Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

5 from 3 votes

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By: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale ChipsPublished: Mar 7, 2023Updated: Jul 5, 2023

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Fresh and easy Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps are one of my family’s favorite recipes, made from spicy ground beef and broccoli. Less than thirty minutes and basic ingredients are all that’s needed for this healthy dinner idea (or fun appetizer) with bold Asian flavors!

Two Asian beef lettuce wraps on a countertop next to a third lettuce wrap on a white plate.

Table of Contents

Easy Beef and Broccoli Lettuce Wraps
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
What You’ll Need
How to Make Asian Lettuce Wraps
Tips for Success
Toppings and Variations
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Can I Freeze Leftover Ground Beef?
Make It a Meal
Get the Recipe

Easy Beef and Broccoli Lettuce Wraps

Growing up, my mom had staple recipes that used ingredients we always seemed to have around – canned potatoes or veggies, cream of whatever soup. You know, those gourmet classics from the 1980s! And one thing we always, ALWAYS had in our fridge or freezer was ground beef.

Mom never ran out of ways to use ground beef. Whether it was Ground Beef Tacos, Meatballs, or Shepherd’s Pie, sometimes she had a plan, and other times she improvised.

Well, I guess mom taught me well. Recently, in a moment of desperation and with a fridge full of odds and ends, out came this Asian lettuce wraps recipe.

Like my Egg Roll in a Bowl, these lettuce wraps are made with ground beef for a light and easy meal that we can endlessly customize. We gobbled them up, and even the kids got into filling their lettuce cups with juicy Asian beef.

Overhead view of an Asian lettuce wrap on a plate next to a bowl of julienne carrots.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Here’s why these beefy lettuce wraps are almost guaranteed to become your new go-to meal:

Fresh and flavorful. Prepare to drool over the savory, spicy, meaty flavors of the Asian beef in this recipe. Paired with the fresh lettuce crunch? So good.
Healthy and low-carb. Lean ground beef and nutrient-rich broccoli make this one of my family’s favorite healthy meals. This Asian lettuce wrap recipe is light while being super satisfying, and made with healthy ingredients.
Easy to make. It takes under half an hour to make these simple yet nutritious and delicious lettuce wraps.
Uses up leftovers. If you have a bit of rice leftover form another meal, you can use it up, as well as any veggies. I often use broccoli, but you can use any that you have in the fridge.

An Asian beef and broccoli lettuce wrap on a countertop.

What You’ll Need

Asian Beef and Broccoli Lettuce Wraps are a staple in our house because not only do my boys love them, but I pretty much always have all of the ingredients in my kitchen. It’s also super easy to switch things up when I have other ingredients on hand!

Below is an overview of the basic ingredients, with the full amounts available in the recipe card:

Oil: You’ll need coconut oil or vegetable oil for sautéing the filling ingredients.
Scallions: Or any kind of onion, sliced thinly. With scallions or spring onions, I use the white portion in the beef filling and save the green slices for a garnish.
Garlic and Ginger: Fresh aromatics that bring Asian flavor to the ground beef in this recipe, along with Crushed Red Pepper Flakes.
Ground Beef: I prefer to use leaner ground beef as it has just enough fat to make it flavorful, but not so much as to make the beef extra greasy.
Rice: I include cooked white rice or brown rice to bulk up the beef filling. My rice cooker doesn’t do well with making small batches, so these Asian lettuce wraps are a great way to use up leftover rice!
Broccoli: Make sure that you cook your broccoli beforehand. You can steam it or sauté it, or use leftover Roasted Broccoli or Air Fryer Broccoli if you have it. Chop it up into small florets.
Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil: For that signature umami, Asian-style flavor. If you’re making your lettuce wraps gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
Lettuce Leaves: Pick up a head of sturdy lettuce from the store (see below) and separate the leaves to make lettuce “cups”.
Carrots: I love to use julienne carrots to garnish my Asian lettuce wraps. See further on for more delicious garnish and topping ideas!

What Lettuce Is Best for Wraps?

The best lettuce for these wraps is a sturdy variety, like Boston, iceberg, gem, bibb, or romaine lettuce. These leaves hold up well when filled, and they won’t wilt or break. Cabbage leaves are another good option.

The ingredients for Asian beef lettuce wraps.

How to Make Asian Lettuce Wraps

These Asian lettuce wraps are a flavorful dinner or gluten-free appetizer that takes less than thirty minutes to whip up. Here’s how to prepare the spicy beef filling:

Cook the Onion: First, sauté the scallion in a skillet with oil, then stir in the garlic and ginger.
Add Beef: Next, add the ground beef to the pan, along with the red pepper. Season with salt and pepper, and use a wooden spoon to break up the beef as it cooks. Don’t forget to drain the excess grease once the beef is browned.

Scallions sauteing with garlic and ginger in a skillet with a wooden stirring spoon.

Ground beef is added to a skillet with sauted scallions.

Add Rice and Broccoli: Finally, stir in the rice as well as the broccoli florets to cook through. Sprinkle in some soy sauce, then cook the beef mixture for a bit longer, until the rice crisps up.
Serve: Spoon your Asian beef into lettuce cups, garnish with green onions, and top them with julienne carrots. Then, dig in! See below for more easy variations and lettuce wrap topping ideas.

Cooked rice and broccoli added to a skillet with ground beef.

Asian beef combined with broccoli and rice in a skillet with a wooden spoon.

Tips for Success

Here are some helpful tips for making the juiciest, most flavorful Asian beef lettuce wraps:

Use high-quality beef. Ground beef is the main component of this recipe, so make it count. Quality meat will have better flavor for the best beef lettuce wraps. Good choices to look for are ground sirloin or ground round (or ask your local butcher).
Don’t overcook the meat. Overcooking the beef can make it dry, so make sure to keep an eye on it while it cooks.
Go easy on the soy sauce. It’s always easier to add than to take away! Add the soy sauce to the beef a little at a time, to avoid a sodium overload.

An Asian beef and broccoli lettuce wrap on a white plate.

Toppings and Variations

The beauty of these Asian lettuce wraps is that you can add any leftover veggies you have on hand to the filling, or even thaw a frozen stir fry mix. You can change up the spices and flavors to suit. The same goes for toppings! There are so many possibilities.

Try these other tasty toppings and lettuce wrap variation ideas:

More Veggies: Top your wraps with sliced red onions, shredded cabbage, or radishes. Or swap the broccoli for sauteed mushrooms or zucchini or roasted cauliflower.
Substitute Rice: Swap out the rice with quinoa. Or, add cauliflower rice or additional diced veggies (carrots, more broccoli, etc.) if you’re looking for a lower-carb option.
Add Sauce: Drizzle your lettuce wraps with homemade Gluten-Free Teriyaki Sauce or Bang Bang Sauce.
Herbs: Add herbs like Thai basil, tarragon, and chili flakes into the beef mixture, or sprinkle them over top of the wraps once they’re assembled.
Chicken Lettuce Wraps: In place of ground beef, use ground chicken or ground turkey meat to make chicken or turkey lettuce wraps. (Or, try my Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps!)
Thai Lettuce Wraps: Add lemongrass, chili, a drizzle of Peanut Sauce, and a squeeze of lime to give these Asian beef lettuce wraps a Thai-style flair.
Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps: Use minced tofu or another plant-based alternative to make this recipe as vegetarian or vegan lettuce wraps.

Overhead view of three assembled Asian lettuce wraps surrounded by wrap ingredients.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate any leftover ground beef and rice mixture within 2 hours from when it was cooked. Store the beef airtight and reheat it within a day or two. Leftover lettuce cups can also be refrigerated and used within a couple of days.

To reheat the beef, either warm it in the microwave or return it to a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring often until it’s hot throughout.

Can I Freeze Leftover Ground Beef?

Yes! The ground beef mixture can be prepared ahead and frozen. Simply store it in an airtight, freezer-safe bag or container, and keep it frozen for up to 3-4 months. Defrost the beef in the fridge overnight before reheating and serving.

Two Asian beef lettuce wraps on a countertop next to a third lettuce wrap on a white plate, surrounded by wrap ingredients.

Make It a Meal

Round out an easy Asian-inspired meal of savory beef lettuce wraps with a side of Spicy Sesame Noodles, Gluten-Free Vegetable Pancakes, or Curried Butternut Squash Soup.

If I’m entertaining, I’ll set out a big bowl of Asian beef mixture alongside lettuce cups, various sauces, and garnishes (see the section above for ideas) for a fun DIY party appetizer along with Gluten Free Bao Buns that go well with the same toppings. I’ll pair these lettuce wraps with other easy appetizer favorites like Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls and Bang Bang Cauliflower Bites.

5 from 3 votes