Crunchy, tangy, and refreshing Asian wakame seaweed salad that comes together quickly! It’s healthy and delicious, and packed with nutrients and umami.
Growing up in a Korean household, I grew up eating seaweed almost everyday in various forms. My mom would add them to soups, side dishes, salads, and more. It still gives me that “home” feeling and I try to incorporate it as much as possible. This healthy wakame seaweed salad recipe is a delicious example of that.
What is Wakame Salad?
Wakame is a popular seaweed used in various ways in Asian cuisines, especially in Korea and Japan. Deep green in color, it’s sold in long strips that are dried and shriveled up. To make this asian seaweed salad recipe or to use in dishes, you have to reconstitute it by soaking in warm water for several minutes. It will expand drastically in size, and get soft and hydrated so it’s ready to use.
Wakame Salad Recipe
This Japanese wakame seaweed salad is healthy, crunchy, and packed with addicting umami from the natural flavor of the seaweed, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and more. It comes together very quickly, and I love serving it as a side dish to rice, sushi, poke bowls, Korean barbecue, and more. While restaurant seaweed salad can taste sickeningly sweet, this vegan Whole30 seaweed salad recipe is made without any added sugar, and you are able to taste the true, natural wonderful flavor of wakame so well!
Watch a Short Video of This Recipe!
Ingredients in Japanese Wakame Seaweed Salad
- cut dried wakame – You should be able to purchase wakame in local Asian grocery stores. If not, you can order it online. If you can’t find cut wakame, you can chop the leaves yourself after hydrating them.
- coconut aminos: If you are able to consume grains and gluten, you can substitute with soy sauce or tamari sauce.
- rice vinegar: Apple cider vinegar will also work in a pinch.
- toasted sesame oil
- ginger
- garlic minced
- red pepper flakes: I recommend 1 teaspoon, but you can add more if you like more heat.
- green onion
- sesame seeds
How to Make Wakame Salad Recipe
- Add dried wakame leaves to a large bowl, then pour in warm water to cover. Let this sit for 10 minutes while the seaweed plumps up and hydrates.
- Make the dressing while the wakame is soaking. Combine coconut aminos, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Stir to combine, then set aside.
- Drain the wakame, then rinse under cold running water in a fine-mesh colander. Using your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as you can then transfer to a bowl.
- Add green onion and the dressing. Toss together to coat evenly.
- Enjoy immediately, or chill until ready to serve. Garnish with more sesame seeds just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Wakame is packed with nutrients like iodine, magnesium, calcium, folate, and manganese. In the Korean culture, postpartum women are served lots of seaweed because of their healing properties. However, if you have thyroid issues, I would check with you doctor about consuming large amounts of seaweed, since it’s so high in iodine.
This healthy wakame seaweed salad recipe is low carb and keto-friendly. There are only 3 grams of net carbs per serving.
This paleo seaweed salad will last for up to 3 days stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
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Asian Seaweed Salad (Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 oz cut dried wakame about 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp, dry
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 garlic minced
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp sesame seeds plus more for garnish
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add dried wakame to a large bowl, and add enough warm water to cover. Let this sit for 10 minutes while the seaweed plumps up and hydrates.
- Make the dressing while the wakame is soaking. Stir together coconut aminos, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Set aside.
- Drain the wakame in a fine-mesh colander, and rinse under cold running water. Use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as you can, and transfer to a bowl.
- Add green onion to wakame, then pour in the dressing. Toss together to coat evenly.
- You can enjoy immediately, or chill until ready to serve. Garnish with more sesame seeds just before serving.
Video
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This is a type of salad I’ve never tried before, I can’t wait to make it — thanks for all the step-by-step instructions for this newbie!
I love seaweed salad! Do you think I could make this with kelp?
This salad is the perfect side dish! So much umami and goes with absolutely everything! Delicious and refreshing!