Spicy Edamame

Spicy Edamame is an easy and healthy snack or side dish with a kick! It’s ready in minutes and has just the right amount of heat.

Here’s our favorite snack or side dish with a kick: spicy edamame! Eating soybeans in the pod is one of life’s joys, with that satisfaction of ripping off the beans with your teeth popular. (Right?) To take this healthy vegetable to the next level: make it spicy. Yes, adding just a little warmth makes this absolutely irresistible! The spice will help you slow down and enjoy those babies, because a bowl of our classic edamame is usually gone in no time. Here are all our secrets!

What’s in this spicy edamame?

This spicy edamame recipe only has 5 ingredients, but they are all essential to get the flavor right. It’s aromatic and nuanced, with just the right amount of spice. Here’s what you need:

• Edamame frozen in pods: not peeled! see below for more.
• Toasted Sesame Oil: Be sure to find toasted and untoasted sesame oil as it has a much stronger flavor
• Garlic Chili Sauce brings just the right amount of warmth
• Garlic
• Kosher salt

Use edamame pods for this recipe

Edamame is a soybean that is picked young and green, as opposed to mature soybeans used to make tofu. You can buy edamame in two ways: frozen, peeled and frozen in pods. You should make sure to use the pod version for this recipe.

• Edamame pods are served in Japanese restaurants as a snack or side dish. You put the beans in your mouth with your teeth. See also Easy Edamame.
• Peeled edamame can be used in salads, fried rice, noodle bowls, etc. You can also serve the peeled edamame as a side dish: go for the peeled edamame.

What is Chili Garlic Sauce?

Chili garlic sauce is an Asian condiment that you might see on the table in Thai or Japanese restaurants. It’s similar to Sriracha, but we like it even better! It’s a bit thicker, made with chili peppers and lots of garlic. It tastes slightly lighter than Sriracha and has more undertones. It will last for months and is totally worth putting in your fridge!

The spiciness of the chilli garlic sauce was perfect in this spicy edamame recipe. Due to its thicker consistency, it adds a nice look when small peppers stick to the edamame. But you can also use the hot sauces listed below!

Other hot sauces suitable for hot edamame

If you can’t find chili garlic sauce, you can use a few other Asian-style hot sauces that you may already have in your fridge:

• Sambal Oolek: It is an Indonesian-style hot sauce or paste made with chilies and garlic, ginger, scallions and lime juice. It’s hotter than chili garlic sauce, so we didn’t use it here.
• Sriracha: Sriracha is always our top choice for an Asian style hot sauce! It’s delicious to use in spicy edamame: it just doesn’t have the pretty appearance of large peppers.

Serve with a pod shell

Once you’ve cooked and flavored a pot of edamame, you’ll eat it with your hands and crack the pods with your teeth. When serving spicy edamame, remember to serve it with a small bowl for the discarded pods. It’s a lot easier and cleaner, especially if you’re entertaining. You can also serve with napkins as the hot sauce will stick to your fingers as you eat!

Toasted Sesame Oil vs. Sesame Oil

You can find two types of sesame oil in the store, so make sure you get it toasted sesame oil for this recipe! Toasted sesame oil has a strong nutty taste: it is said to flavor dishes. It usually comes in a small bottle as it is used in smaller amounts. Sesame oil has a neutral flavor and is used in cooking.

Ways to Serve Spicy Edamame

There are so many ways to serve spicy edamame! It’s packed with plant-based protein so makes a great vegan snack or appetizer to a vegan meal. And of course it goes perfectly with sushi! Or you can just serve it up as a snack when you’re in the mood for something salty and spicy. Here are some ideas for serving as a side dish:

This spicy edamame recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.