The Well Plated Cookbook is here! Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps | Copycat PF Changs
Vegetarian lettuce wraps with less than 200 calories for a HUGE serving. This lettuce wraps recipe is easy, healthy and WAY better than the PF Chang’s original! They’re vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and low carb.
When a P.F. Chang’s opened in my hometown of Wichita, Kansas, it was A Big Deal. New restaurants always generate a buzz, especially chains associated with larger cities. P.F. Chang’s was no exception. The two-hour wait lasted for months, and when my family finally scored a table, our server insisted that we order the lettuce wraps. She was SO RIGHT.
I still remember their sweet crunch and addictive taste. PF Chang’s serves up delicious Asian dishes, so copycat PF Chang’s recipes can be found all over the interwebs. (This PF Chang’s Mongolian Beef looks amazing).
Today’s Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps recipe is a copycat version of the illustrious P.F. Chang’s original.
They’re easy, healthy, and so much of a dead ringer for the real deal that they’ve become one of my most popular recipes!
The Best Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
Although I typically begin my recipe posts by describing the dish, this time, I thought I’d share a few excerpts from the comments section. I can’t even tell you how happy these make me to read (and reread). Thank you.❤️
- Oh my lanta. I don’t often leave feedback on recipes I found online, but I have to tell you how impressed I am by these lettuce wraps. The appetizer was always my fav at P.F. and since going meatless a couple years ago, I pretty much resigned to the fact that I’d never enjoy them again. I made them tonight and… Wow. Just wow. Delicious. The consistency and flavor were spot on.
- These are fabulous! I make them when I want to do something special for friends and family. Feels like eating at PF Changs!
- This recipe is delicious and so easy. Made this for dinner tonight, and it was an instant hit with the whole family!
- Just made these last night with my 10 year old daughter who is a well known hater of mushrooms and onions and she could not stop raving about this meal. She said, “Mom, it’s like a party in your mouth!”
- I’ve never cooked with tofu until I made this recipe. Wow! The flavors and textures were spot on to the originals. Delicious. Even though it made a large amount my husband and I devoured almost all of it in one sitting!
- I just made these tonight, and they are AMAZING!!! I eat tofu all the time, but even my husband who’s not really a fan of it enjoyed these!
- Absolutely DEELISH. Better than P F Changs!
And so many more!
About These Healthy Lettuce Wraps
As you likely pieced together from the comments, these Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps are made with tofu and mushrooms, two ingredients that often unnerve more hesitant eaters.
As those who have tried this lettuce wrap recipe can attest, however, you hardly notice them! Both ingredients are finely diced, and by the time the tofu and mushrooms have simmered in that signature, addictive P.F. Chang’s sauce, all you’ll taste is the flavors of the original.
If you are still feeling unsure about the tofu, please slow down and carefully consider this next sentence. My inspiration for these tofu lettuce wraps came from The Pioneer Woman.
Yes, it was the Food Network queen of the cattle ranch herself who prompted me to use tofu for the vegetarian lettuce wrap filling. If tofu vegetarian lettuce wraps are approved in the home of a cattle rancher, they will be in yours too! (And if you’re still REALLY unsure, check out the chicken version of these Asian Lettuce Wraps!)
The Pioneer Woman put a southwest spin on her tofu lettuce wraps by adding corn and chili powder (which I may try at some point), but today’s recipe is all about harnessing the flavors and ingredients that give P.F. Chang’s famous lettuce wraps the cult following they enjoy, but in a light and healthy way you can enjoy any night of the week.
Bonus: this healthy lettuce wraps recipe is ready in 25 minutes. So long, two-hour wait!
Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps Leftover Tips
- Any leftover filling keeps well in the refrigerator for several days. I recommend rewarming the leftovers in a skillet over medium heat—they’ll taste as fresh as if you had just made the recipe.
- In addition to serving my vegetarian copycat P.F. Chang’s filling as a lettuce wrap, I also like to mix the extra portions with brown rice or scramble them with eggs for quick, healthy lunches throughout the week.
More Delicious Healthy Asian Recipes with Tofu
- General Tso’s Tofu
- Honey Lime Tofu Stir Fry
- Mapo Dofu (Chinese Spicy Pork with Tofu)
- Korean Braised Tofu
- Kung Pao Tofu
Recommended Tools to Make Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
- Nonstick pan (a seasoned cast iron skillet works well also)
- Heatproof spatula
Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons canola oil - or grapeseed oil
- 1 packages extra-firm tofu - (12- to 14-ounces), do not use silken
- 8 ounces baby bella cremini mushrooms - finely chopped
- 1 can water chestnuts - (8 ounces), drained and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes - omit if sensitive to spice
- 4 green onions - thinly sliced, divided
- 8 large inner leaves romaine lettuce - from a romaine heart or butter lettuce leaves
- Optional for serving: grated carrots - additional red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together the hoisin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Set aside.
- Press the tofu between paper towels to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Refresh the paper towels and press again. Heat the 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Once the oil is hot, crumble in the tofu, breaking it into very small pieces as it cooks. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, then add the diced mushrooms. Continue cooking until any remaining tofu liquid cooks off and the tofu starts to turn golden, about 3 minutes more. Stir in the water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and half of the green onions and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
- Pour the sauce over the top of the tofu mixture and stir to coat. Cook just until you hear bubbling and the sauce is warmed through, 30 to 60 seconds.
- Spoon the tofu mixture into individual lettuce leaves. Top with remaining green onions, grated carrots, and additional red pepper flakes as desired. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- To Store. The tofu filling can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave with a bit of water or stock to prevent it from drying out or in a skillet over medium heat. Try the leftovers mixed with rice or scrambled with eggs
- To Make Gluten Free. Use a gluten free hoisin sauce and gluten free soy sauce, or substitute tamari instead.
And for posterity, here is one of the original photos from when I first posted the recipe:
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