These savory Asian lettuce wraps with ground turkey come together in one pot, and are gluten and soy-free. This dish is perfect to whip up on a weeknight and is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
I love PF Chang's lettuce wraps as much as the next person, but ordering takeout can add up quickly. This asian-inspired recipe is a mix between a traditional lettuce wrap and an egg roll bowl. You can find it on my meal rotation every month because these ground turkey lettuce wraps come together quickly, are healthy and delicious while still giving off cozy comfort food vibes, and have the perfect amount of crunch! I promise this will become a regular on your menu as well.
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Why You'll Love this Lettuce Wrap Recipe
- Gluten and Soy-Free - This is great for anyone following a gluten and or soy-free diet! This recipe is made without hoisin sauce or soy sauce but instead uses coconut aminos which is naturally gluten and dairy-free.
- Quick and Easy Clean Up - The filling for the lettuce wraps comes together in one pan. Your dishwashing self will thank you later.
- Interactive Dining Experience - The process of filling the lettuce leaves with the flavorful turkey and vegetable mixture, then adding your favorite toppings like sesame seeds and crushed peanuts, allows for a fun and engaging dining experience that's perfect for sharing with friends and family.
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey - I use 93% lean ground turkey but you can use 99% lean if you are looking for a lower fat option.
- Coleslaw - To reduce prep-time, I buy a bag of coleslaw mix from the grocery store that consists of shredded cabbage and carrots. Any coleslaw mix will work.
- Lettuce Cups - My favorite lettuce to use as a cup is called living lettuce. I buy this at my local grocery store and it normally still has the roots of the lettuce attached. It is very soft but has a good cup-like shape. Look for anything that has a good “boat” shape. It also can be known as bib lettuce.
- Garlic - I prefer freshly mincing my garlic but to speed up the process feel free to use pre-chopped garlic instead.
- Coconut Aminos - Using coconut aminos is a great alternative to soy sauce or tamari sauce which contains soy and or wheat. I find mine at my local Kroger or Trader Joes. It provides a sweet and savory flavor while being free of refined sugars.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
Step-by-Step Instructions
This one pan recipe comes together in 7 easy steps!
Step 1: Brown ground turkey. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, place the ground turkey in the pan and break up into small crumbles. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the turkey is no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a plate.
Step 2: Saute garlic, green onions, and celery. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in the same pan you cooked the ground turkey in. Add the 6 cloves of minced garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then add in most of the green onion (whites and greens) leaving a few green pieces for toppings later. Add in the chopped celery and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. Mix together all ingredients in the pan until well combined.
Step 3: Add cabbage and saute. Add the entire bag of cabbage into the pan. Mix all ingredients together and let the cabbage, green onions, celery, and garlic saute until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 4: Add ground turkey, coconut aminos, and garlic powder. Add the ground turkey back to the pan, add 5 tablespoons of coconut aminos, and add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the pan. Stir to combine and let simmer for 5 minutes to allow for the flavors to develop. Because the coconut aminos have sodium, I don’t like to add salt and pepper until the end and only if needed. Try the filling and add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5 (Optional): Add sriracha. For a little heat, add a dash of sriracha to the pan and stir to combine.
Step 6: Spoon mixture into lettuce cups. Place lettuce cups on your plate and spoon in the ground turkey mixture on top of the lettuce cup.
Step 7: Top lettuce cups. Add crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, and leftover green onions on top of the ground turkey mixture. For an optional added flavor kick, top your cups with a dash of sesame ginger salad dressing. I prefer the primal kitchen brand that is made with avocado oil. Enjoy!
Hint: I like to buy celery hearts for this recipe and cut it in half lengthwise and then chop it across so the celery pieces aren’t too large. You could also use a chopper to speed up the process if you don't want to use a knife!
Frequently Asked Questions
I suggest either a bib lettuce, living lettuce, or butter lettuce leaves for a wider, round, soft base. Romaine lettuce is another option if you are looking for an extra crunch.
This recipe is made without hoisin sauce or soy sauce so it is gluten-free. But not all lettuce wrap recipes are gluten-free so be sure to read the ingredient list.
If you are still trying to avoid soy, there are some soy-free soy sauces in the market like No Soy Sauce by Ocean's Halo or Bragg Liquid Aminos. If you don’t mind the soy you could also try tamari sauce that is still wheat-free.
If you don’t want to use lettuce cups, this would serve nicely on top of white or brown rice.
Substitutions
Below are easy substitutions you can make that shouldn't alter the flavor too drastically from the original recipe.
- Lettuce - instead of living lettuce, you can use iceberg lettuce or romaine leaves for the cup. Another option would be to use cabbage leaves.
- Ground Turkey - An easy alternative to ground turkey would be to use ground chicken. Because they both have a mild flavor it shouldn't change the flavor profile. I would not recommend ground beef. This does change the taste of the recipe.
- Peanuts - if you have a peanut allergy but still want the crunch, try using walnuts or cashews to top the lettuce cups instead!
- Celery- A great substitution for celery in this recipe would be sliced or chopped water chestnuts. They are still crunchy and take on the flavor of whatever your sauce is.
Equipment
My favorite pan to cook this recipe in is a large, tall, saute pan like the Cuisinart 5.5 quart saute pan. This allows you to fit in all the ingredients without anything falling out.
I also like to wash and dry my living lettuce cups with a salad spinner.
Storage
Store the lettuce leaves in a container with a paper towel to absorb any extra moisture. This will keep your lettuce fresher for longer.
Place the ground turkey mixture into a glass container and store into the fridge for up to four days.
To freeze, place the ground turkey mixture into a glass container and keep in the freezer for up to one month. When you are ready to reheat and eat, ensure you buy fresh lettuce wraps to place the filling in.
Top tips
Because the living lettuce or bibb lettuce is delicate, some of your leaves might be broken or have tears in them. When this happens, I stack the torn leaf on top of a leaf that isn’t torn as a reinforcement to hold in the filling.
When purchasing peanuts, I like to go for options that have minimal ingredients. I buy peanuts that only have two ingredients 1) peanuts 2) sea salt.
Finally, when washing the lettuce cups I like to take each lettuce cup apart, wash them individually, and then lay them flat on paper towels to dry. I will also take a paper towel and gently pat them down to remove excess water.
Asian Lettuce Wraps with Ground Turkey (GF, Soy-Free)
Equipment
- 1 salad spinner
- 1 large skillet something that has tall sides
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 pound ground turkey I prefer 93% lean but 99% lean works as well
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bunch green onions sliced, both green and white section
- 1 ½ cups celery chopped
- 16 ounce coleslaw mix prepackaged
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger spice
- 5 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder spice
- 1 head living lettuce or bibb lettuce washed and dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 dash sriracha optional
Toppings
- sesame seeds black or white
- lightly salted peanuts crushed
- sesame ginger salad dressing optional
Instructions
- Brown ground turkey. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, place the ground turkey in the pan and break up into small crumbles. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the turkey is no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a plate.
- Saute garlic, green onions, and celery. Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in the same pan you cooked the ground turkey in over medium heat. Add the 6 cloves of minced garlic to the pan and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then add in most of the green onion (whites and greens) leaving a few green pieces for toppings later. Add in the chopped celery and 1 teaspoon of ground ginger. Mix together all ingredients in the pan until well combined.
- Add cabbage and saute. Add the entire bag of cabbage into the pan. Mix all ingredients together and let the cabbage, green onions, celery, and garlic saute until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add ground turkey, coconut aminos, and garlic powder. Add the ground turkey back to the pan, add 5 tablespoons of coconut aminos, and add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder to the pan. Stir to combine and let simmer for 5 minutes to allow for the flavors to develop. Because the coconut aminos have sodium, I don’t like to add salt and pepper until the end and only if needed. Try the filling and add salt and pepper to taste.
- (Optional): Add sriracha. For a little heat, add a dash of sriracha to the pan and stir to combine.
- Spoon mixture into lettuce cups. Place lettuce cups on your plate and spoon in the ground turkey mixture on top of the lettuce cup.
- Top lettuce cups. Add crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, and leftover green onions on top of the ground turkey mixture. For an optional added flavor kick, top your cups with a dash of sesame ginger salad dressing. I prefer the primal kitchen brand that is made with avocado oil. Enjoy!
Notes
- I like to buy celery hearts for this recipe and cut it in half lengthwise and then chop it across so the celery pieces aren’t too large. You could also use a chopper to speed up the process if you don't want to use a knife!
- Because the living lettuce or bibb lettuce is delicate, some of your leaves might be broken or have tears in them. When this happens, I stack the torn leaf on top of a leaf that isn’t torn as a reinforcement to hold in the filling.
- When purchasing peanuts, I like to go for options that don't have inflammatory oils and minimal ingredients. I buy peanuts that only have two ingredients 1) peanuts 2) sea salt.
- When washing the lettuce cups I like to take each lettuce cup apart, wash them individually, and then lay them flat on paper towels to dry. I will also take a paper towel and gently pat them down to remove excess water.
If you have tried this recipe I would love to know! Leave a star rating or comment below.