Spice up your dinner game with these Asian-inspired lettuce wraps! They’re like a flavor-packed adventure in every crunchy bite – a delicious twist on your usual turkey fix.
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This recipe is…
Looking for a mouthwatering meal that’s ready in a flash? Look no further! Our Asian-inspired lettuce wraps are your ticket to a flavor-packed feast in just 20 minutes. Fast, fun, and oh-so-delicious, these wraps are the culinary adventure you didn’t know you needed.
Picture this: tender ground turkey cooked to perfection, mingling with a symphony of Asian-inspired flavors like ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, all nestled in fresh, crisp lettuce leaves. It’s a taste explosion that’s as quick to make as it is to devour, perfect for busy weeknights or impromptu gatherings with friends.
If you love this recipe, be sure to check out these other ground turkey recipes: Ground Turkey Meatballs with Marinara, Slow Cooker Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs, and Turkey Meatloaf.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Restaraunt-quality flavor – the flavors in these Asian-inspired lettuce wraps can’t be beat! They’re the perfect combination of salty and sweet, thanks to the soy sauce and coconut aminos duo.
- Done in 20 minutes – recipes that are done, start to finish, in less than 30 minutes get a gold star in my book, and this recipe is no exception. The quick cook time makes these lettuce wraps ideal for busy weeknights!
Recipe Ingredients
If you’re a fan of Asian-inspired meals, I bet you have several of the ingredients in this list on hand already. You’ll need a few ingredients for the lettuce wraps themselves, plus a couple more for serving. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Ground turkey – we went with ground turkey here, but this recipe can EASILY be made with ground chicken or pork. Use what you have or buy what’s on sale!
- Lime juice – be sure to use fresh lime juice here (you’ll need about 2 limes worth) – it has a much better flavor than the bottled, shelf-stable stuff.
- Soy sauce – we used tamari to keep the recipe gluten-free.
- Butter lettuce leaves – be sure to grab butter lettuce at the grocery store! Butter lettuce leaves are flexible, don’t easily rip, and large enough to hold a good amount of filling inside. If you can’t find butter lettuce leaves, green leaf lettuce will work just fine.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Make it gluten-free – to make this recipe gluten-free, simply swap the soy sauce for tamari.
- Make it soy-free – to make this recipe soy-free, scrap the soy sauce, and use all coconut aminos (3/4 cup total) and add in an extra 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.
- Use fresh garlic and ginger – if you’ve got it on hand, swap the granulated garlic and ginger for fresh. You’ll need 8 garlic cloves and 8 teaspoons (2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons) of peeled and grated fresh ginger.
- Use pineapple juice – if you don’t have honey, add in a half cup pineapple juice to sweeten the sauce.
How to Make Lettuce Wraps
This recipe requires just 4 steps and 20 minutes of your time. Follow along below.
Step 1: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the meat into a fine crumble with a spatula as it cooks, for 6 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through and starting to brown.
Step 2: Add the carrots and stir to combine with the turkey. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the carrots start to soften. While the carrots soften, whisk together the soy sauce, coconut aminos, lime juice, honey, ground ginger, ground garlic, and sesame oil in a bowl.
Step 3: Add half of the sauce and the green onions to the ground turkey, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the green onions are wilted.
Step 4: Divide the lettuce leaves among four plates, add the filling, and top with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes. Serve alongside rice noodles (optional) and the rest of the sauce, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Add a carbohydrate – if you’re looking for a more balanced meal, serve your lettuce wraps alongside a carbohydrate like rice noodles or fluffy white rice.
- Double the sauce – the sauce in this recipe will stay good for about 10 days in the fridge, so it’s a really great thing to prep in advance and add to Instant Pot shredded chicken, shredded pork, or even a veggie stir fry throughout the week.
- Level up this recipe by serving toasted rice powder on top of the lettuce wraps.
How to Serve
Serve the ground turkey filling inside of butter lettuce for the most irresistable lettuce wraps. If you’re looking for a starchy component to add some extra carbohydrates to the meal, rice noodles or fluffy white rice would be great accompaniments.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any of the leftover ground turkey mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator (seperate from the lettuce leaves). Stored this way, it’ll last for up to 4 days.
To reheat the ground turkey mixture, simply pop it into the microwave for 2 minutes or reheat it in a skillet on the stovetop for 8-10 minutes until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Butter lettuce is the very best lettuce for wrapping! It’s flexible, sturdy enough to not rip when you pick it up taco-style, and large enough to hold a good amount of filling. If you can’t find butter lettuce, green leaf lettuce is your second best bet.
You can absolutely make the filling ahead of time for later-on assembly.
Restaurants often have lettuce wraps on their appetizer menu, but they can definitely act as a full meal too! Enjoy them as-is if you’re looking for a low-carb dinner option or next to rice or rice noodles for a more filling main.
We suggest serving rice noodles or white rice (see our method on how to cook perfect white rice) alongside the lettuce wraps. You could also scrap the lettuce altogether and serve the ground turkey on top of noodles or rice. Totally up to you!
More Favorite Asian-Inspired Recipes
If you tried this Asian-Inspired Lettuce Wrap Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Asian-Inspired Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
For the Lettuce Wrap Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup coconut aminos
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
To Serve
- 6 large butter lettuce leaves
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, for garnish
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, for garnish
- Rice noodles, optional, for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the meat into a fine crumble with a spatula as it cooks, for 6 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through and starting to brown.
- Add the carrots and stir to combine with the turkey. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the carrots start to soften.
- While the carrots soften, whisk together the soy sauce, coconut aminos, lime juice, honey, ground ginger, ground garlic, and sesame oil in a bowl.
- Add half of the sauce and the green onions to the ground turkey mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the green onions are wilted.
- Divide the lettuce leaves among four plates, add the filling, and top with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes. Serve alongside rice noodles (optional) and the rest of the sauce, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- To make this recipe gluten-free, simply swap the soy sauce for tamari.
- To make this recipe soy-free, scrap the soy sauce, and use all coconut aminos (3/4 cup total) and add in an extra 1/4 teaspoon sea salt.
- If you’ve got it on hand, swap the granulated garlic and ginger for fresh. You’ll need 8 garlic cloves and 8 teaspoons (2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons) of peeled and grated fresh ginger.
- If you don’t have honey, add in a half cup pineapple juice to sweeten the sauce.
- If you’re looking for a more balanced meal, serve your lettuce wraps alongside a carbohydrate like rice noodles or fluffy white rice.
- Level up this recipe by serving toasted rice powder on top of the lettuce wraps.
Nutrition
This was sweet and salty. I made half the sauce recipe. I feel like it needs something (maybe some spice or maybe it’s better if i use fresh garlic next time im not sure). Easy to make. I did not have the coconut aminos I just used tamari sauce and the other ingredients listed.
Thank you for the feedback, Jill!
This was way too salty, even for my salty loving teenagers. It made twice as much sauce as you need so it needlessly finished off my aminos and my honey. I would halve the sauce recipe and add half as much soy and maybe chicken stock to replace the missing liquid. I would also add a cup of shredded cabbage