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!
This recipe came about when I found myself in a familiar place: 5 pm, with nothing thawed, and hungry kids. Instant Pot to the rescue (yet again)!
This Instant Pot ground turkey lettuce wraps recipe is very similar to these Korean Turkey Meal Prep Bowls, but I’ve cooked them in the Instant Pot, added some carrots, and wrapped them up in crunchy romaine lettuce.
There are so many things to love about this recipe, but my favorite is the fact that you can have a frozen block of ground turkey and still get dinner on the table in 25 minutes. Isn’t that amazing?!
Reasons to love these Instant ground turkey lettuce wraps
- you can cook from fresh or frozen
- you can use ground turkey or ground beef
- it’s kid-friendly
- it’s lower carb, gluten-free and paleo-friendly
How to cook this ground turkey Instant Pot recipe from frozen
I have tried cooking ground turkey Instant Pot recipes from frozen completely through, and was disappointed by tough, chewy meat.
Instead of cooking all the way through, we cook *partly* through, and finish the turkey by simmering in a delicious sweet/savory sauce.
- place 1 cup of water in the Instant Pot (1.5 cups for 8 quart), and place trivet on top
- place frozen turkey or beef on top of trivet
- pressure cook for 5 minutes
- once cooked, do a quick pressure release
- carefully remove the turkey/beef on the trivet, then dump out the water
- return the turkey to the pot with all the sauce ingredients.
- select ‘sautee’ and cook for 3-5 minutes (breaking meat up with a spatula), until everything is cooked through
Tada! Dinner on the table in 25 minutes (probably less).
Wait…can I cook these Instant Pot Asian lettuce wraps with thawed meat? Yes you can. Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot, and cook on high pressure for 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.
Does ground beef work in this Instant Pot Asian lettuce wraps recipe? Yes! Same cook time.
Can I make this keto? I have tested this recipe swapping the honey for 2-3 teaspoons of monk fruit sweetener when cooking on the stove top, and it was great. I am not sure if this change in liquid would affect the Instant Pot coming to pressure or not if cooking with thawed meat, so do this at your own risk. You can also probably save a few carbs by swapping the soy sauce for Bragg’s liquid aminos.
Can I use this recipe for meal prep? Yes! This works for meal prep in a few different ways:
- portion out for easy lunches (keep lettuce & filling separate until you serve)
- cook ahead and freeze for easy dinners
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this recipe. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Tips & equipment for Instant Pot Asian lettuce wraps
- I tested this recipe in both a 6 Instant Pot and an 8 quart Instant Pot
- you can use either ground turkey or ground beef
- looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out this Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala, Moroccan Instant Pot Lentils, and Instant Pot Cajun Rice & Sausage.
Instant Pot Asian Lettuce Wraps
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (finely grated)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 carrot (shredded)
To serve
- romaine lettuce leaves
- green onions
Instructions
To cook frozen turkey or beef
- Remove frozen ground meat from packaging (running under warm water can help loosen it).
- Place 1 cup of water into a 6 quart Instant Pot (1 1/2 cups for 8 quart). Place trivet over water and frozen meat on the trivet.
- Set the valve to 'sealing', and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot beeps, do a quick pressure release and carefully remove the trivet + meat from the Instant Pot. *It will only be partly cooked through at this point*
- 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 'sautee' and cook, breaking the meat up with a spatula, for 3-5 minutes, until meat is fully cooked through.
- Stir in the carrots and serve.
To cook thawed turkey or beef
- Add the ground meat to an Instant Pot with the garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper.
- 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.
- 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 *
- Stir in the carrots and serve.
To serve
- Spoon filling into romaine lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with green onions.
Storage
- The filling may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
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