A quick, easy and delicious light meal, these Vietnamese pork tenderloin lettuce wraps start with marinated then BBQ or oven-broiled pork tenderloin, sliced and served on lettuce with a spicy Vietnamese carrot sauce.
These Vietnamese lettuce wraps are one of my favourite quick, easy and delicious light summer meals! They start with a single pork tenderloin, that is marinated and then quickly grilled on the BBQ (or broiled in the oven), then is sliced and served with fresh vegetable fixings and a Vietnamese-style carrot sauce.
Other than some marinating time, this dish comes together super-quickly! I like to set it to marinade in the morning and then at dinner time, it’s only about 15 minutes to cook and prepare the sauce and fixings. Serve as is, or with a bowl of brown or white rice.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Pork Tenderloin – you need just one pork tenderloin for these lettuce wraps. Be sure to prepare the pork tenderloin by removing any visible fat and removing the silver skin that runs along the side of the tenderloin. This will ensure even cooking.
Asian Chili Garlic Sauce – you can use either Asian Chili Garlic Sauce or Sambal Oelek will work as a substitute. The only difference is how much you use. Sambal is much spicier, so you’ll want to use less (about half as much).
Lettuce – Boston or Bibb lettuce works well for lettuce wrap, as they have large leaves that pull off easily.
Recipe Tips
- Lettuce wraps are always endlessly customizable, as far as the fixings go. Diced jalapeño, pickled onions or any other vegetable you’d like to add would be just fine!
- To make these heartier and to add a little something warm to the meal, serve with a bowl of white or brown rice and add to the lettuce wrap with the other fixings and sauce.
Making ahead storing and freezing
You can easily make the pork ahead and refrigerate until ready to eat. The pork should also freeze well.
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Get the Recipe: Vietnamese Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 - 1 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, silverskin and any visible fat removed
For the pork tenderloin marinade:
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the Vietnamese carrot sauce:
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon carrot, grated
- 1 teaspoon Asian chili garlic sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
For serving:
- 1 head Boston lettuce, separated in to individual leaves
- 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Prepare the pork: Remove any visible fat and silver skin from the pork tenderloin. Butterfly the pork tenderloin by cutting down the middle lengthwise almost all the way through, but not completely through and then unfolding open to be flat a long and wide shape. Set aside. In a shallow baking dish (such as a 9x13-inch baking dish), stir together the garlic, shallots, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, vegetable oil and 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper. Add the prepared pork tenderloin and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, granulated sugar, salt and several grinds of fresh pepper with 1/4 cup water. Stir in the grated carrot, chili sauce and garlic. Set aside.
- To cook the pork: Preheat a BBQ grill to high or cook in the oven by setting your oven to broil and positioning a rack about 6 inches from the heat source. For the BBQ: Brush the grill with vegetable oil. Remove the pork from the marinade and grill until well marked, 3 to 4 minutes per side. For the oven: Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush the foil with oil. Place pork onto baking sheet and broil until well browned and it reaches an internal temperature of approximately 150° Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into thin strips. Arrange the pork and lettuce on a platter; set out your fixings in small bowls. Assemble the lettuce wraps and serve with the carrot sauce.
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
One recipe more delicious than the other – I do not know where to start or better, end, singing your praise. I just love this Blog and the photography – fantastic. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Carina :)
I love lettuce wraps! These look so fresh and flavorful, perfect for a warm summer evening!
Thanks Laura and yes, great warm weather food :)
I swear you can read my mind, Jennifer! You keep posting everything I have been craving! These lettuce wraps looks beyond delicious, girlfriend! Can’t wait to make these! Pinned! Cheers! ;)
Thanks Cheyanne! Great minds think alike :)
Oh wow this looks exactly like what I’ve been craving lately. BBQ + crunch asian vegetables. I love nuoc cham dipping sauce and your version sounds great!
Thanks Sarah. This dish packs a lot of flavour for something so quick and easy!
Thanks Chris and these really hit the spot on a hot day!
We love fresh, simple meals like this. It’s so beautiful too and makes me feel healthy, just looking at it. I just bought a big container of bib lettuce from Costco. I know just what to do with it!
I love lettuce wraps, I always order them at restaurants when I see them on the menu. This looks like an amazing version that I can’t wait to try at home (instead of spending $15 when I’m out to dinner!)
Thanks Sara and yes, definitely much more economical to enjoy at home (and not much more work!)
This is a wonderful wrap! The colors are great and I can only imagine how great this tastes – love the crisp cold lettuce and the tender juicy pork – a wonderful dish indeed! I bet my husband would drink the dipping sauce. Great post Jennifer!
Thanks so much, Tricia :)
This looks and sounds delicious! I am always looking for new ways to incorporate savory food into healthy options (my husband is a meat lovers type of guy so this can be somewhat challenging). I think he would enjoy these wraps very much! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Amanda! My husband is a meat lover, too and he was quite satisfied with these for dinner :)
My mouth is literally watering, literally! I love the freshness of this dish, and I never thought to use pork in place of chicken in lettuce wraps — love it!
Thanks Sue and the pork is so great in these. Tons of flavour and so moist!
Hi Jennifer,
Spring time always has me craving these types of flavours and I love the ease of preparing this. More proof that healthy can be quick, easy and delicious. I’d love to include this dish in my Weekly Meal Plan with your permission :)
Thanks Robyn and absolutely, feel free to share :)
So quick and easy Jennifer! The colors look lovely. What a great healthy lunch!
Thanks Mary Ann :) The pork is so delicious, as well as quick and easy!