These healthy tempeh lettuce wraps are stuffed with savory stir-fried veggies and hearty tempeh, all tossed in a savory sesame ginger sauce.
Up until a few weeks ago I was sure that I hated tempeh. Then I made these tempeh and chickpea sloppy joes and realized I had been missing out on so much. And then I made these sesame ginger tempeh lettuce wraps, and I'm in love!
I eat a lot of tofu, beans, and grains in order to get my protein. While I love all of those ingredients, I'm so happy to have another option to experiment with.
If you're not familiar with tempeh, it's made from fermented soy beans. It's sold in a big block, much like tofu, except you don't have to spend an hour pressing it to get it firm!
Now that we have my newfound love for tempeh out of the way, let's talk about these delicious lettuce wraps.
Even my husband, who can be a little skeptical of my vegetarian concoctions, and my son loved these. I call that a major win!
These sesame ginger tempeh lettuce wraps are packed with veggies, tempeh, and so much flavor. You'd never guess that they're 100% vegetarian and vegan friendly.
The vegetables and tempeh are cooked together for a few minutes, and then a delicious sesame ginger sauce is added and cooked until it thickens up a bit.
I top them off with some fresh green onion and crunchy cashews. These tempeh lettuce wraps are a great healthy meal that is ready to eat in just 30 minutes! They're perfect for busy weeknights.
While you're here, be sure to grab our FREE 5-Day Meatless Meal Plan. It's packed with tasty recipes to make vegetarian cooking easy and delicious!
Tips, Tricks, & Variations
Make ahead. If you're into meal prep, you can make the tempeh filling ahead of time. Just reheat and serve with the lettuce wraps. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the fridge. (Get more make ahead meal ideas here.)
Mix up the Veggies. I used carrots, bell peppers, and snow peas for these lettuce wraps. But you can swap in your favorite veggies or whatever is in season. Try onions, eggplant, or even zucchini.
Edamame would be a great addition too! Just adjust the cooking time for your veggies of choice.
Swap the Sauce. The Sesame Ginger Sauce is a great match for these tempeh lettuce wraps. But you can swap out the sauce for an entirely new creation. Try it with your favorite barbecue sauce or this quick and easy Thai Peanut Sauce.
Substitute Tofu. If tempeh isn't your jam, you can substitute tofu. If you're new to cooking tofu, the baked tofu here would be a great place to start.
More Lettuce Wraps
If you love these tempeh lettuce wraps, be sure to check out these other delicious lettuce wrap ideas:
- Easy Vegan Lettuce Wraps
- Tofu Larb Lettuce Wraps
- Mango Tempeh Lettuce Wraps
- Grilled Teriyaki Tofu Letuce Wraps
- Simple Asian Lettuce Wraps
Recipe
Ingredients
For the sesame ginger sauce:
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup tamari I like to use low sodium
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil + 1 teaspoon additional
- 1 teaspoon ginger fresh grated
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the lettuce wraps:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup red pepper diced
- 1 cup snow peas diced
- 7 oz tempeh crumbled
- 6-8 pieces lettuce such as romaine or butter, large enough to make a good wrap
Optional Garnishes
- diced cashews
- green onions
Instructions
- Place all of the sesame ginger sauce ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the carrot, red pepper and peas. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then add the crumbled tempeh.
- Continue to cook for another 3 minutes and then pour in the sauce. Stir until everything is combined and cook until sauce is thickened, 7-10 minutes.
- Let the mixture cool for a few minutes (to avoid wilting the lettuce), and then spoon the mixture into lettuce cups. Garnish with cashews and green onions, if desired.
Liberty says
These look delicious, I love lettuce wraps!
Isadora says
Thank you! I love them too 🙂
Billy says
I can't wait to try these! I've never seen lettuce used so perfectly like this to make some pseudo-taco shells! These look great. Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring me to make this!