Is Edamame Keto Friendly? Find Out Here

Yes, edamame is keto-friendly. Edamame is a keto-friendly food choice because it has very few net carbs. Since edamame helps trigger ketosis, it’s a keto-friendly food.

A keto diet is a healthy low-carb, high-fat diet with many health benefits. When looking for keto-friendly food, you need a minimal-carb content, a low glycemic index, and low insulin response. Edamame has all three, which means you can make it part of your keto lifestyle! Keto low carb diets promote weight loss, reduce seizures in children, improve blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, improve bone health, and reduce inflammation.

Strict keto diets are complicated, especially when it comes to carbohydrates. That’s because there are good carbs and bad carbs! It is essential to avoid foods high in the wrong type of carbs if you want to stick to a keto-friendly eating plan. What are the good kind of carbs in a keto diet? Good carbs are from dietary fiber. The wrong type of carbs is those that we digest. Keto diets focus on limiting net carbs, which are total carbohydrates minus dietary fiber carbs. 

This article covers whether edamame is keto-friendly, what keto diets are, and the health benefits of edamame. You will also find some delicious edamame recipes for your next keto meal.

Is Edamame Pasta Keto?

Edamame pasta is not keto-friendly, so it should be avoided if you are on a ketogenic diet. That’s because edamame noodles have a high carb content. 

If you’re a noodle connoisseur or a home cook that enjoys pasta, keto-friendly pasta alternatives include egg, keep, and shirataki noodles.

Is Dried Edamame Keto Friendly?

Yes, dried edamame is keto-friendly in modest portions, thanks to its high dietary fiber content. Dried edamame keeps you in ketosis while delivering essential nutrients, such as fiber, iron, protein, folate, and vitamins C and K.

Edamame is one of the rare legumes with very few net carbs and is a delicious addition to a keto diet. As a result, you don’t have to feel guilty about getting your keto edamame fix!

Is Edamame Hummus Keto Friendly?

Yes, edamame hummus is keto-friendly if it does not contain canola oil. Look for edamame hummus that uses olive oil or avocado oil. There are many keto-friendly edamame hummus recipes available.

Edamame hummus is made from edamame beans, a type of soybean grown in Asia. Soybeans are low in net carbs, have a low insulin response and glycemic index, and contain unsaturated fatty acids. Feel free to make it part of your ketogenic diet.

Is Edamame Spaghetti Keto?

No, edamame spaghetti is not keto-friendly because edamame noodles have a high net carbohydrate content. 

Are there any keto noodles on the market? Yes, shirataki, kelp, or egg noodles are lower-carb alternatives.

Is Edamame ok On Keto Diets?

Yes, edamame is ok on keto diets. Unlike other legumes such as black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas, edamame is low in net carbs. Edamame is also one of the best plant-based protein sources. It is free of refined oils, food additives, and non-keto sweeteners.

Although edamame is not commonly associated with keto low carb diets, it is ok when eaten in moderation. That’s because edamame is low in net carbs and high in healthy fats. Edamame is a great snack to have before or after a workout, as it has the right amount of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. If you’re on a keto diet and love edamame’s flavor, you can enjoy it guilt-free.

Legumes and ‘Good’ Carbohydrates

Edamame is Keto friendly but isn’t it also a legume? Soybeans, like black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, green peas, and chickpeas, are legumes. Most people in the keto community know that most legumes are not ketogenic, but what legumes are keto-friendly? 

While some legumes and vegetables are high in carbohydrates, edamame has a low level of carbs compared to other legumes. More importantly, edamame’s carbs are in dietary fiber’s keto-friendly ‘good’ form of carbohydrates. A diet rich in dietary fiber reduces the risk of diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and gastrointestinal diseases.

What does this mean for keto dieters? When eaten in moderation, the body does not digest dietary fiber, so we don’t have to worry about carbs from edamame. Instead, it helps our digestive tract work more effectively. Edamame is suitable for a keto diet, and it’s good for your digestive track too!

What is Edamame?

Edamame is tender, handpicked soybeans that people have enjoyed for centuries in Asian countries. Farmers harvest the beans in their peapod form before they’re ripe because it is most tender during this time. Recently, it has become popular in the West because of its many health benefits.

Edamame, a legume, is packed with healthy nutrients and is one of the best plant-based protein sources. They’re also a deliciously versatile food that can be eaten as snacks or even fashioned into pasta. We’ll explore the benefits of edamame and if you may want to add it to your keto diet.

Are edamame soybeans?

Edamame is immature soybeans that are still in their bean pods. Edamame, like soybeans in general, The world’s first soybeans were cultivated roughly 7,000 years ago in China and continues to be a staple dish in many Eastern Asian countries.

Seven thousand years after edamame farming began, farmers still handpick edamame pods with care. Because the immature soybeans in their pods are harvested young, they are sweeter and more tender than soybeans harvested later. Today, people can buy edamame in their pods or already shelled.

What Is a Keto Diet?

Ketogenic diets are low-carb, high-fat diets that call for a drastic reduction of carbs. A low net carb diet helps trigger ketosis. In this metabolic state, the body produces elevated levels of blood ketone bodies. Ketosis will only happen if your body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to meet your energy needs, which is why you have to watch your net carbs on a keto diet. This metabolic state yields a body that burns fat instead of carbohydrates for energy, which helps with weight loss. 

When your body has switched to a fat-burning mode using ketone bodies, it’s entered ketosis. Ketosis is the goal of the keto diet process since, without it, you won’t lose weight. To keep your body in the ketosis fat-burning process, it’s necessary to continue limiting your daily net carb intake.

Use a keto macros calculator for a personalized keto diet, including ideal daily net carbs.

Different types of ketogenic diets

The most popular (and best-researched) keto diet is the Standard Keto Diet. The diet only allows 10% of your daily calorie intake from carbs and encourages the inclusion of 70% fat and 20% protein. If you follow a keto diet of 10% carbohydrates, 70% fats, and 20% protein, these percentages are called your daily macro ratios.

To enter the fat-burning process known as ketosis, you should limit your total daily carbs to between 20 grams and 50 grams, while your daily net carb limit should be between 15 grams and 30 grams. 

Other forms of the Keto diet include the following:

• Cyclical keto diet: Maintain a low net carb budget keto diet for five days. Then for two days, you change your eating pattern and eat high carbs.
• Targeted keto diet: Dieters can add in more carbs around workouts.
• High-protein keto diet: consists of 60% fats, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.

Researchers have found that switching to a keto-friendly diet can lead to weight loss and lower risk factors for certain diseases, such as type II diabetes. Since carbohydrates turn to glucose in the body, reducing carbs translates to less glucose (also known as sugar). Before starting a new diet plan, consider seeking medical advice.

What Is the Nutritional Value of Edamame?

Edamame is naturally gluten-free and low in calories. Thanks to its high dietary fiber content, protein, calcium, iron, antioxidant phytochemicals, and other nutrients, it is a nutritional powerhouse.

Edamame, which contains no cholesterol, is popular in heart-healthy diets. It features healthy, plant-based omega-3 fatty acids and has many health benefits. It’s also rich in micronutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and Vitamin K.

Edamame nutritional facts: nutrition values, vitamins, and minerals

Do you want to know more about edamame’s nutritional value? We have created a nutrition profile table for a half-cup serving of edamame showing calories, carbs, sugars, grams of fiber, fat, grams of protein, vitamins, and minerals. 

The following tables show the nutritional value, carb contents, net carb amount, vitamin content, and minerals in a half-cup serving of edamame.

Nutritional Value of Edamame per 3.5 ounces (100 grams)

Calories	121 Calories
Carbohydrates	8.9 grams
Sugars	2.18 grams
Dietary Fiber	5.2 grams
Fat	5.2 grams
Protein	11.9 grams

Vitamins in Edamame per 3.5 Ounces (100 grams)

Vitamins	Percent Daily Value (DV)
Vitamin A	2%
Thiamine (B1)	17%
Riboflavin (B2)	13%
Niacin (B3)	6%
Pantothenic Acid (B5)	8%
Vitamin B6	8%
Folate (B9)	78%
Vitamin C	7%
Vitamin E	5%
Vitamin K	26%

Minerals in Edamame per 3.5 Ounces (100 grams)

Minerals	Percent Daily Value (DV)
Calcium	6%
Iron	17%
Magnesium	18%
Manganese	49%
Phosphorous	24%
Potassium	9%
Selenium	1%
Zinc	14%

Edamame Health Benefits

Rich in fiber and antioxidants, edamame has been linked to many health benefits. This legume can help reduce the risk of certain diseases by supporting various aspects of our health.

A few of edamame’s potential health benefits include:

Heart Health

Edamame has zero bad cholesterol, which makes it a healthy snack choice. The research suggests that it lowers bad LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body. LDL and other triglycerides are the cholesterol that clogs arteries. Clogged arteries cause heart disease and premature death.

If you’re concerned about heart disease, have a history of heart disease in your family, or have been advised to follow a low-cholesterol diet, consider adding edamame, other soy-based foods, and high fiber foods to your diet.

Edamame Doesn’t Raise Blood Sugar

People at risk for diabetes or who have a history of diabetes can eat edamame without worrying that it will raise their blood sugar. Since this legume is low in carbs, fewer carbs are converted into glucose or sugar.

Tip: If you decide to eat edamame as part of a low-carb diet, be careful because your recipe may call for a sauce as a topping. These sauces can be a source of sugar so check your sauce’s nutritional label before using it.

Other Health Benefits

Although more scientific research is needed, preliminary studies suggest that edamame and other soy protein foods may have the following health benefits:

• Reduce inflammation associated with cardiovascular problems, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and many types of cancer
• Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
• Ease symptoms of menopause
• Reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancers
• Support fertility
• Reduce the risk of breast cancer and other types of cancer
• Prevent depression
• Improved blood sugar control
• Reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
• Protect the brain from cognitive decline

How To Eat Edamame As a Snack 

People enjoy eating edamame from its bean pods in Asia as a tasty soybean appetizer, side dish, or snack. The bean pods are added to boiling water or steamed, tossed with salt, and served with various dipping sauces to enjoy as a high-fiber snack. There are many more ways to enjoy edamame, including various edamame food items on the market.

You can enjoy dry roasted edamame beans as a keto snack, add edamame beans to your salads, or serve them as part of a veggie mix. If you’re looking for an excellent gluten-free pasta, there’s also edamame pasta that’s available in various pasta shapes.

Pick up some edamame products at your local grocery store, a discount chain, or online to satisfy your keto edamame fix. The snack-size edamame packs are a favorite of mine.

Keto-Friendly Edamame Recipes

Now that you know that nutrient-rich edamame is keto-friendly, you can add it to your keto diet plan.

Below are a few keto-friendly recipes that have edamame as the featured ingredient. They’re perfect for adding to your keto eating pattern. 

Sauteed edamame beans: Low carb, high protein snack

Our sauteed edamame beans recipe is the perfect keto-friendly high fiber snack, side dish, or appetizer. While this is a preparation that fries edamame, it uses a non-seed oil, a healthier alternative than a seed-based oil like sesame oil.

Ingredients: frozen edamame, two tablespoons olive oil, 2-3 minced cloves of garlic, sea salt.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cook the edamame by bringing it to a boil in a pot of salt water, drain, and set to one side.
2. Saute your garlic in olive oil.
3. Add in the edamame and cook until the edges are slightly browned.
4. Toss with some sea salt and serve your delicious soybean appetizer.

Edamame spaghetti

Ingredients: edamame pasta, your favorite keto-friendly sauce

To make this recipe, substitute edamame for wheat pasta and add it to your favorite spaghetti recipe, using a keto-friendly sauce, of course!

Edamame Spaghetti Ingredients: 

1. Edamame pasta 
2. Your favorite keto-friendly sauce

Edamame garlic & parmesan snack on keto

Our garlic and parmesan keto snacks can be eaten as a standalone meal or as part of a keto diet plan. It is a mixture of high-fiber edamame, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, sea salt, and parmesan cheese.

Required ingredients:

• One frozen bag of edamame
• Two minced garlic cloves or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/8 cup of grated parmesan
• One tablespoon of olive oil or sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper or yellow pepper flakes
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the edamame per the package’s instructions.
2. Add the cooked edamame to a mixing or salad bowl.
3. Mix in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and olive oil.
4. Mix in the grated parmesan and season with salt

More Keto-Friendly Edamame Recipes

• Keto 3-Bean Salad
• Edamame Salad Recipes with Chopped Red Bell Pepper
• Edamame Hummus Recipe
• Keto Creamy Pesto Pasta Dish

Frequently Asked Keto Diet Questions

People often have many questions about the ketogenic diet. Here are some of the most common questions people ask when considering adding edamame to their diet.

Is dry roasted edamame keto?

Yes, dry roasted edamame is a keto-friendly weight-loss snack. Edamame is one of the rare legumes that have very few net carbs. The reason for this is that edamame is rich in dietary fiber! Since it is low in net carbs, it is a great snack option for ketogenic diets. Just be sure to watch your portion size, as edamame can be high in calories if you overeat.

What food group does edamame belong to?

Edamame is a type of legume that belongs to the Vegetables and Legumes (Beans) food groups. Edamame is immature soybean that has been removed from the pod and boiled or steamed. It is a popular snack food and often features in Asian cuisine.

There are five types of MyPlate food groups:

1. Fruits
2. Vegetables and Legumes
3. Grains
4. Protein Foods
5. Dairy

Does edamame have protein?

Edamame is a good source of protein, with 11.9 grams in a 3.5 ounce (100 grams) serving size.

Apart from fiber and protein, edamame is also rich in essential vitamins and micronutrients such as folate, iron, vitamin K, vitamin C, and potassium.

Can you eat soy products on keto?

Soy products contain carbohydrates, but most of the carbs in soybeans come from dietary fiber. As a result of this keto-friendly fiber profile, soy foods can be consumed on a low-carb keto diet if you watch the serving size.

Drinking soy milk on a ketogenic diet is not recommended because it contains high levels of lectins which can cause inflammation. However, other soy products such as tofu, edamame, and soy sauce are safe to eat on a keto diet.

Is tofu keto-friendly?

Yes, tofu is keto-friendly since it is low in net carbs. A standard tofu serving of 100 grams (3.5 ounces) has 2 grams of net carbs, which easily fits into the 50-gram net carb allowance in the Standard Ketogenic Diet.

You should still check your tofu’s nutritional labeling, as some brands of tofu have more carbohydrates than others.

Is soy milk keto?

Yes, soy milk is keto because it has a low carb count (3 grams of net carbs in 1 cup (240 mL)).

Keep in mind that soy milk contains lectins, which can cause inflammation.

Are carrots keto-friendly?

Yes, carrots are keto-friendly, but you need to be careful with the serving size. That’s because one medium-sized raw carrot has 4 grams of net carbs.

Which beans are keto-friendly?

The three low net carb, keto-friendly beans are green beans, black soybeans, and edamame.

Keto dieters should avoid other beans such as red kidney, black, and pinto beans because they are high in carbs.

Are green peas keto?

It is best not to eat peas while on a keto diet. The reason is that peas are high in net carbs.

If you can’t avoid them, avoid green peas and instead opt for lower net carb snap or snow peas. These peas have 4.7 grams of net carbs per 100 gram/3.5-ounce serving.

Do artificial sweeteners disrupt ketosis?

While many popular artificial sweeteners do not disrupt ketosis, others can kick you out of ketosis. For this reason, keto dieters should only use artificial sweeteners that don’t kick you out of ketosis.

Artificial sweeteners that do not disrupt ketosis include:

• Stevia
• Aspartame
• Acesulfame K
• Monk fruit extract

These artificial sweeteners can disrupt ketosis in certain situations:

• Equal
• Xylitol
• Maltitol
• Sucralose
• Erythritol
• Sweet ‘n Low
• Sucralose
• Splenda

Since you can find artificial sweeteners in many different foods and beverages, carefully inspect the ingredients on the product labeling. To be safe, keto dieters should avoid products containing Equal, xylitol, maltitol, sucralose, erythritol, Sweet ‘n Low, sucralose, or Splenda.

Can Splenda kick you out of ketosis?

Splenda can kick you out of ketosis if you are overweight, have diabetes, or don’t usually use artificial sweeteners. On the other hand, if you are healthy or commonly consume artificial sweeteners, Splenda is keto-friendly.

Does Splenda spike insulin?

In certain situations, Splenda will spike insulin. People who follow a ketogenic diet, are pre-diabetic, or have diabetes should avoid using Splenda because of its potential to spike insulin levels.

At one time, researchers thought that Splenda and other artificial sweeteners did not affect insulin levels. However, recent research has shown that artificial sweeteners affect insulin levels when used with beverages, food, or during a meal. If you use Splenda in one of these situations, expect your insulin levels to be affected.

If you’re looking for a sugar substitute that won’t spike your insulin levels, opt for stevia, aspartame, acesulfame K, or monk fruit extract instead of Splenda. Unlike Splenda, these sweeteners don’t affect insulin levels.

Will soy sauce kick you out of ketosis?

No, soy sauce will not kick you out of ketosis if consumed in moderation. Soy sauce is a naturally low carbohydrate condiment. While the carbohydrate content varies by brand, a typical soy sauce contains 0.789 grams of carbs per tablespoon (4.93 grams of carbs per 100 grams of soy sauce).

While soy sauce won’t kick you out of ketosis in small amounts, regular soy sauce does contain wheat gluten. To enjoy soy sauce without gluten, choose Tamari soy sauce, which is naturally gluten-free.

Final Thoughts

Edamame is excellent as a snack, appetizer, part of the main dish, or on salads. Besides tasting great, edamame is keto-friendly.

If you’re craving edamame, there’s no reason to feel guilty at all. In fact, why not include it in your keto diet plan and try out one of our edamame recipes? You will be glad you did!