Light, fresh and jam-packed with lots of colour, textures and flavours, these tuna lettuce wraps with peanut sauce are so delicious for lunch or dinner.
Canned tuna is something we always have on hand. I remember years ago, I would purchase a Thai-style canned tuna with peanut sauce. So good!
I haven’t come across that variety of tuna lately; no worries, though, because these tuna lettuce wraps have those flavours, but better!
If you follow Girl Heart Food, you’ll know that it’s no surprise that I love carbs and don’t regularly partake in that low carb life, LOL. However, every now and then, I love to mix things up, and that’s where these lettuce wraps come into play. Balance, am I right?
Fan of lettuce wraps? Check out these tofu scramble lettuce wraps.
Why We Love These Tuna Lettuce Wraps
- These easy lettuce wraps takes a humble can of tuna up a notch into something extra special.
- It requires very little stovetop time to make this recipe (just minutes to warm and thicken to sauce), so it’s perfect for when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen whilst cooking.
- They’re prepped and ready to devour in about 20 minutes.
- These lettuce wraps can be customized to taste with toppings.
- They taste so delicious!
How To Make This Recipe
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
Place your peanut sauce ingredients into a small food processor and blend until smooth and combined.
Transfer the peanut sauce to a small pot and heat for a little bit on the stovetop.
Note: This recipe makes lots of peanut sauce (it’s so good). If you want to half it, go for it.
When the peanut sauce is made, prepare the tuna salad filling. Place your well-drained tuna into a mixing bowl, along with lime juice, black pepper and some of the yummy homemade peanut sauce. Give everything a little mix to combine.
Then it’s just a matter of assembling the tuna lettuce wraps and devouring! Easy, right?
Best Lettuce To Use
I’ve tried a whole bunch of lettuce for lettuce wraps, but my favourite is Boston (or butter) lettuce. I enjoy the slight crunch and the perfectly-sized leaves.
Other delicious options are romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or red or green leaf lettuce. Just keep in mind that if your lettuce leaves are larger, you may want to fill them a little more (or roll them up wrap-style).
Are Lettuce Wraps Eaten Hot or Cold?
Though the peanut sauce is warmed/thickened, the general vibe of these tuna lettuce wraps are that they are eaten cold (which makes them a delicious meal, especially when you don’t want to fuss too much with your stove).
Lettuce Wrap Topping Ideas
- Diced bell pepper
- Shredded or julienned Carrot
- Nuts, like roasted peanuts or roasted cashews
- Sliced green onion
- Shredded cabbage
- Chopped cilantro
- Hot Sauce
- Sesame Seeds
- Sliced chili pepper
Sides To Serve With Lettuce Wraps
Of course, these lettuce wraps are yummy on their own, but if you want to make things more substantial, they work great with any of these sides:
- Peanut noodles (great, especially if you’re a peanut sauce fan)
- Roasted veggies, like broccoli or sweet potato
- Lentil salad
- Soup (like gazpacho would be a yummy summertime pairing with these lettuce wraps)
More Easy Canned Tuna Recipes
If you make these tuna lettuce wraps, be sure to leave a comment below!
Tuna Lettuce Wraps With Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- ¾ cup low sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ cup less sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, from about ½ of a lime
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Tuna Salad Mixture
- 2 (6-ounce or 170-gram) cans tuna in water, drained well
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, from about ½ of a lime
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
Other Lettuce Wrap Ingredients
- 10 to 12 Boston lettuce leaves, depending on how much you fill them
- ½ bell pepper, small dice
- ½ small carrot, cut into thin strips or shredded
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 3 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts or roasted cashews
- Sriracha, drizzle over to taste (optional)
Instructions
Peanut Sauce
- Combine peanut butter, vegetable broth, soy sauce, sriracha, maple syrup, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic and fresh ginger into a small food processor and process until smooth and combined. Pour sauce into a small saucepan, place over medium-low heat (stirring occasionally) and warm through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Sauce will thicken slightly once warmed. Set aside.
Tuna Salad Mixture
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the tuna, lime juice, black pepper and ¼ cup (or 4 tablespoons) of peanut sauce until combined.
Lettuce Wrap Assembly
- Distribute tuna salad mixture among lettuce leaves, then top with bell pepper, carrot, green onion and nuts. Drizzle with peanut sauce and sriracha hot sauce (if using). Serve and enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
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Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Frank Mosher
I never ever thought of using Tuna in wraps! Thank you for a novel lettuce wrap option with decidedly Thai tastes! Your peanut sauce is excellent. Never added Sriracha, but other heat. Great recipe, thank you.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Frank!! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
I don’t remember seeing Thai-style canned tuna but your homemade version served in the lettuce wraps have to be so much better.
Valentina
I’ve never thought to pair peanut sauce with tuna and it sounds so delicious. Love how bright and fresh these look, and your presentation is so pretty (as always)! 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
This is my kind of summertime eating! Light and delicious and so full of flavor! I really like that sauce too! These are sure to become a regular on my weekly menu!
Michelle
Such a perfect meal for those hot summer nights! Delicious!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Loving this combination of tuna with the peanut sauce! And of course, lettuce wraps are always such a great Summer dish 🙂
holly
These wraps look delicious. I love lettuce wraps and tuna sounds great with peanut sauce. Perfect for summer!
Laura
I’m totally crazy for anything with peanut sauce, Dawn! And I love a new way to use tuna! This is a summertime match made in food heaven! Love this recipe – Thanks!
David @ Spiced
Oh, this beats the heck out of a tuna fish sandwich – although I do love a good tuna fish sandwich, too! There is so much flavor going on in these wraps. And they’re so easy to make, too! Sounds like a great summer lunch recipe if you ask me!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
These wraps look so light and delicious! I’m a huge fan of peanut sauce. And combined with these crunchy veggies, so terrific! Perfect summer dish!