Easy Edamame Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing

Say hello to your new favorite vegan salad! This Easy Edamame Salad is quick, balanced, and filling. With edamame, quinoa, and peanuts, it's easily a complete meal all on its own. If you're looking for a plant-based salad that's anything but bland and boring, this one's for you!

The best part of this Edamame Salad recipe is the crunchy texture from roasted peanuts, red cabbage, and shredded carrots. I love getting a good crunch with every bite. It's just so satisfying!

There's also lots of spicy flavor from the jalapeño and Spicy Peanut Dressing. (But you can also easily omit the pepper from the salad and dressing for a milder flavor.)

This recipe is also super balanced and nutritious. The primary source of protein is the edamame (a type of soybean), but you'll get an additional punch from the quinoa and peanuts, too.

Quinoa and all of the fresh veggies provide plenty of filling fiber, and there's some satisfying fat from the roasted peanuts and peanut butter in the dressing, as well.

Altogether, you get a vegan salad that'll actually fill you up, even if it's all you make for lunch or dinner. (It plays well with Carrot Ginger Sweet Potato Soup, but really, it's a one-and-done entree and you don't need anything else!)

This Edamame Crunch Salad is one of my favorite 30-minute vegan dinners. The recipe makes a big batch, so you can use the leftovers for lunches to pack for work or school during the week, too!

Looking for more plant-forward salad ideas? Check out my huge roundup of the Best Filling and Easy Vegetarian Salads for Lunch and Dinner here.

Ingredients

• Quinoa
• Frozen shelled edamame
• Shredded red cabbage
• Baby spinach
• Shredded carrots
• Roasted peanuts (shelled)
• Jalapeño (optional)
• Peanut butter
• Rice vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Maple syrup
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Cayenne pepper (optional)

Optional Garnish:

• More roasted peanuts
• Fresh basil
• Fresh cilantro
• Green onions
• Lime wedges

Instructions

How to Cook Quinoa

First, rinse ½ cup dry quinoa and add it to a pot with a cup of water. You can toss in a little salt here, too, if you want. Cover and bring the quinoa to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

Once the quinoa is cooked, cover the pot and let it sit on the stovetop (with the burner turned off) until you’re ready to serve. This allows the quinoa to steam in the pot for a few extra minutes so it gets nice and fluffy.

How to Cook Frozen Edamame

I like to cook the frozen edamame for this salad on the stovetop. First, add a tablespoon of your favorite cooking oil to a 12-inch skillet. (I like grapeseed oil because it's neutral-tasting and stands up to high heat.)

Once the oil is shimmery, pour in the frozen edamame. (No need to thaw it first!) Cook the edamame, stirring every few minutes, for about 7 minutes, or until it's warmed through.

You can also cook edamame in the microwave or in a steamer pot. Just follow the instructions on the package if you'd rather not sauté it with oil in the skillet. It's totally up to you and this salad will taste great either way!

Spicy Peanut Dressing

Once the quinoa and edamame are prepped, it’s time to mix up the spicy peanut dressing.

This is one of my favorite creamy dressings to make for salads, but it also works great for peanut noodles and chickpea bowls, so feel free to double or triple the recipe for leftovers!

To make it, just whisk peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper. (Feel free to leave out the cayenne pepper if you want a mild peanut dressing instead.)

The dressing will probably be pretty thick at this point, so you might need to add some water to thin it out. The exact amount of water you'll need will depend on how thick your peanut butter is (and what you want the finished dressing consistency to be like.) Start by whisking in one tablespoon and add more if needed until the mixture reaches a creamy-yet-pourable, dressing-like consistency.

Assembling the Edamame Salad

The final step is putting all of the salad ingredients together. You'll need a large mixing bowl for this step. (If you don't have a big enough bowl, just toss together half of each ingredient in two separate bowls.)

Add the cooked quinoa, cooked edamame, shredded red cabbage, chopped spinach, shredded carrots, peanuts, and a sliced jalapeño to a large mixing bowl.

Next, pour the dressing on top, and toss again until all of the salad ingredients are evenly coated.

Transfer the salad to a serving dish and garnish with more roasted peanuts, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, chopped green onions, and lime wedges if desired.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Substitute gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos for the soy sauce to make this recipe gluten-free.
• If you have a peanut allergy, you could also make this with almonds and almond butter or cashews and cashew butter. If you have a nut allergy, try making this with sunflower seeds and sunflower seed butter.
• Omit the jalapeño pepper and cayenne pepper to make a mild version of this edamame salad.
• You can use green cabbage instead of the red cabbage if that's what you have.
• If you can't find rice vinegar, use regular white distilled vinegar instead.
• Use sugar, agave nectar, or honey (not vegan) in place of the maple syrup in the dressing.
• You can also use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic and ground ginger instead of fresh ginger. Use ½ teaspoon garlic powder and 1 ¼ teaspoon ground ginger for a similar flavor.

Meal Prep and Storage

I love making this Easy Edamame Salad ahead of time so I have quick and easy lunches ready to eat throughout the week. Store the prepared salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

For maximum crunchiness, add the roasted peanuts right before serving. They'll lose some of their crunch when they're mixed in with the vegetables and dressing ahead of time.

Nutrition Highlights

• A serving of this Edamame Salad packs in more than 20 grams of plant-based protein and 9 grams of fiber.
• This recipe is also a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron.
• Red cabbage is a member of the fiber-rich cruciferous vegetable family
• Quinoa may look and taste like a whole grain, but it's really a pseudograin. In actuality, quinoa is a seed!

More Edamame Recipes to Try

• 15-Minute Easy Edamame Peanut Noodles
• Edamame Beet Baked Spring Rolls
• Watermelon Poke Bowls
• Coconut Noodle Soup

Recipes to Serve with Edamame Salad

• Carrot Ginger Sweet Potato Soup
• One-Pot Asparagus Chard Ramen Noodle Bowl
• Spiralized Sweet Potato Spring Rolls with Sesame Ginger Dipping Sauce
• Shiitake Mushroom Bowls with Creamy Miso Sauce
• Anything Goes Veggie Fried Rice

Frequently Asked Questions for this Edamame Crunch Salad

📖 Recipe

This recipe was updated on January 13, 2022.