This is one of those meals that makes a great weeknight dinner because it’s super quick to throw together, simple but delicious, and I would say decently healthy. And it happens to be vegetarian friendly as well.
I feel like these photos don’t quite do these Thai Tempeh Lettuce Wraps justice, so please believe when I say this is absolutely PACKED with flavor.
Related: 40 Easy 30-Minute Dinner Ideas and 60 Easy Dinner Recipes
I must admit this meal is very much inspired by a recipe from the Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Cookbook, which is a great cookbook full of really awesome recipes. The measurements are different, and that version features ground turkey and is served over noddles.
But it’s still got a lot of the same delicious flavors, so I wanted to make sure and highlight that cookbook as well as Tieghan’s blog because if you aren’t a fan already, you should be.
What is tempeh? Fermented soybeans. I tend to think of it as the more textured cousin of tofu.
I love using tempeh in any recipe that could otherwise use a ground meat (like turkey or beef), plus it truly does have a great texture and will carry whatever flavors you put around it. So it’s an awesome ingredient for vegetarians and those who only dabble alike.
I almost always serve this as lettuce wraps, simply spooning the filling into large lettuce leaves and eating it like a taco. But you could also serve this over steamed rice for a more take-out version.
The below recipe is very flavorful as is, but if you want to add a kick have some sriracha handy. I hope you enjoy these Thai Tempeh Lettuce Wraps as much as I do! xo. Emma
Get our FREE recipe guide with our most popular recipes of all time!
Free Popular Recipe Guide
Our top 25 recipes of all time!
Get the Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces tempeh
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ cup peanuts
- 1 tablespoon mint (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil (thai basil if available)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 1 lime
- lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients that need to be chopped or minced, including tempeh, garlic, ginger, peanuts, mint, basil, and cilantro.
- In a medium pan/skillet, add the olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add the tempeh, garlic, and ginger and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce and sweet chili sauce and stir. The sauce will thicken up over the pan ingredients.
- Toss in the peanuts and chopped herbs and cook until everything is warm, remove from heat.
- Trim and rinse well the lettuce leaves, making sure to remove any dirt.
- Serve the the filling alongside the lettuce leaves with lime wedges to squeeze over just before eating.
Absolutely horrid everything from the texture the peanuts added to the taste of olive oil in Thai food (note: discard Thai recipes that use olive oil IMMEDIATELY). I made this recipe to a t and spit out the food. Super disappointed because I love tempeh, and this wasted mine.
This has become one of my favorite go-to recipes! Thanks Emma!
We love this recipe for weeknights! It’s super flavorful and filling. I usually make one batch with tempeh and one batch with browned ground turkey for the meat eaters in the household!
Terrific! So quick & easy to make. Definitely a keeper recipe!!
This was so simple and delicious!! My first time cooking with tempeh.
This recipe is sooooo good!! Will be making this all the time now!
These were delicious, and much needed after a week of heavy Thanksgiving dishes. Though I’ve never had tempeh, I love lettuce cups and Thai dishes, so I figured it was worth the gamble – and it totally was. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow. I feel honored you tried this as your first tempeh recipe. Glad you liked it!
Made these with some leftover tempeh I needed to use and OMG! So good!
Oh wow! that looks amazing girls!! I want to try the recipe <3
xx
Eli | Curly Style