I don’t know why lettuce wraps work as well as they do, but this is absolutely one of those “greater than the sum of its parts” kind of meals.
Crispy fried chickpeas + crispy fresh lettuce + a mix of creamy and juicy toppings = so much texture! As much as I love tortillas, lettuce wraps are such a refreshing alternative in warmer weather, and they make the meal lower in carbs if that is important to you.
The chickpea filling is the same as the one in my Vegetarian Tostadas and Vegetarian Taco Salad recipes. They are smashed up (to get some textural variation and lots of tiny extra crispy bits), then fried in my homemade taco seasoning, which I declare the best for meatless tacos thanks to the addition of umami boosting fennel seeds (if you aren’t yet sold on fennel seeds, I’m going to need you to trust me on this one!)
Your favorite toppings are crucial for making the flavors pop, and I like all the trusted basics: a fresh pico de gallo (super fast to make if you use cherry tomatoes), cheese, avocado and sour cream – but you can use whatever you like best.
Tips for Chickpea Lettuce Wrap Perfection
- Best type of lettuce for lettuce wraps: Romaine and butter lettuce (pictured) are my usual choices – both tend to give you several good sized leaves on a head. Romaine is well shaped to hold fillings and gives a nice crisp, while butter lettuce is sturdy and lets you wrap it without too much breakage.
- My recipe includes a quick pico de gallo with cherry tomatoes and a homemade taco seasoning, both are quick and easy but you can of course swap in premade salsa or seasoning if you wish.
- To get your chickpeas as crispy as possible, make sure they are dry before you start frying them. Drain and pat them down with paper towels.
Crispy Chickpea Taco Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- olive or vegetable oil, for cooking
- 14 oz can of chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- 8 medium – large whole lettuce leaves, washed and patted dry
- ½ medium avocado, sliced
- ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 4 tbsp sour cream or crema
Quick Pico de Gallo
- 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander), chopped
- 2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
- 1 lime, for squeezing
- salt and pepper, to taste
Seasoning Mix
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika, or more chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare the pico de gallo first, by combining the tomatoes, onions and cilantro (coriander) in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and then squeeze a little lime juice on top (about 1/4 of the lime works well – save the rest of the lime to cut into wedges for serving).10 cherry tomatoes, 1 handful cilantro (fresh coriander), 2 tbsp red onion, salt and pepper, 1 lime
- Prepare the seasoning mix. Add the fennel seeds to a pestle and mortar and crush them. Add the remaining spices and salt, then set aside.1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Add the chickpeas to a large bowl and use a potato masher to lightly smash them. You want some to be left whole while others are in smaller pieces – this creates the most interesting texture.14 oz can of chickpeas
- Heat a large saute or frying pan with a shallow layer of oil over a low/medium heat. Add the chickpeas and let them sit for 2 minutes in the pan, then mix them up, let them sit a little longer, and repeat the process until the chickpeas are just starting to turn a more golden color and the smaller pieces are getting crisp. This generally takes around 5 minutes for me, but different pans and heat levels may be faster or slower.olive or vegetable oil
- Add the seasoning mix to the pan with another glug of oil and cook for another couple of minutes until there are really defined crispy bits and the spices are well toasted. Make sure the heat is on the lower end for this – we don't want to burn the spices.
- Assemble your lettuce wraps! Scoop the chickpeas into a large lettuce leaf, top with pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, and avocado, and devour!8 medium – large whole lettuce leaves, 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese, 4 tbsp sour cream or crema, 1/2 medium avocado
