Thai Lettuce Wraps
These Low carb and Whole30 Thai Lettuce Wraps are made with ground beef and served with Coconut Cauliflower Rice and topped with cashews and avocados for a full meal that completely fits the Whole30 template.
Thai Lettuce Wraps Recipe
Ground beef is incredibly budget friendly, and a great protein to use for budget friendly Whole30 dinner recipes. It’s also super versatile, so whether you’re craving Italian or Thai, it just works!
This recipe for Whole30 thai lettuce wraps is made with grass-fed beef and is so tasty. I pair it with coconut cauliflower rice for a budget-friendly, kid-friendly, paleo & gluten free meal. Plus it’s super fast to put together, so it’s basically just the best weeknight dinner ever.
I’ve been making this healthy meal about once a month for years, and I still get so excited every time it’s on the menu! With just the perfect balance of heat and a burst of flavor from the Yai’s Thai Chili Garlic Sauce (it’s Whole30 Approved), it totally shakes things up and fends off food boredom — my biggest struggle during rounds of Whole30.
I honestly can’t wait for you to try the coconut cauliflower rice that I make for these lettuce wraps too! It’s really tasty — I also make it for my Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers and serve it with my General Tso’s Shrimp, too! Every part of these Thai lettuce wrap is just so yummy!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
This is an easy recipe to love! Make this main dish whenever you’re craving something a little bit different with a whole lot of flavor:
- While there are a lot of steps to these Thai lettuce wraps, you can have them on the table in just 30 minutes. It’s a really quick recipe!
- This dish may be Whole30, but it lacks nothing in the flavor department. Plus, it’s really original and exciting — a fun change from your typical ground beef recipes.
- These are great for meal prep! Make each element and store them separately. Then build your wraps whenever you’re ready to eat.
Ingredients
You can find most of these ingredients in the grocery store! No need to make a special trip or order some obscure ingredient:
Thai Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps
- ground beef
- head of butter lettuce or bibb lettuce
- avocado
- raw, unsalted cashews
- lime, sliced
Skillet Sauce
- sesame oil
- minced garlic
- coconut aminos
- freshly grated ginger
- chili garlic sauce
- sliced green onion
- salt and pepper
Coconut Cauliflower Rice
- head cauliflower or bag of frozen riced cauliflower
- dried coconut flakes unsweetened
- salt
- lime juice
- lime zest
Substitutions and Variations
Top the lettuce wraps with your favorite toppings — avocado, tomato slices, sesame seeds, diced red onion, fresh cilantro, other fresh herbs, whatever you like! You can even thinly slice some fresh veggies like red bell pepper or carrots for these wraps.
Make a Thai chicken filling by using ground chicken instead of ground beef. Ground turkey is also a good, lean swap!
You can sub hot sauce for the chili garlic sauce. Or use a dash of fish sauce if you’d prefer to eat this recipe without the spicy kick.
How to Make Thai Lettuce Wraps
I know the steps for this recipe may seems daunting, but trust me when I say that it’s super easy! there’s just multiple parts to make before you build the wraps. It’s key to having the best fresh flavor that you can have. Here’s what you need to do:
Prepare the Sauce
Mince the garlic and then grate the ginger. Whisk the sauce ingredients together with the sesame oil, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, chili sauce, and seasonings. Set the lettuce wrap sauce aside to use later.
Cook the Thai Beef
In a large pan over medium heat, brown the meat until it’s no longer pink, breaking it apart as it cooks. Drain any excess grease.
Pour the previously prepared sauce mixture over the beef and then cook it together, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes.
While the beef is cooking, slice the green onions. Then just before it’s done cooking, stir them into the beef.
Cook the Coconut Cauliflower Rice
If you are using fresh cauliflower, just wash the head of cauliflower and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. In batches, add them to your food processor or blender and pulse until they break down to the consistency of rice. Lay the cauliflower on a large tea towel and squeeze out any extra moisture over the sink or a bowl.
For frozen cauliflower rice, sauté it for 7-8 minutes in a medium pan with 2 tsp olive oil, until cooked through and heated but not yet browning.
Add the coconut flakes to the blender and pulse until broken down a bit smaller than grain-sized.
Then add the coconut and cauliflower to a pan and sauté over medium heat until the coconut begins to toast, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the salt, zest, and lime juice.
Assemble the Wraps & Serve
Wash and dry the lettuce well and then slice the lime and avocado. Roughly chop the cashews and set aside.
Spoon the beef and cauliflower rice inside lettuce wraps and serve with avocado, a slice of lime, and cilantro, then sprinkle with chopped cashews.
Serve and enjoy!
How to Store Thai Lettuce Wraps
For best results, store all of the components separately. Store the ground beef in one airtight container, the coconut cauliflower rice in another, and the lettuce in another. Everything will store well in the fridge for 3-4 days. The beef and cauliflower rice can also be frozen for 2-3 months in a freezer safe container.
What to Serve with Thai Lettuce Wraps
Add some extra veggies to you meal and serve these Thai ground beef wraps with sides like air fryer roasted carrots or purple cabbage and carrot slaw. These would also pair so well with a glass of cold pineapple ginger juice.
A quick tomato salad with avocado and basil could be really tasty with this dish as well. I love to make peanut sauce to dunk these in too!
Tips for Success
Follow these few tips to ensure the best results for your Thai lettuce wraps:
- Don’t overfill your lettuce wraps or they’ll be difficult to eat and you’ll lose a lot of filling along the way! If you can close up the lettuce wrap, then you’re good to go.
- If you’ve got little kids or you don’t like things spicy, just portion out a bit of beef before you mix in the chili garlic sauce. Or leave it off completely and drizzle as much or as little as desired right on top of the wraps.
- Keep the lettuce cold for best results! This helps ensure crunchy lettuce that will add a nice texture to these wraps.
FAQ
Butter lettuce and bibb lettuce both work best for wraps. These types of lettuce are sturdy, but malleable enough to fold into a wrap.
Depending on what you fill them with, lettuce wraps can be very healthy. They’re a great low-carb option to use for your favorite wrap recipes.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- 3 Easy Keto Ground Beef Recipes
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Stuffed Sausage
Thai Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
Thai Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps
- 1 lb ground beef or sub ground turkey or chicken
- 1 head butter or bibb lettuce
- 2 cups cauliflower rice I use store-bought frozen
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 1 lime sliced
Skillet Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1.5 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (I used Yai’s Thai) or sub hot sauce with a dash of fish sauce
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- salt and pepper to taste
Coconut Cauliflower Rice
- 1 head cauliflower or 1 bag frozen riced cauliflower
- 3/4 cup dried coconut flakes unsweetened
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoons lime zest
Instructions
Prepare the Sauce
- Mince the garlic and grate the ginger. Whisk them together with the sesame oil, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, chili sauce, and seasonings. Set the sauce aside.
Cook the Thai Beef
- In a large pan over medium heat, brown the meat until it's no longer pink, breaking it apart as it cooks for about 5 minutes. Drain any excess grease (optional).
- Pour the prepared sauce over the beef and cook it together, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes.
- While the beef is cooking, slice the green onions. Just before it's done cooking, stir them into the beef.
Cook the Coconut Cauliflower Rice
- For FRESH CAULIFLOWER: Wash the cauliflower and cut into bite-sized pieces. In batches, add them to your food processor or blender and pulse until they break down to the consistency of rice. Lay the cauliflower on a large tea towel and squeeze out any extra moisture over the sink or a bowl.
- For FROZEN RICED CAULIFLOWER: Sauté it for 7-8 minutes in a medium pan with 2 tsp olive oil, until cooked through and heated but not yet browning.
- Add the coconut flakes alone to the blender and pulse until broken down a bit smaller than grain-sized.
- Add the coconut and cauliflower to a pan and sautee over medium heat until the coconut begins to toast, 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the salt, zest, and lime juice.
Assemble the Wraps & Serve
- Wash and dry the lettuce. Slice the lime and avocado. Roughly chop the cashews.
- Spoon the beef and cauliflower rice inside lettuce wraps and serve with avocado, a slice of lime, and cilantro, then sprinkle with chopped cashews.
