Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps — 🥬🐷🌶️ EASY, ready in 20 minutes, perfectly SPICY yet wonderfully fresh! Just enough heat to keep you going back for more! A new dinnertime WINNER! You can sub ground chicken or ground turkey for the pork to keep them leaner.
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Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps
One of the top 5 most popular recipes on my entire blog is for these P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps and the Facebook video has currently been viewed 25 million times. So, just a wee bit popular.
Since I love lettuce wraps, and apparently all of you do too, it was time to branch out from the typical chicken lettuce wraps I make and try something new. These spicy pork wraps are so easy, ready in less than 20 minutes, high protein, naturally gluten-free, and will become a keeper in your dinner rotation.
They’re perfectly spicy yet have a lovely fresh quality about them while still being hearty enough to keep you satisfied. The filling was just spicy enough for us (we like spicy food) but not fire alarm in your mouth spicy.
The wraps take on an Asian vibe thanks to the chili garlic sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and more. They’re a spicy cousin to these popular Chicken Lettuce Wraps and are guaranteed to become a staple at your table.
What’s in These Pork Lettuce Wraps?
To make these Asian lettuce wraps, you’ll need:
- Sesame oil
- Jimmy Dean Premium Pork Sausage
- Yellow onion
- Water chestnuts
- Hoisin sauce
- Low-sodium soy sauce – Feel free to use tamari or coconut aminos if you need to keep your wraps gluten-free
- Asian chili garlic sauce – I find this in the Asian section of my local grocery store
- Rice vinegar
- Sriracha
- Ground ginger – You can substitute grated fresh ginger if preferred
- Green onions
- Butter lettuce – I’ve also made these wraps with Bibb lettuce and large iceberg lettuce leaves. Use any kind of lettuce you like best. Just make sure the leaves are large enough to wrap around the pork mixture
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make This Pork Lettuce Wraps Recipe
These delicious pork wraps are just as good as any takeout option and come together in less than 30 minutes!
- Add the diced onion and pork sausage to a large skillet with oil. Cook the pork completely, over medium-high heat, breaking it into pieces.
- Add the water chestnuts, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, sriracha, ginger, and pepper.
- Stir to combine, and cook until the water chestnuts are through and soften.
- Spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves.
- garnish with green onions, and enjoy!
What to Serve with Ground Pork Lettuce Wraps
Storage:
This recipe is best warm and fresh, but the filling will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or, you can freeze the filling for several months!
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Then, reheat it in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat before assembling your wraps.
Recipe FAQs
The pork sausage has so much flavor, but if you want to use another type of ground meat, you can. Ground chicken and ground turkey are both good subs.
However, they’re much leaner so you may need to add additional oil so the mixture isn’t dry. And then to replicate the heat level, make sure to stick with a good amount of chili garlic sauce, to taste of course.
Most definitely! You can cook the filling in advance. Then, reheat it throughout the week to fill your lettuce cups. I don’t recommend assembling the wraps ahead of time, or the lettuce will become soggy.
Yes! If you want to make these easy lettuce wraps even spicier add sriracha and/or start out with Jimmy Dean Premium Pork Hot Sausage to get that fire going.
Conversely, if you’re cooking these for kiddos or people who don’t like too much spice, then take it easy on the chili garlic sauce (1 tablespoon) and skip the sriracha. It’s a very flexible and adaptable recipe.
Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- one 16-ounce package Jimmy Dean Premium Pork Sausage, Hot Sausage may be substituted
- 1 medium/large sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
- one 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and diced small
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- 2 to 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Asian chili garlic sauce, or to taste
- 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha, optional and to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger or 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 to 3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
- butter lettuce or ‘living lettuce’ leaves, for serving
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the oil, Jimmy Dean Premium Pork Sausage, onions and cook over medium-high heat until sausage is cooked through; stir intermittently and crumble sausage while cooking to ensure even cooking.
- Add the water chestnuts, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, optional sriracha, ginger, pepper, stir to combine, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until water chestnuts are warmed and soften slightly; stir intermittently.
- Taste filling and make any necessary flavor adjustments, i.e. more chili garlic sauce, hoisin, pepper, etc.
- Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling into the lettuce leaves and evenly garnish with green onions before serving.
Notes
- Recipe is best warm and fresh but filling will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Lettuce Wrap Recipes:
P.F. Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps {Copycat Recipe} — Skip the restaurant version and make at home in 20 minutes! Easy, healthier because you’re controlling the ingredients, and they taste way better!
Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps – Easy, ready in 20 minutes, and layered with flavor galore! High protein, gluten-free, and the Thai twist is amazing! Your new go-to chicken wrap recipe!
Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps — Easy, ready in 20 minutes, healthy, and the peanut sauce is the best! Great flavors and textures in every bite of these irresistible wraps!
Chicken Tortilla Lettuce Wraps – Filled with Mexican flavors, there’s taco-seasoned chicken, tomatoes, corn, peppers, cilantro, and cheese! Easy, healthy, ready in 10 minutes, and a family favorite!
Post is brought to you by Jimmy Dean. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
Very tasty! Great for dinner and hot lunch meals. Increase and decrease hotness very easy. Loved it.
I am glad to hear this was tasty and that you loved it!
great
I love the pf chang wrap recipe but this was inspiring to add all these different flavors into the rotation. Can’t wait – yum!
I love yourchicken lettuce wraps so we tried these for lunch today. So good!! The spice level was right for us and I even added a scant TBS of sriracha which really isn’t that much in a recipe this size. I have been a little hesitant to try sriracha but I can handle it in small doses!
I am glad you added a tiny bit of sriracha and have been upping your ante with heat levels…always good to be adventurous :)
Glad you enjoyed these and have a great rest of your weekend!
If you aren’t using a Gluten Free Soy Sauce, the spicy pork wraps are not a “naturally Gluten Free” recipe. Just fyi.
As with anything if one is very sensitive to foods or allergic, always read labels.
Perfect dinner idea for the first day of Spring! So fresh and delicious looking!
Thank you! I feel like it’s the season for some lighter food now!
Hi, just a off topic ? Do you think you could ever go back to your loveveggiesandyoga days where you were a strict vegetarian? Do you think you would miss meat? Btw averie I have made a few of your chicken recipes and they are always good.