Keto Turkey Taco Lettuce Wrap Recipe

This lettuce wrap recipe is a keto friendly weeknight dinner that can be on the table in just 20 minutes. Using fresh ingredients and a flavorful blend of spices, these tacos are a healthy and fun twist on a family favorite.

What I love most about this keto taco is that it’s healthy for almost all diets. Some keto dishes are heavy in saturated fats, which is fine for a keto diet but maybe not great for everyone else.

This is a keto dish the whole family should try.

Not only is this lettuce wrap recipe healthy, it’s also super simple. There is only one ingredient you have to cook and then it’s all about the toppings!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt & pepper to taste
• ⅔ cup water
• 1 head of Butter lettuce
• Squeeze of lime juice

Keto Topping Options

• Avocado
• Grape tomatoes
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream

Here’s the ingredients also with the keto topping options:

How To Make a Keto-Friendly Taco Lettuce Wrap

If you’re looking to stick to a keto diet, a lettuce wrap recipe is an excellent option. Basically, you’ll want to make these tacos as low carb and high protein as possible.

The first step is to swap out the taco shell for something low carb and keto-approved. Lettuce is the absolute best option. There are keto taco shells out there, but they can be expensive and aren’t as healthy as eating extra greens as your taco shell.

Next, you’ll want to make sure all your toppings are low carb. Stick to things like avocado, cheese, sour cream, and more vegetables. Skip things like corn or beans or hot sauces with carbs and added sugar. 

Below you’ll find a lettuce wrap recipe and instructions for a keto-friendly and delicious dinner.

Instructions

Here are all the steps to make these keto taco lettuce wraps. 

Step 1 – Saute the Onion and Garlic

Since you want the onion to soften, you can finely chop it first and get it in a pan on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Cook for about 3 minutes, until soft and translucent.

Add your minced garlic or grate it into the pan with the onion. Cook for another 30 seconds.

Step 2 – Brown the Ground Turkey

To the pan with the onion and garlic, add your ground turkey and the second tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. 

Cook on medium heat until all of the turkey is cooked through and slightly brown.

Step 3 – Add the Spices

With the pan still on medium, sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. Stir to coat the meat and let it cook for about 30 seconds.

Step 4 – Make the Lettuce Wrap Sauce

Pour in the water and turn the heat down so it’s at a low simmer. Simmer for about five minutes until some of the water has thickened so you have a nice lettuce wrap sauce.

Step 5 – Wash Lettuce and Prepare Toppings

While the turkey is simmering, wash your lettuce and pull the leaves gently apart to create your shells. Pat them dry and set them aside.

Depending on which toppings you’ve chosen, you’ll take some time here to prepare those as well. 

I cubed the avocado, shredded some cheese, and quartered the grape tomatoes.

Step 6 – Scoop, Fill, and Enjoy

Spoon a generous amount of meat and lettuce wrap sauce into a lettuce leaf taco shell and then top with your preferred toppings. There you have it, a turkey taco lettuce wrap!

The nice thing about these tacos is people can top them however they’d like or they can even make a taco salad by ripping up the lettuce leaves first. I prefer a little lettuce boat full of taco goodies, myself! 

Cookware Used

Flexible cutting boards: Having a few lightweight cutting boards available makes doing all your topping prep easier. You can slice avocado on one board and quarter the tomatoes on another. 

Cheese grater: I love using fresh-grated cheese for these lettuce boats. Since the ingredients are so simple, a fresh-grated sharp cheddar is my favorite.

Microplane/grater: Probably my most used kitchen gadget, I use this to grate my garlic into the pan with the onion to skip the job of mincing it up.

How To Buy The Right Lettuce for Lettuce Wraps

Choosing the right lettuce can make or break your lettuce wrap recipe. The leaves have to be the right size so you don’t have to eat a dozen to feel full. The lettuce also has to have a soft texture so it doesn’t snap in half while you’re eating it.

The perfect lettuce for lettuce wraps is fresh butter lettuce. Also known as bibb lettuce and very similar to Boston lettuce, this lettuce is soft enough to fold for a wrap but also sturdy enough to hold a hearty filling. 

In particular, I’ve found the butterhead lettuce supplied by Vertical Harvest in their Crisp Cuisine Thrive box to work well with tacos.

If you still can’t find butter or bibb lettuce, try romaine. It also has a great shape and texture, but is a little crunchier than butter lettuce.

Tips for Storing Leftover Lettuce Wraps

If you happen to have leftovers, you can save the meat filling in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. 

Be sure to store the lettuce separately. If you make the wraps ahead of time and try to store them, the lettuce will be soggy. 

To store the lettuce, I like to place it in single layers separated by a paper towel inside a zip-top bag in the vegetable drawer of my fridge. 

Toppings should also be stored separately. Avocado is the hardest thing to save, so I recommend you just eat it all up! But if you do need to save it, try putting some water in an airtight container and then putting half of the avocado, flesh side down, in the water. Seal the container and keep it in the fridge for about a day without it browning.

Try a Keto-Friendly Asian Lettuce Wrap Recipe

If you prefer an Asian flavor combination to Mexican, you can tweak a few things in this recipe to make Asian lettuce wraps. 

Follow steps 1 and 2 above and then to your turkey add chopped red bell pepper, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, fresh ginger, and a little bit of sesame oil. 

All of these ingredients are low carb and keto. Serve it in a lettuce wrap topped with chopped peanuts, cilantro, and some chili flakes.

Now It’s Your turn!

Ready to give this healthy lettuce wrap recipe a try? Go for it! Just be sure you pick a sturdy lettuce and load up on the low carb toppings.

In just 20 minutes you can sit down with a plate of keto-friendly turkey taco lettuce wraps that are fun to eat and a healthier option than the flour-shelled original.

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