Asian Teriyaki Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Teriyaki tofu lettuce wraps are super flavorful vegetarian dinner ideas. Packed with vegetables it’s a hearty dinner even your kids will love. Marinate or leave plain, cook on the stovetop or make air fryer tofu. Then use lettuce for your taco shells and enjoy.

Copycat PF Changs Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Ok so I had sweet and sour tofu the first time at our favorite restaurant. I was, and always am, trying to eat healthier BUT the food has to still taste amazing. I grew up eating tofu as a young child since I was born in Hawaii so I ate and tried a lot of different types of foods. Now when I hear that some have never tried this, I’m amazed.

There are tons of different ways to cook tofu nuggets. You can bake in the oven, air fry, or deep fry of course. To add a ton of Asian flavors I love drizzling a bunch of homemade teriyaki sauce on top too. You could add a bit of heat to make it spicy too with red pepper flakes and/or Sriracha. There are tons of variations, all are great.

You could change it up with ground beef, ground pork or ground chicken too if you want to make it again and again with different proteins. Here is what you’re going to need to buy or get together so you can get started:

Ingredients

1. Firm tofu and use a cheesecloth or a few paper towels to press it and remove some of the moisture out of it
2. Head of lettuce with large leaves
3. Thinly sliced carrots
4. Diced green onions
5. Small sliced or diced air fryer bell peppers
6. Soy sauce and teriyaki sauce
7. Sesame seeds and/or cashews are optional
8. If you love diced roasted air fryer garlic or chopped fresh ginger those would be good options too

Incorporate your heat inside with the sauce, just on the top or in both for more hot for a spicy tofu wrap.

What lettuce do you use for lettuce wraps?

Romaine is the best by far if you ask me because it’s tender with a sturdy rib, butter lettuce is a lighter flavor that works well too. Some swear by iceberg lettuce leaves but I don’t think they have much flavor

How can you make tofu spicy?

You can drizzle some sriracha mayo over the top for some heat or add a few Tbsp into the mix when you’re heating in the pan. For a milder versions, then just leave that out entirely. I also love dry Sriracha powder for all the things.

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps without Tofu

Ok so there is another option too. You could totally use portobello mushrooms cut into small cubes and use that instead. I would use the same exact directions as listed below but just with this one substitution. Cook time may be a bit shorter depending on how tender you want those pieces to become.

Large or baby bella chopped mushrooms are better than button because they are firmer and have more flavor too.

How many calories are in a tofu lettuce wrap?

If you use the exact measurements and ingredients listed below in the printable recipe card there is nutritional information listed below. That of course will vary slightly even too though depending on the brand of sauce used but these have about 600 calories with one loaded full of the filling.

What is in PF Changs lettuce wraps?

I tried to use what I remembered, with tofu vs. their Asian chicken breasts, using what was available at my store. They didn’t have rice noodles which they have on the top and sprinkled on the plate but that didn’t matter. I chose cashews vs. water chestnuts just because I preferred them.

How do you crisp lettuce for lettuce wraps?

If you have a salad spinner that works great. You will want to rinse each piece with really cold water to remove any dirt or debris. Then spin to remove as much moisture as possible, or lay on paper towels and use as quickly as possible. The longer the warm filling sits inside the more the lettuce will soften and not be as crisp.

I have all the directions below that you can print out and keep on hand. We love “seeing you” often though so you can just come back instead, and enjoy the rest of our creations added new each week. You could easily add teriyaki chicken into the mix too, just dice into small bite size pieces and pre cook in separate pan. Here’s a brief rundown of how these were made;

How to cook marinated tofu on the stove

• Lay piece of tofu on a piece of cheesecloth or few paper towels.
  • Fold over and gently press down or place a book on top to remove moisture.
• Cut tofu or mushrooms into bite size pieces. Add olive or sesame oil into a pan and brown in a skillet over medium high heat on all sides, then set aside.
• Chop carrot and red bell pepper into small pieces. Then slice the white part of the green onion, keep the green part for garnish. Add one tbsp of olive oil into a large skillet, add chopped veggies and sauté for a couple of minutes until slightly soft.
• Next, add the sliced green onion the white part) and minced garlic. Stir fry for 2 more minutes until fragrant and soft.
• Remove from heat and add tofu, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and some slices of the green part of the green onion. Gently fold together to combine.

Rinse and blot dry on paper towels or spin inside of a salad spinner.

This quick and easy one pot meal has become a family favorite. Since our first go around I have swapped this and that to be part of a new lettuce wrap recipe with the same idea, just different mixed vegetables inside.

How to save leftovers

First off you only want to fill and prepare exactly what you are going to consume then and there. The filling and leaves need to be kept separate for leftovers. If you use meat just wait until it is room temperature, store in a sealed container and reheat within 3 days in the microwave for about a minute.

If you used tofu I would eat leftovers within 1-2 days since it will begin to soften, next day is best. Only rinse leaves you are going to eat that day, the rest should stay attached to remain as crisp as possible.