Beautiful Ingredient

  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
×
Home » salad

Quinoa Salad with Edamame

Jump to Recipe

Loving the crunch and sesame ginger flavors of this quinoa salad with edamame! A great option for a potluck since this recipe makes a big batch to serve a crowd, or enjoy over a few days with tips on storing. This oil-free, gluten-free recipe is vegan, full of plant-based whole foods. A satisfying way to eat more plants!

A plate of quinoa salad with edamame on a marble surface in front of a platterful.

When I created the Roasted Sesame Dressing recipe, I knew I wanted to pair it with a salad that included edamame. Ginger and sesame are a great fit with the texture and flavor of edamame, the whole form of soy. Adding quinoa, the salad becomes a really hearty main dish all on its own.

This salad recipe is designed to be flexible enough so that it can serve a small crowd as a side dish or a family of four as a main with leftovers. There are tips included for keeping the ingredients fresh over a few days.

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • Equipment
  • Instructions
  • Serving and Storing
  • FAQ
  • Related recipes
  • Pairing
  • The Recipe
  • Food safety
  • Comments

Ingredients

Just simple beautiful ingredients are needed for this salad.

All the ingredients, including roasted sesame dressing, that are needed to create quinoa salad with edamame.

Edamame: Most readily available in the frozen section of the grocery store. Choose the shelled option, if available (otherwise, you will want to remove them from the shells after cooking). Note that there is a range 12-16 ounces, since the package size can vary.

While edamame is the star in this recipe, you could use chopped, prepared tofu instead and still love this salad. Try the crispy tofu in this recipe.

Quinoa: Any color can be used. It can be helpful to cook the quinoa in advance and store in a refrigerated sealed container until ready to assemble the salad.

Filtered water: For cooking the quinoa and edamame, plus the dressing.

Cabbage: Any can be used. I prefer savoy or napa cabbage for this recipe.

Onion: A sweet onion or red onion, or shallot.

Cucumber: One large cucumber, with or without seeds.

Bell pepper: Any color you'd like.

Basil: We will be using the leaves whole.

Mint: Whole mint leaves.

I prefer the basil and mint combo; if you only have one just double up on it and this salad will still be great.

Lettuce: Butter or romaine are nice here, though any could be used. It also can be omitted if you'd prefer just the crisp cabbage.

Ginger powder: Adding a bit of flavor to the quinoa, optional.

Garlic granules: Dry minced works, too. Adding a bit of flavor to the quinoa, optional.

Roasted Sesame Dressing ingredients:

Sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, lime, tamari, maple syrup, miso paste, hot sauce, and additional filtered water will be needed.

See recipe cards for quantities.

Equipment

The following kitchen tools are needed for this recipe:

Medium-sized pot with a lid and stove burner.

Small pan or baking sheet and oven.

Cutting board and sharp knife, like a chef's knife.

Measuring cups and spoons, including liquid measuring cup.

Instructions

The steps here are easy to accomplish and don't take a crazy amount of time. This recipe can be accomplished in about 30 minutes, even with a number of steps. Veg prep can be going on while the quinoa and edamame cook, which helps save time.

Prepared edamame in a colander.

Boil the frozen edamame for a few minutes.

Quinoa prepared in a pot over a burner.

Cook the quinoa with ginger powder and garlic granules (just 15 minutes of cook time).

Sliced cabbage on a cutting board with a chef's knife and peppers surrounding it.

Slice and chop the cabbage, cucumber, onion, and bell pepper.

A jar of roasted sesame dressing on a marble background surrounded by scattered sesame seeds.

Make the dressing by roasting or toasting the sesame seeds and blending all the ingredients.

Prepared ingredients for making quinoa salad with edamame.

Gather your prepped ingredients.

Quinoa salad with edamame tossed with sesame dressing in a stainless steel bowl.

Toss everything together with the dressing (except the fresh herbs), then place in a large serving bowl or platter and scatter the herbs on top.

Tip for salad to be served later: Wait to add the lettuce and herbs until just before serving. They can wilt in leftovers and the dressing can contribute to this issue. Store the lettuce, herbs, and dressing separately in the fridge and add them when ready to consume.

Serving and Storing

For a crowd: Serve all the salad in a large bowl or platter, scattering the fresh herbs on top.

If planning leftovers, store the estimated leftover amount of the salad mixture (without dressing, lettuce, or fresh herbs) in a refrigerated sealed container. Store dressing, lettuce, and fresh herbs for the leftovers in separate refrigerated sealed containers until ready to serve. This will help ingredients stay fresh.

For immediate consumption: Toss in the appropriate amount of lettuce and dressing with the combined salad ingredients. Then, place the mixture in a large serving bowl or platter. Finally, scatter the fresh herbs on top, along with any other toppings you'd like.

Consume within a few days.

Quinoa salad with edamame served on a grey platter on a marble surface with bamboo salad servers.

FAQ

Should I buy edamame pods or shelled edamame?

It's important to remove the pod that edamame comes in. We just want to eat the beans inside. Typically, you can purchase a shelled version in the frozen section of the grocery store. Some stores have it ready to eat in the deli or salad bar, either in pods or out. If you can only find edamame that is in the pod, remove the pod after boiling and use the beans inside for recipes like this one. Note that if you purchase edamame with pods, the weight estimated on the package includes the pod.

What is the healthiest way to eat quinoa?

With vegetables! So, tossed in a salad or soup is ideal.

What can I add to quinoa to make it taste better?

Add spices! In this recipe, we're adding powdered ginger and garlic granules.

A quinoa edamame salad topped with roasted sesame dressing.

Related recipes

Looking for more salad recipes? Try these:

  • A bowl of salad with chunks of watermelon, avocado, cucumber, and tofu feta.
    Vegan Watermelon Salad (oil-free)
  • A bowl of spinach salad with tempeh bacon, red onion, and artisan vegan cheese
    Vegan Spinach Salad
  • Balsamic Pasta Salad
  • A plate of vibrant sesame tofu salad with ribbons of carrots, laying on a marble surface.
    Sesame Tofu Salad (vegan)

Pairing

The dressing for this recipe is here, along with some tasty drinks that pair well:

  • Roasted Sesame Dressing
  • Iced tea being poured into a glass with a floral ice cube in it.
    How to Make Herbal Iced Tea
  • A glass pitcher of lemon mint water on a marble surface.
    Lemon Mint Flavored Water
  • An overhead view of two glass flutes filled with pineapple mint frozen drinks, topped with fresh mint.
    Pineapple Mint Frozen Drink

The Recipe

Quinoa Salad with Edamame Recipe

Quinoa salad with edamame, a nice crunch, and sesame ginger flavors. Recipe can serve a crowd; hearty, vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.
Plant Diversity: Striving for 30 different plants per week for optimal gut health.
The number of plants in this recipe: At least 8 plants
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American, Asian, Japanese
Lifestyle: Gluten Free, Vegan
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 12
Fiber: 5.25g
Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

  • medium pot with lid
  • burner on stove
  • small pan or baking sheet and oven
  • cutting board and sharp knife
  • measuring cups and spoons including liquid measuring cup

Ingredients

Quinoa

  • 1 cup quinoa dry
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic granules or dry minced or powdered
  • 2 cups filtered water

Salad

  • 14 oz edamame shelled, frozen (12-16 oz)
  • ½ savoy cabbage or napa, medium
  • 1 red onion small-medium
  • 1 cucumber medium
  • 1 bell pepper medium

Add just before eating:

  • ¼ cup basil and/or mint leaves
  • 10 oz lettuce such as butter, romaine; optional

Dressing

  • 2 Roasted Sesame Dressing (double batch)

Topping ideas

  • sesame seeds natural or black
  • scallions sliced
  • edible flowers
  • additional herbs such as lemon balm, additional mint or basil.

Instructions

  • Cook the edamame. Boil the frozen edamame in a medium pot of water for about 5 minutes until tender, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set the pot aside to cook the quinoa.
    If making in advance: Once cooled, place in a refrigerated sealed container.
  • Cook the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa in a strainer. Add the quinoa, ginger powder, garlic granules, and filtered water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a covered simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the lid, fluff with a fork, and set aside.
    If making in advance: Once cooled, place in a refrigerated sealed container.
  • Prep veggies. After washing veggies, slice the cabbage and chop the onion, cucumber and bell pepper, removing any seeds first, if desired.
    Prep lettuce and herbs (basil/mint) just before serving, removing herb leaves from stems.
  • Make dressing. Roast /toast the sesame seeds and blend ingredients (see recipe for details).
  • Combine ingredients. Combine all ingredients except the dressing, lettuce, and fresh herbs (basil/mint) in a large bowl.
  • Serve and store.
    If planning leftovers, store the estimated leftover amount of the salad mixture (without dressing, lettuce, or fresh herbs) in a refrigerated sealed container. Store dressing, lettuce, and fresh herbs for the leftovers in separate refrigerated sealed containers until ready to serve. This will help ingredients stay fresh.
    For the portion to be eaten immediately, toss in the appropriate amount of lettuce and dressing with the combined salad ingredients. Then, place the mixture in a serving bowl or platter. Finally, scatter the fresh herbs on top, along with any other toppings you'd like.
    Consume within a few days.

Notes

Makes 6-12 main dish salads or about 16-20 side salads. It depends on how hungry your eaters are! If this is all you're serving, I would figure 6 to be safe, which would be large portions - again, depending on your eaters.
The salad is low in calories and fat yet high in protein and fiber, so I would err on having too much rather than too little. You can dress and add lettuce and herbs to half at a time so you can store leftovers, if needed.
Time estimate: This recipe can be completed in about 30 minutes. Since the veggies can be prepped while the edamame and quinoa cook, the time estimate of 10 minutes prep is really for making the dressing. So, about 20 minutes of veg prep while ingredients cook and 10 minutes for making the dressing. 

Rough Nutrition Estimate provided by WPRM (based on generic ingredients and limited specification options)

Nutrition Facts
Quinoa Salad with Edamame Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
116.66
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
2.74
g
4
%
Saturated Fat
 
0.33
g
2
%
Trans Fat
 
0.003
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1.24
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
0.66
g
Sodium
 
19
mg
1
%
Potassium
 
418.49
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
 
17.67
g
6
%
Fiber
 
5.25
g
22
%
Sugar
 
3.2
g
4
%
Protein
 
6.98
g
14
%
Vitamin A
 
850.68
IU
17
%
Vitamin C
 
28.57
mg
35
%
Calcium
 
53.63
mg
5
%
Iron
 
1.83
mg
10
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?I'd love to see! On Instagram, mention @beautifulingredient and tag #beautifulingredient!

Food safety

See guidelines at USDA.gov.

More salad

  • A closeup view of a large salad bowl filled with vegan street corn salad.
    Vegan Street Corn Salad
  • A beautiful, colorful vegan winter salad featuring radicchio, oranges, fennel, quinoa, and cannellini beans.
    Vegan Winter Salad
  • A plateful of golden sourdough croutons.
    Vegan Croutons (oil-free)
  • Vegan mango summer rolls in a coconut bowl with one leaning on the outside.
    Vegan Mango Summer Rolls

share & save

Comments

No Comments

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





Kari smelling anise hyssop while standing behind her market basket and fresh produce.

Welcome to a world of beautiful food!

I'm Kari, and this is where I celebrate beautiful ingredients and focus on ways to make eating more plants easier. Recipes are centered around whole foods and are vegan, cooked without the need for oil, mostly refined sugar-free and gluten-free. And so delicious!


Subscribe

Subscribe to your choice of the free or paid newsletter. You can see your options here before you commit:

what are you hungry for?

  • gluten-free

  • snacks

  • 30 minutes or less

  • 5 ingredients or less


Footer

Subscribe

Subscribe to your choice of the free or paid newsletter. The free newsletter is full of news, updates, and maybe a bit behind the scenes. It comes out 1-2x per month.

Or choose the paid version to go a bit deeper and be the first to see fresh recipes not yet on this site, meal plans, and ideas to help you fit cooking in and find more calm in your kitchen.

You can see your options here before you commit:

beautiful ingredient

About
Contact

Subscribe

eating more plants

Recipe Index

discover more at:

Privacy Policy • Terms of Use • Copyright/Content Usage

Copyright © 2025 Beautiful Ingredient

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this!
Thank you for sharing this recipe

Or write in your own words:

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.