I have to admit that part of the reason why I like edamame so much is the work that goes with eating the steamed soy beans. I like picking up each stalk, tasting the salt lightly covering it (or, in case of the steamed edamame at Wagamama, one of my favorite take-out places, the chili and garlic salt lightly covering it – yum). It’s almost rewarding, and the extra effort spent sucking each bean out of the stalk makes me eat slower, gives me more time to enjoy the flavor.
So when I saw the frozen, shelled edamame at Trader Joe’s, I ignored it. That’s no fun! I want my steamed edamame the classic way, I thought.
And then I saw the edamame hummus. Now, I admit I am a sucker for hummus. My favorites are the Sabra Suprememly Spicy hummus and the garlicky homemade hummus from Dave’s Fresh Pasta. I like hummus in salads, in sandwiches, with carrot sticks, pita chips, pretzels. As long as it has hummus, I’ll eat it. So without a second thought, I picked up the container of Trader Joe’s edamame hummus, all thoughts of “I like eating steamed, whole edamame” flying out of my head.
This hummus is made completely out of edamame, no chickpeas at all, and it is made with sunflower oil instead of olive oil. It contain the other ingredients usually used in hummus, such as tahini, garlic, sea salt and lemon juice. It has slightly more calories than regular (plain) hummus: 2 tablespoons of the edamame hummus has 90 calories, compared to about 60 calories of chickpea hummus.
As for the taste? It is very good. I first tried it with plain pretzel thins, and it really reminded me of guacamole – not just because of the color, but because of the stronger garlic taste. Then I tried it in a sandwich, with spicy habanero cheddar cheese, and it was so flavorful that I considered making another one (I didn’t). I haven’t tried it in a salad yet but I already have an idea of what I’ll mix it with: I’ll add a dollop of the edamame hummus to spring greens, cottage cheese, carrots, cucumbers and grape tomatoes, and dress it with a simple vinaigrette.
Have you tried edamame hummus yet? Any favorite recipes/ideas?
I hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend!
PS – If you are going to a 4th of July BBQ, I think this will be a crowd-pleaser with crackers and crudites.
Welcome, I’m Bianca Garcia. I love food, yoga, running, shopping, and writing. I'm an advertising professional, social media enthusiast, blogger, freelance writer, and grad student. I think about dessert constantly. 
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I always stare a little longer than normal at this edamame hummus when in TJs. I recently purchased edamame, pre-shelled, and was borderline disgusted. The beans were too soft and pretty slimy and tasteless without their delightful protective shell. Thanks for the suggestion and yeah never go shell-less
I am currently eating this and googled it and your blog post comes right up. I’m always interested in my analytics and just wanted to share. Thanks also for the hummus nutritional info – that’s exactly what I was looking for. This stuff is so good!!
This stuff is amazing. I have to say that i am slightly addicted. I just used a tablespoon on a chicken breast sandwich with a tomato and it was amazing. I used some in my Tuna Fish the other day, which was a delicious and healthy alternative to mayo or light mayo. This product just makes me happy.
Bianca Garcia replied March 21st, 2011 at 8:57 pm
Hi Mike, thanks for dropping by my blog. Edamame hummus with tuna! I haven’t tried that yet but it sounds pretty good to me too.
omg, I’m not stalking you.. I love your blog. :-)
So funny, I was at Trader Joe’s last week and I picked up the Edamame Hummus and I was like reallY???? Common! Would it really taste good? So in order to save me $$$, I went for the cilantro hummus – I have yet to try it. But if you think this is good, I will purchase it next time. Thanks!!!
Bianca Garcia replied January 30th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Haha I love all the comments! Ohhhhh you have to try the edamame hummus! So, so, so good with pita chips or carrot sticks!
Edamame hummus is my new favorite thing! I make a wrap sandwich – hummus and some arugula and shredded vegetables and it is INCREDIBLY delicious and healthy.
Bianca Garcia replied April 28th, 2012 at 10:43 pm
Hi Kathleen! I’m glad you dropped by my blog and shared that wrap sandwich idea – it sounds delicious!