Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

If you’re craving something fresh, flavorful, and easy to throw together, these Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps are such a win. The ground beef cooks up quickly with garlic, ginger, and a simple sauce that’s just the right balance of savory and a little sweet. Pile it into crisp butter lettuce leaves with rice, crunchy carrots, and fresh cucumber, and you’ve got a meal that feels light but still satisfying.

What I love most about these wraps is how versatile they are – you can set everything out and let everyone build their own, which makes dinner feel fun and a little interactive. Plus, they’re loaded with nourishing ingredients, so you can feel good about going back for seconds (and trust me, you will!).

Nutritional benefits of these Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

• Coconut aminos are significantly healthier than soy sauce but tastes the same! It’s made by fermenting coconut palm sap with sea salt. There’s no processed wheat, MSG, etc, and it’s lower in sodium.
• Ground beef is rich in iron, protein, vitamin b12, and more. It makes this soup satiating and filling.
• Garlic is naturally antimicrobial and antibacterial and is a great defense for the immune system.
• Ginger has anti-microbial benefits and is rich in antioxidants, helping balance our gut microbiome and manage free radicals. It helps reduce nausea, bloating, and intestinal gas. Promotes immune health.

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Ingredients for Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

Ground beef – I always recommend opting for a grass-fed ground beef so that you get all the amazing nutrients and it’s great to support ethical farms.

Butter lettuce – to use as the wrap. You can opt for a different lettuce if you want, such as romaine or iceberg, but I love butter lettuce for this! It’s the perfect little cups to hold everything and the flavor is great.

Cucumber

Carrots

Rice – I used jasmine rice, but feel free to use any other such as basmati, brown rice, etc.

Coconut aminos – a healthy alternative to soy sauce – it’s just fermented coconut palm sap with sea salt and there’s no processed wheat, MSG, sugar, etc. It tastes super similar, if not identical, to soy sauce, so it’s a great alternative to use for this recipe. I almost always have it on hand and I use it for my Korean Beef Bowls recipe too.

Rice vinegar – or you can use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.

Coconut sugar – as a natural sweetener, this really helps the sauce stand out. I use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar (which is more traditional) because it’s much healthier – it’s just dehydrated sap from coconut trees, so it’s a natural sweetener! You can also use maple syrup or honey instead.

Garlic cloves – using fresh garlic cloves is so important!

Fresh ginger root – I also love fresh ginger instead of dried ginger – it has much more depth in the flavor.

Sesame seeds – as a garnish

Green onion – as a garnish

Oil for cooking – I used avocado, but you can also use sesame oil, or grass-fed butter, tallow, etc.

How to make Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

Overall, this recipe is easy to make! You just have to prep some veggies, then it’s about 15-20 minutes of cooking. If you’re efficient, this recipe can come together in about 30 minutes, or closer to 45 minutes if it’s your first time making it.

1. Prepare rice according to package instructions, using broth instead of water to cook it.
2. Prep the beef: Preheat a medium or large skillet to medium heat. Once preheated, add some oil and the ground beef. Break up and cook the beef until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. You can drain some of the grease if desired. Then add the minced garlic and grated ginger and stir together and cook another minute or so. Then incorporate the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and coconut sugar and stir together. Let it cook for a couple minutes to incorporate all the flavors.
3. To serve: Place a spoonful of rice into a butter lettuce leaf along with ground beef, sliced cucumber, shredded carrot, sliced green onion, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Make as many as you want, and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Modifications

• Substitute pure maple syrup or honey in place of the coconut sugar if desired. It’ll still be just as delicious! Another option is date syrup or granulated date sugar. Those are all natural sweeteners that will get the job done.
• Use whatever rice you fancy – whether it’s brown rice or white rice (and whatever variety you want).
• You can use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar instead of rice vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
• Feel free to serve these wraps as a delicious appetizer! They’re a fun handheld appetizer (although still a bit messy, so be sure everyone has a plate) that is still delicious even when it gets cold.

Other recipes you’ll love

Korean Beef Bowls with Roasted Broccoli

Ginger Sesame Chicken Stir Fry

Healthy Orange Chicken

Ginger Fried Rice

I hope you love these Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps! Please be sure to leave a comment and rating if you give this recipe a try. I would love to know what you think and your engagement on my website helps me more than you can ever know!

Korean Beef Lettuce Wraps

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• Author: Christine Manes
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 3 servings 1x
• Category: lunch, dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Rice:

1 cup white rice (I used jasmine), rinsed2 cups broth

Beef:

1/2 Tbsp avocado oil or sesame oil 1 lb grass-fed ground beef3 large garlic cloves, minced 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated 1/4 cup coconut aminos (healthy alternative to soy sauce)1 Tbsp rice vinegar 2 Tbsp coconut sugar

For serving:

1 head butter lettuce, leaves removed 1 carrot, shredded 1/2 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced Sliced green onion Sesame seeds

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Instructions

1. Prepare rice according to package instructions, using broth instead of water to cook it.
2. Prep the beef: Preheat a medium or large skillet to medium heat. Once preheated, add some oil and the ground beef. Break up and cook the beef until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. You can drain some of the grease if desired. Then add the minced garlic and grated ginger and stir together and cook another minute or so. Then incorporate the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and coconut sugar and stir together. Let it cook for a couple minutes to incorporate all the flavors.
3. To serve: Place a spoonful of rice into a butter lettuce leaf along with ground beef, sliced cucumber, shredded carrot, sliced green onion, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Make as many as you want, and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Equipment

12″ Saute Pan (stainless steel)

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coconut sugar

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