Vegan Thai Lettuce Cups aka Vegan Thai Lettuce Wraps will be your new favorite appetizer. You will swoon over this vegetarian Thai lettuce wrap recipe!
VEGETARIAN THAI LETTUCE WRAPS RECIPE
This recipe checks of so many items on my foodie list!
- This recipe is quick and uses minimal ingredients.
- These lettuce cups are gluten free and vegan.2020
- This recipe tastes SOOOOO good, you won’t have leftovers.
That about sums it up! Seriously though, I always have craved lettuce cups or as the world seems to know call them, lettuce wraps.
I would see these on a menu when I dine out but there was never a vegan or vegetarian option. I also have to be mindful of nuts when dining out.
While we have been able to reintroduce peanuts back int our lives, we will have to be vigilant when it comes to almonds! So for this dish, we decided to recreate it as home! You seriously, can’t resist a quick and easy vegan appetizer!
No need to worry about whether you food is safe or or when you are dining at home! We know the ingredients we are putting into our recipes and we can easily create our own nut-free Thai food!
While this might not be authentically Thai, it is most certainly Thai inspired. It is said that Thai flavors include: sweet, sour, salty, creamy and spicy. This recipe hits them all!
If you are looking for a sweet treat to pair with this meal, I would try this Strawberry Banana Nice Cream
Ingredients For This Vegan Thai Lettuce Wrap Recipe
Tofu- Crumbled tofu makes up the bulk of the lettuce cup filling and soaks up all of the Thai inspired flavors
SunButter - We love SunButter at our house. It's a fabulous allergy-friendly replacement for nut butter.
Honey - Honey adds sweetness without being too sugary.
Sriracha - Spicy sriracha gives us some heat! Add more or less to your own preference.
Sesame Oil - This warm, nutty flavored oil is perfect for all Asian dishes.
Avocado Oil - This is my favorite oil for sautéing, which we'll do with the tofu.
Sesame Seeds - For a bit of crunchy texture.
Bibb Lettuce - These big soft leaves are beautiful and tasty as our wraps. Substitute ice berg if you can't find Bibb.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP!
How To Make These Vegetarian Thai Lettuce Wraps
- In a bowl, combine seed butter, honey, sriracha and sesame oil.
- Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- In a hot skillet, crumble pressed tofu and fry until golden brown. Add sauce to tofu and stir until combined and warmed through.
- Divide tofu mixture into lettuce leaves, top with green onion and sunflower seeds for garnish if you have them.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ve seen that we talk about and use SunButter a lot. Whether we are cooking in the kitchen, on vacation or just snacking on the go. SunButter is a trusted brand with my family.
SunButter is free from the TOP 8 allergens. So we are talking about: peanuts, tree nuts, soy, dairy, eggs, wheat, fish, and crustacean shellfish. It is FREE FROM all those allergens! This product is extremely friendly allergy wise, extremely tasty and school safe!
I was actually lucky enough to head to the SunButter headquarters to see the entire process of “seed to SunButter.” It was amazing. We went to the fields, the elevators, the processing area, the packing area and more. There is SO much love and so much safety that goes into this product!
TOFU FOR THAI LETTUCE WRAPS
This Thai lettuce wrap recipe is vegan. We used tofu to make it vegan. If you are not vegan or tofu isn’t your favorite I still urge you to try this!
Let’s talk about tofu for a while. Tofu is generally made by:
- Soaking soybeans in water, then blending them up.
- Straining out the pulp, leaving you with soy milk.
- Adding a coagulant (lemon juice works well) to curdle the milk and create curds.
- Straining again and keeping the solids.
- Pressing the curds to create a block of tofu.
For this thai lettuce cup recipe, I used an Extra Firm Block Tofu. This tofu is, as its name suggests, is the firmest and heartiest of the block tofu varieties. The curds have been pressed tightly together and the tofu is chewy and dense. Extra firm tofu is the best choice if you’d like to make crispy, fried tofu, or for any meal that requires a hearty bite.
I use an EZ Tofu Press to press my tofu before I cook it. I’ve had mine for years, and it is by far my favorite kitchen tool. (right next to my air fryer!)
If you are going to cook tofu it is essential that you have a tofu press! You can pick up your own on Amazon.(affiliate ad link) I promise you’ll love it!
So this recipe is suitable for vegans and suitable for vegetarian diets too. Are you vegetarian? Or maybe wondering more about vegetarian life or meatless cooking? There are several different types of vegetarians.
Basic types of vegetarians are:
- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian
- Lacto Vegetarian
- Ovo Vegetarian
- The Flexitarian
- Pesco Vegetarian
- Pollo-Vegetarian
If you want to read more about the different types of vegetarians, you can visit our vegetarian educational posts. You can also find lots of easy vegetarian recipes on our site.
Maybe you are wondering about vegan vs vegetarian? In a nutshell, vegans do not consume any animal products. So we are talking about dairy (milk, cheese), eggs and meat. Most vegans also do not consume honey!
Is tofu only for vegans?
Tofu isn’t only for vegans. This ingredient is for everybody! It is an acceptable part of your diet whether you are a vegan, meat eater or vegetarian.
Can I add meat to this Vegetarian Thai Lettuce Wrap recipe?
That’s totally fine, you can use the same recipe but sub out the tofu and sub in some chicken for your protein. Cook your chicken as you normally would. Dice the cooked chicken and add to the sauce. Then put into your lettuce wraps. It is an easy sub!
Topping your Vegan Lettuce Cups
We made a simple dressing for these, but you might also like this Thai Salad Dressing recipe as well.
These cups are topped with sunflower seeds. If you cannot easily digest sunflower seeds as a whole, you are welcome to sub them off.
More easy tofu recipes:
- Kid Friendly Tofu Bites (tofu for kids)
- Sweet and Salty Tofu Bowls ( think meal prep!)
Have you made this recipe? Please leave a comment AND rating below! It helps other readers!
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Thai Lettuce Cups (aka Thai Lettuce Wraps)
Ingredients
- 1 block of extra firm tofu
- 6 T SunButter
- 2 T honey
- 2 T Sriracha
- 4 t sesame seed oil or avocado oil
- 1 T avocado oil for frying
- 3 green onions white and greens diced
- Sunflower seeds optional
- 1 head Bib Lettuce removed from head
Instructions
- Press the tofu for 10 minutes.
- While tofu is pressing, make your sauce. In a bowl combine seed butter, honey, sriracha and sesame oil. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Warm 1 T of oil in a skillet. Crumble tofu into skillet. Fry until golden brown. Add sauce to tofu, stir until well combined.
- Divide tofu mixture into lettuce leaves, top with green onion and sunflower seeds.
- ENJOY!
Notes
Can I add meat to this Vegetarian Thai Lettuce Wrap recipe?
That’s totally fine, you can use the same recipe but sub out the tofu and sub in some chicken for your protein. Cook your chicken as you normally would. Dice the cooked chicken and add to the sauce. Then put into your lettuce wraps. It is an easy sub!Topping your Vegan Lettuce Cups
These cups are topped with sunflower seeds. If you cannot easily digest sunflower seeds as a whole, you are welcome to sub them off.Nutrition
All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
Great recipe. I'd never heard of sun butter before but now I love it.
Isn't it amazing! We love it, such a tasty treat! Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the sunbutter information. I've never heard of it before. I'll keep an eye out for it next time doing my grocery. Oh, and really nice recipe too, plenty of flavors and great when running out of time for something more complicated. 🙂
Thanks so much! Yes, do keep an eye out for it! We love it.
This is definitely a meal that my family will love, and I can't wait to make it! So good!
You are so welcome! Glad that your family will love!
Ooh. I'm a big fan of lettuce cups/wraps too! The lettuce is so refreshing and I love when it adds just a bit of crunch! And i love the idea of using sun butter in place of peanut butter. I can eat both of them, but love the idea of a slight flavor twist!
The slight flavor twist is lovely! I am so glad you are a fan!
I love all of these Thai flavors!
Me too! Glad they are your fav too!