopia
The flaky pastry filled with ube.
See the recipe →
Ube Bibingka
The soft rice cake with coconut.
See the recipe →
Ube Cheese Pandesal
The purple pandesal filled with cheese.
See the recipe →
Ube Buchi
The sesame balls filled with ube.
See the recipe →
Ube Puto
The soft little steamed cake.
See the recipe →
Ube Cassava Cake
The soft cassava cake with coconut.
See the recipe →The chef's touch
The crunch and the caramel are all in the frying.
Roll nice and tight and seal the edge, or the turon opens up in the oil. Add the sugar to the hot oil so it caramelises around the roll. Drain on a rack, never on paper, to keep the crunch.
Serve them with a scoop of ube ice cream: the hot-cold, crunchy-creamy contrast is spectacular.
The mistakes to avoid
Three pitfalls for crispy turon.
Explore the world of ube
The Philippines are only one facet: explore the whole purple world.
Drinks
Lattes, smoothies, ube frappés.
Explore →Capsules
Lattes, cappuccino, affogato… ready in 30 s.
Explore →Desserts
Cheesecakes, cookies, cakes, pancakes.
Explore →Ice creams
Ice creams, nice cream, frozen mochi.
Explore →Breakfasts
Bowls, porridges, overnight oats.
Explore →Filipino recipes
Halaya, ensaymada, leche flan.
Explore →Ube Time Signatures
Our exclusive creations, found nowhere else.
Explore →Fancy these golden rolls?
All you need is Kinampay ube powder for the halaya.
Your questions about this recipe.
How do you make an ube turon?
Roll banana and ube halaya in a thin sheet of pastry, seal, then fry with a little sugar until the roll is golden and caramelised.
What is turon?
A Filipino street snack: a banana rolled in thin pastry, fried and caramelised with sugar.
Does the ube turon contain caffeine?
No, ube is naturally caffeine-free.
Which banana should you use?
Traditionally the plantain (saba); otherwise, a nice firm banana works.
Can you bake them or use an air fryer?
Yes: brush them with oil and cook until golden, for a lighter version.