These Vietnamese-inspired vegetarian lettuce wraps replace the meat with walnuts and portabella mushrooms for a hearty dish that's loaded with nutritious flavor!
This recipe and article were kindly contributed to Oh My Veggies by Beard and Bonnet.
My 12-year-old daughter Eliza is somewhat of a PF Chang's fanatic. To be honest, she will chow down on any type of Asian meal she can get her hands on, but lettuce wraps are her jam and according to her, PF Chang's has the best.
She relishes in the fact that she can order their meaty wraps and have the whole plate to herself. But chicken, gluten, and oyster sauce means a no-go for the rest of us.
So when the Oh My Veggies team challenged me to make a meatless version of lettuce wraps, I was both intrigued and a little terrified at the same time.
They had no way of knowing that I live with a self-appointed lettuce wrap aficionado and when it comes to food I can always trust Eliza to give me honest feedback, even when it may be hard for me to hear.
Armed with Eliza's help, I anxiously accepted the challenge. I stalked the internet, I hung out in the ethnic section of Whole Foods far too long, and then I came home and made my first attempt at lettuce wraps.
On the Eliza rating scale, they were a "kind of like" not a "love," so I went back and started over, picking apart what she liked and didn't like about my failed attempt.
Have you ever tried to have a 12-year-old girl old explain why they like or don't like something when it comes to food? I assure you, it requires patience and lots of love!
While I was working on this recipe, we had lettuce wraps more times than I care to admit, until Eliza exclaimed that they were perfect, she wouldn't change a thing, and may never have the need to order out for the PF Chang's meaty version again.
I could not believe it; my chicken-loving kid was actually opting for my veggie-filled version of lettuce wraps! I am pretty sure that a ray of sun broke through the cloudy sky and warmed me with its light at that very moment.*
*Ok, I may have a flair for the dramatic and that may be an embellishment, but it was a BIG deal!
Over the course of the next 24 hours, Eliza had lettuce wraps for breakfast, packed in her lunch for school, as an afternoon snack, and again at dinner that night! She pouted when the filling ran out and made me promise that these will be making a regular appearance in our house and her lunchbox.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few things to keep in mind when making these lettuce wraps at home for yourself:
There is more prep involved in this recipe than actual cooking. It is very important to have all of the ingredients prepared and ready to go before heating your pan.
When you are chopping the ingredients for the filling, you want all of the pieces to be the same size. A bulky dice will only make your lettuce wraps hard to eat and instead of the flavors of the ingredients merging together, they will stand apart from one another.
I discarded the stem and gills from our portabella mushroom so that the intense earthy flavor that the gills lend was not overpowering the rest of the ingredients. This step is completely optional and up to you.
If you are a sauce fanatic, go ahead and make a double batch of my hoisin sauce because according to my daughter, extra sauce is essential!
More Recipes to Try
If you love these lettuce wraps, be sure to check out these other tasty vegetarian ideas:
- Easy Vegan Lettuce Wraps
- Sesame-Ginger Tempeh Lettuce Wraps
- 14+ Asian Inspired Vegetarian Noodle Dishes
Recipe
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce
- ¼ cup tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter crunchy natural variety
- 1 tablespoon white miso gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
Filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced small
- 1 red bell pepper diced small
- 1 portabella mushroom large cap, stem and gills removed, diced small
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- 8 oz water chestnuts canned, drained and diced small
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup chopped raw walnuts
Wraps + Garnish
- 1 head bibb lettuce butter, or iceberg lettuce, leaves removed, washed, and thoroughly dried
- sushi rice cooked, optional
- 3 carrots cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- ½ cup cilantro leaves fresh
- 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
Instructions
Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor fitted with the S-blade or a high-powered blender. Process until all of the ingredients are combined, but the sauce still has visible chunks of peanut in it. Set aside.
Filling
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushroom to the pan; stir to combine and spread the filling out in an even layer so the veggies sauté instead of steam. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring once or twice and spreading the filling back out evenly each time. Add the minced ginger and hoisin sauce; stir to combine and cook for 1 minute longer. Stir in the water chestnuts, green onions, and raw walnuts to the pan and cook until the green onions begin to wilt, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Assemble the Wraps
- Layer lettuce leaves with sushi rice (if using), a heaping spoon full of filling and top with carrot ribbons, cilantro, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
yayyyy I am so glad there is a meatless version of it. I once attempted the chicken version and it was delicious. You have a tough food critic out there..I have a cousin who is around the same age and I love their feedback on things 🙂
Meg van der Kruik says
Thanks Dixya! Those preteen food critics can be harsh, but when you finally nail a recipe they are the BEST cheerleaders. I hope you really enjoy the lettuce wraps!
Jane says
Oh YES! I will try these today, and I have ALL the ingredients on hand!
Thank you for this recipe of YUM!
Meg van der Kruik says
Yay!! I LOVE it when that happens Jane. I hope you love them:)
Janine says
Meg, these were PERFECT!! I doubled the recipe so to have leftovers. My husband and I LOVED each and every bite! This recipe will become on of my favorites! Thank you! : )
dishing up the dirt says
I love a good veggie lettuce wrap. These sound absolutely perfect!
Emma says
Wow, these look amazing! Cannot wait to try them!!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Ohhh yessss these look amazing! I love that you used walnuts and chestnuts rather than fake meat. I do like fake meat but I prefer something more natural and this looks like a great combination 🙂
Meg van der Kruik says
Thanks Becca! I am not big on fake meat either and soy just isn't my friend so I opt for nuts in dishes like this a lot.
Sylvia says
I love PF Chang's lettuce wraps. Haven't tried making them myself yet, but maybe I should. Thanks for doing all the leg work and figuring it out for me. Ha! I'll have to count on my husband's critique since I have no 12 year old. She may have been tough on you, but she helped you get it right. As long as I add chicken in his, he'll love them.
Meg van der Kruik says
Haha! Thanks Sylvia, she is the best food critic ever. She has a passion for cooking herself so it definitely makes time spent i the kitchen together fun. I hope your husband enjoys the lettuce wraps too:)
Sylvia says
P.S. Your "share" buttons don't seem to be working.
Kiersten Frase says
I'm sorry about that! They were causing some issues on the site and we had to take them out, but they should be fixed tomorrow. 🙂
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
This kind of makes me wish I had a 12 year old to taste test my recipes. At least I would know I'm getting the most honest opinion possible! 🙂
I'm sure they are as wonderful as they look and sound if she approved of them.
Meg van der Kruik says
Thanks Sarah! She is definitely a blessing to have in the kitchen:)
Liz says
The PF Chang's out my way have always had a vegetarian version of the lettuce wraps made with tofu. Do they not have them were you are? I made them from scratch once using a baked tofu as the main ingredient and they turned out great, but so much work! Thanks for this recipe, looks interesting.
Meg van der Kruik says
Hi Liz,
Thanks, yes our PF Changs has a vegetarian version as well, but we need a vegetarian option without gluten and soy for all of us to be able to eat it.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love lettuce wraps, yes please to a meatless version!
Cassie says
I do love PF Chang's myself. Their lettuce wraps are my favorite and I love the sound of these!
Emma says
These do sound pretty much perfect! Your daughter's got good taste 🙂 Thanks for working the recipe out for us Meg.
Meg van der Kruik says
Thanks so much Emma!
Gena says
Such an innovative idea to make the filling with mushroom and water chestnuts! Lovely recipe, Meg.
Grace @ FoodFitnessFreshAir says
Sounds like Eliza and I would make good lunch friends. I LOVE Asian-inspired lettuce wraps. These sound great, and loving the miso in the sauce!
Meg van der Kruik says
Thnaks Grace! I am sure she would gladly join you for lunch, haha!
Michelle says
Thank you for including a recipe for homemade hoisin sauce. I was noticing the ingredients on the one I have in the fridge and wasn't too happy about them. I look forward to trying your recipes!
Meg van der Kruik says
Awww, yay! I am so glad that you will use the recipe for the sauce. I love making my own sauces over store bought. They just taste so much better!
Joanne says
These passed the prepubescent adolescent test?! Then they must be awesome. Because that's near impossible.
Meg van der Kruik says
Bwahaha! Joanne, you are SO right!
Missy says
I just made these exactly as the recipe says (although I didn't make rice). Best new recipe I've tried this year. Will definitely be making this many times in the future! Thanks for such a fantastic recipe!
Meg van der Kruik says
Missy, thank you so much for coming back and letting us know how they turned out! I am so happy that you liked them so much.
Paula – bell’alimento says
Oh wow these sound amazing! My family and I love Asian food! We will have to give this a try!
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
I'm glad you perfected the lettuce wraps!! I've always wanted to try these at home and keep forgetting!
Gloria says
This recipe was wonderful! The portabella caps were so great in here with the hoisin sauce. Thank you for posting such a delicious recipe, my family and I really enjoyed it!
Molly (Based on a Sprue Story) says
I've actually never been to P. F. Chang's, but have heard so much about how well they treat their gluten-free customers that I've always meant to go. That said, as a vegetarian I haven't been that excited by the vegetarian AND gluten-free options they offer—that seems to always be the rub at this kind of place. Anyway, this knockoff recipe looks delicious, even if I haven't ever had the "real" thing.
Amanda @ All Day Active says
We love any kind of lettuce wrap at our house -- and I can't wait to try this one out too. I am sharing this recipe in a meatless recipe round up tomorrow on my blog (with a link back and credit of course). Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
Kristin says
This recipe is SOOOOOOOO good. We've had it two nights in a row and I've posted the link on FB. BRAVA!!!!!