Edamame is one of my favorite Japanese appetizers! I like them boiled with a little salt but even more when they are dressed with a spicy garlic sauce. The recipe I created is packed with heat, umami, earthiness, and savory goodness.
High in fiber and protein, and low in carbohydrates, edamame beans make the perfect guilt-free appetizer, side, or snack. In fact, these soybean pods are firmly entrenched in the pantheon of Japanese appetizers and small dishes found in sushi restaurants or izakayas, lightly salted and ready to eat alongside a small bowl of miso soup or a seaweed salad.
For my spicy edamame recipe, I mixed a few of my favorite seasonings to create the perfect balance of salty, smoky, and spicy. I also like the fact that it only takes 15 minutes to make!
Table of contents
Best Edamame to Use For This Recipe
I recommend using organic frozen edamame in the shell for this recipe. Believe it or not, that’s what your favorite sushi restaurant is using. The edamame beans sold at grocery stores have been quickly parboiled prior to freezing – and then flash frozen to preserve their freshness.
These days it’s quite easy to find frozen edamame at your local shop in the freezer section with the bagged veggies. Chains like Whole Foods, Wegmans and Costco all sell edamame as well.
Ingredients
Scroll all the way down for the full recipe.
- Edamame pods: You can find them located in the frozen section of grocery stores. If you happen to live close to an Asian supermarket or Japanese grocery store, get them there.
- Garlic and Ginger: Fresh minced ginger delivers a sustained burn, while minced garlic imparts pungent, earthy notes.
- Chopped Shallot or Scallion: Use one or the other to add a sharp, vegetal element to the overall sauce.
- Gochugaru: These are Korean red pepper flakes. And while some brands can be volcanic, most deliver a milder, nuanced, smoky heat. It’s available in most Asian grocery stores.
- Sesame Oil: Nutty and toasty, sesame oil brings a rounded depth to the overall dish. A word to the wise here: a little goes a long way!
- Sesame Seeds: I used ground black sesame seeds in this spicy edamame recipe. However, feel free to use what you have on hand. One tsp of white or black – ground or whole – sesame seeds will do the trick.
- Soy Sauce: The universal bringer of umami! If you’re following a gluten-free diet, use tamari or liquid aminos instead.
- Salt: A pinch or two of kosher salt will increase the savory elements of the dish without resulting in something that is merely salty. In fact, when a dish calls for a sprinkle of salt, I always reach for the kosher salt. There’s just less of a chance over-salting with the larger crystals.
Variations
- Make it spicier. Use chili oil instead of sesame oil to add more heat.
- Make it sweeter. Add 1 teaspoon of honey to add a little sweetness.
How to Make This Recipe
- Gather all of your kitchen tools and ingredients.
- Then bring a pot of water to a boil and add your edamame pods. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes and drain well.
- Transfer your cooked edamame to a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Next, in a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the garlic chili sauce and stir well.
- Finally, pour the spicy garlic sauce over the cooked edamame pods and serve immediately.
Expert Tip
For the best edamame, I find that Japanese brands offer better quality edamame that are a beautiful bright green color, with very few pods that are cracked. My favorite brands are Nissui and Wel-Pac. If you cannot find them, look for Seapoint Farms as they are also good quality.
Storage
Save the leftovers in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Edamame is delicious both hot and cold – so you can zap the leftovers in the microwave, or eat it right out of the refrigerator. Your choice.
What To Serve With It
These spicy edamame pods can be served as an a side or a snack. It pairs nicely with other Asian dishes such as Korean sticky chicken, miso ramen, dan dan noodles, baked chicken katsu, inari sushi, and yaki onigiri.
Other Edamame Recipes You Might Like
Edamame with soy and sesame sauce, edamame vichyssoise, edamame quinoa salad, tofu and edamame patties, edamame hummus, edamame and sun dried tomato quiche, edamame bean soup, edamame with bonito flakes and seaweed, edamame with sriracha buffalo sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to food safety, it’s always best to cook edamame before you serve and eat it. That said, if you were to consume a thawed edamame bean or two, you should be OK. The parboiling process edamame beans undergo before they are frozen should be enough to avoid any gastrointestinal distress.
No it’s not because it contains soy sauce. You can make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free soy sauce or tamari instead.
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 Spicy Garlic Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Total Time: 14 minutes
- Yield: 1 bowl 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Make this iconic Japanese appetizer at home in under 15 minutes from start to finish. Packed with garlicky goodness and shimmering heat. Yum!
Ingredients
- 250g edamame pods
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon shallot or scallion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon black or white ground sesame seeds, or whole sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Boil the pods. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the edamame pods. Boil for 3 to 4 minutes and drain well. Alternatively, you can place the pods in a microwave safe container, add 1 tablespoon water, and close the lid. Microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the edamame to a bowl and set aside.
- Make the spicy garlic sauce. Mix all of the remaining ingredients in a bowl.
- Serve. Pour the spicy garlic sauce over the edamame and serve immediately.
Notes
For leftovers: Keep the edamame in an airtight storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can enjoy the edamame hot or cold.
Note: One thing I’ve noticed is that the flavors of the sauce can dull a bit after a couple of days. You can easily revive the entire dish with a simple dash of soy sauce. It tastes like you just whipped it up fresh.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: half a bowl
- Calories: 273
- Sugar: 3.4g
- Sodium: 26.6mg
- Fat: 20.4g
- Saturated Fat: 2.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11.5g
- Fiber: 6.7g
- Protein: 14.6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
