EDAMAME QUINOA CRUNCH SALAD
on Sep 08, 2023, Updated Feb 16, 2025
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Kale and quinoa are tossed with crunchy cabbage, edamame, cucumber, and flavorful additions like green onions and cilantro before being mixed in a creamy, almond butter ginger dressing.
You may be surprised, but this salad is one of my most popular recipes to date!
Just one bite of this Edamame Quinoa Crunch Salad with Almond Butter Dressing and you’ll understand why it’s become a go-to favorite for so many of my followers!
Not only is this recipe great for meal prep, but it’s entirely customizable too!
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Swap peanut butter for almond butter in the dressing, add sunflower seeds instead of cashews or almonds, and leave out the cilantro if it just isn’t your thing.
Whatever you do, just go ahead and put this on your “must-make-soon” list. You won’t be disappointed. Cheers!
Ingredients for Edamame Quinoa Crunch Salad with Almond Butter Dressing
My trick for making delicious salads is having lots of different elements! The ingredient list may be lengthy, but you likely already have most of these items in your pantry and fridge. Again, this recipe is customizable so add what you’d like and omit what you don’t have.
- Quinoa: This protein-packed, naturally gluten-free seed is a great textural element to salads. Cook it in bone broth for even more flavor and added protein.
- Veggies: For this kale-based salad, you’ll of course need dinosaur or Lacinato kale. Additionally, this salad calls for edamame (I buy it frozen and let it thaw), shredded green and purple cabbage, and cucumber. Go ahead and buy the frozen edamame since it’s precooked and pre-shredded kale!
- Nuts: Roasted cashews and slivered almonds put the “crunch” in this “crunch salad”! Any type of nut will do, but these are my favorites here.
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Pin It- Herbs: Green onion and cilantro add freshness and vibrancy. You can omit the cilantro or swap for parsley if you’re averse to the taste!
- Olive Oil: I recommend always using high-quality olive oil for dressings. Choose one in a dark, glass bottle that’s labeled “extra virgin.”
- Unseasoned Rice Vinegar: This is a staple in Asian cooking and adds a mildly sweet taste without any extra sugars.
- Tamari: This gluten-free soy sauce alternative is ALWAYS in my fridge! You can swap for regular soy sauce if you aren’t gluten-free.
- Almond Butter: A nut-butter sauce adds some healthy fat and protein too! You can swap for peanut butter if you’re allergic to almonds.
- Honey: A bit of honey is nice to add a subtle sweetness to the dressing.
- Lime: Some acidity to brighten up the salad.
- Ginger: Fresh is best here, but ground ginger will do if that’s all you have.
How to Make Edamame Quinoa Salad
Start by making the quinoa.
Add the quinoa and water or bone broth to a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the water is fully absorbed.
Meanwhile, add the kale to a large salad bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
Massage the kale for 1 to 2 minutes until tender — this makes it much easier to digest!
Once the quinoa has cooked, add it to the kale along with the edamame, purple cabbage, cashews, green onion, cilantro, and diced cucumber.
In a glass jar or measuring cup, stir together the dressing ingredients: olive oil, rice vinegar, tamari, almond butter, honey, lime juice, ginger, and ground pepper.
Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss to combine.
Serve and enjoy!
More Meal-Prep Friendly Salads:
- Warm Winter Salad with Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette
- Crispy Wild Rice Harvest Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Roasted Shallot Pomegranate Dressing
- Broccoli Crunch Salad with Creamy Almond Butter Dressing
- Spicy Cashew Quinoa Crunch Salad with Ginger Lime Dressing
EDAMAME QUINOA CRUNCH SALAD WITH ALMOND BUTTER DRESSING
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cups water or bone broth
- 4 cups shredded dino kale, stems removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups edamame
- 1 ½ cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 ½ cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup green onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup diced cucumber
Almond Butter Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- ¼ cup tamari
- ¼ cup creamy almond butter
- 1 ½ tablespoon honey
- 1 ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
- A few grinds of pepper
Instructions
- Add the quinoa and water or bone broth to a small pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 13 to 15 minutes until water is absorbed.
- Add the kale to a large salad bowl and drizzle with olive oil,
- Massage for 1 to 2 minutes until tender.
- Once the quinoa has cooked, add it along with the remaining salad ingredients (edamame, cabbage, cashews, almonds, green onion, cilantro, and cucumber) to the kale.
- Stir together the dressing ingredients (olive oil, rice vinegar, tamari, almond butter, honey, lime juice, ginger, and pepper) and pour over the salad, tossing to combine.
- Serve and ENJOY!
This salad is delicious!!! My friends and family loved it!! I love your recipes!
Thank you so much, Alexandra! I’m so happy to hear everyone loved it!
I love this crunchy salad! It gets better as the week goes on.