Lemon Blueberry Okara Muffins

I am sharing this super easy recipe for lemon blueberry okara muffins with people who make soy milk at home. These muffins are slightly denser than the fluffiest muffins you can bake, though I wholly believe they are still on the light side. They are also not too sweet, so they are perfect for breakfast, or just for snacking throughout the day.

I make homemade soy milk all the time and always end up with an abundance of okara (soybean pulp), a leftover “waste” once you press the soybeans to get soy milk. So it is always nice to find reliable recipes to use up all the okara that seems to keep on piling up. :)

Ingredients for lemon blueberry okara muffins

I am going to divide the ingredients into two categories: wet ingredients and dry ingredients.

Wet ingredients

For the wet ingredients, we need fresh okara, eggs, milk, canola oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon oil.

You can use any milk of your choice. I am using soy milk, which I think is appropriate since we are using okara, which is soybean pulp from making soy milk. :)

For the oil, you can use canola oil or vegetable oil for the most neutral taste. I imagine you can also use the same amount of coconut oil if you are okay with the slight coconutty taste in your muffins. And you can definitely use melted unsalted butter too if you want a buttery taste to your muffins.

I am using Boyajian 100% pure lemon oil instead of lemon zest since I am running out of fresh lemons when I bake this. You can use 2 teaspoons of freshly grated lemon zest instead of the lemon oil.

Dry ingredients

For the dry ingredients, we need all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and fresh blueberries.

It is best if you can make these muffins with fresh blueberries when they are in season. Otherwise, you can also use the same amount of frozen blueberries.

Preparing the batter and baking the muffins

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit (190 Celsius). Lightly grease a standard 12 cup muffin pan.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients. Sift in all the dry ingredients, except fresh blueberries. Gently fold with a whisk/spatula, stop once there is no longer flour streak.

Add blueberries into the batter, and fold with a spatula until evenly distributed. Divide batter into the muffin pan, they should be close to level.

How to minimize blue streaks when using frozen blueberries.

If you are using frozen blueberries, place them in a colander and rinse with cold water several times until the water is noticeably lighter when you drain the berries.

Usually, it will start with dark blue and gradually reaches a light red. Dry the berries really well with paper towels before using them.

Baking, cooling, and storing the muffins

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-28 minutes until golden brown, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. After 15 minutes, gently remove the muffin from pan and cool the muffins on a wire rack.

Serve immediately. Store any leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, or up to 2 weeks in the fridge, and up to 2 months in the freezer.