November 6, 2022

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

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Make these crunchy, spicy, and colorful tofu lettuce wraps as an appetizer or light main dish. Fill romaine leaves with fresh veggies, brown rice, baked tofu, and spicy peanut sauce; then watch them disappear. Updated 11/6/2022

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About Tofu Lettuce Wraps

You can find tofu lettuce wraps in lots of Asian restaurants, but they’re easy to make at home. What makes lettuce wraps so popular? The short answer is they’re delicious. The long answer is they combine lots of flavors, colors, and textures into one appetizing dish. They have a savory filling, a slightly sweet sauce, crunchy carrots, and cucumbers, all wrapped in a fresh lettuce leaf. If you’re a fan of fresh cilantro, snip some leaves of that on top of everything.

Another great thing about tofu lettuce wraps is that they’re good for you. These healthy vegetarian lettuce wraps combine tofu, peanut sauce, and brown rice, all of which provide protein. Fresh veggies and lettuce are full of vitamins and nutrients. So dig into these guilt-free wraps.

Ingredients to make Ahead of Time

These items take some time to prepare, so have these ready before you make your lettuce wraps:

Baked tofu — Look for it in the produce section. Some grocery stores carry it, but it’s not hard to make. Go here for the recipe.
Spicy peanut sauce — You can find this in the Asian section of your grocery store, but it’s easy to make. Go here for the recipe.
Brown rice — Follow the package directions to make this ahead of time.

Fresh Ingredients

Romaine lettuce — Wash 4-6 large leaves. You can also use butter lettuce.
Carrots — Use matchstick carrots to make it easy.
Cucumber — Slice these thin for color and texture.
Mung bean sprouts — These are optional, but they add extra protein and flavor.
Cilantro — If you’re a fan of cilantro, sprinkle on some shredded pieces.

Making Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Step 1: Prepare Ingredients

Make the rice, baked tofu, and spicy peanut sauce ahead of time.
Cut an average-sized cucumber in half and peel the half you’re going to use.
Slice the peeled cucumber into thin strips.
Slice the carrots or use prepared matchstick carrots.

Step 2: Prepare the Filling

Put the cooked brown rice and the chopped baked tofu in a non-stick skillet.
Stir these ingredients on medium heat until warm.
Transfer the brown rice and tofu pieces to a mixing bowl
Fold in the spicy peanut sauce.

Step 3: Add the filling and Veggies to the Lettuce

Put out everything you’ll need and start assembling the tofu lettuce wraps.
Start by adding a dollop of the rice, tofu, and spicy peanut sauce mixture onto each lettuce leaf.
Add the shredded carrots, cucumber strips, and the optional bean sprouts and cilantro.

Eat and Enjoy!

Fold up these tofu lettuce wraps and eat them by hand. Dribble on a little extra spicy peanut sauce and a dab of sriracha to taste. Be sure to have more spicy peanut sauce and sriracha sauce on the table.

Tofu Lettuce Wrap Variations

Freshly sprouted mung beans add flavor and protein. If you’re not in the habit of sprouting your own beans, look for them in the produce section of the grocery store.

You can use butter lettuce instead of romaine lettuce. In the photo below, we used mung beans on butter lettuce when we made our tofu lettuce wraps. We omitted the cucumber. The great thing about this recipe is that you can alter it to your own tastes. Go here for more info on mung bean sprouts.