Crispy Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
These refreshing tofu lettuce wraps are going to be your favorite meal prep-able lunch or dinner! Crispy bites of tofu enveloped in peanut sauce, wrapped in a big lettuce leaf with lots of other vibrant, crunchy veggies and crushed peanuts. A satisfying plant-based main dish that will keep you coming back for more. Seriously… you’re going to want to eat eight at least!
What You’ll Need to Make It
Tofu press: this device helps squeeze the moisture out of the tofu to make it extra crispy. Highly recommend if you use tofu often but check the FAQs for if you don’t have one!
Tofu: a stellar protein choice and perfect for these vegan lettuce wraps
Lettuce: Butter lettuce is my favorite but you can also use Bibb, Boston or green cabbage.
Veggies: you can choose your journey on this part- I love to use bell pepper, cucumber and julienned carrots (honey mango, bean sprouts and shredded cabbage are all amazing as well!)
Herbs: fresh herbs are such a crucial part of Thai-inspired cooking (and all meals let’s be real). Use fresh mint, Thai basil, green onions and cilantro.
Avocado: the perfect addition for creamy, healthy fat!
Peanut butter: I recommend the all natural peanut butter (with the only two ingredients being peanuts and salt) but you can use any peanut butter for this sauce
Coconut aminos: coconut aminos are a dark sauce that come from the sap of the coconut plant. This condiment tastes extremely similar to soy sauce and I generally always use this instead of soy sauce (for no other reason than I love it!) but you can absolutely use soy sauce if that’s what you have!
Rice vinegar: I recommend getting seasoned rice vinegar, this will add lovely balance and tang to the sauce.
Sriracha: any hot sauce will work here like chili garlic sauce, sambal oelek, chili crisp even. As always, adjust quantity per your desired level of spiciness.
Agave: agave is a natural, refined sugar free, sweetener. You could also use honey, maple syrup or brown sugar.
Limes: giving lovely acidity to the sauce and our finished wraps, limes are a must!
Garlic and ginger: I recommend grating fresh garlic and ginger straight into the sauce using a microplane. Grating it really releases the flavor and allows it to incorporate seamlessly into the sauce. In a pinch you can use powdered ginger or garlic.
How to Make
First, press your tofu. We want to make sure to get as much moisture out as possible.
Next, julienne that veg. “Julienne-ing” means cutting the veggies into short, thin strips. Perfect for piling into a lettuce cup!
Chop your herbs. For the basil and mint, I use a technique called “chiffonade.” Stack the basil and mint leaves on top of each other and then gently roll into a tube-like shape. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice the leaves into ribbons. Pretty!
Whisk up that sauce. Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add hot water a tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached (I use about 3-4 tablespoons total) I love the recipe written just as is but you may want to taste and season per your personal preference! You could add more vinegar or lime for tanginess, sriracha for heat, agave for sweet and coconut aminos for saltiness.
Cook up the tofu. Toss with some sauce.
Assemble! In the lettuce, pile on the julienned veg, peanutty tofu, fresh herbs, extra sauce, chopped peanuts and a squeeze of lime. Muah!
Tofu for Lettuce Wraps
The best tofu for this recipe is extra firm. High protein extra firm tofu works really well if you can find it!
For the longest time I would press my tofu by wrapping it in a paper towel, placing a large saucepan on it and putting my 10lb dumbbell in the saucepan. Worked like a charm… but then I upgraded to a tofu press which works beautifully as well.
Tips for Crispy Tofu
- Ideally your tofu would press at least 30 minutes. Pat it dry with a paper towel or two. Slice the block into five planks. Slice each of those planks in half lengthwise and then chop into uniform cubes.
- Give another little pat with a paper towel and toss the cubes with cornstarch to lightly coat. You want the cubes to be evenly coated and not stick together.
- In a large, ceramic coated cast-iron pan add a swish of high heat cooking oil, like avocado oil, over high heat.
- Add the tofu in an even layer. Do not crowd the pan. (work in batches if you need to!)
- Here’s the absolute key to crispy tofu: patience. Do not touch it. For at least 4-5 minutes. Then using a silicone spatula gently flip the cubes to a different side. Don’t touch for another 5 minutes. Continue doing this until each side is crispy. It takes a bit of time, probably 15-20 minutes total. But I promise you, this is the key.
Variations
If you prefer not to stir-fry your tofu you can try baking or air-frying. Please note that baking does NOT result in the same level of crispiness. See FAQs for air fryer thoughts.
Instead of peanut sauce you could go another direction entirely like a tahini-based dressing, creamy sesame sauce or even a green goddess dressing.
You could also use alternative protein sources like tempeh, edamame, chicken, shrimp, pork or beef.
How to Store
I love to meal prep these tofu lettuce wraps for lunches throughout the week. Keep the peanut sauce in a jar with tight fitting lid for up to 7 days. Store the chopped veggies, herbs and prepped tofu separately in airtight containers. When ready to serve simply assemble your wraps with your prepped components and add extra sauce.
FAQs
Is this gluten-free?
As written, yes! I mention you could use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos- if you did this it would no longer be gluten free.
Can I use a different protein?
Yep! Shrimp, chicken, tempeh, thinly sliced pork or beef all work wonderfully.
I’m allergic to peanuts, what is a good alternative?
Try cashew butter or sunflower seed butter for a creamy and different tasting, but still delicious, sauce.
Can I make the tofu in the air fryer?
Yep! Prep the tofu as described, spray with a little avocado oil spray and air fry at 400 degrees for 9 minutes. Give the basket a shake and air fry another 4 minutes. You may have to work in batches, don’t crowd the air fryer basket!
I don’t have a tofu press, what should I use?
Wrap the tofu in a paper towel, place a heavy pan on top and if you’re extra like me, put a dumbbell or something else heavy in the pan.
Prefer to Watch? See how easily these come together!
Love this recipe? You will love these other Thai-Inspired Recipes:
This is the perfect spring time recipe and I am channeling all the warmer weather vibes with these light, fresh and flavorful lettuce wraps. If you give these a try I would LOVE for you to leave a comment, give a rating and share your creation on Instagram! Don’t forget to tag me @itsaflavorfullife.
Print
Crispy Tofu Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour (includes 30 minutes tofu pressing time)
- Yield: 10 lettuce wraps, about 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These refreshing tofu lettuce wraps include crispy tofu, luxurious peanut sauce, tons of fresh herbs and crunchy veggies, they’re sure to become a week day lunch favorite!
Ingredients
TOFU
- one 14oz package tofu
- 2–3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
PEANUT SAUCE
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons agave syrup
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3–4 tablespoons warm water
VEG & STUFF
- 1 red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 carrot, julienned
- mini cucumbers or english cucumber, julienned
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- butter lettuce leaves
- green onions, mint, Thai basil, cilantro
- crushed peanuts
- lime slices
Instructions
TOFU
- Press tofu for 30 minutes in a tofu press or wrapped in a paper towel with a large saucepan on top. Slice the block into five planks. Slice each of those planks in half lengthwise and then chop into uniform cubes. Pat cubes dry with a paper towel and toss the cubes with cornstarch to lightly coat. You want the cubes to be evenly coated and not stick together.
- In a large, ceramic coated cast-iron pan over high heat add the avocado oil.
- Add the tofu in an even layer. Do not crowd the pan. (work in batches if you need to!) Do not touch it for at least 4-5 minutes. Then using a silicone spatula gently flip the cubes to a different side. Continue doing this until each side is crispy. This will take about 15 minutes total, be patient! Remove from heat and add about 1/4 cup peanut sauce, toss to combine.
PEANUT SAUCE
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients. Use warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time to thin until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust, as needed.
ASSEMBLY
- In each lettuce leaf layer cucumber, bell pepper, carrot, avocado, tofu, herbs, lots of extra peanut sauce, crushed peanuts and squeeze of lime. OMG. You deserve this.
Notes
You can use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos if that’s what you have!
The tofu doesn’t stay AS crispy when meal prepped ahead of time, but I still think it’s totally delish.
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 lettuce wraps
- Calories: 546
- Sugar: 15.2 g
- Sodium: 498.4 mg
- Fat: 32.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.4 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
