can you freeze edamame beans : how to freeze edamame

Edamame has been eaten around the world for over 5000 years…and for good reason! It’s packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber and is beneficial to your overall health. Edamame is not only great for you, it also tastes delicious and is super fun to eat, making it the perfect healthy side dish, snack, or addition to your meal!

And the best part? You don’t have to wait to for your next trip to a Japanese restaurant to enjoy edamame. You can easily make edamame at home! You can enjoy edamame fresh of course, but can you freeze edamame beans?

SHORT ANSWER: Yes! But there is a process to freeze edamame properly.

Edamame has a short harvest period and should ideally be eaten within 2-3 days after harvest. Because of this, freezing edamame is a must in order to enjoy it year round. Freezing edamame is not as simple as taking fresh edamame and throwing it in the freezer, however. Before freezing your fresh edamame, you need to blanch it. This simple, yet effective step needs to be taken in order to ensure the highest quality of your edamame. Continue reading to find how to properly freeze edamame.

How to properly freeze edamame ( can you freeze edamame )

Yes, you can freeze edamame. But if your edamame is fresh and uncooked, you need to blanch it before freezing.

Why do I need to blanch my fresh edamame before I freeze it?

Blanching your edamame is the most important step when freezing fresh edamame! So don’t skip it!

Blanching edamame helps to kill the microbial load and bacteria. When it comes to flavor and quality of your edamame, blanching before freezing is also incredibly important. The blanching process helps destroy enzymes that would otherwise negatively affect the edamame’s flavor. When you do not blanch edamame before freezing it can become bitter, rancid, or discolored over time. So don’t skip this step!

Blanching is simple. You simply place your edamame in boiling water for at least one minute.

STEPS FOR FREEZING FRESH EDAMAME

Can you freeze edamame? Yes! Here are so steps to properly freeze fresh edamame.

• Rinse your edamame– the first step to processing and freezing edamame is cleaning it. Rinsing and cleaning your edamame will remove the dirt and debris. It will also significantly reduce microbial growth. To rinse your edamame place in a colander or strainer and submerge them under water. You can gently massage submerged edamame to remove dirt if necessary. Drain water and repeat process if necessary.
• Blanch your edamame– next you want to blanch your edamame. To do this, simply boil a pot of water and submerge your edamame in the pot of boiling water for one minute. Then drain the edamame. If you go past the one minute mark you will be moving from blanching to actually cooking your edamame. That’s fine to do since boiling edamame is an effective cooking method. But you will want to remember that you have partially or fully cooked your edamame before freezing because it will affect the cooking time in the future.
• Add salt to your blanching water– for some extra flavor, you can add salt to the water you blanch your edamame in. This step is optional, but it does make your edamame extra delicious! If adding salt to the blanching process, add one tablespoon of salt for every gallon of water used.
• Cool and dry your edamame– once you have blanched your edamame you want to lay it out and cool it. When the edamame has reached room temperature, pat the edamame dry if needed. Drying your edamame will ensure that you don’t get unwanted ice build up around your frozen edamame pods
• Store your edamame– place your blanched, cooled, and dried edamame in an airtight, freezer safe bag. Make sure all of the air is pressed out of the bag and it’s properly sealed. Place your bag of edamame in the freezer and freeze!

Is frozen edamame as good as fresh

Edamame is of course delicious. But a lot of us eat it not only for the flavor, but for the fact that it is full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. But do you lose flavor and nutrients when you freeze your edamame?

When it comes to the nutrition, the answer is not really. Freezing does not negatively affect the level of nutrients your edamame contains, if anything, it helps preserve them!

When it comes to flavor, surveys have shown that people do usually prefer the flavor and texture of fresh edamame over frozen. However, if processed and blanched correctly, frozen edamame can be a close second! Frozen edamame is also significantly cheaper. Plus, if you want to enjoy edamame year round, freezing edamame is necessary due to its short harvest season. So don’t skip over that bag of edamame just because it’s frozen!

Ways to cook frozen edamame

First of you do not want to eat edamame raw. Edamame is a soybean and any soybean must be cooked before consumption. Raw soybeans are considered poisonous. Luckily there are many ways to quickly and easily cook edamame!

Do I need to defrost frozen edamame before cooking

A lot of people do defrost their edamame before cooking it, but I personally do not. I feel like it cooks quickly and evenly whether or not you defrost it, so why add an extra step? If you find the need to defrost your edamame, feel free to of course, but you may need to adjust cooking time by a minute or two.

How to boil frozen edamame

Boiling edamame is an easy and delicious cooking method when it comes to edamame.

To boil frozen, 10 oz bag edamame, simply bring 1 qt of water to a boil.

If edamame has not previously been salted during the blanching method, add 4 tbsp of salt to the water. This step is not necessary, but it will add a lot of flavor to your edamame if you are enjoying them plain. 4 tablespoons might seem like a lot of salt, but remember you are not eating the outer layer of the edamame pod, so this amount of salt is necessary to properly seasoning the edamame beans.

Once your water has began to boil, place edamame in the water. The cooking time will depend on how much your edamame was cooked prior to freezing it. So processed with cooking time that makes sense for you.

• Fully cooked– boil for 1 minute
• Partially cooked – boil for 2-3 minutes
• Uncooked – boil for 4-5 minutes

Once you have boiled your edamame for the necessary amount of time. Drain and enjoy!

Do not rinse your edamame, this will affect the flavor and texture negatively.

How to steam frozen edamame

Steaming is usually my go-to method for cooking edamame pods. It’s a fast, easy, and delicious way to cook edamame!

To steam edamame, place 1-2 inches of water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Place your frozen edamame in a steamer basket, the less they overlap each other the better, so use multiple steamer baskets if necessary. Place steamer basket on pot with boiling water. Similar to the boiling method, the amount of time you steam your frozen edamame for will vary depending on how much your edamame was cooked prior to freezing. Read below and apply time that makes sense for you.

• Fully cooked– boil for 2-3 minute
• Partially cooked – boil for 5-6 minutes
• Uncooked – boil for 8-10 minutes

If you are steaming unsalted edamame, feel free to sprinkle sea salt over top for extra flavor!

How to air fry frozen edamame

Air fried edamame is easy to make and so good! Instead of a light steamed flavor, air frying edamame will result in a roasted flavor.

To air fry edamame, simply toss frozen edamame in a touch of oil oil and sprinkle with salt. Air fry edamame at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring at the 5 minute mark. Serve and enjoy!

How to tell if edamame is finished cooking

Now you definitely do not want to overcook edamame. Overcooked edamame will be mushy and less flavorful. But you don’t want to undercook your edamame either! Luckily, it is very easy to determine if your edamame is properly cooked!

To do so, simply remove an edamame bean from it’s pod and squash it between your fingers. If the flesh easily breaks apart and flattens between your fingers, the edamame is done!

Where can I buy edamame

You can typically buy edamame fresh or frozen at your local grocery store! It is also available find edamame at any Asian grocery store and often at your local farmers market.

Edamame recipes

Ready to dive in to a delicious, healthy bowl of edamame? Click below for an easy, delicious edamame recipe!