30-minute Beef Lettuce Wraps with coconut-lime jasmine rice, veggies, and quick “pickled” shallots.
Pair these wraps with an easy cucumber salad or Panzanella salad.
The Best Beef Lettuce Wraps
I’ve been on a serious lettuce wrap kick lately—Turkey, Buffalo Chicken, Asian Chicken, and Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps. So I was a little shocked I hadn’t tried a PF Chang’s-style Beef Lettuce Wrap yet.
After some experimenting, I finally nailed it. And honestly? It might even be better than the original. This one’s definitely earning a spot in my regular dinner rotation!
Ingredients
- Rice: I use coconut-lime rice as a base for our lettuce wraps for a flavorful yet balanced meal, cooking the rice in coconut milk for added flavor.
- Beef: I cook ground beef with garlic, ginger, carrot, and green onion, then mix in a simple, homemade sauce for a delicious filling.
- Lettuce: Butter lettuce for wrapping the Beef Lettuce Wraps.
- Toppings: The wraps are completed with quick pickled shallots, crushed nuts, and fresh herbs (cilantro and green onion) atop the rice and saucy beef.
How To Make Beef Lettuce Wraps
- Cook ground beef: with garlic, ginger, carrots, and green onions.
- Prepare a sauce: with simple ingredients and mix it into the cooked beef.
- Lay the beef mixture: on lettuce leaves.
- Add toppings: like pickled shallots, nuts, and herbs.
- Serve and enjoy!
Storage
Can You Make Lettuce Wraps Ahead of Time?
- Yes, you can make lettuce wraps ahead of time. Prepare the beef filling and sauce, and store them in the refrigerator. Just before serving, reheat the beef and assemble the wraps with fresh lettuce and toppings. This method keeps everything fresh and tasty.
- To freeze leftovers: Freeze cooked beef filling and sauce separately. Do not freeze lettuce and toppings; prepare fresh. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat before serving.
Quick Tip
Which Lettuce Is Best For Wraps? Iceberg, green leaf, and butter lettuce (Boston or Bibb) are most commonly used for wraps. Iceberg is crisp and favored for Asian-style wraps, but it can break easily. Butter lettuce is my personal favorite due to its flavorful, crisp nature and ease of rolling.
More 30-Minute Dinner Recipes
Beef Lettuce Wraps
These easy 30-minute Beef Lettuce Wraps are packed with flavor! Juicy beef, coconut-lime rice, fresh veggies, and quick “pickled” shallots come together for a delicious meal you can whip up in no time.
Equipment
- Large pan nonstick
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup jasmine rice
- 1 (15-ounce) can lite coconut milk
- Salt and pepper
- 2 to 3 juicy limes divided
- 1 small shallot cut into thin rings
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 head Boston lettuce
- 1 large carrot diced, heaping 1/2 cup
- 2 to 3 green onions divided
- 1 pound lean ground beef (93/7)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1-1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon beef stock or broth, divided
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar lightly packed
- Serving suggestions see note 1
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine rice, coconut milk, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until milk is fully absorbed, 10–15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rice stand (still covered) 10 minutes or until everything else is ready to eat. Fluff rice with a fork; stir in 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice. Thinly slice shallot into rings, place in a small bowl, and add rice vinegar. Set aside, stirring occasionally.
- Mince garlic and peel ginger and mince to get 1 packed teaspoon of each. Use fresh ginger and garlic so they don’t burn over the high heat like jarred garlic / tube ginger will. Rinse lettuce and thoroughly dry. Peel carrot and dice into small pieces. Thinly slice green onions and separate white sections from the darker green. Pat ground beef dry with a paper towel.
- Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add ginger and garlic and sauté, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute (being careful to not let it burn). Add in beef and season to taste (I use 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Increase heat to high; cook and break up until browned on the outside (about 5 minutes). While beef is cooking, whisk together cornstarch and 1 tablespoon beef stock in a small bowl. Once smooth, add in remaining 1/4 cup beef stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Whisk until smooth.
- To the beef, add carrot and white sections of the green onions. Stir for another 2–3 minutes or until tender. Drain off any fat (or dab it off with a paper towel) if needed. Add in sauce and stir for about 1 to 1 and 1/2 minutes or until it thickens and coats the beef.
- Lay out lettuce leaves and fill with even amounts of rice. Add saucy beef mixture on top. Garnish wraps with crushed peanuts or cashews and the shallots (drain and discard excess liquid). Garnish with the green onion tops and chopped cilantro. Add plenty of lime wedges to the plates and drizzle them on before eating.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: For serving, garnish with roasted and salted peanuts or cashews (coarsely chopped), and/or finely chopped cilantro.
Storage: To make lettuce wraps ahead of time, prepare beef filling and sauce and store them in the fridge. Just before serving, reheat the beef and assemble the wraps with fresh lettuce and toppings. This method keeps everything fresh and tasty. To freeze leftovers, freeze cooked beef filling and sauce separately. Do not freeze lettuce and toppings; prepare fresh. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.1g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 22.6g | Cholesterol: 136.5mg | Sodium: 828.4mg | Fiber: 5.6g | Sugar: 9.6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi there, I love these, what a nice late summer meal that fills you up without loading you up with carbs. I do add one diced red pepper and I use all the green onions (I add the white parts like you mentioned ) and then top my lettuce wraps with the additional green onion, cilantro, fresh squeezed lime juice & chopped cashews.
So happy you enjoyed these lettuce wraps 🙂
Absolutely wonderful. I used double the carrots (and used rainbow ones!) to get a little more vegetables in. Boston lettuce was a perfect wrap! Loved the chopped cashews too!
Yay!! I am sooo happy you loved these! Thanks! 🙂
This was really yummy! I’ve never done a lettuce wrap sandwich before, but now I’m convinced. The coconut lime rice and the cool lettuce was perfect with the spicy beef. I usually use up red onions by pickling them, cooking up some cider vinegar with water, sugar and a few peppercorns and parking it in the fridge for at least a few hours.
We found the shallots a bit harsh so I might use this technique with them next time to mellow them and do them the night before. It won’t be a true 30 minute recipe then, but that’s ok. This is a winner and will be on the rotation at my house this summer for sure!
Thank you so much for your comment and review Cynde! 🙂 I’m so happy you liked these wraps, and I think you’re idea to use pickled red onions for a less harsh bite next time sounds perfect! 🙂