This lentil edamame salad combines some high-protein edamame beans and lentils with crunchy green cabbage, creamy avocado and a tangy tahini dressing. It's ready within 15 minutes and also great for meal prep!
Personally, I love pairing ingredients with different textures (think soft and creamy lentils and avocado paired with crunchy cabbage and edamame beans) and this is what I wanted to achieve in this salad.
Packed with 7 different types of plants, this salad is also a real nutritional powerhouse!
Edamame beans are rich in plant-based protein, containing all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source. They are also high in fiber and packed with antioxidants and polyunsaturated fats. For more recipes with edamame beans try my Cashew Crunch Salad.
Lentils are another excellent source of protein and fiber- plus, they are rich in iron while green cabbage is rich in vitamin C.
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Ingredients & substitution notes
- Frozen edamame beans: I used frozen shelled edamame beans and cooked them in salt water, according to package instructions.
- Lentils: I used canned puy lentils for convenience but feel free to cook from scratch!
- Avocado: Adds some creamy texture. Make sure it's ripe.
- Cabbage: green cabbage could be replaced with red cabbage.
- Peanut butter or tahini: They both make an amazing dressing ingredient- it really comes down to personal preference. The peanut butter adds more Asian flavors while the tahini will give the dressing a slightly nutty, bitter flavor.
- Lime: can be replaced with lemon.
- Cilantro: If you're not a fan of cilantro (people either love or hate it, right?), you can use parsley or other greens of choice.
See recipe card for quantities.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl.
Step 2: Whisk together the dressing. Then drizzle over the salad and serve immediately.
Top tips
- Ripe avocado: Finding a perfectly ripe avocado (that's not too ripe) can sometimes be a challenge but is still a must when it comes to this recipe :-).
- High-quality peanut butter or tahini: Use a peanut butter that consists 100% of peanuts or tahini that consists of 100% sesame seeds with no additives!
Optional add-ins
- Nuts or seeds: such as toasted peanuts or sunflower seeds to add a little extra crunch!
- Other veggies: Feel free to add or swap your favorite veggies! No need to only stick to the ones below.
- Tofu crumbles: For even more protein plus texture, I also like adding this tofu ground beef.
Storage
- To store: can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. I highly recommend storing the dressing seperately and adding the dressing and the avocado shortly before serving to avoid browning.
More salad recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Lentil Edamame Salad
Equipment
- 1 sharp knife + cutting board
- 1 salad bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups (9 oz) (250 g) frozen edamame beans (shelled soy beans)
- 1 avocado *diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 can lentils (15 oz)
- ¼ head white cabbage *cleaned & thinly sliced
- 1 green onion *cleaned & thinly sliced
- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro *washed & chopped
Dressing
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter or tahini *see notes
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup *or agave
- juice of ½ a lime *or lemon
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3+ tablespoon water
Instructions
- Cook edamame beans according to package instructions (if using frozen).
- Drain lentils and rinse thoroughly.
- In a large salad bowl, combine the edamame beans, diced avocado, lentils, shredded cabbage, sliced green onion, and chopped cilantro. Toss gently to mix.2 cups (9 oz) frozen edamame beans (shelled soy beans), 1 avocado, 1 can lentils (15 oz), ¼ head white cabbage, 1 green onion, 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl. Gradually add water, one tablespoon at a time, whisking until you reach your desired dressing consistency.2 tablespoon peanut butter or tahini, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, juice of ½ a lime, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 3+ tablespoon water
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to ensure everything is evenly coated.
- Taste and adjust salt. We only added salt to the dressing- you might also want to add a pinch of salt to the salad as well.
Video
Notes
- Avocado: make sure to use a perfectly ripe avocado that's soft. If preparing ahead, add the avocado just before serving to prevent browning!
- Peanut butter: The dressing tastes amazing with both peanut butter or tahini. If you can't have nuts, stick to tahini! If using peanut butter I recommend choosing peanut butter that consists 100% of peanuts with no additives!
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