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Looking for a substitute for edamame? How about 7 great edamame substitutes?
If you’re making a recipe that calls for edamame and you just noticed you’re out, or you’re trying to find it at the grocery store, but you can’t seem to find any, here are some substitutes for edamame that are easy to find. Some you may already even have in your kitchen!
What type of beans are edamame?
Edamame beans also called green sweet soybeans are premature soybeans that are picked before they turn ripe and harden.
What does edamame taste like?
Edamame has a mild, buttery flavor with a slight sweetness and some nuttiness like almonds.
Uses of edamame
When it comes to the uses of edamame, these legumes can be steamed, boiled, added to stir fries, added to soups and stews, roasted, sautéed, blended into pestos, dips, hummus, and even added to seafood dishes.
The best substitutes for edamame are…edamame
These beans are sold in 3 forms; frozen pods, canned and fresh. Frozen edamame in pods are the most popularly sold in the US.
So, if your recipe calls for edamame try out these best substitutes:
Canned edamame
Canned edamame is a good substitute for frozen edamame in pods. They come precooked and have a beige color (from being cooked) with a flavor that is nutty and sweet.
When you can’t find frozen edamame in pods, use canned edamame in recipes like salads, in purees, dips, soups, stews and added to noodles and stir fries.
Substitute frozen edamame with canned edamame on a 1:1 ratio.
Fresh edamame in the pods
These can be found more easily at your local grocery store, Asian grocery stores or farmers markets. These are another great substitute for the more popular frozen edamame with similar flavor and texture.
Substitute frozen edamame with fresh edamame on a 1:1 ratio.
Other ways to substitute for edamame
Besides edamame itself, no other ingredient will give the same flavor and texture to a recipe. However, in a pinch, these ingredients below can take the place of edamame in various recipes. Some ingredients do more to replace edamame in terms of flavor while others are more similar to edamame in terms of look and texture. Here are the other substitutes worth looking into:
Sugar snap peas
Sugar snap peas, also called snap peas is a legume that looks somewhat similar to edamame. It is an edible pea-pod that has a crisp and crunchy texture and will ‘snap’ when broken in half. Snap peas have a mild, yet sweet flavor.
And, while this ingredient does not have the buttery, nutty flavor of edamame, snap peas are great for adding crunch to salads, sautéed and eaten as a delicious side dish, or even added to stir fries and can easily replace edamame in recipes such as these.
Replace frozen edamame with snap peas on a 1:1 ratio.
Garbanzo beans
If you have garbanzo beans on hand, this ingredient will make another great substitute bean for edamame. Garbanzo beans, also called chickpeas are yellow-brown or beige in color and pea shaped with a mild and slightly nutty flavor.
They are not sweet like edamame, so use in recipes where the sweetness is not a factor and will not affect the overall flavor of the dish.
These beans are great for adding to savory soups, salads, or even used to make dips in place of edamame.
Fava beans
While fava beans require some more prep work than most other beans, these are indeed another bean replacement for edamame. Fava beans have a flavor that is earthy, buttery, nutty, slightly sweet and slightly bitter, nonetheless it is a mild bean like edamame and garbanzo beans.
Therefore, while it is not an exact match for edamame in terms of flavor, it can replace it in recipes like stir fries, or added to salads, and even used to make soups, dips or hummus. If you want to read more about these beans, feel free to check out the best alternatives for fava beans here.
Green beans
Another easy substitute for edamame beans are green beans. These will work well for adding that bright green color and some crunch to salads. They’re also great sautéed and roasted in place of edamame.
Now that you have these 6 easy substitutes for edamame, what recipes will you be making? Again, these are not exact flavor matches for edamame beans, but they can be used as edamame alternative when you have none on hand.
