Tara Teaspoon

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Newsletter
  • Shop
  • About
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cookbooks
    • Newsletter
    • Shop
    • About
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    TaraTeaspoon » Recipes » Chicken and Poultry

    Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

    Published: Jan 3, 2020 · Updated: Jul 30, 2022 by Tara Teaspoon · This page contains affiliate and sponsored links. See my full disclosure

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    Thai Turkey Lettuce Wrap Burgers Pinterest Pin
    Thai Turkey Burger in Lettuce Wrap

    Make this Thai ground turkey lettuce wrap recipe for dinner or a weekend BBQ. Loaded with veggies and authentic Thai flavors, these patties are lean and delicious.


    Thai Turkey Burger patties on white plate with lettuce sauce and shredded carrots

    Better than your average burger: spiced-up ground turkey makes a more sophisticated patty. Even better, they are bunless, for a fresh, healthy and still super satisfying meal.

    Jump to:
    • How to cook ground turkey so it's juicy
    • Make Thai Turkey Burgers
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    You won't miss the beef with a turkey lettuce wrap!

    I love a good burger. I live, probably too close for my waistline, to about 3 Shake Shacks in New York City (you bet they made it onto my New York Eats guide!), and when I visit my family in Utah, I get my fill of classic dairy freeze and burger joint meals!

    For sure, I also love a good homemade burger, preferably cooked on the grill. My secret ingredient burger mix ins make a fantastic option, or my favorite Italian burgers are delicious.

    These favorites, all based on a classic beef burger, are a grilling staple. But, I'm here to say, with these ground turkey lettuce wraps, you won't miss the beef.

    How to cook ground turkey so it's juicy

    Turkey burgers can be grilled or pan-seared, and done right, they are perfect for weekend barbecues as a lighter alternative to beef.

    Ground turkey can often turn into a dry, flavorless mess if you simply add salt and pepper and grill it like a beef patty. I take a note from my famous slow cooker Turkey Meatloaf and use those preparation tips to make my Thai turkey burgers moist and juicy.

    FIRST: Add loads of veggies to your ground turkey:

    Adding vegetables, like grated carrot or zucchini, and onion to ground turkey adds extra moisture the lean protein lacks. Fat in beef adds to the juicy results in classic burgers, but with a lean protein we have to add this.

    SECOND: Pack in the flavor.

    Turkey loves powerfully flavorful ingredients like garlic and ginger. They get a chance to shine mixed into a fairly flavorless protein. I also added fish sauce and jalapeño to make these authentically Thai.

    I'm a pretty big fan of lettuce wraps in general. In my other recipes I tell you what the best lettuce for wraps is, and what to serve with lettuce wraps.

    Lettuce wrap recipes are my way of cutting down on the carbs a bit, so, in all honesty I can feel good about saving it for chocolate chip cookies! I pack all sorts of flavors into these healthy dinner wraps, and these Thai turkey burgers are no exception.

    Tara's recommended tools for this recipe:

    You can use a grill pan, or indoor grill for this recipe. Or grill these turkey burgers on your outdoor gas or charcoal grill.

    Thai Turkey Burger patties on white plate with lettuce sauce and shredded carrots

    Make Thai Turkey Burgers

    Thai flavors are layered, often intense, and intriguing. Like I mentioned above, I added vegetables to my turkey burger to keep it juicy. Some of those additions add to the authentic Thai flavors.

    The jalapeño, ginger and garlic both add moisture and traditional flavor. You also don't want to skip the fish sauce. A little goes a long way. It's the umami flavor in these burgers, acting in a similar way to salt to bring out the flavors of other ingredients too.

    To create that delicious Thai finish, I drizzle the lettuce wraps with sweet chili sauce, a squeeze of lime, cilantro leaves and of course some crunchy peanuts.

    If you like a Thai Lettuce Wrap you'll love these Tara Teaspoon recipes:

    • Authentic Cashew Chicken made at home
    • North Carolina Pulled Pork with Mop Sauce
    • Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
    • Creamy Authentic Black Beans

    📖 Recipe

    Thai Turkey Burger patties on white plate with lettuce sauce and shredded carrots

    Thai Turkey Lettuce Wrap Recipe

    Tara Teaspoon
    Make this Thai ground turkey lettuce wrap recipe for dinner or a weekend BBQ. Better than your average burger: Spiced-up ground turkey makes a more sophisticated patty.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Work Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 8 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Servings 4 to 6

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pkg Ground white-meat turkey ((20 oz))
    • 1 cup finely chopped onion
    • 1 clove garlic (minced)
    • 1 cup grated zucchini
    • 1 carrot (grated)
    • 2 teaspoon fresh ginger (finely grated)
    • 1 small jalapeño (seeded and finely chopped)
    • ⅓ cup chopped cilantro (plus more for serving)
    • 2 tablespoon fish sauce
    • 1 large egg white
    • ⅓ cup plain bread crumbs
    • Canola oil
    • Butter lettuce leaves
    • Sweet chili sauce
    • Chopped peanuts
    • Lime wedges

    Instructions
     

    • Add turkey, onion, garlic, zucchini, carrot, ginger, jalapeño, cilantro, fish sauce, egg white and bread crumbs to a bowl; mix with hands until completely combined. With oiled hands use ½ cup of the mixture to form each patty (each about ½ inch thick).
    • Heat grill to medium high. Brush patties with oil and grill, covered, turning once to cook through, 2 to 3 min on each side.
    • Serve in lettuce leaves with extra cilantro and grated carrots, chili sauce, peanuts and a squeeze of lime.

    Notes

    Served in a lettuce leaf, these patties are so light and healthy.
    You can grill them inside on a [eafl id="16965" name="indoor grill" text="panini press"] or [eafl id="16964" name="grill pan" text="grill pan"] too.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 74kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 801mgPotassium: 244mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2737IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg
    Get exclusive recipes sent to your inbox!Sign up for Tara's newsletter for more.

    Delicious Sandwich Recipes

    • Croissant breakfast sandwich with eggs and breakfast meat, served on a plate with strawberries.
      Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
    • two memphis smoked bologna sandwich es
      Best Smoked Bologna Sandwich Recipe
    • halloween monster chicken sliders close up
      Halloween Monster Chicken Sliders
    • Fancy Dogs feature recipe image
      Fancy Hot Dogs & Sausages
    • pepper jelly and chicken bacon sandwich feature
      Sweet and Spicy Chicken and Bacon Sandwich
    • the paper mama bacon hearts on a tray
      101 Best Bacon Recipes
    • close up of Slow Cooker Brisket Sandwich on black background
      Slow Cooker Brisket Sandwiches
    • Chicken and Rice Lettuce Wraps round bowl
      Mediterranean Chicken and Rice Lettuce Wraps
    Tara in kitchen making salad

    Tara Teaspoon

    I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!

    More about Tara

    Recipe by Tara Teaspoon and Hilary Merzbacher, Photographs William Brinson, Food Stylist Adrienne Anderson, Prop Stylist Sarah Cave. Original pub LHJ ⅞ '13

    Comments

      5 from 1 vote

      Review Or Ask A Question! Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating





      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Katerina says

      January 08, 2020 at 5:47 am

      These look absolutely fantastic, Tara! Such a fantastic light meal which would come together easily and my kids would love (minus the jalapeno)!

      Reply
    2. Mary says

      February 24, 2020 at 10:52 pm

      Oh my goodness! These are sooo tasty! What a great and easy dinner! Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Ruby says

      March 26, 2020 at 2:57 am

      Yummy recipe! And great tip for keeping the turkey nice and juicy 🙂

      Reply
    4. Wendy Webster says

      February 07, 2023 at 2:08 pm

      My kiddos grumbled a bit when I said what was for dinner but these were an absolute hit!! Super easy and SO TASTY. We loved them! I let the kids eat them on sandwich thin with the lettuce but I loved it with just the lettuce wrap!

      Reply

    Hi, I'm Tara Teaspoon!

    I’ve been sharing my original ideas for years. What began as a passion, turned into a publishing career as Food Editor at Martha Stewart Living and Ladies’ Home Journal magazines.

    Now I write cookbooks, and share delicious recipes and expert cooking tips with you here! Thanks for stopping by Tara Teaspoon!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • square feature image of turkey pot pie with biscuits on top in a cast iron skillet.
      Turkey Pot Pie with Biscuits
    • featured image of the perfect slice of lemon lush icebox dessert.
      Lemon Lush
    • feature square of swiss meringue buttercream from Live Life Deliciously cookbook.
      Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
    • Three stacked Easter blondies on a small white plate.
      Mini Egg Cookie Bars

    Cookbooks

    Tara Teaspoon Cookbooks

    Footer

    Subscribe for emails and exclusive updates!

    Sign me up!
    Tara Teaspoon horizontal logo

    ↑back to top

    Explore

    • Recipe Index
    • Cookbooks
    • New Posts
    • Newsletter Subscribe

    About

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Refund Policy
    • Disclaimer & Terms

    Copyright © 2025 Tara Teaspoon, Inc • Powered by Feast+

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.