Edamame & Peanut Crunch Salad

By Sammi Brondo — October 6, 2026

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Crisp lettuce, shredded cabbage, carrots, quinoa, edamame, and roasted peanuts get tossed in a creamy homemade peanut dressing and topped with crispy wontons. This protein-packed edamame peanut crunch salad is easy to make in 20 minutes and works as a filling main or a side for get-togethers.

Peanut dressing has got to be a top 5 dressing for me.

It makes everything SO good. Add it to pasta, salads, or even roasted veggies. It’s always delicious.

I remember a while back I asked people on Instagram for their weird combinations. Someone responded “peanut butter and chicken.”

At the time, I thought it sounded so weird.

Then, someone else kindly reminded me about peanut sauce. Duh.

It may sound strange if you’ve never had it, but it’s delicious on everything. And the dressing itself is almost drinkable. It’s a little sweet and a little savory – so satisfying.

This salad also comes together with plenty of fresh crunchy veggies and add ons.

It uses a crisp green lettuce as the base (my go to is Little Leaf Farms Baby Crispy Green Leaf Lettuce), plus julienned carrots, crunchy cabbage, edamame, roasted peanuts, and crispy wontons.

I love that this salad offers so many different nutrients. It’s full of protein, fiber, carbs, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Truly everything you need to make it filling and balanced.

Enjoy it as a main course or serve it on the side for a get-together. It’s delicious!

And as a bonus, you’ll have plenty of extra peanut dressing to have on hand for other dishes. Trust me – you’ll want this!

Why You’ll Love This Edamame & Peanut Crunch Salad

This plant-based salad is not only easy to make, it’s also packed with flavor.

It’s a simple salad, but it comes together with the most amazing peanut dressing that makes it so satisfying.

Plus, it’s full of nutrients: plant-based protein, fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants and more.

This edamame salad is great to meal prep – just store the salad and dressing separately and toss the dressing with the salad when you’re ready to eat.

You’ll love this salad as a side dish or as its own stand alone meal with grilled chicken or shrimp.

How to Make Edamame & Peanut Crunch Salad

Prep the veggies

Prepare your ingredients to make this Edamame & Peanut Crunch Salad. Chop and prepare the lettuce, cabbage, and carrots.

Add dressing ingredients to blender

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients for the peanut dressing.

Blend peanut dressing

Blend until smooth. Add water to thin to your desired consistency and blend again until smooth (I added about 1/3 cup).

Add ingredients to bowl

Add the lettuce, cabbage, carrots, cooled quinoa, edamame, and peanuts to a large bowl. Toss with the peanut dressing.

Toss the salad

Toss Edamame & Peanut Crunch Salad with the peanut dressing.

Edamame & Peanut Crunch

Top & serve

Top Edamame & Peanut Crunch Salad with crispy wontons and garnish with chopped green onion and sesame seeds.

If You Love This Edamame & Peanut Crunch Salad, Try These

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Lettuce: Use a crisp lettuce like green leaf or romaine.
  • Red cabbage: Thinly slice and chop the red cabbage.
  • Carrots: You’ll julienne your carrots into thin strips. You can also buy shredded carrots if you prefer.
  • Quinoa: To save time, you can use frozen quinoa too. I recommend white quinoa for this salad.
  • Edamame: Frozen edamame is a staple for me. Just microwave it and it’s ready to go! Look for edamame that’s not in the pod, called shelled edamame.
  • Salted peanuts: Opt for roasted or regular salted peanuts.
  • Crispy wontons: You can find these at most supermarkets and if not, you can use crushed tortilla chips instead.
  • Olive oil: This is always my cooking oil of choice!
  • Rice vinegar: You’ll mix rice vinegar with the oil to make the dressing.
  • Soy sauce: I typically use low sodium soy sauce.
  • Peanut butter: You can use sweetened or unsweetened peanut butter. If using sweetened peanut butter, you may want to add less honey.
  • Honey: In place of honey, you can also use maple syrup.
  • Garlic: This salad dressing uses about 2 cloves of garlic. While you can add the whole garlic cloves right to the blender to blend, I love using a garlic press and adding the garlic already minced. Garlic presses squeeze out the juices from the garlic, giving you just a little more delicious garlicky flavor.

Edamame & Peanut Crunch Salad Tips & Variations

  • Time-saving hacks: Want to make this quickly? Use frozen quinoa and frozen edamame. You can cook both quickly in the microwave. Just make sure to leave time for both to cool before adding them to the salad.
  • Make ahead: To make this ahead of time, prepare all of the veggies, quinoa, and edamame. Make the dressing. Right before serving or eating, combine the salad ingredients and toss with the salad.
  • Storage: Once prepared and tossed with dressing, this salad is best eaten immediately. Extra dressing can be stored in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, frozen shelled edamame works well in this salad. Thaw it according to the package directions, then drain and pat it dry before adding it so excess water does not dilute the dressing or make the salad soggy.

Yes, you can prepare the salad ahead of time. For the best texture, store the dressing separately and add the peanuts just before serving so they stay crisp.

If you have a peanut allergy or prefer a different flavor, substitute roasted cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds. Choose a crunchy alternative to maintain the texture of the salad.

Course: Salad

Edamame & Peanut Crunch Salad

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Sammi Brondo
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Crisp lettuce, shredded cabbage, carrots, quinoa, edamame, and roasted peanuts get tossed in a creamy homemade peanut dressing and topped with crispy wontons. This protein-packed edamame peanut crunch salad is easy to make in 20 minutes and works as a filling main or a side for get-togethers.

Ingredients  

  • 2 cups crisp lettuce roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup red cabbage shredded
  • 1/3 cup carrots julienned
  • 2/3 cup cooked quinoa cooled
  • 1/2 cup edamame
  • 1/2 cup salted peanuts
  • 1/2 cup crispy wontons
  • Green onion and sesame seeds to garnish

Peanut Dressing

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Water to thin

Instructions 

  • Chop and prepare the lettuce, cabbage, and carrots.
  • In a blender, combine all of the ingredients for the peanut dressing. Blend until smooth. Add water to thin to your desired consistency and blend again until smooth (I added about 1/3 cup).
  • Add the lettuce, cabbage, carrots, cooled quinoa, edamame, and peanuts to a large bowl. Toss with the peanut dressing.
  • Top with crispy wontons and garnish with chopped green onion and sesame seeds.

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As a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified intuitive eating counselor, I aim to help everyone lose the guilt around food and instead find joy in it. Since becoming a dietitian and earning my Master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from NYU, I’ve helped thousands of people find food freedom through nutrition counseling and my program. I’d love to help you do the same.

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