These Instant Pot ground turkey lettuce wraps can be cooked from fresh or frozen, and make a delicious, lower carb meal that the whole family will love! A healthy weeknight meal that is ready in 25 minutes or less.
Just like our Instant Pot frozen ground beef and these Korean-inspired turkey meal prep bowls - this recipe is going to save your butt when you find yourself with nothing thawed for dinner at 5pm. I've been there, friend, yes I have.
You won't believe how quickly you can transform a frozen block of ground turkey into these tasty Instant Pot ground turkey lettuce wraps! A tasty dinner that the whole family will enjoy, ready in just 25 minutes!
Other ground turkey Instant Pot recipes we have tested were totally disappointing - resulting in tough, chewy meat. But, instead of cooking all the way through, this recipe cooks the meat *partly* through, and we will finish the turkey by sautéeing in a delicious sweet/savory sauce!
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- the flavor is delicious, and it's such a light and refreshing meal that is totally kid-friendly
- you can cook the ground turkey from fresh or frozen!
- it's lower carb, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly
Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see how to cook this Instant Pot ground turkey! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground turkey - we used regular ground turkey for this recipe, which is a blend of dark and light meat. Lean ground turkey or ground turkey breast have not been tested and might dry out in this recipe.
- lean ground beef also works with the same cook time. Note: different types of meat will release different amounts of fat in the sauce. If you are using ground beef, expect a fattier sauce. I prefer ground turkey using this method as it does not release much fat at all.
- Lettuce - romaine lettuce is ideal for lettuce wraps as it's crunchy, and the leaves are large enough to make a good sized wrap! Other great options for lettuce wraps are butter, iceberg or bib lettuce.
- Ginger - use fresh ginger for the best flavor
- Soy sauce - we used reduced sodium soy sauce, you can swap for Bragg's liquid aminos (lowest carb option), coconut aminos or tamari for gluten-free alternatives.
- Carrot - shredded carrot blends nicely into the cooked ground turkey and is a sneaky way to add extra veggies to this recipe; you can omit it to cut back on carbs
- Honey - adds some subtle sweetness to balance out the chili pepper, ginger, and garlic. You can swap for maple syrup if you prefer
Step by step directions
Prepare
Remove frozen ground meat from packaging (running under warm water can help loosen it). Place 1 cup of water into the stainless steel insert of a 6 quart Instant Pot (1 ½ cups for 8 quart). Place trivet over water and frozen meat on the trivet.
TIP- for fresh/thawed ground turkey meat, refer to the recipe card for specific directions.
Pressure cook
Set the valve to 'sealing', and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes (see TIP). When the Instant Pot beeps, do a quick pressure release and carefully remove the trivet + meat from the Instant Pot. The meat will only be partially cooked through at this point.
TIP- this cook time works for 1- 1.5 inch slabs of frozen ground turkey. If your ground turkey is thicker, you will need to increase the cook time.
Sautée
Carefully discard the cooking liquid, and add the ground meat back to the stainless steel insert of the Instant Pot with the garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
Select 'sauté' and cook, breaking the meat up with a spatula, for 3-5 minutes, until meat is fully cooked through. Use oven mitts to remove the insert from the Instant Pot so it doesn't overcook.
Serve
Stir in the carrots, then spoon the turkey filling into romaine lettuce leaves to serve. Sprinkle with green onions!
FAQ
You can absolutely cook this recipe with fully thawed meat as well. Instead of cooking for 5 minutes, cook for just 2 minutes. Do a quick pressure release, then simmer for a few minutes to break up the meat and reduce the sauce slightly.
Can you believe it? You don't need to add any extra liquid. I tested this in my 6 and 8 quart Instant Pots with ground beef and turkey and it worked like a charm each time.
The stovetop version of this recipe has been tested, swapping the honey for 2-3 teaspoons of monk fruit sweetener, and it was great! However, this change in liquid could affect the Instant Pot coming to pressure. We can't say for sure, as we have not tested it with monk fruit in the Instant Pot - so try this at your own risk. You can also probably save a few carbs by swapping the soy sauce for Bragg's liquid aminos. If you try swapping for monk fruit sweetener, would you let us know in the comments below how it goes?
Yes, however, you'll want to release the pressure to flip the slabs of frozen meat, otherwise, the exterior of the meat will end up tough while the interior is still frozen. Cook for 5 minutes, release the pressure, then flip so the frozen bits of the turkey or beef are on the outside and put the pot back on for another 3 minutes.
No. Because the slow cooker cooks slow, slow cooker manufacturers cannot guarantee that the internal temp of frozen food reaches a high enough temperature to prevent food-borne illnesses. The Instant Pot cooks through quickly and we can ensure our meat is cooked to the proper temperature to kill off the bad bacteria.
Variations and Swaps
- Tortillas - Chop up the lettuce and serve wrapped in a tortilla with the turkey and any toppings you desire!
- Salad - Chop up the romaine and serve as a salad with the ground turkey, and any additional veggies such as green onion, bell peppers, and tomatoes
- Options for toping - Add some shredded zucchini or sliced bell peppers to the turkey, or top with fresh bean sprouts for extra veggies
Storage + Meal Prep
This Instant Pot ground turkey recipe works great for meal prep in a few different ways:
- portion out for easy lunches - let cool completely, then store in an airtight container the fridge for up to 4 days (keeping lettuce & filling separate until you serve)
- cook ahead and freeze - for easy dinners! Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer. This recipe can be frozen for up to 3 months
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Instant Pot Asian Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey see note 1
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger finely grated
- 3 tablespoons honey see note 2
- 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce see note 3
- 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 carrot shredded
To serve
- romaine lettuce leaves see note 4
- green onions
Instructions
To cook frozen turkey or beef
- Prepare - Remove frozen ground meat from packaging (running under warm water can help loosen it). Place 1 cup of water into the stainless steel insert of a 6 quart Instant Pot (1 ½ cups for 8 quart). Place trivet over water and frozen meat on the trivet.
- Pressure cook - Set the valve to 'sealing', and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes (see TIP). When the Instant Pot beeps, do a quick pressure release and carefully remove the trivet + meat from the Instant Pot. The meat will only be partially cooked through at this point.
- Sautée - Carefully dump the liquid from the Instant Pot, and add the ground meat to the Instant Pot with the garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.Select 'sauté' and cook, breaking the meat up with a spatula, for 3-5 minutes, until meat is fully cooked through. Use oven mitts to remove the insert from the Instant Pot so it doesn't overcook.
- Serve - Stir in the carrots, then spoon the turkey filling into romaine lettuce leaves to serve. Sprinkle with green onions!
To cook thawed turkey or beef
- Combine - Add the ground meat to an Instant Pot with the garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
- Pressure cook - Put the lid on, set the valve to 'sealing', and pressure cook on high for 2 minutes.When the Instant Pot beeps, do a quick pressure release, and remove the lid.
- Sautée - Select 'sautee' and simmer, breaking the meat up with a spatula, until the sauce has reduced and meat is cooked through (3-5 minutes). It should not be too liquidy, but this will depend on the type of ground meat you use. * see note 1
- Serve - Stir in the carrots, then spoon the turkey filling into romaine lettuce leaves to serve. Sprinkle with green onions!
Tips:
- we used regular ground turkey for this recipe, which is a blend of dark and light meat. Lean ground turkey or ground turkey breast have not been tested and might dry out in this recipe.
- lean ground beef also works with the same cook time. Note: different types of meat will release different amounts of fat in the sauce. If you are using ground beef, expect a fattier sauce. I prefer ground turkey using this method as it does not release much fat at all.
- maple syrup may be swapped. Monkfruit sweetener (2-3 teaspoons) has been used on the stove top version of this recipe, but we can't guarantee the pot will come to pressure properly with this swap.
- Bragg's liquid aminos (lowest carb option), coconut aminos or tamari may be swapped for gluten-free alternatives.
- Other great options for lettuce wraps are butter, iceberg or bib lettuce.
- nutritional information is for ¼ of the batch and excludes lettuce or additional toppings.
Video
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Susan Bork says
Flavors were fairly good but the InstaPot completely burned everything on the bottom.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Susan, sorry to hear. We're wondering if you used frozen turkey? If so, was it in a thick frozen chunk, or a thinner piece?
Jocelyn says
This was so easy to make and delicious. I subbed cole slaw mix for the carrots and used thawed Turkey. This is a definite keeper! My husband and son loved it!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Jocelyn, we're so glad that you both enjoyed this recipe! Another one to add into your meal prep rotation! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review.
Erin says
This was SO good & so easy! Exactly what I was hoping for. Also I love that it starts with frozen ground turkey. I added chopped celery at the end (with the carrots) for a little crunch and served with hoisin sauce & Jasmin rice. Thank you!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Erin, we're so glad that you enjoyed this recipe - isn't it so delicious and easy?! Thank yo so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!
Tatian Greenleaf says
Just a follow up to my earlier comment today to say that it worked great with thawed ground turkey and no water at all. The turkey provided enough liquid during the pressure cooking process. There wasn't really any sauce left after sautéing it but it was still quite tasty. Our family really enjoyed this... my kids asked for seconds and then thirds! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I reduced the garlic to 3 cloves and honey to 2 tbsp. We added chopped peanuts as a topping and also served it with steamed jasmine rice that could be added to the wraps.
Tatian Greenleaf says
From the recipe, it sounds like you pressure cook thawed turkey with just the sauce ingredients and no water. But I thought Instant Pots always need at least 1 cup of water. Do you use the trivet and water with thawed turkey as well? Or just the meat and sauce alone?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Tatian! Yes, you actually don't need to add liquid for ground beef or ground turkey, isn't that cool? I'm glad to hear your family enjoyed the recipe, and appreciate you taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂
Becky says
This is the second thing I have ever cooked in my Instant Pot. It came out great! Easy to follow instructions and the flavor was refreshing from the usual dishes I make. I will definitely put this on my list to make again!
Denise Bustard says
Way to go, Becky! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it, and hope you are loving your Instant Pot! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 🙂
Kim Glover says
I doubled the recipe and it didn’t seem as tasty. Maybe I needed to add a little more spices/sauces. I am not a very good cook so follow the recipe exactly so I don’t what to do if I need to add something else. Maybe some of The good cooks out there know how to adjust the ingredients. Please advise. 🙂
Denise Bustard says
Hi Kim! Oh that's weird!! In theory it should taste the same with double the ingredients, maybe you need to reduce the sauce a bit longer with double the ingredients?
Val says
Can I double this recipe?
Denise says
Hi Val! I think that would work just fine, but I have not personally tried it. Worst case scenario, your beef is not cooked all the way through and you either cook it on high pressure for a few more minutes, or you sautee it for a bit longer. Hope you enjoy!