Blueberry Okara Muffins

Why You Will Love This Recipe

You will love this recipe for blueberry okara muffins because:

• It is a delicious and easy way to use leftover soy pulp after making homemade soy milk.
• These muffins have a moist and soft texture and are light and fluffy.
• It is a simple recipe, with all the mixing done by hand.
• These are full of flavor, jam-packed with summer blueberries, and has a deliciously sweet and crunchy streusel topping.
• These are great for serving at breakfast or for enjoying as a snack.
• This recipe makes a small batch of six average size muffins.

What is Okara?

Okara is the leftover pulp from making soy milk or tofu, known as a Japanese term.

It is packed with fiber, calcium, protein, and other minerals, making it a healthy ingredient for various dishes.

While fresh okara is commonly found in Japan, Korea, and China, it is not as easily available elsewhere unless you make soy milk or tofu at home.

If you are curious about using okara, check out our helpful article on "What To Do With Soya Bean Pulp," where we discuss how to cook, store, dry, and even turn it into a powder.

For more insights into okara, you can also read our post "What Is Okara?"

Can You Eat Uncooked Okara?

To know if okara is safe to eat, it is important to know where it comes from: if it was made from cooked or uncooked soybeans.

You can figure this out by understanding how it was used when making soy milk.

There are two methods of making soymilk:

• One method is to grind soaked uncooked beans, squeeze the milk from the pulp, then heat the pulp free milk for safety. The raw okara from this method requires cooking for dishes like salads but can be used in recipes that involve cooking, to ensure safety.
• The other method is to cook soaked beans in water, then grind and extract the milk from the pulp. Okara from this method is already cooked and safe for use, especially in cold dishes.

If there is any uncertainty about how it was made, it is best to cook the okara to ensure safety.

If you are using powdered okara, it has already been cooked and is safe to use in cooking.

Ingredients

Please note that below is a guide for some of the ingredients we used in the recipe. The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.

Fresh okara - you will need about ½ cup soy pulp. When making your soy milk, squeeze out as much milk from the soy pulp as possible. The soy pulp needs to look dry and not overly moist. 

Flour - use plain all-purpose flour.

Baking powder and baking soda - these rising agents will make the muffins rise nice and tall as they bake.

Sugar - use white granulated sugar for the muffin batter and the crumble topping.

Egg - we use large eggs with an average weight of 56 grams (2 ounces).

Milk - use your preferred milk, dairy, or plant milk like soy milk, almond milk, or coconut milk.

Oil - use a mild-tasting oil like vegetable or canola oil.

Vanilla extract - for added flavor, we used 2 teaspoon vanilla, but you can use a little more or less depending on how much you like the taste of vanilla.

Blueberries - use fresh or frozen blueberries. If you are using frozen blueberries, add them to the batter while when still frozen. 

Butter - for the best crumble topping, you need cold butter so keep it in the fridge until needed.

Cinnamon powder - for flavoring the crumble topping.

Equipment

Muffin tin

For this recipe, we used a 6-count muffin tin where each muffin hole has a ½ cup capacity.

Muffin liners

If you can, try and use muffin liners that are non-stick because the muffins tend to stick to the regular ones making it difficult to remove.

If you can not buy them, make parchment liners with baking paper as we do.

These liners are quick to make and look nice around muffins and cupcakes like our gluten-free chocolate okara cakes.

These liners also have high sides, which helps make the muffins rise nice and tall during baking.

And because the liners are tall, you can fill the muffin holes to the top of the tin and not worry about the batter and crumble topping spilling everywhere during baking.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 6-count muffin tin with non-stick muffin liners - see notes below.

Step 1 - Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the sugar.

Step 2 - In another large bowl or mixing jug, add the egg, okara, and ¼ cup milk and beat until well combined. Pour in the remaining milk, oil, and vanilla and mix well.

Step 3 - Make the crumble topping. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, butter, and cinnamon and mix with a fork until crumbly. Put aside.

Step 4 - Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, add the blueberries and mix until just combined, don’t overmix the batter because the muffins will turn out tough.

Step 5 - Spoon the batter into the liners filling them to the top. Sprinkle with the crumb topping.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, leave the muffins in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

Recipe Tips

Muffin liners

If you can, try and get muffin liners that are non-stick because the muffins tend to stick the regular ones making it difficult to remove without leaving them intact.

If you can not buy them, make parchment liners with baking paper as we do.

Serving Size

One blueberry okara muffin is a serving size.

Calories Per Serve

There are 362 calories in one of these muffins with a crumble topping, 18 grams of fat, and 9 grams of protein.

Serving Suggestions

Serve blueberry okara muffins with:

• Vanilla yogurt
• Fresh fruit salad
• A drizzle of honey or maple syrup
• Spread with blueberry jam or a nut butter
• Freshly whipped cream in flavors like vanilla, maple syrup, or cinnamon.
• Or, serve them as part of a breakfast buffet on occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter.

More Easy Recipes

If you liked this recipe for blueberry okara muffins you might also like this gluten free dairy free orange cake, or see all our okara recipes or try these easy recipes.

• Dairy-free breakfast casserole
• Banana Chia pudding
• Blueberry tofu smoothie
• Savory muffins with sundried tomatoes