Shrimp Lettuce Wraps {With Thai Peanut Sauce}

Name: Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 17 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup creamy peanut butter; ¼ cup water; 1 tablespoon sriracha; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger; 2 garlic cloves (grated); 1 pound small/medium shrimp (peeled and deveined); Kosher salt (to taste); freshly cracked black pepper (to taste); 8 leaves butter lettuce; 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided); 4 scallions (ends trimmed and thinly sliced); 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped); ½ cup chopped carrots; Fresh cilantro (for garnish)

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Yumna Jawad
August 5, 2021

5 from 13 votes

Ready to serve in less than 20 minutes, these shrimp lettuce wraps are served with a spicy peanut dipping sauce for a bite full of flavor.

Ingredients & substitutions

Shrimp: Use small or medium sized shrimp so that they fit easily into the lettuce wraps. Peel and devein them (if necessary) before seasoning and quickly cooking.

Lettuce: Butter lettuce is best to use for lettuce wraps as the leaves are fairly large, and they are also pliable to hold the fillings. It’s also known as Boston or Bibb lettuce.

Vegetables: Scallions, red bell pepper and carrots.

Spicy peanut dipping sauce: Peanut butter, water, sriracha, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic.

Ingredients to make the recipe before prepping

How to make shrimp lettuce wraps

Cook the shrimp on both sides until pink; then set aside.

Add the vegetables to the the same skillet.

Cook until softened but still crisp.

Add the shrimp back to the pan to heat through. Then you’re ready to serve the shrimp mixture on the lettuce wraps with the spicy peanut dip.

4 image collage to show how to cook the shrimp and the vegetables

Tips for making the lettuce wraps

Use small or medium sized shrimp. To get that perfect bite of shrimp and vegetables, it helps to use the smaller size. This makes them easier to serve on the lettuce wraps and easier to eat. You can also just cut the shrimp into smaller sizes.

Don’t over cook the shrimp. Shrimp doesn’t need a lot of cooking time. To avoid rubbery dried shrimp, keep an eye on it and cook just until it turns opaque pink.

Adjust the spice levels. The peanut sauce is a little spicy as it has sriracha in it. If you are very sensitive to heat you can leave this out, or add in a little extra to amp up the flavors.

Use a different protein. Shrimp is delicious in these lettuce wraps, but shredded chicken works great too. Make a vegan version by using tofu or chickpeas.

Frequently asked questions

Can you make it ahead of time?

The lettuce wraps are best assembled just before serving, but you can make the shrimp filling and peanut sauce ahead of time. The shrimp and veggies will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and can be enjoyed cold or quickly reheated on the stovetop. The peanut sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to a week.

Can you use frozen shrimp?

Fresh shrimp generally have a better texture than frozen, but both will work well in this recipe. If using frozen shrimp, thaw them fully and pat them dry before seasoning and cooking.

What do you serve them with?

These shrimp lettuce wraps can easily be served by themselves with the dipping sauce. For a fuller meal they’ll work great with this Asian Noodle Salad or Cauliflower Fried Rice.

Spoon drizzling peanut sauce over shrimp lettuce wraps

These spicy shrimp lettuce wraps are so easy and quick to make, and the flavors are so fresh. Perfect for a quick lunch, a crowd pleasing appetizer, or as a main meal, there’s no bad time for these!

More appetizer ideas:

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