Lemon poppy seed okara muffins are the perfect morning treat. Soft and moist they are bursting with flavor and a wonderful way to use okara, soya bean pulp.
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You don't need to go to the bakery for the perfect lemon poppy seed muffin. With this recipe, you will have a delicious muffin packed with zesty lemon flavor and nutty poppy seeds.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
You will love this lemon poppy seed okara muffin recipe 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 great for serving at breakfast or for enjoying as a snack.
- This recipe makes a small batch of six average size muffins.
Cost to Make
Estimated cost = $2.80 or $0.46 a muffin
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 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 two teaspoons of vanilla, but you can use a little more or less depending on how much you like the taste of vanilla.
Poppy seeds provide a rich nutty flavor and a crunchy texture.
Lemon juice and zest are for flavoring the muffins. The lemon juice will also react with the milk making it similar to buttermilk which helps make the muffins softer and lighter in texture.
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 these 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 and poppy seeds.
Step 2 - In another large bowl or mixing jug, add the egg, okara, and milk and beat until well combined. Add the lemon juice, oil, vanilla, and zest, and mix well.
Step 3 - Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until just combined, don’t overmix the batter because the muffins will turn out tough.
Step 4 - Spoon the batter into the liners filling them to the top of the muffin tin.
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, then transfer 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.
Don't over-mix the muffin batter
Avoid over-mixing the batter because the muffins can turn out tough.
The wet and dry ingredients should be gently together until they combine, you may have some dry bits and lumps in the batter and this is okay.
Want more lemon flavor
Add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract to the wet mix with the juice and zest.
Serving Size
A serving is one lemon poppy seed okara muffin.
Calories Per Serve
Each muffin has about 275 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein.
Storage
Refrigeration – In cool climates, the muffins are okay overnight at room temperature when stored in a sealed container.
Or you can keep them in the fridge in a sealed container for 3-4 days.
Freezing – these muffins freeze very well. Individually wrap the muffins or bulk freeze them in zip-lock bags or freezer-safe containers.
When you need them, remove as many as you need from the freezer and thaw.
Thaw them slowly on the kitchen bench for several hours, or do a quick defrost in the microwave oven.
Reheating
If you like your muffins warm, warm them in the microwave oven for about 15-20 seconds or until you get them warmed to your liking.
Meal Prepping
These muffins are great for meal prepping because they keep fresh for several days when stored in a sealed container in the fridge. You can even freeze them for up to three months.
FAQ
You can do either. If you are eating them over a few days, store them in the fridge, and if you want to keep them for longer, freeze them.
More Easy Recipes
If you liked this recipe for lemon poppy seed okara muffins, you might also like to see all our okara recipes or try these easy breakfast recipes:
Recipe
Lemon Poppy Seed Okara Muffins
Equipment
- 6-count muffin tin with ½ cup capacity holes
- Non-stick muffin liners with high sides- see recipe notes
Ingredients
Dry
- 120 grams (4.30 ounces, 1 cup) of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Wet
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 80 grams (2.85 ounces, ½ packed cup) fresh (wet) okara
- 60 grams (2 ounces, ¼ cup) of milk, plant or dairy milk
- 60 grams (2 ounces, ¼ cup) of lemon juice
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 6-count muffin tin with cupcake liners - see notes below.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the sugar and poppy seeds.
- In another large bowl or mixing jug, add the egg, okara, and milk and beat until well combined. Add the lemon juice, oil, vanilla, and zest, and mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until just combined, don’t overmix the batter because the muffins will turn out tough.
- Spoon the batter into the liners filling them level to the top of the muffin tin.
- 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, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Allison says
I believe there might be an error in the milk measurement. The recipe States 1 1/4 up milk (2 oz) however those two measurements aren't the same. I believe its suppose to read 1/4 cup milk?
Harriet Britto says
Thanks for picking that up, I have updated the recipe card.
Dorothy says
These were great. I doubled the recipe. When you hit the 2x button, it doesn't double anything written in parentheses so I got a little confused when I was measuring out something. Just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to fix it.
Overall though I thought the recipe was delicious and super fluffy. I used a tiny bit less sugar than what was called for and I used less baking soda (and slightly more baking powder instead). I also used an egg replacement rather egg to keep it vegan.
Thanks for another lovely okara recipe!
Annelise says
I tried making tofu for the first time the other day and had soybean pulp leftover. I found this site and decided to make this lemon poppyseed muffin recipe. I doubled the recipe because I have quite a bit of okara to use up, and we have a big family! I made it in loaf pans instead of as muffins. Bake time increased to around 45 min, making two standard size loafs. I also added an extra egg because we have chickens and lots of eggs to use up. It turned out really good, very moist just as the recipe promised. A very good first experience using okara! I had been worried that the mung bean taste (very pungent) might not neutralize as some have said it does when okara is cooked or baked. It did! This was delicious. I added a glaze made from powdered sugar and hot water on top of the loaves while they were still warm and let it cool a bit for the glaze to set before we ate some. Yum, give this okara recipe a try!