Instead of throwing away the okara (soy milk pulp) left over from your homemade soy milk, turn it into this creamy, zesty Okara Hummus!
My friend is a genius.
I have a new friend from America that recently moved to our city and she has been such a gift to me. She makes me laugh as much as my sister does–and that’s saying a lot. She also loves to watch movies, drink boba tea, experiment in the kitchen, eat vegan food, etc.
Plus, she’s a soy milk drinker.
Yay for creamy, dreamy soy milk!
Not long after she moved to China I helped her buy a soy milk maker like the one I’ve been using for over a year. Soy milk makers (I don’t know what else to call them) really are a brilliant invention and I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth out of mine, considering a bag of soy beans costs less than a dollar and I make about 1-2 liters of soy milk a week. I also love that, unlike the soy milk you buy in cartons in America, this soy milk is made with just two ingredients: soy beans and water. No need for any of those weird additives and thickeners!
What is okara?
My friend had never tried okara before until she bought her own soy milk maker. Okara is the pulp left over after you make and strain soy milk. It’s basically watery soy bean pulp and it’s delicious. My friend has been eating it by itself with her fingers and mixing it into her oatmeal ever since she discovered it. But she also had the brilliant idea that, since it’s basically beans, we should try to make hummus out of it. Now why didn’t I think of that?!
How can I add okara to other foods?
In addition to using okara to make hummus, there are lots of different ways you can add okara to your food. It is naturally pretty bland so you don’t have to worry about it adding a potent bean-y taste to your food. You can add it to smoothies, oatmeal, and baked goods for added nutrition or volume. I find it has the consistency of pumpkin puree, so sometimes I’ll use it as I would pumpkin puree in baked goods. You can also use it to make delicious vegetable “crab” cakes!
How long does okara last? Can you freeze okara?
If you don’t plan to use the okara leftover from your soy milk right away, I would recommend freezing it. There have been countless times that I’ve placed it in some tupperware in the fridge with good intentions to use it later, only to forget about it. A few days later I remember I have some in the fridge, but by that point it’s already gone bad. I find okara doesn’t last much longer than three days in the fridge before spoiling. So yeah, definitely use your okara right away to make something else or freeze it for later!
Is okara healthy?
I know there’s a lot of controversy over soy products and whether or not they’re harmful to our bodies, so I suggest you do your own research. As for me, I’m okay with eating soy at the moment and am going to fully embrace this creamy, cheap ingredient! However, I do think it’s best to buy organic soy products when possible. Since okara is the pulp from soy beans, it contains lots of fiber, protein, and calcium and can be a great addition to oatmeal, smoothies, baked goods and especially this homemade okara hummus!
Can you eat okara raw?
I have only used okara that is leftover from making homemade soy milk. I use a soy milk maker which heats my soy milk and therefore cooks the okara. However, I don’t recommend using raw okara that has not been heated or cooked!
Other okara recipes
In addition to this delicious okara hummus, there are lots of other amazing okara recipes available. Be sure to check out some of the ones below and let me know if you try any of them out! If you happen to be someone who makes their own soy milk, I’d love to know how you make use of your leftover okara!
Unohana – Sautéed Okara with Vegetables
Okara (Soy Milk Pulp) Hummus:
Please rate the recipe (in the recipe card), leave a review, and share it with others.
Help The World Eat More Plants!
I’d also love to see your creation! If you make this recipe, please take a picture and tag #theconscientiouseater on Instagram so I can see it!
Okara (Soy Milk Pulp) Hummus
Instead of throwing away the okara (soy milk pulp) left over from your homemade soy milk, turn it into this creamy, zesty Okara Hummus!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups Okara*
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3-5 tablespoons water or olive oil*
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients, starting with just 3 tablespoons of water, into your food processor or high speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Add more water if the hummus is too thick or until you reach your desired consistency.
- Add more spices to taste.
- Store in an airtight container in your fridge.
Notes
*Make sure that your okara has been heated or cooked and then cooled before using. Don't use raw okara!
*The amount of water or olive oil you add depends on how thick you want your hummus to be or how strong your blender is
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Yield 5 Serving Size 1/2 cupAmount Per Serving Calories 117Total Fat 8ggSaturated Fat 1ggTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 368mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 5gSugar 0gProtein 4g
Nutrition information provided by verywellfit.com
Jacq says
Hi! may I know what I can replace tahini with? thanks!
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Jacq! Unfortunately the tahini is a pretty important ingredient in hummus, but you could try to omit it and just add more water or olive oil. You could also try substituting a more neutral tasting nut or seed butter such as cashew butter. I haven’t tried either of this substitutions, but I hope you’re able to find something that works for you!
Tom says
You should really put a warning on this as raw okara is generally not safe for human consumption. Some recipes for tofu have raw okara that is squeezed out, and using this could lead to poisoning. I learnt this after I had made this and given it to my dad, and am now worried about the consequences.
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Tom! Thanks for your comment. I wrote this post using soy milk pulp leftover from making soy milk in a soy milk maker. My soy milk maker would heat the milk, and therefore my okara was never raw, but I never thought about people wanting to use raw okara from other homemade products like tofu. I’ll definitely include a warning!
Olga says
This is why I asked a question about you boiling it.
Because I’ve been making tofu for almost a decade without ever boiling okara.
There are multiple ways how to make tofu 🙂
And I totally agree with Tom that this recipe without a warning can cause unwanted damage!
Olga says
Do you boil okara before you make hummus out of it? 🙂
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Olga! Okara has technically been cooked before making the hummus. When making soy milk, the milk has to be heated up. So when you strain the milk to get the okara it has already be cooked through. So no, you don’t have to boil the okara before making hummus…super easy right?! I hope it works out for you!
Olga says
Hmmm I guess you have a different tofu making recipe!
I soak soybeans overnight and then blend then with water and strain!
Then I boils the liquid and add lemon juice and make super firm tofu out of that!
So my okara is always raw!
Faith VanderMolen says
Oh sorry for the confusion Olga! I use okara from soy milk, not homemade tofu. So good question…maybe it would be best to somehow cook the okara before you use it in the hummus. I’m not as familiar with okara from tofu, so I’m sorry I can’t give you a more specific answer!
Keira says
Whoa – ah-mazing.
I’ve just made my first batch of soy milk ever and you were fortunately my first find when I googled ‘what do I do with all that pulp..?’
Delicious, ingenious.
Thank you and happy new year!!
Faith VanderMolen says
So glad you found my recipe and enjoyed it Keira! Thanks so much for commenting to let me know. Isn’t it so cool how soy beans can give you both milk and hummus?! Enjoy and Happy New Year!
Jim Comer says
I made this and sent the recipe to a hummus-crazed pal. Tasty stuff!
Faith VanderMolen says
So good to hear Jim! Glad you could share the deliciousness too:) If you have a minute to rate the recipe using the stars in the recipe card, that would be so helpful. Thanks again Jim!
Jenai says
Yes!!! This was an amazing idea and there’s so many variations of this so I’m so excited. Just made it then. Thank you for sharing!
Faith says
That’s great news Jenai! Thanks so much for sharing your success with us!