Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps

Por Kristy Richardson on April 11, 2024 | Updated April 11, 2024 | Rate Recipe

Quick to make and tasty to eat, these ground pork lettuce wraps will become your new favorite dinner! Full of juicy pieces of pork, crunchy vegetables, you’ll love the burst of flavor in every bite!

Asian-style pork lettuce wraps filled with ground meat and vegetables, garnished with sesame seeds, served with rice and dipping sauce on the side of a plate.

*This is a sponsored post in partnership with the Utah Pork Producers Association. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Why We Love Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps

Great Dinner or Appetizer – You can easily serve this quick and simple recipe as a dinner or appetizer. We especially love eating a meal like this in the spring or summer because it has a freshness to it that goes so well with the delicious pork filling.
Packed With Protein – Pork has a lot of protein all on it’s own, just 3 ounces can have over 22-24 grams or protein. Plus we pair this recipe with a great sauce and a crunchy vegetable filling that make such an insanely delicious combo.
Easy To Make – No special skills needed to make this dish, and you’ll feel like a rockstar serving these lettuce wraps for your family. I’ve found this dish was a great way to start to introduce my child to more Asian-inspired flavors, and it’s usually less expensive than eating lettuce wraps as takeout.
Supporting US Farmers – When you purchase pork in any grocery store, it directly supports family farms in Utah and across the US.

Ingredients For Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients for an asian-inspired ground pork lettuce wrap in bowls with text labels

For The Lettuce Wraps

1 large head lettuce butter lettuce (also known as bibb lettuce,) iceberg or romaine, leaves separated
8 ounces water chestnuts canned, diced
1 cup shredded carrots about 2 medium carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil avocado oil, vegetable oil, or your favorite cooking oil
1/4 medium onion white onion, diced but purple onion or yellow onion can also be used
1 teaspoon minced garlic jarred
1 pound ground pork – I usually prefer a leaner ground pork for this recipe, but you can drain any ground pork well and it will be delicious.
1 teaspoon ginger dried
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons rice vinegar

For Extra Dipping Sauce (optional)

This simple sauce doesn’t have to be included, but if you like the filling a little more saucy you’ll love adding this sauce to the top of the pork.

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
green onions optional garnish
sesame seeds optional garnish

How To Make Lettuce Wraps

Prepping The Lettuce Wraps

Separate the lettuce leaves carefully from the head. Rinse the lettuce leaves in cold water, then dry well and set to the side. Drain and dice the water chestnuts, then set to the side. Peel then shred the carrots and set aside.
Place a tablespoon of oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Place the diced onion in the pan. Saute the onion for about 2-3 minutes until translucent and tender. Add the minced garlic and ginger, and cook for about a minute or until fragrant.

Garlic and onion being sauteed in oil in a pan with lettuce, carrots and a wooden spoon on the counter nearby.

Add the ground pork into the skillet. Brown the pork, breaking up the meat with a wooden spatula. Cook the pork until browned and no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess oil well from the pan. See notes at the bottom of the page.

Raw ground pork in a pan with cooked onions and garlic being cooked, with shredded carrots, lettuce and a ground meat chopper on the counter nearby to make pork lettuce wraps.

Cooked ground pork in a pan after browning to make pork lettuce wraps.

To the ground pork add the water chestnuts and shredded carrots in the skillet. Stir for a minute to heat and combine.

Browned ground pork being mixed with carrots and water chestnuts in a pan.

Pour ¼ cup hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 4 teaspoons rice vinegar over the pork mixture. Stir in the sauce well so the sauce coats the mixture evenly. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring as needed and allowing the sauce to thicken.

Hoison sauce, soy sauce and other sauce ingredients being added to a ground pork, shredded carrot and water chestnut mixture to make pork lettuce wraps

Cooked ground pork with shredded carrots in a pan ready to fill pieces of lettuce on the counter nearby to make pork lettuce wraps.

Making Extra Dipping Sauce (optional)

In a medium bowl add ¼ cup hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Whisk together well until well blended and serve in a small bowl for dipping. Top with sesame seeds if desired and serve on the side.

Serving The Lettuce Wraps

Spoon the pork filling onto a piece of lettuce, adding some of the sauce from the pan to the top of the pork. Sprinkle with optional green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with optional dipping sauce on the side, and enjoy.

A hand filling asian-style pork lettuce wraps wwith ground pork and vegetables being spooned into lettuce pieces on a wooden cutting board.

Easy Lettuce Wrap Variation Ideas

Add Other Vegetables – Diced zucchini or diced mushrooms are a great addition to the filling of the lettuce wrap, as is a little bit of cooked shredded cabbage. I also like to add frozen edamame without the shells sometimes, delicious!

Try Adding Crunch – Lettuce wraps are sometimes topped with crispy rice noodles which add a little extra crunch to the top.

Make The Lettuce Wraps Spicier – Try adding chili oil or a chili crunch, a few dashes of hot sauce like sriracha or some red pepper flakes to spice things up. You can try adding these ingredients straight to the sauce as it’s cooking or add them at the table if not everyone in your family prefers things spicy.

Serve Over Rice – This lettuce wrap filling does work well on it’s own served stir-fry style over rice.

What Do I Serve With Pork Lettuce Wraps?

When serving as a meal, try adding steamed rice or fried rice on the side with some cooked Asian-style broccoli or Asian-style green beans. Steamed edamame served warm or cold is delicious, as is this easy Asian ramen noodle salad.

If you are serving multiple appetizers, try adding crunchy spring rolls, egg rolls or cream cheese rangoons. I also like to heat up dumplings or bao buns that you can sometimes find in the frozen section of the store now.

Pork lettuce wraps filled with seasoned ground meat and carrots being served on a platter with more sauce and white rice in a bowl nearby.

Do I Have To Use Water Chestnuts?

No water chestnuts could be left out of this dish. I like to add water chestnuts because they give a great crunch without altering the flavor.

Does This Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps Recipe Get Oily?

Just like many other types of ground meat, you’ll want to drain this ground pork after cooking it until it is brown. I highly recommend draining the oil before adding the sauce or the final dish may be too oily depending on the ground pork you have.

You can also use a lean ground pork or use a meat grinder to grind pork tenderloin which is as leasn as chicken breast.

Can I Use Another Kind Of Lettuce?

Butter lettuce, romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce tends to work the best with these wraps. You can use any head of lettuce that when pulled apart from the head forms lettuce cups.

I also really enjoy using napa cabbage in lettuce wraps because it is still tender when eaten raw and strong enough to hold the filling. It’s one of my favorites when they have it at the store, but I only pick it up when it starts off looking crisp so I know it’s fresh.

How Do I Help Fix Lettuce That Isn’t Crisp?

While we can’t do anything about lettuce that has fully wilted or turned brown, you can help lettuce that has just started to wilt a little bit or isn’t as crisp as you would like.

Trim the stems off the lettuce with a sharp knife to open up the lettuce so it sucks up the cold water. Place the lettuce in a large container of cold water with ice cubes. Let the lettuce soak for at least 30 minutes, then dry it well. The leaves will have soaked up enough water to be crisp lettuce.

The cold water will help revive the lettuce as it sucks up the water and help it become crispy again, which will give you the perfect crunch with the ground pork filling.

How Long Will These Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps Last?

Expect these lettuce wraps will last for about three days when stored in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.

I highly recommend storing any leftover lettuce separate from the filling in a separate container. Then you can heat any leftover filling and add it to the lettuce before you eat. I like to store the lettuce in a glass container whenever possible with a few paper towels to help it stay more crisp.

You can freeze the filling from these ground pork lettuce wraps, but the lettuce doesn’t freeze well. You’ll either need to buy new lettuce to serve the leftover frozen pork mixture or you could also serve it over rice.

More Recipes With Pork You’ll Love

Course Appetizer, Dinners

Cuisine American, Asian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This easy pork lettuce wraps recipe made with ground pork and crunchy vegetables makes a tasty dinner that’s fast and better then restaurants! Plus dinner is packed with protein and flavor, and ready in under 30 minutes.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark