15 Healthy Lettuce Wraps for Low-Carb Lunches

A little sugar balances the vinegar tang in the turkey mixture and helps develop wonderful crispy bits in the pan. Delicate butter lettuce leaves have a nice cup shape for filling; you could also use romaine.

Chicken lettuce wraps are an adventurous way to introduce new flavors and cuisines to your table of eaters. They're a lot like tacos—handheld and highly customizable—and often very fast to prepare. For this Korean-inspired version, we let chicken marinate in big-flavor ingredients—gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Think of gochujang as Korean steak sauce, adding savory depth to the chicken. You can find it at many supermarkets, or substitute equal parts Sriracha and white/yellow miso (soybean paste). The marinated chicken only needs a quick sauté before you pair it with crunchy refreshing toppings like cucumber and green onions and a crisp Bibb lettuce leaf.

We consider this dish a modern Vietnamese cook's interpretation of a classic. If you can find white sweet potatoes, use them—they're drier and less sweet than their orange cousins, but traditional sweet potatoes will work just fine, too. Place the dipping sauce in a bowl surrounded by the lettuce and herbs so guests can build their own lettuce wraps as they like. If your family enjoys crab cakes or salmon cakes, break out this recipe to expand the weeknight menu rotation and give everyone a chance to practice their chopstick skills. This dish cooks from start to finish in only about 30 minutes.

The low, even heat of the slow cooker helps flavor powerhouses like miso, sesame oil, and soy sauce to impart tenderizing moisture, umami depth, and savory personality to common pot roast.

Here's a low-carb twist on a taco: shredded white-meat turkey dressed with sweet-tart cranberry sauce spiced with adobo and chipotle. Tuck it all into tender lettuce leaves. 

We love the distinct savoriness ground lamb brings to these crunchy wraps, but you can go all ground sirloin for a version that still delivers loads of flavor. Try subbing in a different precooked whole grain, like farro or barley, for the rice to add a textural twist.

Inspired by Momofuku chef David Chang's Korean bo ssäm pork, these deliver crunch and succulence, all in one bite.

Inspired by the classic Vietnamese dish Cha Ca La Vong, these wraps are a fun way to serve up stir-fry. Swap black cod for tilapia if you prefer a heartier fish.

English cucumber, red bell pepper, and ripe avocado add fresh flavor to this Mexican-style salad featuring two cups of leftover shrimp mixture.

Because of their strength and malleability, Bibb lettuce leaves are some of the best for loaded lettuce wraps. It's worth picking up a couple of heads if you only have iceberg or romaine in your crisper.

Lettuce wraps are a fresh alternative to pancakes or tortillas. If you can't find Bibb lettuce, iceberg will work.

If you think of veggies as containers for tasty ingredients, dinner gets more interesting. You'll love these Asian-inspired lettuce wraps with their tangy hoisin-peanut sauce.

Give traditional lettuce wraps a kick in the tastebuds with the addition of zesty spiced steak.

Based on the classic Korean barbecue dish bulgogi, this recipe offers savory-sweet-garlicky beef wrapped in lettuce leave with rice and kimchi.

Lettuce leaves offer a light, fresh alternative to pita or flatbread. If you can't find red pepper hummus, plain hummus is a welcome substitute.

Lettuce wraps make for a fresh burst of crunch and flavor, or spoon the stir-fry over rice. Look for fish sauce in your grocery store's Asian foods section.