Cucumber Edamame Salad with Ginger Dressing

Get ready to shake things up with our refreshing and flavourful cucumber edamame salad recipe. Packed with crunchy cucumbers, protein-packed edamame, avocado, and a zesty ginger dressing, this simple, under 20-minute salad recipe is anything but ordinary.

Recipe Overview

Flavour/Texture: The wonderful textures in this salad are what make it so delicious! It is crunchy, crisp, and creamy! And together, this edamame cucumber salad is perfectly balanced by the umami of soy dressing with the zing of fresh ginger, creating a yummy salad.

Ease: It requires only a few simple steps to chop and assemble the fresh ingredients and whisk together the umami dressing.

Time: Other than a quick cook for frozen edamame, this recipe takes less than 20 minutes to make.

Easy Cucumber Salad Ingredients

Edamame: Young, green soybeans that add a crunchy texture and a boost of plant-based protein to the salad.

Cucumbers: I prefer Persian cucumbers for this salad as I am too lazy to peel. They have thin skin and few seeds but still have a refreshing crunch.

Avocado: My favourite is Hass avocado, as I love the creamy flavours, but you do you! Be sure the avocado is ripe but still firm. You don’t want mushy avocado in the salad.

Corn: Sweet and juicy, corn kernels bring a burst of sweetness and colour to the salad. You can use canned corn, frozen corn or fresh corn off the cob.

Green onions (Spring onions): Mild and slightly sweet, green onions add a fresh, onion-like flavour. I tend to use both white and green parts of green onions in my salads.

Toasted sesame seeds: Nutty and crunchy, these seeds enhance the flavour and texture of the dish. I used both black and white sesame seeds only because I like the contrasting colours against the green hues. However, you can use either one, which is fine.

Soy sauce: Quality light soy sauce is essential for sauces and dressings in your pantry. If you need a gluten-free salad, use tamari instead.

Sesame oil: I love sesame oil’s fragrant, rich, nutty flavour, which complements the other ingredients.

Rice wine vinegar: Light and slightly tangy, it adds a delicate acidity to the dressing.

Lemon:  Adds a bright, citrusy note and balances the richness of soy sauce.

Ginger: Fresh and zingy, ginger provides a subtle heat and aromatic depth to the dressing.

Variations and Substitutions

Different types of cucumber: You can use other types of cucumbers like English cucumbers, regular garden cucumbers or even baby cucumbers like our Golden berry salad.

Just be sure to peel and deseed them if they have tough skin or large seeds to maintain the salad’s desired texture.

Substitute for rice wine vinegar: If you don’t have rice wine vinegar (aka rice vinegar), you can substitute it with apple cider vinegar. 

Additional ingredients: To bulk up this salad, you can add leftover chicken, salmon, soba noodles, orzo or quinoa to the salad for a complete meal.

Other ingredients you can add such as bell peppers, celery, garlic, cashew nuts, 

Extra spiciness: For a little extra punch of flavour, I like to add shichimi togarashi Japanese chilli pepper flakes. This is totally optional. You can use red chilli flakes if you can’t find shichimi togarashi. 

Gluten free salad: If you need a gluten free salad, use tamari instead of soy sauce.

Alternative dressing: If you prefer a creamier salad, try our creamy garlic dressing. It would work well with this salad as well. 

Serve as an appetiser: This vegan edamame salad can be served over rice crackers or lettuce cups for something a little different. You can make your own crispy rice paper crackers by shallow-frying cut pieces of rice paper in hot oil.

Instructions For This Cucumber Bean Salad

How to Make The Salad

Blanch edamame beans in boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until al dente. Drain edamame beans and set aside for assembly.

Cut cucumber into small pieces.

Peel and cut avocado into cubes.

Thinly slice green onions into small rounds.

Drain corn kernels if using canned or defrost frozen corn kernels with boiling water.  

How to Assemble the Salad

In a large bowl, add edamame, cucumber, avocado and corn together.

Add salad dressing and mix together. 

Scatter chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds on top. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

How to Make Soy Ginger Dressing  

In a small bowl, add dressing ingredients and whisk until well combined.  

How to Make This Salad Perfectly (Expert Tips)

Blanch the edamame properly: Boil the edamame just until tender and bright green. Do not cook edamame for too long otherwise they will lose their bite.

Prep ingredients uniformly: Chop the cucumbers and avocados to a similar size to edamame for a visually appealing presentation and consistent texture.

Mix gently: Toss the salad ingredients together gently to avoid smashing the avocado and maintain the individual textures of each component.

Chill before serving: You can serve this salad immediately after prepping, but I prefer to serve this salad chilled. Refrigerate the salad for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to meld together, enhancing its refreshing qualities.

Grate the ginger finely for the dressing: As much as I love ginger in soy dressings, I don’t like chunky bits in my salad. Finely grated ginger gives just the right amount of subtle heat and aromatic flavour.