Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

Growing up, my 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. I thought of her when I turned a package of ground beef into these Asian beef lettuce wraps!

Like my egg roll in a bowl, these beef lettuce wraps are super customizable. Everyone loved filling their lettuce cups with juicy Asian beef, and we gobbled them up. I tamed the spice for the kids, but you can make the beefy filling as mild or as fiery as you’d like.

Why You Should Make Beef Lettuce Wraps for Dinner Tonight

• Low in carbs, big on flavor. These beef lettuce wraps are naturally low-carb and gluten-free. The filling is packed with Asian-style flavors of garlic, ginger, and sesame, inspired by a beef and broccoli stir-fry.
• Clean out the fridge. I love clearing out the veggies in my crisper drawer and using up leftover rice in the filling.
• 30 minute meal. Whip up the beef and rice in 30 minutes for a quick, delicious weeknight dinner. These wraps also make an excellent party appetizer, and you can prep the filling ahead of time.

What You’ll Need

Below is an overview of the ingredients you’ll need to make these Asian beef lettuce wraps. Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe with exact amounts.

• 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 my go-to 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. I often use broccoli in the beef filling, but you can use any that you have in the fridge.
• 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!

The Best Lettuce 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.

How to Make Asian Beef for 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.

• Add rice and veggies. 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 the Lettuce Wraps

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.

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. 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.).
• 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 Thai-style flair.
• Vegetarian lettuce wraps: Use minced tofu or another plant-based alternative to make this recipe as vegetarian or vegan lettuce wraps.

Tips for Success

• 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.

Make It a Meal

Round out an easy Asian-inspired meal of savory beef lettuce wraps with some easy sides:

• Noodles: Serve with spicy sesame noodles or zoodles (zucchini noodles).
• Veggie sides: Try my Asian-inspired vegetable pancakes, or curried butternut squash soup.
• As an appetizer: 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. These gluten-free bao buns go well with the same toppings.
• More snacks: I’ll pair these lettuce wraps with other easy appetizer favorites like Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls and Bang Bang Cauliflower Bites.

More Easy Ground Beef Recipes

• Keto Taco Bowl
• French Onion Stuffed Meatloaf
• Sloppy Joes
• Homemade Beefaroni
• Classic Stuffed Peppers