Beef Lettuce Wraps – Our easy-to-make ground beef lettuce wraps boast a tasty combination of ground beef, garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Sriracha, and sweet homemade hoisin sauce. The wraps are beautifully held together with crispy butter lettuce for a light and refreshing meal you will love.
HEALTHY BEEF LETTUCE WRAPS
Enjoy our easy beef lettuce wraps as an appetizer or a quick dinner idea. However you decide to eat the wraps, they are delicious and ready in 30 minutes!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Homemade Hoisin: While store-bought hoisins are super tasty, it’s high in sugar. If you’re concerned about sugar like me, I recommend making the homemade hoisin sauce suggested in the recipe. If you don’t have the ingredients or don’t feel like making your own, store-bought hoisin is fine.
- Ground Beef: I use lean ground beef. If you choose ground beef with a higher fat content, drain the excess oil after the meat browns.
- Garlic: I suggest using two cloves, but don’t let my recipe tell you how much garlic to use – measure with your heart.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger lends flavor to the beef lettuce wraps, and ginger paste brightens the homemade hoisin sauce.
- Scallions: Scallions add a nice peppery finish to the wraps.
- Soy Sauce: Deepen the flavor of the wraps using soy sauce.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Balance the other flavors with slightly sweet rice wine vinegar.
- Sriracha: For a bit of heat, add Sriracha to the ground beef lettuce wraps and use it as garnish.
- Butter Lettuce: I prefer butter lettuce for the wraps; romaine lettuce or collard greens are a great alternative.
HOW TO MAKE BEEF LETTUCE WRAPS
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Before cooking, whisk the ingredients for homemade hoisin in a small bowl. Set it aside.
Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef. Break up the meat using a meat chopper; cook until brown and heated through for about 10 minutes.
Add onion and carrots to the beef; cook until the onions become translucent and soften for about 5 minutes.
Combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and Sriracha in a small bowl. Stir the mixture, then add it to the ground beef with the homemade hoisin and the scallion whites.
Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid, lower the heat, and allow the beef mixture to reduce for 2-5 minutes.
Spoon the mixture into butter lettuce and garnish with scallion greens and toasted peanuts. Use leftover hoisin as a dipping sauce.
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SERVING SUGGESTIONS
- Jasmine Rice, Quinoa, Easy Vegetable Fried Rice, Cauliflower Rice
- Serrano Crema
- Wonton Soup, Hot and Sour Soup
- Homemade Coleslaw with Mint and Cilantro
WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVERS
- Refrigerate – Store leftovers in an airtight container; they will keep for 3-5 days.
- Freeze – Let the beef cool, then add it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Layer plastic wraps over the container before securing the lid to prevent freezer burn. Ground beef freezes for up to 2 months.
- Thaw – Defrost the leftovers in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat – Warm the leftovers on the stovetop and prepare your lettuce and homemade hoisin sauce.
- Repurpose – Use ground beef as an addition to casseroles, stir fries, and scrambled eggs.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are ground beef lettuce wraps keto? Are they low-carb?
We even calculated the macros to make it easier for you. The serving size for this calculation is two lettuce wraps and includes the homemade hoisin.
• Carbs – 2 Net Carbs
• Protein – 22g
• Fat – 13g
Did you try this recipe? Feedback helps us improve and update our recipes to provide delicious meals you love. Consider rating the recipe and leave a comment below.
Beef Lettuce Wraps
- 2 Bowls
For the Homemade Hoisin Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Monk Fruit Sweetener or Honey
- 1 tablespoon Natural Almond Butter Powder
For the Lettuce Wrap:
- 1 teaspoon oil,
- 1 pound ground beef, lean
- 1 carrot, shredded
- ½ medium yellow onion, small diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 -inch fresh ginger, minced
- 4 scallions, sliced, whites and greens separated
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 3 teaspoons Sriracha
- ¼ cup Homemade Hoisin, plus more for garnish
- 3 tablespoons peanuts, toasted
- butter lettuce, washed and patted dry
- sesame oil, to garnish
- Before cooking, whisk the ingredients for homemade hoisin in a small bowl. Set it aside.
- Warm oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef. Break up the meat using a meat chopper; cook until brown and heated through for about 10 minutes.
- Add onion and carrots to the beef; cook until the onions become translucent and soften for about 5 minutes.
- Combine garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and Sriracha in a small bowl. Stir the mixture, then add it to the ground beef with the homemade hoisin and the scallion whites.
- Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid, lower the heat, and allow the beef mixture to reduce for 2-5 minutes.
- Spoon the mixture into butter lettuce and garnish with scallion greens and toasted peanuts. Use leftover hoisin as a dipping sauce.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Lisa
Tuesday 8th of August 2023
I have to wait on reviewing the recipe until I can try it one more time, because this first time around, the chef (ME!) didn't follow the recipe. My biggest mistake was leaving out the sriracha sauce. I have not been a fan of it as a condiment, so I figured I could leave it out and just use fried chili oil. It was pretty bland, so next batch will definitely have sriracha. Second, I didn't have peanuts, so I left them out. Next time, I will at least find cashews or something, if I don't have peanuts. I think they would have been lovely. The final mistake was using green leaf lettuce. Hey, I'm cheap. Lesson learned.
Once I add a little more flavor to my botched batch, I think I will roll up my left overs in rice paper with some cucumber for spring rolls. I bet it would be good as a topping for a vermachelli salad as well.
I will say that I loved the velvety texture of the meat. I can only assume that came from the almond butter. It felt very comforting and soothing. I will try it out again soon and check back.
Tressa Jamil
Thursday 10th of August 2023
You have me on the edge of my seat. I love hearing your cooking journey! Please let me know how it turns out the second time around.
Annie
Saturday 7th of January 2023
These wraps are a regular go-to for our family when we want a keto or low-calorie option! The sauce goes so well with the wrap and I love the crunch of the peanuts.