Name: Asian Edamame Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 12 ounces shelled edamame; 1 cup diced English or Persian cucumbers; 1 red bell pepper, diced; 2 green onions, sliced thin; 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; 2 teaspoons sesame seeds; 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 teaspoon low sodium tamari or soy sauce; 2 teaspoons honey, maple syrup or agave for vegan; 1/2 teaspoon sriracha; 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

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This simple Asian Edamame Salad packs a punch of flavor! Shelled edamame, cucumbers, red bell pepper and cilantro are all tossed in a sesame vinaigrette. It’s a salad you won’t be able to leave alone!

Are you a salads year-round person or do they get put on the back burner once the weather cools down? I’m a year-round salad eater, kind of the same way I’ll eat ice cream any time of the year. For all of you that love a good salad no matter how cold it is, you’ll love this Asian Edamame Salad, even in the middle of December!

This Asian Edamame Salad is super easy to make and a great salad to serve alongside your favorite Asian inspired dinner. The day I made it I served it with these Korean Sloppy Joes with Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and it was a perfect pairing of flavors. It would also be wonderful served with these Teriyaki Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers.

To make the salad you’ll need a bag of shelled edamame, which you can find in the frozen vegetable section of your grocery store. I highly recommend getting them shelled so you don’t have to stand there for hours shelling them yourself. There’s plenty of debate over whether women should eat soy products due to estrogen-like compounds found in the plant. I found this Soy article on breastcancer.org to be informative and helpful in answering any questions.

Health Benefits of Edamame

Edamame is high in protein making it an excellent option for vegetarians and vegans. One cup of edamame contains 18.5 grams of protein.
It’s full of fiber, 8 grams per cup to be exact. Eating foods rich in fiber have been found to help lower your risk of heart disease.
One cup of edamame contains over half of the recommended daily intake of manganese for adults. Manganese is responsible for building strong bones.
Edamame is full of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants that help strengthen the immune system.

As you can see, there’s more to edamame that meets the eye, not to mention it tastes delicious and has great texture. Along with the edamame there’s also a red bell pepper, cucumber, green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds in the salad.

The salad is dressed in a slightly sweet sesame vinaigrette. I used the same ingredients for this vinaigrette as I did in the vinaigrette for this Asian Sesame Chicken and Cashew Salad. I highly recommend trying this salad if you haven’t already.

Do I Need to Use Sesame Oil?

Yes. The sesame oil adds a unique flavor that you won’t get from any other kind of oil. I realize you don’t use very much, but that’s because it has an intense, strong flavor. If you omit it, I’m afraid the salad will lack quite a bit of flavor. You’ll want to store the sesame oil in the fridge because it can go bad quickly.

Gluten-Free and Vegan Options

To keep the salad gluten-free be sure to use tamari versus soy sauce and always buy low sodium when possible. Low sodium is what I use in all of my recipes and if you aren’t using it you may need to cut back on the amount the recipe calls for. To make the salad vegan, simply swap the honey for maple syrup or agave.

More Asian Inspired Salads

Asian Cucumber Sesame Salad

Thai Quinoa Salad

Thai Noodle Salad with Cashew Carrot Ginger Sauce