Best Thai Lettuce Wraps Recipe | Peanut Sauce | Mean Green Chef (2024)

Buckle your seatbelt these really are the Best Thai Lettuce Wraps! Seasoned with plenty of fragrant chilies, garlic, herbs and finished with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a classic peanut sauce. The combination of sweet, salty, tangy and spicy flavors makes it highly addictive.

Our Thai Lettuce Wraps are reminiscent of Larb which is a Southeast Asian minced meat salad. Common in Thailand and Laos it’s often made with pork, fish sauce, chilies, fresh herbs and seasonings. It’s bright, bold and packs a ton of flavor! Typically served over a bed of lettuce or rice, however, we opted to turn ours into lettuce wraps and it’s the perfect serving vessel.

If you’ve had Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps then you will LOVE our Best Thai Lettuce Wraps!

1. In a large glass bowl mix the pork, hamburger, garlic, shallots, Thai chili pepper, fish sauce, chili sauce, Siracha, and light brown sugar. Mix gently by hand or with a wooden spoon until combined.
2. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch Oven over high heat, add the vegetable oil and reheat for 30 seconds. Add the pork and beef mixture and cook over high heat, stirring to break up the meat, until no pink remains about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest for 5 minutes then stir in the lime juice, cilantro, and basil.

• 1 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped *
• 1 large knob ginger root, grated*
• 2-4 tablespoons warm water

*We recommend blitzing all ingredients in the food processor to speed up the prep time.

1. Combine all ingredients except water into the food processor. Blitz or whisk until fully combined.
2. Then add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired texture is reached. We typically use 2 tablespoons for a sauce and up to 4 Tablespoons if making it for dressing. That’s right now you have a new dressing recipe too!

• No. Larb is most often made with duck, chicken, beef, pork, fish or mushrooms, flavored with fish sauce, lime juice, Padaek (fish sauce made with freshwater fish), and fresh herbs. Minced and mixed with chili, mint and assorted vegetables sometimes too.
• Traditional Larb also has roughly ground toasted rice (Khao khoya) is an important component of the dish. It’s served at room temperature and usually with a side of fresh raw veg and sticky rice.

Please note that traditional larb can also be served sushi-style! Our recipe is not based on making raw Larb but rather the cooked version.

• Ground chicken,beef, or turkey.
• Thinly sliced turkey, chicken, beef, or duck.
• Minced meat of your choosing also works well, chicken, beef, duck, and turkey are all options.
• Mushrooms. When you want that meaty taste without the meat. Then mushrooms are the way to go. Their flavor is rich, earthy, and meaty, especially Cremini or Portobello mushrooms. Healthy and filling andcan replace meatin nearly any recipe!

Pictured here we used hydroponically grown butter lettuce. Use any of these lettuce varieties for excellent results.

• Iceberg lettuce
• Boston lettuce
• Romaine lettuce
• Leaf lettuce
• Bibb Lettuce
• Kale
• Radicchio
• Belgian Endive

This recipe is easily adaptable as you can see above, use what you have in your fridge. Add chopped veg, such as zucchini, squash, celery, bok choy, and bean sprouts.

Saute the veg until just tender before you add the meat and then finish cooking. If you add a lot of extra vegetables you may want double the sauce ingredients when mixing the larb.

Don’t overcook the meat, once all of the pink has cooked off remove from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes. This ensures that the Larb stays juicy and delicious!

Fish Sauce: You’ll most likely find fish sauce in the Asian food section or ethnic food section in your local grocery store. Please don’t let the name deter you from using it or trying to find a substitute. It makes this dish salty and savory and is a must for creating authentic flavor.

Note: Obviously if you or anyone in your family has a fish allergy then steer clear of the fish sauce. And top with a fresh squeeze of lime.

Siracha Sauce: Hot sauce named after the coastal city of Si Racha in Thailand, which you can also find it in the Asian foods aisle of most grocery stores. We’re only adding a teaspoon here so don’t worry about it being too spicy.

ThaiChilies: Thai chilies are available in many grocery stores, they’re about 1-inch long and either red or green. If you can’t find them then substitute 2 Serrano pepperssince they have less heat.

• shredded carrots
• red cabbage
• bean sprouts
• cucumbers
• rice noodles
• chili sauce
• hoisin sauce
• peanuts
• cashews
• radishes
• red onions
• cooked thin rice noodles

• Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
• Freeze Larb in an airtight container up to 3 months.
• Defrost in the fridge overnight and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through.

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