These Air Fryer Edamame Beans are simplicity themselves. With minimal prep needed, only 3 ingredients and a quick cook time, you can have this delicious veg side dish ready to go in no time. Roasted soya beans are perfect served with all manner of Asian dishes and you can season them up however you like.
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My salt & chili edamame bean recipe has been a mega hit from day one. It started off as a Wagamamas copycat recipe using unshelled edamame beans. That recipe boils the beans then tosses them in oil and seasoning. These air fried edamame beans are even easier which I didn’t know was actually possible.
I’ve actually kept this recipe extra simple. We do things the other way around by first tossing the raw beans in oil and sea salt and then air frying them. The texture is a little different to boiled beans and the char on the outside of the skins gives them an extra dimension. I’ll still be making my original recipe but these air fried beans will also be going into regular rotation.
How to Serve
Edamame beans will always be linked to Asian cuisine in my mind. There really is no reason that you can’t substitute them for other beans, especially in recipes that use broad beans. I find the texture to be quite similar and the flavour not to be a world away.
I served these beans with my air fried slab of belly pork with crispy crackling. I also stir fried beans sprouts with onions, made a crispy salad with sesame oil dressing and some brown sticky rice. This is a really nice balanced meal with the green edamame beans providing a nice texture contrast to the rice, salad and the fattiness of the pork.
I also like to add these roasted edamame beans to ramen dishes, all manner of rice bowls and just simply served on the side of various dim sum and sushi dishes.
You can also roast the beans like this before adding them to other dishes like my spinach, bean and parsley quiche instead of adding them raw.
The extra bonus is that you can enjoy edamame beans both hot and cold which makes them really versatile, especially as a snack.
Ingredients
Edamame Beans
I used to find it quite difficult to find edamame beans in the supermarkets. But they have definitely become much more common and readily available. I still find them easiest to get hold of in the freezer section and you can now find them both in the shell and pre-podded.
You can air fry the beans directly from frozen or you can allow them to thaw before cooking. Just make sure to have a little root through the beans and pick out any that you wouldn’t want to eat. I generally find that there are a couple of rogue ones knocking about.
Oil
The oil is essential to prevent the beans from drying out and to allow them to get a nice char on the skins. You can use any oil you prefer although I generally stick with a neutral vegetable oil as this is the most versatile.
if you love the flavour of sesame oil with your edamame beans like I do, it is best to add this after the beans are finished cooking. Sesame oil isn’t the most suitable for cooking due to the low smoking point.
Seasoning
I’ve just used sea salt in this recipe but you really can add in any other seasonings that you wish. Dried chilli flakes are especially great to use as is Shichimi togarashi – Japanese seven spice mix. Like I said before, a drizzle of sesame oil after they finish cooking works really well too.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry Edamame Beans
Because you can eat edamame beans raw, we are looking to add colour and flavour to the beans when air frying. And of course heat them through.
I find 9 minutes in the air fryer to be just about perfect for these beans. That’s with the beans in a single layer in the air fryer basket. They benefit from a quick shake once or twice during cooking but this isn’t an essential.
If however you are trying to roast more beans at one time, you will likely find that you need to roast them for a little longer and give them a few more shakes for even cooking.
How to Air Fry Edamame Beans From Frozen
This is really easy to do. But I think it is important to make sure that there are no ice crystals left on the beans before you start air frying them.
To combat this put the frozen beans into a sieve or colander and run them under running water until any ice is washed off. Make sure to dry them thoroughly and then you can add the oil and seasoning then air fry them as normal. You may need to add an extra minute or two to the cooking time.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
Edamame beans store really well once they’re roasted. You can keep them in the fridge for several days which makes them ideal for meal prep or an easy snack.
You can freeze the cooked edamame beans but as the as they are basically as quick to cook from raw, I’m not sure there’s any benefit in purposefully doing this.
But if you do just find that you made too many, this is a perfectly fine way to keep them. You can eat them as soon as they are thawed or throw them in the air fryer for a few minutes to defrost and warm through.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!
What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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The Recipe
Air Fryer Edamame Beans (Recipe Without Pods)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 g Edamame/Soya Beans
- 2 tsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes
Instructions
- If your air fryer has a preheat setting, start this now.
- Rinse and thoroughly dry 250g Edamame/Soya Beans. Put them into a bowl.
- Drizzle over 2 tsp Vegetable Oil and add 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes. Toss to fully coat the beans.
- Tip the beans into the air fryer basket and give them a shake to make sure they're evenly spread. I did lose a couple down the centre hole of my crisper rack – it really didn't matter but you might want to try and avoid any holes in your rack.
- Air fry for 9 minutes at 200c/390f. Give the beans a shake midway through the cooking time to ensure that they cook evenly – especially if they are not quite sitting in a single layer.
Notes
- Portion Size – The portion size given assumes that the beans are being served as part of a larger meal. Double the recipe (or consider the portion number halved) if making the edamame the main vegetable on your meal.
- This recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I managed to easily fit in 250g of shelled beans. These just sit nicely in a single layer. If you need to pack them in more, just make sure to shake them a few extra times during the cooking process to make sure they all have their turn at the top of the pile.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time. Some models include stacking shelves which will increase capacity.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Janice says
Woah! what a game changer, air frying makes these beans so much tastier, thanks for the recipe.
Karen Parkhouse says
I have a ninja stacked air fryer and really struggling to cook anything in the drawer I see all these recipes that say add to drawer but because of the fan at the back and the air holes I’m concerned about doing this. Can you or anyone help please.
Chloe says
To be honest I’ve never used one of these stacked machines although I did have a look at one in a shop – I’m not really a fan because the the size of the unit vs the actual cooking room. But saying that, I’m pretty sure that you should be able to follow most recipes in exactly the same way as if you are using one with an upper heat source. I think the best thing is to try it and see how it goes. Trust your gut and give things more a shake/turn if you think they need it etc. You’ll soon get a feel for it.
Jen says
I love edamame beans but always steam them. I saw your recipe and thought I’d try it out for a change. I kept the seasoning simple and they were really tasty.