This crisp and crunchy edamame salad is made with cucumber, red cabbage, and a savory peanut dressing. It takes just under 30 minutes to make and is the perfect salad for lunch or meal prep.
This edamame salad is filled with colorful and crunchy veggies, savory flavors, and a creamy peanut dressing. This is a great addition to meal prep lunches or as a side with dinner.
Edamame is an easy source of plant-based protein and it pairs well with crisp red cabbage and shredded carrots. If you're new to edamame, it's actually just the Japanese word for a dish made with young soybeans.
Even though edamame is an affordable and practical protein source, it can be a little confusing to find at the grocery store. It is in the freezer aisle and is usually labeled "mukimame", which is shelled soybeans or shelled edamame. Edamame itself usually has the bean pod still intact, whereas mukimame is just the bean.
I love adding edamame to spring roll-inspired bowls, quinoa edamame salad, and noodle salads.
Now let's get to this salad!
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Recipe features
- Quick & easy: This recipe uses affordable ingredients like cabbage, carrots, and peanut butter. It takes just under 30 minutes to assemble and requires minimal chopping.
- Flavors: Green onions add a punch of fresh flavor alongside the nutty and tangy peanut dressing that coats the edamame salad.
- Inspiration: This is a light and refreshing Americanized dish that is inspired by a number of Asian cuisines, such as the peanut sauce served with spring rolls or crisp vegetables used in Thai salads.
- Versatile: You can easily turn this salad into a heartier main dish by adding a scoop of white or brown rice and cubed tofu for additional protein.
Ingredients
- Red cabbage, also known as purple cabbage. This salad uses only ⅓ of a cabbage, or about 3 heaping cups. Leftover cabbage can be used in coleslaw.
- Edamame: Like I said above, although it's colloquially called edamame, it is often sold as mukimame, which is shelled edamame. Find it in the freezer aisle.
- Carrots: Choose shredded carrots for convenience. You can also shred your own whole carrots, but they won't be as crisp or uniform.
- Cucumber: I recommend removing the seeds from the cucumber. This keeps both the salad and the cucumber from becoming soggy.
- Peanut dressing: This is equal parts creamy peanut butter and rice vinegar, with the addition of toasted sesame oil, ground ginger, and soy sauce. Natural or regular peanut butter work here. Choose tamari to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Roasted salted peanuts, green onions, and sesame seeds are garnishes that add flavor and texture. They are not required but are 100% recommended.
- Roasted seaweed: Don't skip this ingredient! Seaweed adds a lot of depth of flavor to the salad. Roasted seaweed sheets are usually sold in individual packets in snack aisles or in international aisles.
How to make
It is super easy to make this edamame salad. Here are the main steps:
Shred the cabbage very thinly. Thin cabbage is still crisp and crunchy, but tenderizes a little with tossed with the dressing.
Make the peanut sauce. I like to make dressings in mason jars. Simply add all ingredients to a mason jar, close tightly with a lid, and shake! Otherwise, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.
The peanut dressing should be thin and pourable. If not, add water or vegetable broth one tablespoon at a time.
When the cabbage is shredded and the peanut dressing is assembled, simply toss together all of the ingredients in a large bowl. That's it!
Tips and variations
- Make it a meal: For a more balanced meal, I like to add a serving of rice or quinoa to each salad. This recipe works really well as a mason jar salad or served alongside spicy peanut noodles.
- For more protein: Add baked tofu or baked tempeh. You can also double the edamame or add Instant Pot chickpeas.
- Make it spicy: Add one tablespoon of chili garlic sauce, sriracha, or sambal oelek to the peanut dressing to make the edamame salad spicy.
- Grating/shredding cabbage: I use a knife to slice the cabbage as thinly as possible, then chop it once or twice to make the strands shorter. Do not include the cabbage stem. This is even easier to do with a mandolin, but be very careful when slicing the cabbage.
- You can use pre-sliced cabbage (green or red) for an even quicker meal. Shredded cabbage is usually sold as a coleslaw starter.
Storage tips
Leftovers are best within 3 to 4 days. Because this edamame salad uses hardy ingredients like cabbage and carrots, it does make good leftovers.
Chilling: This salad is best served chilled. Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. This allows the flavors to meld and all ingredients to become cold.
Meal prep: If making this salad for meal prep, simply divide portions between 4 containers. I recommend adding a scoop of rice or quinoa or additional protein to make it a main dish.
Looking for more cold salads?
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Recipe
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Edamame Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
For the salad
- 3 cups finely shredded red cabbage about ⅓ of a head of cabbage; see note #1
- 2 cups thawed shelled edamame (mukimame) see note #2
- 1 and ½ cups shredded carrots
- 1 large cucumber seeded and sliced into half moons
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- ¼ cup roasted salted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 4 sheets roasted seaweed thinly sliced
For the peanut dressing
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 and ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce optional
- 1 to 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a small bowl or mason jar, add the peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sugar, and optional chili garlic sauce. Close tightly with a lid and shake to combine, or use a whisk to stir into a smooth dressing. It should be smooth and pourable. If not, whisk in 1 tablespoon water at a time to make a thinner consistency. Taste for seasonings.
- To a large bowl, add the shredded cabbage, thawed shelled edamame, shredded carrots, sliced cucumber, sliced green onions, peanuts, sesame seeds, and seaweed.
- Top the edamame salad ingredients with the peanut sauce. Use tongs or salad servers to toss the salad until it is well coated in the sauce.
- Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving (optional but recommended). Serve garnished with additional green onions and sesame seeds.
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Notes
- Cabbage: This recipe also works with green cabbage or coleslaw mix.
- Shelled edamame is usually labeled as mukimame. It can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. Edamame is soybeans still in their pods, so I don't recommend buying it unless you want to shell the edamame yourself.
- Leftovers are best within 3 to 4 days. Because this edamame salad uses hardy ingredients like cabbage and carrots, it does make good leftovers.
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