Meow Recipes: Tofu and Brown Rice Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

Tofu and brown rice lettuce wraps on a platter with peanut sauce drizzled on top.

This is a fan favorite recipe that’s part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series! View the full series.

How much do I love a quick pan-fried crumbled tofu and brown rice filling, coated in peanut sauce, tucked into tender little butter lettuce leaves, and crowned with a drizzle of spicy mayo and – obviously – a couple little crunchy fried onions? Judging by the tens (hundreds?) of these that I’ve eaten, the answer is: A LOT.

There’s just something about these flavors and textures that makes a person feel good in their heart. It’s light but it’s filling, it’s savory but a little sweet and spicy, it has a complexity of texture with a delicate, fresh crunch and an almost-meaty-like filling, and it comes together so ridiculously fast – I mean, let’s just go ahead and accept right now that this is a recipe that cannot be made just once.

This recipe has absolutely been our most-made meal of the summer.

In This Post: Everything You Need For These Lettuce Wraps

Our Short and Sweet Ingredient List
What I Love About These Lettuce Wraps
Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe
VIDEO to Make Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients for tofu and brown rice lettuce wraps with text over each that says the name of each ingredient.

Our Short and Sweet Ingredient List

tofu
lettuce
brown rice
sriracha
teriyaki sauce
orange
peanut butter

If you like a little spicy mayo on top (and I do, thank you very much) then grab your mayo and sriracha out of the fridge, and if you like a little crunchy onion action (also yes) pull those out of the pantry.

And there you go: saucy, peanutty, flavor-packed tofu and brown rice lettuce wraps, coming right up.

A white hand grabbing a tofu and brown rice lettuce wrap on a platter. There are extra ingredients for the lettuce wraps in the background.

What I Love About These Lettuce Wraps

There’s just so much to tell!

Most lettuce wraps leave me wanting more, I think because they lack a carb element. Having brown rice (or quinoa, or another grain) in the filling solves this problem and makes them super satisfying in a full-meal kind of way.

The tofu is just so low maintenance. Give it a quick squeeze over the sink and then plop it in the skillet and crumble it up. SOS-style.

The peanut sauce is semi-homemade, using a bottle of teriyaki to start you off. If you wanted to make your own peanut sauce, this is my go-to. I’ve done it both ways and it’s great no matter how you choose to peanut sauce it.

It makes great leftovers! The filling lasts for days, and it can be used in your extra lettuce leaves or over a salad or in a stir fry… endless options.

It’s family-approved! At least in my house it is: my husband raves every time I make these and my toddler gets *so* excited for what we’ve come to call “lettuce wrap night.” We put yogurt on hers instead of spicy mayo, and she will eat 2, 3, sometimes even 4 of these. 😂 You just never know with these little people.

White hand grabbing a tofu and brown rice lettuce wrap with peanut sauce drizzled on top.

This recipe has landed on our table so many times in the last 6 months and it is just everything I love in life: creamy, salty, saucy, spicy, a little bit sweet, and light, crunchy, and filling. Not to mention SOS-level easy.

Blessings on your lettuce wrap journey! I hope you love them. ♡

Tofu and Brown Rice Lettuce Wraps: FAQs

This looks so good! Tell me! How do I level these up?

Fresh garlic, scallions, or ginger are great additions to your filling mixture. And obviously homemade peanut sauce is fab (love, love, love this one). Go with whatever works! This recipe is meant to be flexible and easy.

How can I make these totally vegan?

Only swap you’ll need to make is using a plant-based mayo!

How long will filling leftovers keep in the fridge?

3-5 days is ideal here for leftovers.

How could I add meat to this?

The easiest sub would be to use ground chicken or turkey instead of tofu!

Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?

Tofu and Brown Rice Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce

4.9 from 33 reviews

Author: Lindsay
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4-5 servings

Print Recipe

Description

These lettuce wraps are ridiculously good! Crunchy, fresh, and packed with tofu, brown rice, crispy onions, plus a drizzle of peanut sauce and spicy mayo. Delicious!

Ingredients

Units

Lettuce Wraps

olive oil
One 14-ounce block extra firm tofu – minimally pressed to remove water
about 2 cups cooked brown rice and/or quinoa or other grains – I use the 8.5 ounce precooked packages so it’s very, very easy
butter lettuce or leaf lettuce for wrapping
spicy mayo (see notes)
chopped peanuts or crispy onions for topping

SOS Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup peanut butter
a squirt of Sriracha or other chile sauce if you want

If you have a bit more time, you can also use this amazing homemade peanut sauce.

Instructions

Video

Cook the tofu: Heat a few swishes of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the tofu and crumble in the pan. Cook until slightly browned. While that’s cooking, whisk up all sauce ingredients in a bowl.
Add rice and sauce: Add the rice and most of the sauce to the pan. Sauté for 5 minutes or so – just enough to get some browning / light caramelization and get everything nice and yummy. Season with salt to taste.
Fill and serve: Spoon your tofu and brown rice filling into crispy little pieces of lettuce. Top with something crunchy (peanuts? crispy onions?) and something creamy (spicy mayo all the way) and drizzle with a little extra sauce, and now tell me this isn’t your favorite meal of the week.

Notes

Spicy Mayo: I usually just mix about 1/4 cup mayo with about 1 tablespoon sriracha. But super easy to make it more or less spicy depending on your heat tolerance!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Dinner
Method: Sauté
Cuisine: American