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Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps are fresh and flavorful for a low-carb lunch or dinner. Fresh vegetables and an amazing Thai-inspired sauce make these easy lettuce wraps so inviting. Paleo, keto, ready in 30 minutes or less!

blue plate of Thai ground turkey lettuce wraps with golden napkin to the side.

This simple yet flavorful recipe for Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps is so tasty that it makes clean eating remarkably enjoyable!

Packed with lean protein, fresh produce, and healthy fats, this energizing nutrient-dense meal is low-carb and plenty delicious to put on repeat every week.

Make it in a big batch for meal prep, or whip it up in less than 30 minutes any time you’re looking for a healthy meal.

The way I see it, high protein recipes like this are ideal for lunches (or dinners) because they are nice and filling and they don’t give you that post-meal blood sugar crash.

This one happens to be gloriously flavorful, making healthy eating a breeze.

Similar to my Cabbage and Sausage Skillet I posted recently, this is a quick and easy chop as you cook recipe. For instance, the carrot can be grated and the cabbage can be sliced while the onion is sautéing and the ground turkey is cooking. 

Let’s talk about the simple ingredients needed to make this quick meal.

Hand holding a lettuce wrap

Ingredients for Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps:

For the Ground Turkey Mixture: Avocado oil, red onion, lean ground turkey, carrot, cabbage, green onions, and cashews. Everything gets cooked together in a large skillet and a lovely sauce is mixed in to bring it all together into a celebration of Thai flavors.

Ground chicken or ground beef or any ground meat you like can easily be used as replacements for ground turkey if you prefer.

For the Sauce: Liquid aminos (or soy sauce or coconut aminos), red curry paste, and peanut butter for a peanut sauce. You can use almond butter or sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter (I usually use sunflower seed butter). You can also add a splash of fish sauce if you have it on hand. 

These Thai lettuce wraps are mild, but for added spice, mix in some red pepper flakes or sriracha.

Butter Leaf Lettuce: The low carb caravan by which we get the Thai ground turkey mixture to our mouths is butter leaf lettuce, or bibb lettuce. In keeping the recipe low-carb and protein-centric, butter leaf lettuce is used in place of tortillas or traditional wraps for a fresh meal that leaves us feeling energetic and light. You can also use any regular crisp lettuce such as romaine lettuce leaves or large iceberg lettuce leaves if you can’t find butter lettuce leaves at your grocery store.

Optional Additions:

Mix up the recipe to your heart’s delight. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of yellow curry powder, red bell peppers, water chestnuts, hoisin sauce, fresh ginger, teriyaki sauce, lime juice, sesame seeds, chili sauce, etc.

Let’s make these healthy turkey lettuce wraps!

Blue plate of three turkey lettuce wraps

How to Make Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps:

Prepare the sauce by stirring the ingredients together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside until ready to use. 

Heat the avocado oil in a large (12-inch) skillet or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.

Scoot the onion off to the sides and place the ground turkey in the middle of the skillet. Allow it to brown for 2 minutes per side before using a spatula to chop it into bite sized pieces.

Stir the grated carrot and sliced cabbage into the ground turkey mixture.

Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir well. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables have reached your desired level of doneness.

Stir in the chopped green onion and cashews (if adding).

Thai Ground turkey filling in a skillet

Wash the butter leaf lettuce well and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place lettuce cups on a plate and fill them with the Thai turkey filling. Enjoy!

Store any leftover Thai Ground Turkey in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

If you love lettuce wraps like this, also try my Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps, Asian Lettuce Wraps, and my Chicken Tzatziki Lettuce Wraps.

That’s it! One of those healthy meals the whole family can enjoy for an easy dinner on busy weeknights.

blue plate of Thai ground turkey lettuce wraps with golden napkin to the side.

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Easy 30-Minute Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps are so easy to make, taste fresh and flavorful and leave you feeling energized.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
10 Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
  • 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced

For the Sauce:

  • 3 tbsp creamy peanut butter*
  • 2 Tbsp liquid aminos or coconut aminos
  • 1 Tbsp red curry paste**
  • 1 tsp fish sauce, optional

For Serving:

  • 1 head butter leaf lettuce
  • 1 bunch green onion, chopped
  • 1/3 cup raw or roasted cashews, optional

Instructions

  • Prepare the sauce by stirring the ingredients together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside until ready to use. 
  • Heat the avocado oil in a large (12-inch) skillet or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
    Onion Sautéing in a skillet
  • Scoot the onion off to the sides and place the ground turkey in the middle of the skillet. Allow it to brown for 2 minutes per side before using a spatula to chop it into bite sized pieces.
    Turkey and onion cooking in a skillet
  • Stir the grated carrot and sliced cabbage into the ground turkey mixture.
    Turkey and veggies cooking in a skillet
  • Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir well. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables have reached your desired level of doneness.
  • Stir in the chopped green onion and cashews (if adding).
    Thai Ground turkey filling in a skillet
  • Wash the butter leaf lettuce well and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place lettuce cups on a plate and fill them with the Thai turkey filling. Enjoy!
    Thai turkey lettuce cups

Notes

*You can also use almond butter or sunflower seed butter
**green curry paste or yellow curry paste work too.
Store any leftover Thai Ground Turkey in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Lettuce Wrap (of 10) - Calories: 132kcal - Carbohydrates: 6g - Protein: 11g - Fat: 7g - Fiber: 2g - Sugar: 3g
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ground turkey lettuce wraps, ground turkey recipes, healthy lettuce wraps, keto dinner recipe, low carb dinner recipes, paleo, summer dinner ideas, summer lunch ideas, Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps, whole30
Servings: 10 Lettuce Wraps
Calories: 132kcal
Author: Julia
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.

collage for Thai turkey lettuce wraps

Recipe Rating




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Beth

Wednesday 26th of July 2023

Is there a sub for the peanut butter? I am not able to currently have sugar.

Julia

Tuesday 1st of August 2023

Hi Beth! You can use unsweetened peanut butter or any unsweetened nut or seed butter such as almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter :) Just be sure the label says unsweetened and that the Ingredients list doesn't include sugar. Hope you enjoy!

Michelle

Saturday 10th of September 2022

Love all your recipes!! For this one, does the nutrition count for the optional Cashews? Thank you!

Julia

Monday 12th of September 2022

Hi Michelle! So happy you enjoy my recipes! The nutrition facts do not include the cashews :) Let me know if you have any other questions! xo

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