Asian Lettuce Wraps

My Asian Lettuce Wraps with a sweet and spicy beef filling make for an easy appetizer for Asian-inspired menus, but can also be served as a low carb main. The best thing? You can whip these healthy lettuce wraps up within 25 minutes!

Asian food is one of my favorites. I love going to China Town and discover new restaurants, new dishes and sometimes new ingredients. Like this durian on the pic below.

Do you know durians? I haven’t tried it yet but apparently, the thing stinks once open. They even banned it in a lot of public places and transport in South-East Asia because of the smell!

Anyway, today I wanted to share with you these non-stinky-at-all, delicious Asian Lettuce Wraps, made with lean ground beef and a lot of classic Asian ingredients, like soy sauce, ginger, sesame, rice vinegar and fish sauce to name just a few.

Don’t be fooled by the off-putting smell of fish sauce, it gives a nice flavor filling of our Asian Lettuce Wraps without tasting too much like spoilt fish (as you would have figured, given the smell of the sauce). If you’re used to cooking Asian recipes, you know what I’m talking about. Fish sauce is good!

Using lettuce leaves instead of tortillas for making wraps is the perfect way to have a healthy, low-carb meal. But hey, if you’re craving for carbs, make sure to save some leftover beef filling. I made a rice dish with the leftover meat from these Asian Lettuce Wraps and it was oh so delicious!!

I served these Asian Lettuce Wraps as a main course but if you want to go for a nice Asian appetizer, just serve one or two lettuce wraps per person. Yum!

5 from 1 vote

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Asian Lettuce Wraps

These Asian Lettuce Wraps with a sweet and spicy beef filling are the perfect easy appetizer for an Asian-inspired menu, but can also be served as a low carb main course. Whip them up within 25 minutes and serve these healthy lettuce wraps sprinkled with cilantro, crunchy peanuts, sesame seeds and hot chilli flakes.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword appetizer, asian, beef, easy, low carb, peanuts, sesame, simple

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 6 servings - 18 wraps

Calories 208 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 tbsp soy sauce I used reduced sodium
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• ½ tsp fresh ginger finely chopped
• ½ tsp hot sauce or more to taste
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 lb lean ground beef 95% meat/5% fat
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• ¼ cup cilantro chopped
• 3 baby lettuces

For the topping

• ¼ cup peanuts chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• red pepper flakes optional
• cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat.
2. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, ginger, hot sauce, honey and peanut butter.
3. Add garlic to the skillet and sauté for 15 seconds, then add onions and sauté for another 15 seconds. Add ground beef and cook until it starts to brown a little. 

4. Pour the soy mixture into the pan and stir well. Cook until the beef is done (it’s very quick). Remove the skillet from the heat, add sesame seeds and cilantro, and stir well.

5. Arrange 3 lettuce leaves on a plate and add 1 ½ tbsp beef mixture in the center. 

6. Sprinkle the filling with peanuts, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes. Add cilantro leaves for garnish and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Amount Per Serving (3 wraps)

Calories 208 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 46mg15%

Sodium 815mg35%

Potassium 434mg12%

Carbohydrates 6g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 20g40%

Vitamin A 1265IU25%

Vitamin C 2.7mg3%

Calcium 70mg7%

Iron 3.1mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More lettuce wraps recipes:

• Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps (with shredded chicken)
• Asian Chicken Lettuce  Wraps (with ground chicken)
• Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps
• Skinny Tuna Salad in Lettuce Wraps