5-Minute Shelled Edamame

This shelled edamame recipe is full of flavor and takes just 5 minutes! This easy side dish is flash sauteed in a hot pan with garlic and soy sauce.

Eating edamame right in the pod is one of my favorite side dishes. That satisfying pop they make as you squeeze them into your mouth can’t be beat! But did you know you can also eat shelled edamame as a healthy side dish? Enter — this 5-minute shelled edamame!

It’s flavor-packed and savory, flash sauteed in a hot pan with garlic and soy sauce. You will not believe the flavor. I took one bite and couldn’t stop eating it. I don’t have many 5-minute recipes, so this one is extra special.

Buy shelled for this recipe

Edamame are soy beans picked when young and green, versus the mature soy used to make tofu. They’re full of plant-based protein, making them a nice addition to vegetarian and vegan diets! You can buy edamame in two ways: 

• Frozen in pods. Edamame in pods is served in Japanese restaurants as an appetizer or side. Check out my Easy Edamame or Spicy Edamame.
• Frozen shelled. Shelled edamame can be used in salads, fried rice, noodle bowls, poke bowls, etc. Like this recipe, you can also serve them shelled as a quick and easy side dish.

How to cook this 5-minute side dish

This shelled edamame really comes together in 5 minutes! It sounds too good to be true, right? Here’s the thing — just like frozen peas, frozen edamame comes to you already cooked (blanched, in fact).

Cooking frozen vegetables is really more like reheating them. In fact, I based this edamame recipe on my favorite Peas with Lemon recipe, which makes frozen peas taste incredible.

Here’s all you have to do to make this shelled edamame recipe:

• Defrost the edamame by running it under water. Place it in a strainer and warm it with warm water for a few seconds.
• Sauté for 2 minutes with smashed garlic cloves. Throw it in a pan and saute for about 2 minutes with whole garlic cloves.
• Add soy sauce and stir for 1 minute. Then add a splash of soy sauce and cook until it evaporates. Add salt and you’re ready to serve!

Looking for another way to enjoy edamame? Try this Edamame Salad.

Notes about cooking with whole garlic cloves

This shelled edamame recipe uses whole garlic cloves thrown right into the pan — no mincing required! Cooking with smashed cloves brings a garlic essence without creating an overpowering garlic flavor. Including them this way also prevents you from burning the garlic!

Just remember to remove the garlic cloves before serving. They’re large and not meant to be eaten. I left the garlic cloves in these photos because I like their look. Don’t be confused, though; they should be removed before eating.

Toasted sesame oil vs sesame oil

There are two types of sesame oil you can buy at the store. Make sure to get toasted sesame oil for this recipe, not plain sesame oil. What’s the difference?

• Toasted sesame oil has a strong, nutty flavor: it’s intended for flavoring foods.
• Sesame oil has a neutral flavor and is used for cooking.

Ways to serve this side

This shelled edamame recipe is the perfect healthy side dish for all sorts of meals. While edamame is typically served with Japanese and East Asian cuisines, this recipe can stretch outside of that, too! The flavor is so savory and irresistible, you might find yourself eating more than you intended.

Here are some ways to accessorize this easy side dish:

• Serve with salmon, like Teriyaki Salmon or Oven Baked Salmon
• Serve with shrimp, like Baked Shrimp or Shrimp and Broccoli
• Fried rice, like Vegetable Fried Rice or Quinoa Fried Rice
• Stir fries, like Vegetable Stir Fry or Teriyaki Stir Fry
• Noodles, like Soba Noodle Bowl or Quick Soba Noodles

Dietary notes

This recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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More vegetable side dishes

This shelled edamame recipe is a whole food, plant-based side dish (WFPB) that complements just about any meal. Here are some of my other favorite vegetable side dishes:

• Roasted Kale or Sauteed Kale: Both make kale taste so good, you’ll forget that it’s good for you.
• Sauteed Rainbow Chard: Top this leafy green with Parmesan and toasted pine nuts, and it’s outstanding.
• Best Ever Sauteed Mushrooms or Roasted Mushrooms: THE perfect sauteed mushrooms with lemon and fresh herbs.
• Sauteed Spinach: Guaranteed to make eating your greens taste amazing!
• Perfect Roasted Eggplant: Baking eggplant until tender makes for unreal flavor.
• Baked Asparagus or Sauteed Asparagus: Both ways pair this green stalk with a lemony zing.
• Roasted Broccoli or Sauteed Broccoli: This broccoli comes out as irresistible as fries.