Simple and so flavorful, these Thai turkey lettuce wraps have a tangy and slightly spicy peanut sauce. Spoon the filling into crisp romaine lettuce leaves for an easy and lower in carbs dinner option.
Lettuce wraps are deliciously refreshing; I love the contrast between the heavier filling and the light, crunchy lettuce leaf. From BBQ chicken lettuce wraps to Korean-inspired lettuce wraps to this Thai version, there are tons of options to mix things up!
This recipe tosses ground turkey in a Thai-inspired peanut sauce to infuse a ton of flavor into the meat; spoon it into romaine leaves for that crunch factor. This meal is simple, easy to prep ahead and reheat, and is a reader favorite!
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Reasons you'll โก this recipe
- the Thai red curry paste and peanut sauce create bold flavors
- the contrast between the crisp romaine and ground turkey filling works well together
- you can prep the filling ahead and store in the fridge or freezer for later
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped my lettuce wraps. Itโs so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Ingredient notes
- ground turkey- you can use any type of ground meat for this recipe; lean ground beef makes an excellent alternative
- peanut butter- look for all natural peanut butter (the only ingredients should be peanuts and maybe salt). If your peanut butter is thick or drying out, you may need to add some water to thin your sauce out. If you need a peanut-free option, consider using all natural almond butter.
- Thai red curry paste- brands I love include Thai Kitchen, Cock brand and Mae Ploy
- lettuce- we love using romaine leaves for lettuce wraps as the crunch factor is so good! You could also use butter lettuce leaves.
Step by step directions
1. Mix up peanut sauce- In a small jar or salad dressing shaker, add the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sesame oil and lime juice. Shake it up until smooth.
2. Cook the filling- (1) Heat oil in a large pan and add the onions, garlic and Thai red curry paste. Stir until red curry paste is heated through and mixed in evenly with the onions (2-3 minutes).
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(2) Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, for 5-7 minutes, until no pink remains and the turkey is cooked through.
(3) Stir in the shredded carrots.
3. Add sauce to filling- Pour the peanut sauce evenly over the cooked filling, and toss until everything is evenly coated. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Serve- Spoon the filling into romaine lettuce leaves, and enjoy!
FAQ
Butter lettuce is the most popular option for lettuce wraps, but personally I prefer romaine leaves as they add great crunch and texture to your wraps. Iceberg lettuce is another variety you could use.
Carefully wash your lettuce by soaking in cold water, then dry it gently so you don't tear the leaves.
Not long; once the liquid from the filling comes in contact with the lettuce leaves, you need to eat them pretty quickly. You can make the filling for this recipe ahead of time and store separately from the lettuce leaves.
Meal prep & storage
While the lettuce wraps must be served quickly after adding the filling to the lettuce leaf, you can prep the filling ahead and store in the fridge or freezer:
- fridge- store in an air tight container for up to 4 days.
- freezer- store in an air tight container for up to 3 months.
- reheating- heat individual portions in the microwave until steaming hot; heat larger portions in a frying pan over medium heat until steaming hot
Recipe variations
- Chop up the lettuce and serve wrapped in a tortilla with the Thai ground turkey
- Chop up the romaine and serve as a salad with the Thai ground turkey, plus some additional veggies
- Add some shredded zucchini or sliced bell peppers to the turkey, or top with fresh bean sprouts for extra veggies
More ground turkey recipes
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
Sauce
- ยผ cup peanut butter all natural
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce see note 1
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water see note 2
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste see note 3
- 1 lb lean ground turkey see note 4
- 1 cup carrots shredded
To serve
- romaine lettuce leaves
- green onions to garnish
- peanuts to garnish
Instructions
- Mix up peanut sauce-ย In a small jar orย salad dressing shaker, add the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sesame oil and lime juice. Shake it up until smooth.
- Cook the aromatics-ย (1) Heat oil in a large pan and add the onions, garlic and Thai red curry paste. Stir until red curry paste is heated through and mixed in evenly with the onions (2-3 minutes).
- Turkey- Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, for 5-7 minutes, until no pink remains and the turkey is cooked through.
- Carrots & sauce- Stir in the shredded carrots, then the peanut sauce. Stir to combine. Toss until everything is evenly coated, then set aside to cool slightly.
- Serve- Spoon the filling into romaine lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with green onions and/or peanuts, and enjoy!
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Tips:
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.
Robyn says
Has anyone tried this with regular peanut butter? Thatโs all I have ??โโ๏ธ But I want to try it tonight!! Looks amazing.
Denise says
I bet it would work! It might be a bit sweeter, and you might need to play around with the water to get the right consistency. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Robyn Kackley says
I was able to use the regular! I microwaved for the initial combining, then added more water as needed. Thank you so much - it was awesome!!
Denise says
Yay! Glad to hear that! Thanks for reporting back, Robyn!
Ksre says
Delicious. I didnโt have curry paste so added 1 tsp roasted red chili paste and 1/2 tsp sweet curry powder. Used over chopped lettuce with red pepper slices. The left overs get served with zucchini and more red pepper slices.
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice review ๐
Brooke says
Any chance the peanut sauce can be me made ahead and frozen to use in future when you donโt have as much time? Not a big fan of freezing precooked turkey but would be nice to cut down on time by having the sauce ready
Denise Bustard says
Hi Brooke! I haven't tried freezing it, but all the ingredients are freezer-friendly. I think that would work just fine!
Darby says
I know that this might change the recipe completely, but I'm not a big fan of peanut sauces/peanut butter in food. Is there any substitution that you can think of that I can use to replace the peanut butter? Otherwise it looks like a wonderful recipe and I can't wait to try it!
Denise says
How about almond butter or tahini?
ali says
These are AMAZING! Will add to our meal rotation. Thank you!
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for your comment, Ali ๐
Kari says
These are amazing! I will probably make these for the rest of my life. LOL
Denise says
SO happy you enjoyed them, Kari!
Laurence says
I was looking for a recipe like this for years!! My grandpa used to have a similar one and is just taste the same! Thanks a lot!
Denise says
So happy you liked it!
Sarah Diduca says
Hi this recipe looks so good!!
Cant wait to make. So a serving is 1/4 cup of turkey mixture for the 264 calories or half a cup?
Denise says
So sorry about that, Sarah! I'm having issues with my recipe card plugin deleting serving sizes :/ Take 1/6 of the turkey mixture and stuff it in as many lettuce wraps as you'd like...normally 2-3 wraps ๐
Nikki says
How many wraps in one serving?
Denise says
Sorry about that Nikki! It's 2-3 wraps per serving, but it will really depend on the size of your lettuce wrap.
Kim says
This meal was so delicious! I think I could eat it every day for a month! I made it exactly as presented.
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear that, Kim! Thanks so much for reporting back ๐
Sydney says
Meal prepped this for the week and I wanted to eat it all right then instead of saving it! So good! I used an immersion blender to get the sauce combined and it worked like a charm. Can't wait to eat it this week!
Denise says
So happy you liked it, Sydney! Thanks so much for reporting back ๐
Jessica says
I found Thai kitchen roasted red chili paste and green curry paste but not red curry paste. Can I use one of these to substitute?
Denise says
Hmmm...I'm not sure I've ever tried the chili paste. I don't think they are the same thing. Can you find an Indian curry paste? That might be more similar?
Caitlin Case says
This was amazing! So good! Thank you!
Denise says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it, Caitlin!
Sari says
Hi Denise - I'm trying to cut down on my salt and I used natural peanut butter and the sauce now seems extremely salty. Also in order to get the consistency that you have in the picture, I had to use 1/2 cup of PB. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!
Denise says
Hi Sari, I'm not really sure how to answer your question...was there added salt in your peanut butter? I used natural peanut butter with just peanuts, no salt. The added saltiness may also come from your curry paste? I use Thai Kitchen brand curry paste. If your peanut butter was on the dry side, it may be that you need to add some water to your PB to loosen it up? That's what I sometimes do when I get to the bottom of the jar and it starts to get a bit dry. I"m really not sure if this helps as I've only made this as written and have never had those issues.
Keith says
Just made this recipe for the first time. Not an experienced cook but it tastes good! Im relieved i dont have to think about lunch this week.
Denise says
So glad you enjoyed it, Keith! Isn't it great not having to worry about lunches?
Irene says
Hi ,
I made this recipe. It was delicious. I have a question about the sauce. How do you get the peanut butter to soften?
Thanks,
Irene
Denise says
Hi Irene! I've found putting the PB in the microwave can help soften it...normally 10 seconds or so does the trick ๐
Veeda says
Found this randomly and ended up having all the ingredients in the fridge except the turkey! I'm usually not a fan of turkey but this recipe made it juicy and not dry at all. My husband loved it! We made a side of sticky jasmine rice.
Denise says
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Veeda!
Lesley says
These were delish! I made the recipe exactly as written and then added in a bit of cooked quinoa to the lettuce wraps as well. Served with a side of roasted asparagus for dinner. Although my 6-year old son was skeptical at first, he wound up surprising himself and really enjoyed them. We had plenty leftover for lunch to take to work the next day (as a salad rather than wraps for ease of eating!). Thanks for the great recipe. Will definitely make again!
Denise says
I'm so happy you enjoyed them, Lesley! Love your modifications. Thanks for reporting back ๐
Bridget says
Tried these today ... DEE-lish!! Made recipe exactly as written (except I used ground chicken instead of turkey) ... perfection and so easy to put together !! Will make GREAT lunches!! Thanks!!
Denise says
Awesome, I'm so happy you enjoyed them, Bridget!
Karin says
Looks delish! Do you have the protein grams available? I don't see it in the nutritional information.
Denise says
That's so strange, I must have accidentally deleted the protein info. It's 20g per serving ๐
Karin says
Thank you!
marci says
Congrats on being able to eat normal food! I love that you gave ground turkey a thai twist -- these lettuce wraps look so fresh and flavorful! Can't wait to try them.
Denise says
Thanks Marcie, it's so nice to be able to eat good healthy food again ๐