Cucumber Edamame Salad with Creamy Miso Dressing
Refreshing and vibrant, this cucumber edamame salad is a fusion of crisp cucumber, creamy avocado, crunchy cashews and dreamy miso dressing. It brightens up any dinnertime menu and is the perfect light lunch.
- 1 What you’ll need to make cucumber edamame salad:
- 2 How to make edamame cucumber salad:
- 3 Expert tips and variation ideas:
- 4 How to serve cucumber edamame salad:
- 5 FAQs
- 6 If you love this easy edamame salad you’ll love these other Asian-inspired meal ideas:
- 7 Cucumber Edamame Salad with Creamy Miso Dressing
Hands up if lunchtime is a struggle bus for you? I plan out my dinners each week and y’all know I have my avocado toast for breakfast nearly every morning but when midday rolls around I’m am always paralyzed like what do I eat!? I love having protein midday- but don’t always have a conveniently prepped protein ready to go. (need to get better about this honestly) But that’s where edamame comes in.
Protein-rich edamame IS something I always have in my freezer and it takes mere seconds to prepare. Some people steam it, but I simply put it in a colander and run hot water over it. Edamame beans are young soybeans harvested before they mature. They are convenient and protein-packed members of the legume family and rich in fiber, antioxidants and vitamins. As a registered dietitian, I am always looking for ways to improve my diet. One of my resolutions for 2024 is to EAT MORE LEGUMES. So here we are.
I love incorporating more plant-based meals and plant-based proteins into my diet so I set out to make a salad featuring protein-packed edamame. As much as I love a Hugh Jass green salad, sometimes a lettuce-less salad totally slaps. This quick and easy meal features a handful of simple ingredients and is tied together with a simple miso dressing. It is crunchy, fresh, flavorful and can be a main dish (I’m perfect happy with a big bowl of this for lunch) or it’s a great side dish to pair with any dinner spread. Eating more plant-based proteins is great for heart health and this crunchy edamame salad is a new favorite!
What you’ll need to make cucumber edamame salad:
Salad ingredients
Cucumber: I love to get mini seedless cucumbers or smaller-sized Persian cucumbers where the seeds are not as watery and obnoxious. You can also scrape out the seeds of English cucumbers or regular cucumbers to make a less watery salad.
Edamame: you can find pre-shelled edamame in the frozen vegetable section of most grocery stores.
Avocado: my tip for perfect avocados is to buy them green and let them ripen on your counter. For this recipe you’ll want a firmer, greener, slightly underripe avocado- it has better texture and doesn’t get mushy in the salad.
Cashews: I like to buy roasted, salted cashews- Costco has them for the best price I’ve found!
Sesame seeds: white sesame seeds or black sesame seeds are found in the spice aisle of any local grocery store.
Green onions: green onions provide a lovely fresh allium flavor- feel free to add other fresh herbs like fresh cilantro or mint.
Dressing ingredients
Avocado oil: avocado oil is rich in healthy fats with a neutral flavor profile which is perfect for this dressing.
Lime juice: fresh lime juice provides the brightness and acidity for the dressing. You could also use lemon juice or rice vinegar (but I think lime juice is best!)
Miso paste: miso paste is a traditional Japanese seasoning made from fermented soybeans and salt and lends a complex, savory flavor profile. Nowadays you can find miso paste at most grocery stores in the international foods aisle (I got mine from my local Kroger). You can also get it from an Asian foods market or online.
Sugar: like most Asian-inspired dressings, there has to be some element of sweet to balance out the salty, umami and acidic flavors. You can use sugar, honey, maple syrup or agave.
Garlic: use a microplane to finely grate a whole clove of garlic so the flavor distributes throughout the dressing.
Toasted sesame oil: toasted sesame oil has a rich, nutty flavor with a distinct toasted aroma which offers another layer of complexity to the dressing and to the salad.
How to make edamame cucumber salad:
Make the miso dressing. You can simply combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl or salad shaker and whisk or shake vigorously until combined. OR you can blend the ingredients in a small blender cup or food processor. I’ve done it both ways. In the picture, the dressing is blended and will be slightly more cohesive than if you just whisk it. Either way, it’s delicious.
Assemble the salad. Spritz the large avocado with lime juice and season with a pinch of salt. Always season your avocados, friends! Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently with about 2/3 of the dressing. Top with more green onions, sesame seeds, another drizzle of dressing and spoonful of chili crunch if you’re spicy like that.
Expert tips and variation ideas:
- Blend the dressing to make it extra creamy.
- Add a spoonful of chili crunch oil for a kick of spice.
- Use any other veggies you love! Red bell pepper, fresh ginger, red cabbage, radishes, red onion, celery, snap peas or snow peas would all go great!
- Store the components separately and wait to chop the avocado until right before serving for maximum freshness.
How to serve cucumber edamame salad:
- As a protein-packed salad for lunch
- On top of white rice with some potstickers
- Alongside grilled chicken or teriyaki salmon
- Tossed with quinoa to make a miso crunch quinoa salad
- As part of a Buddha bowl with cooked grains, roasted veggies and grilled tofu
FAQs
Yep! This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free. Ensure you use sugar instead of honey in the dressing.
I recommend storing the components separately- you can mix the edamame, green onions and cucumber but add the avocado, cashews and dressing right before eating. Store each component in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
Alternatively, you could meal prep this salad in mason jars. Layer the ingredients in this order: dressing, edamame, cucumber, avocado, green onions, sesame seeds, cashews. When you’re ready to eat dump it into a bowl and toss.
Most bags of shelled edamame will state to steam or boil the edamame. You can follow package directions but I personally place the edamame in a colander and run it under hot water for 60 seconds or so and it’s perfect!
If you love this easy edamame salad you’ll love these other Asian-inspired meal ideas:
Garlic ginger beef bowls with smashed cucumbers
Asian cabbage salad with sesame vinaigrette
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Cucumber Edamame Salad with Creamy Miso Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings as a side, 2 servings as a main dish 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chop
- Cuisine: Asian-inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Crunchy, creamy and plant-protein packed this cucumber edamame salad is a delicious side dish or yummy lunch!
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 English cucumber or 2–3 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1 1/4 cup shelled edamame
- 1 avocado, cubed
- Spritz of lime juice + pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- For serving (optional): chili crunch or chili garlic sauce, extra sesame seeds, green onions
Miso Dressing
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice of one whole lime)
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste (or yellow miso paste)
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
Salad: Spritz the avocado with lime juice and season with a pinch of salt. Always season your avocados, friends! Combine all salad ingredients and toss gently with about 2/3 of the dressing. Top with more green onions, sesame seeds, another drizzle of dressing and spoonful of chili crunch if you’re spicy like that.
Dressing: You have a couple options here. You can simply combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl or salad shaker and whisk or shake vigorously until combined. OR you can blend the ingredients in a small blender cup or food processor. I’ve done it both ways. In the picture, the dressing is blended and will be slightly more cohesive than if you just whisk it. Either way, it’s delicious.
Notes
Refer to above blog post for variation ideas, ingredient information and answers to frequently asked questions.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 277
- Sugar: 6.3 g
- Sodium: 10.3 mg
- Fat: 21.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.7 g
- Fiber: 5.4 g
- Protein: 8.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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