Tofu Lettuce Wraps

These tofu lettuce wraps are an easy and healthy dish. Featuring savory tofu crumbles, pickled red onion, fresh vegetables and a spicy sauce.

Lettuce wraps are a delicious appetizer, light main dish, or potluck contribution that are easy to make and endlessly adaptable to your taste.

They can be filled with ground chicken, turkey, or pork but the healthiest lettuce wrap is made with tofu.

Compared to chicken, tofu is lower in saturated fat, higher in calcium and fiber and has zero cholesterol.

Tofu made right is full of flavor and has a chewy, meat-like texture. This recipe uses my savory tofu crumbles which are great in wraps, bowls, salads, and on noodles. No bland tofu here!

Lettuce wraps originate in China but most people probably know them from the PF Chang’s version which feature ground chicken, shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, and green onions cooked in a soy-based sauce.

Most recipe, both plant based and meat based, try to replicate this P.F. Chang’s recipe. 

I’ve never had it so I’ve come up with my own version of vegan lettuce wraps that feature spicy crispy tofu, a rainbow of veggies and a sriracha mayo sauce.

They’re so good!

What to put in vegan lettuce wraps?

Protein: Tofu is generally the protein of choice for vegan lettuce wraps. The good thing about tofu is that it’s bland and can take on the flavor of whatever sauce you cook it in. 

Other protein options I’ve seen are mashed chickpeas, a plant-based meat substitute or walnut mushroom meat.

Vegetables: If you’ve ever wondered what the crunchy things served with lettuce wraps are they’re water chestnuts. They’re a typical ingredient in lettuce wraps but personally I don’t like them.

You can add a variety of vegetables to lettuce wraps. I like shredded carrot for texture and flavor and quick pickled red onion for sourness to cut through the savoriness of the tofu. 

You can also add diced bell pepper, shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, scallions, cucumber or avocado.

Garnishes: I added some chopped peanuts for crunch and fresh cilantro for herby flavor.

A sprinkling of sesame seeds, cashews, mint, or lime juice are other option.

Sauce: The sauce makes the difference for which vibe you’re going for. 

Chinese lettuce wraps use oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce.

Korean style mixes up a sauce with gochujang paste.

Teriyaki sauce will make a Japanese lettuce wrap.

Thai inspired lettuce wraps have a peanut sauce or a sriracha sauce. 

There are recipes for all of these sauces on the internet, just google what you want! 

What type of lettuce is best for wraps?

At PF Changs they use iceberg lettuce that is cut into rounds for size and shape consistency. 

Personally, I don’t like to use iceberg lettuce for wraps because the whole leaves are too big and I’m not going to cut them into circles. Also, they tend to crack when rolled up.

Butter lettuce or Bibb lettuce are very similar varieties of lettuce and are popular choices for lettuce wraps for their tenderness and cup shape.

Little gem lettuce is what I have used in this recipe. The leaves are small and crunchy and hold their cupped shape well.

Romaine lettuce is also a good choice for lettuce wraps, especially the inner leaves that have more of a cup shape. 

What is vegetarian oyster sauce?

The tofu crumbles in this recipe call for a product called vegetarian oyster sauce.

Vegetarian oyster sauce is a thick, sticky, savory and umami sauce that works well as a vegan substitute to typical oyster sauce.

It is generally made from mushrooms and is alternatively labeled as mushroom vegetarian stir fry sauce, vegetarian oyster flavored sauce, vegan oyster flavored sauce.

The vegetarian oyster sauce that I have is made by the brand Lee Kum Kee. 

It’s probably the most widely available vegan oyster sauce and on the website you can find points of sale in your region.

Other options for vegetarian oyster sauce can be found on Amazon, at Sprouts supermarket, Kikkoman vegetarian oyster sauce, or Wa Ja Shan vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce.

If you’re someone who makes a lot of stir fry, it’s worth it to track down some vegetarian oyster sauce to whip up quick and easy stir fry sauces.

Ingredients

Tofu: A block of extra-firm tofu works best for this recipe. If you are new to tofu and unsure which type to buy, check out my post on tofu for beginners.

Vegetarian oyster sauce: This ingredient is so delicious it has become a staple in my pantry. I buy it at an Asian supermarket but it can also be found online or sometimes in the international food aisle of large supermarkets. It’s a key ingredient in my udon noodle stir fry, which is a super quick dinner recipe. It’s well worth tracking this ingredient down for quick and flavorful meals.

Soy sauce: I use Chinese light soy sauce. You can substitute tamari or Kikkoman. 

Maple syrup: Vegetarian oyster sauce is quite salty so you’ll need some sugar to balance it out. I prefer maple but agave or granulated sugar should work too.

Rice vinegar: Again, to cut the saltiness and balance out the flavors a touch of acid in the form of rice vinegar. You can substitute any type of vinegar.

Chili crisp: I like everything to be spicy and chili crisp is so, so good! You can omit this if you don’t like spice or it doesn’t go well with your recipe. You can also substitute sriracha, sambal or red chili flakes.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch is the secret ingredient to make your tofu crumbles crispy. It also helps to thicken the sauce so that it clings to every nook and cranny of the tofu.

Oil: You can bake or airfry tofu crumbles but I like to fry them because it’s faster and the oil helps to carry the flavor and improves the juiciness of the tofu. Use a neutral-flavored oil such as canola or sunflower. I don't recommend olive oil for high heat frying.

Quick pickled red onion: Use any recipe for quick pickling red onions. I used this recipe from Bon Appetit. It calls for red onion, vinegar, salt, sugar and water.

Carrot: One small carrot is enough for 12 lettuce cups. I used a julienne peeler to get the slices really thin. You could also grate it.

Cilantro: I like the citrusy, herby flavor of cilantro. It goes well with the umami tofu.

Peanuts: Since I don’t like water chestnuts, I added some roughly chopped peanuts for crunch.

Lettuce: There is a whole section above about what type of lettuce to use for lettuce wraps. I use little gem lettuce.

Sriracha mayo: I finished these wraps with a drizzle of vegan sriracha mayo. To make it, combine vegan mayo with sriracha and add a teaspoon or so of water to thin it to a consistency that can drizzle.

How to make tofu lettuce wraps

Prep: The onions need time to pickle so start with that.

Slice half a red onion thinly. In a jar, combine vinegar, salt, sugar and water. Shake or stir to dissolve. Add the onions and set aside.

Peel and thinly julienne or grate the carrot.

Chop the peanuts and cilantro.

Separate the lettuce leaves from the head and wash them to remove any dirt.

Tofu: Remove the tofu from its packaging and drain out the water. I personally do not waste time pressing my tofu. I don’t find that it makes a difference.

Squeeze the tofu strongly between your hands until you’ve removed most of the excess water.

Use your hands to crumble the tofu into bite-sized pieces into a large bowl. You can also mash it with a fork.

Sprinkle over the cornstarch and toss it with a spoon to cover the tofu in a light layer of cornstarch.

Fry: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Tofu sticks less to the pan when cooked over relatively high heat.

Add the tofu and spread it out into a single layer.

Allow to fry for a couple of minutes until beginning to brown, then stir it to allow to brown on the other side.

While the tofu is cooking, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.

Season: When the tofu is golden brown and crispy, turn the heat to low and pour in the sauce.

Stir continuously until the sauce is thickened and coating the tofu evenly.

Sauce: Make the sriracha mayo by combining 3 tablespoons of vegan mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of sriracha. Add water to thin to a pourable consistency - I added about 1 teaspoon of water.

Assembly: Arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Spoon the tofu filling into the middle of each leaf and top with the carrot, pickled onion, cilantro and peanuts. Drizzle over a touch of sriracha mayo.

Note: Don’t overfill the lettuce cups. You want to leave enough space to be able to pick up the cup and wrap the lettuce around the filling to eat it without the filling falling out. I overfilled mine for the photos. Use less than I did! 

Variations and substitutions

Vegetarian oyster sauce: Listen, I know a lot of people are going to ask what can be substituted for the vegetarian oyster sauce. Honestly, I don’t know! It’s thick, savory and umami. Hoisin sauce is a lot sweeter. I don’t know of another ingredient that easily replicates it. I recommend tracking it down if you like noodles, stir fry or other Asian recipes. It’s versatile and well worth keeping in your pantry.

Filling: Other vegan lettuce wrap filling ideas are rice vermicelli noodles, water chestnuts, bell peppers, shiitake or cremini mushrooms, green onion, sliced chili peppers, shredded cabbage, bean sprouts or avocado.

Ginger/garlic: To punch up the Asian flavor profile even more, fry off some minced garlic and ginger. I would add it after frying the tofu but before adding the sauce so that it doesn’t burn. A drizzle of sesame oil at the end would also be delicious. 

FAQs

Make ahead and storage tips

These tofu lettuce wraps are great for meal prep. Make the tofu and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Prep the veggies and keep them in a separate container. Keep the pickled onions in the jar you prepared them in and the sriracha mayo in an airtight container.

Warm the tofu in the microwave, assemble the wraps and serve.

The tofu crumbles can be frozen in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months.

Prepared lettuce wraps cannot be frozen because the fresh lettuce will not keep its crunch when thawed.

How to serve tofu lettuce wraps

Serve these tofu lettuce wraps as a appetizer to an Asian-inspired meal alongside udon noodle stir fry, garlic ginger bok choy, gyoza soup, miso soba, vegan ramen, or vegan kimchi fried rice.