Just like with last month’s japanese salad and miso soup recipe, for this month’s theme of snacks, I was once again inspired to make this recipe based on the edamame that gets served at a lot of Japanese restaurants. Traditionally, these ones are served boiled and seasoned with some salt. And while that method of cooking them is very delicious, for this recipe, I wanted to make it more portable by roasting the edamame instead.

Speaking of which, your roasted edamame should last a few days in an airtight container on the counter, but if you wish to keep them fresher, I recommend storing them in the fridge instead. And then, when you’re ready to eat them, you can just crisp them back up by popping them into the oven or an airfryer for a few minutes.

Edamame is one of my favorite things to snack on since it’s got a ton of protein, and unlike most plant protein sources, these beans have all of the essential amino acids. And apparently, it has a whole bunch of other health benefits as well. But I like to snack on edamame most of all, because it just tastes good! I even enjoy eating them uncooked and unseasoned! But of course, the main flavor of the edamame typically comes from the seasoning.

Speaking of seasoning, I wanted to go for a simple seasoning for this recipe since I wanted the natural sweet, nutty flavor of the edamame to shine, but you are more than welcome to experiment with the seasonings you use. For example, you could add some chili powder and/or cayenne pepper to give it some spice or you could mix in some onion powder, garlic powder, and/or Parmesan cheese to make it more savory. 

But regardless of what seasoning you ultimately decide on, this protein-packed snack will be a great way to refuel between study sessions or when you just need something to munch on without the guilt of oversnacking!