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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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.
Jess says
This is a really great dish! Easy to make, super flavorful, and healthy. I never used to like lettuce wraps because I always thought they were boring. These ones are awesome. I'll definitely make them again and am checking out other recipes from this site. Thanks!
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Jess, that's so great! Glad you enjoyed, and hope you find lots of other favorites here on Sweet Peas and Saffron! Cheers!
Tiffany A Nelson says
Hi! Can I sub in a different kind of vinegar besides rice vinegar?
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Tiffany, you could but the rice vinegar really helps to add to the Thai flavors of this dish! In a pinch, you could maybe sub apple cider vinegar, though we have not tested it! Please let us know how it turns out if you do try it ๐
Melody says
I made this tonight and it's good! I liked that it's different than anything else I've eaten in a while.
I made the recipe as written except I used 90/10 ground beef (since I don't like ground turkey or chicken). I also added some green peas near the end that I needed to use instead of carrots. I used low carb flour tortillas because I didn't have the lettuce. I think next time I'll try it with cabbage and make it a full meal without the wrap and maybe add some chilis or something. It wasn't quite spicy enough for me. But overall very customizable and tasty. Thank you!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Melody! Thanks so much for reporting back with your modifications and suggestions, that's so helpful! I'm glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback <3
TRACY A TOTTY says
I have pinned hundreds of recipes on Pinterest but only a handful have been really great and this is one of them. Thanks so much for this delicious rand healthy recipe !
Denise Bustard says
Woo hoo! I'm honored to be on your list, Tracy! Thanks so much for reporting back ๐
Madeline says
So so yummy! I make a little more sauce than the recipe calls for just because I really Like sauce. Itโs so easy to make - a great meal prep option in my opinion. Love it!!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Madeline! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the turkey wraps! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come back and leave a review, I really appreciate it <3
Mom of 3 says
What brand of peanut butter do you use?
Denise Bustard says
Hi! I use a variety of brands including Kraft ("only peanuts"), Nuts to You, Blue Label, and Adams. Hope this helps!
Shell mizu says
I canโt find how much paste to use? ๐ค?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Shell! It's listed under 'filling'- 1 tablespoon curry paste.
Rebecca says
Delicious! Super quick and easy recipe to follow. I had some large broccoli stalks and hate to waste them so cut them up fairly small and cooked them with the onions. They have a mild flavour and a slightly different crunch than the peanuts and worked really well. I've been recommending to family and friends. Thanks!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Rebecca! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. Stay safe!
Madison says
This is SO good. Actually one of the best things I have ever eaten. My boyfriend loves it too. Thank you!!
Denise says
Yay! So happy to hear this, Madison! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review <3
Madison says
Coming back to comment, these are in a regular rotation in my house nowadays. Just wanted to add that I threw some riced cauliflower in when cooking the turkey this time and itโs virtually undetectable. A great way to sneak in some more veggies!
Jessica says
The recipe is the best I have ever cooked with ground turkey. Iโm not a big fan of onions so I grated them and cooked with garlic and red curry paste. With extra moisture from onions, it was very flavorful without any spiciness. Thanks for the excellent recipe and I will definitely add it to rotation!
Ashley Fleury says
So the paste didnโt make it spicy at all??
Denise says
Wow, what a huge compliment! So happy you enjoyed, Jessica! Thank you for coming back to leave a review ๐
Hester says
Iโve made these many times since stumbling onto your recipe and I absolutely love them! Iโve tried ground chicken as well and it works out great, have you ever used ground beef? Not sure if it would pare well with the curry.
Thanks!
Denise says
Hi Hester! I'm so happy to hear you've been loving this recipe. Ground beef works great!
Angela says
It was great! Doubled the recipe. Served it with brown rice. Sprinkled with toasted cashews and sesame seeds. Husband loved it. Will definitely make it again. Thanks!
Denise says
Yay! So happy to hear this, Angela! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review ๐
Jenny says
First time making this and it was awesome love the recipe so delicious for lunch with spinach
Denise says
I'm so happy you enjoyed, Jenny! Thanks for reporting back!
Jeanette says
I made this for some guests who had never had Thai food because they were afraid it would be too spicy. I cut the chili past in half for them. They absolutely raved about this dish. They said it was some of the best food they'd ever tasted. That made me happy! Yes, it was delicious. Thanks for the great, easy recipe.
Denise says
Yay! So happy to hear this Jeanette! What an amazing compliment, you and your guests just made my day <3
Jana says
My husband and I really enjoyed this tonight. Thank you. I added fresh ginger to the peanut sauce and topped the wraps with fresh cilantro. I used hot water in the sauce to help the peanut butter soften.
Denise says
Thanks for your review, Jana! Glad you enjoyed it!
Camille says
Yum! Iโm normally not a fan of โblandโ ground turkey but this flavorful recipe is going to be a weekly one for me! I left out the carrots and onion for lower carbs but substituted the whites of the green onion and a little cabbage for extra crunch.
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Camille!
NA says
Unfortunately it was very difficult even getting to the recipe because of all of the very annoying ads EVERYWHERE on your site. Yeah i get you want to have ads, but it's excessive and very annoying!
Denise says
Hi NA I appreciate your feedback, but I think you'll agree that it's better than most media sites these days. There is a 'jump to recipe' button at the top of each post and these recipes are free.
Sharon says
I appreciate your reply. Personally, the fact that people feed the need to reply to a recipe like that and don't use their real name...well, it's excessive and very annoying. Can't wait to try this recipe!
Sharon says
Ooooops.....FEEL not feed! ๐
Denise says
Thank you for your support, Sharon, I really appreciate it! Hope you enjoy the lettuce wraps!
Mamaruh says
This was SO tasty and very easy to make. I used ground chicken because I'm not a fan of turkey. Delish!!
Denise says
I'm so happy you enjoyed! Thanks for reporting back, Mamaruh!
Colleen says
Could not find thai red curry paste for the life of me - substituting it with Korean Sweet & Spicy Hot Pepper Paste.. Not exactly a whiz in the kitchen, wish me luck!!
Denise says
Uh oh, hope it turned out! I have never heard of that paste before!
Lauren says
These were sooooooo good and easy!!! This goes in the permanent rotation. Thank you:-)
Denise says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed, Lauren!
Anna says
I followed the recipe and found my sauce to be extremely thin and after I added to turkey, all I could taste was peanut.
I used organic creamy peanut butter... do you think that could be why??
Any suggestions?
Denise says
Hi Anna! That's strange. My only guess could be due to differences between brands of nut butter. I wish I had a better suggestion.