Boiled Edamame

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 15 mins
Servings: 4 servings

One of the best parts of having food at a Japanese restaurant is the fact that they serve salted edamame. If you've never had it, or you're curious, edamame are green soybeans. This recipe is for salt-boiled edamame right in their pods.

The ultimate appetizer to serve with beer, edamame is eaten by squeezing beans out of pods with fingers. Kids also tend to like it; the eating process is interactive and fun, and edamame is equal parts sweet, salty, and a little creamy. It's great alongside other dishes such as a seaweed salad, chicken teriyaki, or removed from the pods and served as part of maze gohan (mixed rice) or other stir-fry dishes.

If you like, you can add other ingredients to liven up the edamame, such as chili or garlic powder or to make this recipe for spicy edamame, which includes red chile flakes, Japanese shichimi togarashi (a seven-spice chile pepper), and chile oil.

Boiled Edamame

The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

Ingredients

  • 1 pound unshelled edamame, frozen

  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt, more to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Boiled Edamame ingredients

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the salt.

    water in a pot

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  3. Add edamame to the boiling water and boil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened.

    edamame in a pot of water

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  4. Drain edamame in a colander. Taste 1 bean, and if it's not salty enough, sprinkle more salt over boiled edamame.

    edamame in a colander

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

  5. Spread the edamame on a flat tray to cool. Serve chilled.

    Boiled Edamame on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Tara Omidvar

Tips

  • If using fresh edamame instead of frozen, wash it well. Then, cut off the stem end of each pod before adding edamame to the boiling water.
  • Edamame can also be served at room temperature. If you are going to add more salt, make sure it's a coarse sea salt or kosher salt.

How to Store and Freeze Edamame

Cooked edamame will keep in the refrigerator for about four or five days. You can also freeze the edamame after you've cooked it. Freeze in a zip-close bag and thaw in the refrigerator when you're ready to eat it.

Variations

Edamame is far more versatile than you might think. Try it mixed with pasta and pesto, tossed into risotto, or added to a salad with bitter greens and grilled salmon. It's also fun to toss it with some shrimp and an Asian slaw and loaded into tacos. Try it pureed in a soup or added for a pop of color and flavor in tuna salad or chicken salad.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
137 Calories
6g Fat
10g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 137
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1894mg 82%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 4%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 7mg 35%
Calcium 73mg 6%
Iron 3mg 14%
Potassium 495mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)