Last Updated on 8th February 2022 by
Edamame is a healthy vegetable that you can eat on its own as a snack when properly prepared. Or, thet can be added to other foods to make a number of tasty, healthy recipes.
What is edamame? Edamame is a veggie that is packed with fiber and protein, and it also contains some fat. These podded beans are quite filling, and a cup of them only contains about 120 calories.
I want to share with you how to cook edamame so you don’t have to pass it by in the grocery or market. You can add it to your grocery list with confidence knowing what to do with it.
How to Cook Edamame
This vegetable is really simple to prepare. I’ll walk you through step by step the process for how to cook edamame beans.
Directions:
- Put a pot of water on the stove top and bring to a boil on high heat.
- Put your frozen edamame into the pot, with as much of it as you want at once. Just make sure that the beans are covered with water in the pot so they cook all the way through. Turn the heat to low when you add the beans in.
- Let them boil on low for 8 minutes.
- Take the edamame off the heat and strain them out.
- Do not take the edamame out of the pods. Place them in a large plate or bowl and then sprinkle some salt and sesame seeds on them.
This method for how to cook frozen edamame works okay with thawed edamame as well. You just need to decrease the cooking time by a few minutes.
How to Eat Edamame
If you’re not careful about the way you eat edamame, they can slip away from you and fly across the room. There’s a specific method you should use when eating this veggie so that you don’t make a mess or lose the beans out of the pod.
You’re supposed to hold the pod between your thumb and forefinger. Then, move your fingers along the pod and push the beans one by one out of the pod and into your mouth. Finally, get rid of the pod. You’re not actually supposed to eat it.
It also helps to cup one hand around your mouth as you pop the beans into your mouth. This makes it harder for them to shoot off away from you.
How Many Calories in Edamame
If you’ve never had edamame beans before, you may be concerned about how they affect your calorie counts and if they’re actually healthy for you.
You might have heard that they have some fat in them, and you may have concerns about how fatty they are and if you should be incorporating them into your diet.
To put your concerns to rest, edamame beans have very little fat. If you eat an entire cup of these beans, that’s only going to give you about 120 calories. Their low calorie count makes them a good snack for someone who’s trying to diet and lose weight or just live healthy.
You can trade out to unhealthy snacks like chips, cookies, and sweets for edamame beans. These tasty, nutritious beans are very filling, so you don’t need to eat a lot of them to satisfy your hunger cravings.
How Many Carbs in Edamame
You may also have concerns about the number of carbs in a serving of edamame. In 100 grams of edamame, there’s 10 grams of carbohydrates.
That’s not going to make much difference in your total carb intake for the day, so feel free to snack away guilt free.
These really are a dieter’s best snack, as they are filling enough to sate those cravings and keep you feeling satisfied even without adding a lot of fat, calories, carbs or sugar to your daily total.
You can much on them all you want and not worry about how it is affecting your diet, for the most part.
How Much Protein in Edamame
A lot of times, vegans will use beans as a source of protein, since they’re avoiding meat, fish, and eggs- key sources of protein for everyone else. Are edamame beans a good source of protein and how much protein do they contain?
100 grams of edamame beans contain 11 grams of protein, which is pretty hefty.
What Does Edamame Taste Like
Edamame is a type of soybean that’s used to make tofu. It’s not a very flavorful vegetable, but you’ll find it has more taste than something like bean curd, which can be pretty bland.
There’s a little bit of a buttery flavor to it, and you may detect hints of nuttiness or sweetness.
As for the texture, it’s firmer than a cooked pea would be, but it is still soft. The bite is satisfying but there isn’t a hefty crunch to it.
How to Grow Edamame
If you’re looking to grow some edamame beans, let me share a few tips with you that can help you out.
It’s best to plant them when there’s no risk of frost affecting them. That would be when the soil and air temperatures are around 60 or 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you want to keep your edamame beans growing in a continuous harvest, you should plant them about 10 days apart. They should be planted an inch or two deep into the soil, giving them about 3 inches from one another.
Make sure they get plenty of sun, and space your rows about two feet from one another.
How to Reheat Edamame
There’s no need to cook up edamame again on the stove just to reheat it. Instead, you can use the microwave, placing them into a microwave safe bowl.
You can put the edamame in the bowl and reheat them either shelled or unshelled. Add about a tablespoon of water. Microwave your edamame beans for about 40 seconds.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!