With less than 200 calories for a HUGE serving, these vegetarian Lettuce Wraps are an easier, healthier, and way more delicious version of the P.F. Chang’s original! Plus, they’re vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and low carb.
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When a P.F. Chang’s opened in my hometown of Wichita, Kansas, it was A Big Deal.
The two-hour wait lasted for months, and when my family finally scored a table, our server insisted that we order the lettuce wraps appetizer. She was SO RIGHT.
Today’s lettuce wraps recipe is a copycat version of the illustrious P.F. Chang’s original with a healthy twist.
Excess amounts of sugar are why lettuce wraps are high in carbs at restaurants. So, to ensure this recipe was healthier than other lettuce wraps recipes (including P.F. Chang’s), I skipped the added sugar altogether.
This recipe features a richly-flavored sauce that rivals the original, crunch, and a hint of spice.
It’s easy, nutritious, and so much of a dead ringer for the real deal that this has become one of my most popular recipes!
Bonus: this healthy lettuce wraps recipe is ready in 25 minutes. So long, two-hour wait!
5 Star Review
“Wow!!! This recipe was fantastic! You did not overpromise, this was better than the real thing! It was a winner for the entire family.”
— Jessica —
How to Make Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
These vegetarian lettuce wraps are made with tofu and mushrooms, two ingredients that often unnerve more hesitant eaters.
As those who have tried these easy lettuce wraps 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.
Tip!
If you’re still REALLY unsure about going meat-free, check out my Asian Lettuce Wraps made with ground chicken (you can also swap ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork). For a peanut spin, make chicken lettuce wraps with this Thai Asian Chicken Wraps recipe.
The Ingredients
- Tofu. Once crumbled and coated in the sauce, even the most diligent of tofu skeptics will enjoy this dish. Tofu is rich in protein and low in calories, making these lettuce wraps healthy (especially when compared to restaurant versions).
- Hoisin. Similar to an Asian barbecue sauce, it’s sticky, sweet, and incredibly delicious. It’s the sauce’s foundation.
- Soy Sauce. Since this is an Asian lettuce wraps recipe, we can’t skip the soy sauce. It adds mouth-watering umami goodness to the sauce.
- Rice Wine Vinegar. Adds a touch of light, sweet acidity.
- Sesame Oil. Lightly nutty and wonderful in Asian recipes like this one.
- Mushrooms. After being finely chopped and coated in the sauce, the mushrooms are barely noticeable in this dish. They do, however, give the filling a great depth of flavor.
- Water Chestnuts. For a satisfying crunch.
- Red Pepper Flakes. Adds heat without making the dish overly spicy. If you enjoy the spice, you can add more to taste or top the wraps with sriracha.
- Lettuce Leaves. What kind of lettuce is used for lettuce wraps? While I think the best lettuce for lettuce wraps is Boston lettuce (or Bibb or butter lettuce), romaine lettuce would also work well. Iceberg lettuce can be used in a pinch.
The Directions
- Stir the sauce ingredients together.
- Press the tofu, squeezing out the liquid. Crumble the tofu into a large skillet with oil over medium high heat. Cook for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms. Add the water chestnuts, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and part of the green onions.
- Pour in the sauce, stirring to coat. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Serve the tofu mixture in lettuce leaves. Top with green onions and ENJOY!
Storage Tips
- To Store. The tofu filling can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. Store lettuce leaves separately in the refrigerator.
- To Freeze. You can freeze lettuce wraps filling for up to 2 months (do not freeze the lettuce leaves).
- To Reheat. Reheat gently in the microwave with a bit of water or stock to prevent it from drying out or in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat.
Leftover Ideas
I like to mix the leftover filling with brown rice or rice noodles, or scramble it with eggs for quick, healthy lunches throughout the week. Vegetarian lettuce wraps with quinoa are also a delicious way to bulk up leftovers.
What Goes Well with Lettuce Wraps
Whether you want to know what goes with lettuce wraps for dinner or lunch, these ideas are certain to please. You can also eat lettuce wraps as an appetizer or enjoy them on their own.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Non-Stick Skillet. A seasoned cast iron skillet works well also.
- Spatula. This heat-resistant spatula is perfect for preparing the filling.
- Measuring Spoons. These spoons are double-sided, meaning you’ll have fewer dishes to wash.
P.F. Chang’s does still have vegetarian lettuce wraps on its menu, but I’d rather make this recipe any day. I know you will love it too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Crisp lettuce leaves are the best way to keep them from falling apart. If you have limp, thin lettuce leaves, they’re much more likely to break under the weight of the filling. It’s also important to not overstuff your lettuce leaves. If you pile too much filling into a leaf, it can easily tear as you try to wrap it up.
If this recipe has inspired you to wrap other dishes in lettuce leaves, you’re not alone! For vegetarian lettuce wraps Indian style, try piling this Tofu Curry into lettuce leaves. For Thai lettuce wraps vegetarian style, try this Chickpea Curry.
While I haven’t made this recipe using tempeh, I think it would turn out well. It is slightly more dense than tofu, which may give the filling more texture.
Lettuce Wraps
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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 (12 to 14 ounces) extra-firm tofu do not use silken
- 8 ounces baby bella cremini mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts drained and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- ¼ 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.
Video
Notes
- TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE: Use a gluten free hoisin sauce and gluten free soy sauce, or substitute tamari instead.
- TO STORE: The tofu filling can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. Store lettuce leaves separately in the refrigerator.
- TO REHEAT: 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
Nutrition
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Can I freeze the filling to use later?
Hi Kaylin! Yes! It should freeze well. Enjoy!
Easy, fresh, delicious! A huge hit with my family. Will be making these often! Thank you for the great recipe!
Hi! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I’m a vegetarian and always looking for recipes my whole family will enjoy. Theses have become one of our favorite meals! I’ve even taken to pot luck parties and everyone loves them! I’ve shared this recipe over and over. Thank you!
Great to hear, thank you Jennifer!
Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Gail!
Tastes just like the restaurant!! Amazing and delicious!! Thank you!
Yay! Thank you Reagan!
I made for dinner tonight & thought it was quick, easy, but just not flavorful enough as written for my household. I haven’t been to PF Chang’s in a while so can’t comment on how close this comes to that one. Crumbled tofu is great in these as a substitute for ground chicken or another meat. Erin, Thank you for our dinner inspiration tonight & helping me figure out how to use up a few things from our CSA!
Prep: I prepped the sauce and veggies the night before to speed up my cooking.
My changes: I tasted my skillet mixture hoisin through green onions when it was ready, added red pepper flakes, and still thought it needed more flavor for my household. Our favorite Lettuce Wrap recipe is in Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings cookbook. I added half of that recipe’s sauce (includes what’s in Erin’s recipe here with Thai Chili Sauce &Sriracha) to the skillet, let it simmer a bit longer, and served the other half of the sauce on the table for everyone to top their wraps with as they liked. That recipe also includes on finely chopped red bell pepper and I think that texture and color could be fun here too.
Thanks for your feedback, Katherine
I’m on a low sodium diet and would love to make these. But, the sodium content isn’t a part of the nutritional information. Can you please provide it?
Hi Jen, I stopped including sodium info because it can vary so much depending upon what products you used, and I found a lot of conflicting info online, so ultimately I didn’t feel comfortable publishing it because sometimes it wasn’t even in the ballpark. If you’d like to calculate it yourself, there are lots of free tools online (myfitnesspal.com is popular). I hope that helps!
This was so good and I was impressed with the how flavorful this recipe was. my only thing that I would change for me, would be to minimize the the rice vinegar in the mix. It was pretty overpowering for me. but overall, delicious! thank you!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Patricia!
I worked with PF Chang’s for 12 years as a manager and I have to say this is a great copy cat version. I will tell you that the company’s recipe also includes red onion and mint. I also stay true to the iceberg lettuce used as the wrap. I know bibb and romaine are healthier for you but old habits die hard :) Thanks for the recipe!
Eek! Love that! Thank you!
Love this rendition of a family favorite!
We absolutely loved this! Added more veg (carrot, onion and red bell pepper) and topped with diced cucumber and peanut sauce. So delicious!!!
Great to hear, thank you!
Delicious! I didn’t have hoisin sauce and used tamari instead. It will be great for bkft, no need for eggs.
Glad you enjoyed it, Heather! Thanks for the feedback!
Just made this. It is spot on. Delicious, and not difficult to make.
Thank you Barbara!
Simple, easy, flavorful, healthy. I make this dish often for my family. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Great to hear, thank you Marcia!
Delicious! We eat these as a meal instead of an appetizer, so to bulk everything up, I add a cup of cooked brown rice and a cup of steamed edamame (shelled) and serve with spring rolls.
Thank you Lauren!
This is delicious just as written! Thank you for sharing!!
These are so good. I will definitely be making these again. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Thank you Rose!
One of my go to recipes for dinner. As a vegetarian I appreciate a meal my family will enjoy with me! This is simple and tasty.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Jennifer! Thank you!