This edamame recipe is one of my favorite evening snacks! Not only is it ready in just 5 minutes, it also hits the spot whenever I crave something savory, nutty, and earthy. The slight char on the outside also adds a little smokiness that makes sucking on the pods, even more satisfying.
I’ve been munching on edamame beans since I was a little girl. My mother liked to serve them as a summer snack or as a side to traditional Japanese dishes like miso ramen, nikujaga, yaki udon, and onigiri. As a kid I loved sucking on the salty edamame pods while chewing on the bright green beans inside. Later, when I lived in Tokyo, edamame became a healthy snack I picked up at Seven Eleven on my way home from work, and something that appeared at the table of most izakayas (Japanese pub) I visited.
These days edamame makes an appearance in many different forms and flavors – from a comforting bean soup to a chilled vichyssoise, in a colorful quinoa salad, or blended to make a green hummus, I like to include them in my recipes as much as I can. This edamame with soy and sesame sauce is a late night snack I like to munch on because it’s low in calories, and it’s also an easy way to to boost my protein intake. This edamame recipe is a simple dish that’s seasoned with soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. What you get are lightly charred pods full of umami and nuttiness.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Edamame: I highly recommend spending a little more money on good frozen edamame. The reason why I say this is that I’ve come across cheaper brands that offer edamame pods that are broken into bits or simply not in good shape or look old. If you live near a Japanese, Korean, or Asian supermarket, or a specialty store, it’s worth a trip just to buy better quality edamame. My favorite brands are Seapoint Farms, Welpac and Nissui.
- Soy sauce: You will need Japanese soy sauce for this recipe to get a good balance of salty, umami, and earthy. Brands like Kikkoman and Yamasa are good.
- Toasted sesame oil: You can use regular sesame oil but you will get much more flavor by using toasted sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil is more concentrated in flavor and less is needed to season a dish.
Variations
- Use premium oyster sauce, such as Lee Kum Kee, instead of soy sauce, for edamame that’s more pungent and salty.
- Use chili oil instead of toasted sesame oil to add some heat.
- Top this dish with some furikake to add even more depth of flavor.
- Make them taste like buffalo wings with my easy edamame with sriracha buffalo sauce recipe.
Prepping The Edamame
Before adding the edamame pods to the skillet you will need to cook them first. My preferred method is to boil them in a pot of salted water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and shock them in cold water. Drain again and they are ready to be served, or in this case, thrown into a hot skillet! I have also recently discover another clever trick to quickly prep these green legumes:
- Place them in a colander and run hot water over them for about 5 minutes. Drain and serve!
There is also the microwave method, which is to place the edamame pods in a microwave safe bowl with a little water and cover them with a paper towel. But I don’t really like this method because my pods always come out overcooked or deflated. If you would like to give it a shot, start by microwaving them for 1 to 3 minutes and do a taste test. If they need longer, add 1 minute at a time until you are satisfied with the texture.
How To Make This Recipe
- Cook the edamame pods using one of the methods listed above.
- Place a large skillet over medium high and when the skillet is hot, add the toasted sesame oil.
- Swirl the oil the coat the bottom surface of the skillet and add the edamame pods.
- Stir fry them for 2 to 3 minutes and add the soy sauce.
- Quickly toss the pods to evenly coat them and season with a little salt and pepper.
- Turn the heat off, transfer them to a serving bowl and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- A medium hot skillet. Make sure that the skillet is hot but not scalding hot before adding the sesame oil and the pods. Toasted sesame oil can go rancid pretty quickly if it’s cooked for too long at a very high temperature, so it’s important to keep the oil from overheating, and the cooking process short. The trick is to flash fry the edamame so they quickly get a slight golden brown char on them, and absorb the intense clean and nutty taste of the oil.
Storage
Cooked edamame should be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking them. Save them in an airtight storage container and they should keep in the fridge for about 4 days.
Can I refreeze them? No, it is not recommended to refreeze vegetables and beans that have previously been thawed. Not only will the texture and overall quality of the bean degrade, it can also be unsafe.
What To Serve With This Dish
I can eat this dish on its own or as part of a meal. It’s so pleasant to the palate that it’s an easy recipe to pair with other dishes. This dish makes a delicious snack or side to serve at a sushi party. But you can also serve it as part of Japanese home style dinner with Japanese classics such as:
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Edamame beans are poisonous when eaten raw. They can cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and can also lead to long-term damage to organs and tissues if ingested in large amounts. so it’s very important that you cook the beans before eating them.
It depends on the varieties. Some of them can be genetically modified, while others are non-GMO. To avoid GMOs, always look for organic or non-GMO certified edamame products.
It could be the actually pods that were packaged or that they needed a little more cooking time. Sometimes the pods harvested might have sat longer than the ideal time, which can result in beans being tougher. But I find that cooking them for a bit longer can help a lot. I recommend adding an extra minute or two in the skillet to soften them.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Edamame with Soy and Sesame Sauce
- Prep Time: 1 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A nutty and savory snack of edamame pods lightly fried in toasted sesame oil and tossed in soy sauce.
Ingredients
- 150 grams edamame in pods
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil them. Boil the edamame pods for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Prep the skillet. Place a skillet over medium high heat and wait until it’s hot – about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the toasted sesame oil and swirl to coat the surface.
- Cook the pods. Add the edamame pods and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the pods are slightly charred.
- Season the pods. Turn the heat off and add the soy sauce. Quickly stir until the sauce has evaporated.
- Serve. Season with salt and ground black pepper and serve immediately.
Notes
This edamame snack is good hot or cold. For leftovers, transfer them to a storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 203
- Sugar: 1.9g
- Sodium: 150.1mg
- Fat: 17.2g
- Saturated Fat: 1.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5.8g
- Fiber: 3.6g
- Protein: 8.6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Questions and Reviews
No way I will any have leftovers for three days! These are enjoyed in one serving only!
Haha that’s wonderful to know, J! 🙂
Delish!! Tasted just like a high end restaurant!
Thanks for the proper way to eat edamame! I tried some after some blog said they were like green beans…. And was extremely confused with how difficult it was to chew it up and thought they were overcooked So glad I found your blog I don’t like wasting food.
Regards, Caroline. This will be my meal tonight, along with ahi tuna tartare! It sounds amazing. google
Great recipe
Howdy !
Your recipes are so Cool !!!
I’ll give your recipe a whirl but first need to google how much “150 grams edamame in pods” is in U.S. measurements.
I’m tempted to doctor the recipe and use the same sauce I use with “Grilled Shishito Peppers” consisting of:
1 TBSP + 1 Tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
2 1/2 Tsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
3/4 Tsp Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce
1/2 Tsp Honey
Garnish: Toasted Sesame Seeds
Thanks Caroline! I’ll be making this along with Ahi Tuna Tartar tonight for dinner! It sounds incredible.
Cheers,
Morgan
Sounds delicious Morgan!
Super delicious and so easy to make. I have been eating edamame the boring way for all these years. This will be my go-to recipe whenever I prepare edamame! Thank you for this recipe.
That’s so great Stephanie! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I will be making this for the first time!!!! I’ll serve it with spicy sweet sticky pork with broccoli over jasmine rice!!!! So excited!!!!
Thank you!!!!
Wonderful Cindy! 🙂
I will never prepare Edamame any other way again! I used SteamFresh Edamame – dried it off and the rest is history. The char flavor is to die for, just enough soy, sprinkle of salt and lots of cracked black peppercorn – perfect! Thank you!
Thank you so much Susan! 🙂
The pictures of these pods looked like they have been pan seared and browned? I do not see this in the recipe?
Hi Tim,
Yes they are pan seared for 2-3 minutes until they are charred. It is mentioned in the recipe which is all the way down, but not in the ‘how to cook edamame’ section 🙂
This is great with shelled edamame too! Delicious!!!
Hi Caroline, I see from the comments that this recipe was posted some years ago. Well, it is still inspiring people! I fed these edamame beans to my family last night and we have had different versions of them before but this is definitely the most delicious. I am buying lots more beans and this will be a regular dish from now on. I am going to use it as a go-to dish for taking to friends as a snack, too. Thank you and YUM! Julia 🙂
Thank you so much Julia! It’s also my favorite way to eat edamame, I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do 🙂
I just came across this post and these look to die for! My only question is, did you use frozen or fresh edamame pods?
Hi Megan, I used frozen edamame for this recipe and they came out tasting delicious! 🙂
This looks delish! But I’m wondering, do you eat the pod too or just the inside? Typically I just pop out the inside and discard the pod but wondering what you recommend.
Hi Jennie!
Yes, only eat the inside but do enjoy sucking on the pod, they are delicious 🙂
I just stumbled upon your blog and as soon as I saw this recipe I went out and bought two bags of edamame and sesame oil and tried it right when I got home! Totally worth it!! This was the best edamame that I have ever had! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Thank you Morgan, comments like yours always make me so happy!
Tonight will be my first time trying edamame, and you can never go wrong with roasted/slightly charred vegetables. I love this recipe already and haven’t tried it yet. I’ll be back to let you know what I think!
Thank you Carmen, let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy it!
I don’t eat edamame much and def not at home, but when I saw this recipe I dropped off my son at daycare and went straight to the grocery store to buy some edamame. I just tried out your recipe and i absolutely love it! It was the best vegetable recipe i have ever tasted! Thanks so much!
Jessica, you just put a HUGE smile on my face! Thank you so much for leaving such a lovely comment! I’m so happy you liked it, I love it too 🙂
I love edamame and this takes it to a whole new level. Trying soon!
Let me know what you think Lauren! 🙂
Hi Caroline,
I’ve been meaning to write you to give thanks for your amazing recipes. This edamame post has my mouth watering and I can barely wait to try it at our next big family gathering, with beer and pickles! Every time I’ve brought one of your recipes to a gathering, friends and family always would ask it’s origin, and I would say “Pickled Plum” or “Caroline.” Now, they don’t even ask, they just say “Oooo, this must be Pickled Plum!” or “Hmmm, so Caroline visited your kitchen this week!”
Thank you! You are loved!
All the Best,
Belinda in Denver
You are so sweet! Thank you SO much for the beautiful words Belinda, you totally made my day!