Quick, easy and nourishing, Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps with a crave-worthy Miso Sriracha Peanut Sauce make a hearty yet light lunch or dinner. Packed with garlicky, gingery lentils and mushrooms, these lettuce wraps are hearty and filling. This recipe is vegetarian and vegan
The Freshest Veggies for Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
The farmers markets and our CSA this year have been incredible, perfect for making fresh salads and lettuce wraps. Each week there are new veggies to be explored and sometimes things I’ve never seen before. Take snow peas for example. They’re familiar, yes? Well, this year Bell’s Farm had a haul of purple snow peas.
So I bought several bags, ate them right out of the bag, blanched them, and steamed others. Their flavor is vibrant yet just the same as the green variety, but I can’t help wonder if their nutritional value is any different.
And the Thai basil… ahhh … It’s rarely in stores, at the market or farm stand. But this year I grew a few plants in my herb patch and they are thriving!
Heading home from the market, I started dreaming up these Vegan Lettuce Wraps.
How to Make Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
Although the ingredient list looks long for these vegan lettuce wraps, they’re mostly pantry staples and fresh ingredients you’d find in a salad. This recipe is so simple to pull together and the flavors are absolutely fabulous.
- First, in a small saucepot cook the lentils.
- Next, while the lentils are simmering, saute the onions and mushrooms. To the onion and mushroom mixture add the tamari, maple syrup, curry paste, Sriracha, and liquid aminos. Stir and cook on low.
- Last, set aside to cool while you make the sauce.
The lentil mixture can be made at least two days in advance and stored in the fridge.
How to Make Lettuce Wrap Sauce
Oh. My. Goodness. The lettuce wrap sauce y’all.
There are so many flavors going on, you may want to make extra. It’s a bit spicy, and salty, but not too much, with a nice peanutty flavor. The garlic and ginger play off each other while the maple syrup yields a hint of sweet. Here’s how to make it:
- In in a food processor, add the peanut butter, miso paste, garlic, ginger, lime juice, Sriracha, maple syrup and 3 Tbs of hot water.
- Process until smooth, adding additional water if needed to adjust consistency. The sauce should be pourable and smooth but not runny.
Make the lettuce wrap sauce ahead, at least two days in advance if needed. Slather it on everything!
An Alternative to Fish Sauce
A lot of Thai food is or can be naturally vegan, but traditional Thai recipes typically call for fish sauce. A no-go for vegans and vegetarians. So I started looking for a different way to bring out that umami flavor in my Thai cooking.
Have you heard of liquid aminos? It’s a umami flavor builder, and an excellent ingredient in vegetarian and vegan cooking because it’s a genius substitute for fish sauce. I read about it on America’s Test Kitchen and since then I’ve been using it in Thai recipes. It works beautifully. Coconut aminos also works well!
The flavor of these vegetarian Thai lettuce wraps is spicy, and nutty with saltiness coming through from the miso, tamari and liquid aminos, but not too much. The textures are varied from curried lentils and mushrooms, to the crunch of fresh veggies and creaminess of the sauce. This recipe has it all.
A Few Recipe Notes
- Packing it out for Lunch: If lettuce wraps seem too fussy or you’d rather pack this out for lunch and eat it with a fork, these lettuce wraps turn into a salad with ease. Simply chop the lettuce into bite size pieces and combine with the filling and toppings. Dress it with sauce.
- Meal prep ready! Make the lentil filling and lettuce wrap sauce at least two days in advance and store in the fridge in a lidded container, separately. Assemble when ready to enjoy.
- To make these even heartier, add cooked and chilled thin rice noodles to the lettuce wraps.
- When snow peas are out of season, sub thinly sliced cabbage.
- The filling can be served warm or chilled.
- To prep the carrots with ease, I use a julienne peeler. It’s fast and works like a charm.
More Thai Recipes to Love
- Thai Peanut Noodle Salad
- Thai Ginger Garlic Noodle Bowls
- Thai Vegetable Fried Rice with Cashews
- Forbidden Rice Salad with Mango and Creamy Coconut Dressing
- Thai Red Curry with Eggplant
the recipe
Vegetarian Thai Lentil Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 3/4 C (145g) French Green Lentils
- 2 C (472g) Water
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 8 oz (200g) Shiitake Mushrooms
- 1/4 C (50g) Purple Onion diced,
- 1 tsp grated ginger*
- 1 tsp grated garlic*
- 1 1/2 Tbs Tamari
- 2 tsp Maple Syrup
- 2 tsp Prepared Thai Red Curry Paste
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- 1 1/2 tsp Liquid Aminos or more Tamari
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 C (70g) Peanut Butter smooth or chunky
- 1 T White Miso Paste
- 1 tsp Grated Garlic*
- 1 tsp Grated Ginger*
- 1 Lime juiced
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- 1 tsp Maple Syrup
- 3-5 Tbs Hot Water increase or decrease depending on consistency
For the Toppings:
- 1 C (100g) Snow Peas or Snap Peas trimmed and sliced into 1/4" pieces on the bias**
- 1 C (75g) Carrots julienne or grated
- 3 Tbs Scallions sliced thin on the bias
- 1 Tbs Sesame Seeds
For Garnish:
- Thai Basil and/or Cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
For the Filling:
- In a small saucepot add the lentils and water. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 27 minutes. The lentils will be soft but still firm enough to hold their shape and texture.
- While the lentils are simmering, destem the mushrooms and slice the caps thin. The stems tend to be tough so discard them. Add the sesame oil to a large saute pan and heat on medium high until shimmering. Add the onion and saute for about two minutes, or until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook on low for 10 minutes. Allow the mushrooms to set in the pan for 2-3 minutes at a time, without stirring to get a bit of a sear on them. About two minutes before the mushrooms are done, toss in the ginger and garlic. Stir well.
- To the onion and mushroom mixture add the tamari, maple syrup, curry paste, Sriracha, and liquid aminos. Stir and cook on low for 2-3 minutes to incorporate all the flavors. Add the lentils to the mushroom mixture and stir to incorporate. Remove from heat. Taste for seasoning adjustment and add a few pinches of salt if necessary.
For the Sauce:
- In a food processor, add the peanut butter, miso paste, garlic, ginger, lime juice, Sriracha, maple syrup and 3 Tbs of hot water. Process until smooth, adding additional water if needed to adjust consistency. The sauce should be pourable and smooth but not runny.
To Assemble:
- Rewarm the lentil mixture if necessary or serve the filling chilled. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons full of filling in the bottom of a piece of lettuce. Top with snow peas, carrots, scallions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Spoon a tablespoon of sauce over the wrap and garnish with leaves of fresh Thai basil. Serve with a wedge of lime and more sauce for drizzling.
