This blueberry lemon bread is made with okara for a soft, moist, pound cake-like texture. Vegan, whole grain, and perfect for breakfast!
Next time you make homemade soy milk, don’t throw out that okara! Okara (or soybean pulp) is a highly nutritious food containing protein, fiber, magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, and more. You can use okara in savory recipes (this is common in Japanese cuisine) but it’s also great in baked goods! Okara gives this blueberry lemon bread a tender, pound cake-like texture despite being made with whole wheat flour. It’s so tasty and one of my favorite ways to use okara!
What is Okara?
Okara is a byproduct of making soy milk. In short, soy milk is made by blending soybeans and water, heating the mixture to cook the beans, then straining the mixture to separate the bean pulp from the liquid. The resulting liquid is soy milk and the pulp is okara.
If you make your own soy milk often, you likely end up with a lot of okara. Okara should be used within 3 days of making soy milk, so if you aren’t going to use all the okara soon, you can freeze leftovers.
*Please note, some soy milk recipes call for straining the pulp before heating the liquid, but this recipe was created using okara from cooked soybeans. Please be sure to use okara that has been cooked, otherwise the okara will soak up more liquid and will change the outcome of this bread.
Okara Bread FAQ
Can I use okara powder instead of fresh okara?
I haven’t personally made this bread with okara powder yet, but I think it should work. Use 1/4 the amount of fresh okara, so 30 grams okara powder + 120 grams water.
Can I omit the lemon?
If you don’t want a lemon flavored bread, you can omit the lemon zest and use 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and an extra 3 tbsp of soy milk.
Can I use regular flour?
If you don’t like whole wheat, you can use all purpose flour.
Can I make it gluten-free?
I haven’t tested this with gluten-free flour, but I usually have success with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour* or light buckwheat flour*.
Can I make muffins instead?
Yes! This recipe makes 9 muffins. Bake at 350°F/180°C for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
More Tasty & Healthy Quick Breads
- Zucchini Bread
- Blueberry Cornbread
- Cinnamon Apple Bread
- Best Healthy GF Banana Bread
- Best Healthy Banana Bread
- Whole Grain Chocolate Banana Bread
If you make this blueberry lemon okara bread, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Blueberry Lemon Okara Bread
Ingredients
- 120 ml (½ cup) soy milk
- 60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice
- zest from 1 lemon
- 150 grams fresh okara**
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 60 grams (5 tbsp) sugar
- 45 grams neutral flavored oil or melted butter
- 190 grams whole wheat flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, okara, vanilla extract, sugar, and oil. Whisk until well combined.
- Sift in flour and baking soda, then use a rubber spatula to fold together to form a thick batter.
- Add blueberries and gently fold a few more times to disperse the blueberries.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Place loaf pan on a wire rack to cool. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the bread from the pan and place the bread on the wire rack to finish cooling.
- Store bread in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 5 days. To freeze, cut bread into slices and place in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
**Notes
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