Looking for a quick and easy okara recipe? Try these veggie meatloaves on for size (or eat them at least).

Vegetarian meatloaf

What’s this okara stuff?

Okara is the soy pulp you are left with in the process of making soy milk. To make soy milk, soaked soy beans are ground with water. The water then filters out to make the “milk” and the pulp left in the mesh or strainer. Essentially, okara is what you are left with after the milk is made.

I’ve had my Soyquick for a few months now, and while I love it to bits I have been feeling a little guilty throwing all of the okara out time and time again. Waste not, want not and all that. I started thinking, “what can I do with this stuff?”

So for anyone looking for Soyquick recipes, specifically for an okara recipe, this vegetarian meat loaf is both easy and tasty (and gives you a great way to use what you might otherwise toss in the bin).

Vegetarian Okara Mini Meatloves
  1. Ready, set, pre-heat! 190 C (375 F) should do the trick.
  2. Mix all of the ingredients together in any order you see fit. Yes, I know, my recipes are tricky.
  3. Grease two 9.5cm x 6.5cm mini loaf tins and pack ‘em full of the mix. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until nicely browned on top.
  4. Serve with something yummy, like new potatoes (Jersey Royals, how I love thee!)
  5. Come back here and leave a comment to say what you think…
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  • Great idea! I tried okara cookies before and they're delicious. This okara meatloaf sounds evey better.

    Too bad that I don't have soymilk maker. Lazy to wash it. ;) Do you think I can substitute the Okara with grated coconut meat? (That is what is left after after making coconut milk)
  • Kip
    Interesting thought to sub it with coconut meat. I've not cooked much with that, so I can't really say one way or another, but do let me know if you try it! You could sub tofu for the okara too, I'm sure.
  • I'm a big fan of imitation meats!

    Thanks for sharing the recipe +_+
  • tokyovegan
    Hi, MessyVegetarianCook,

    I really like your site. Today, I defrosted some Okara I have had in the freezer for months (bought at the store, but now I'm really interested in buying a soymilk maker, too!), and really want to try this meatloaf recipe asap, it sounds so good.

    Not sure why I'm the only one who seems to be confused, but should I use dry oatmeal and dry vegetarian mince? Or do I need to prepare them/reconstitute them first? I assume they're both dry since you don't say so, but I'm not sure how they're going to kick without much moisture in the recipe.

    Thanks a lot in advance,
    William
  • Kip
    Hi William,

    I use dry oatmeal and pre-packaged frozen vegetarian mince in my recipe. If you're using the dried tvp stuff then I'd recommend adding some liquid to reconstitute. I've never used that for this recipe, but if you go that route then I'd love to know how it turns out!

    The okara I use, as it's fresh, also has a fair amount of moisture in it (like a wet dough). If yours is really dry (I've never bought it before so don't really know how it's sold) then maybe add some liquid.
  • tokyovegan
    Thanks, a lot for the tip, Kip!
    I am planning to use dried TVP as I assumed that's what vegetarian mince was...
    Anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out.
    William
  • tokyovegan
    Hello, Again.
    Reporting in as promised with my results. I have now made the Okara meatloaf twice with storebought Okara and TVP, instead of mince. The 1st time was good but a little dry, so the 2nd time I left in about an extra 1/2 cup of water in the TVP, and it was much more moist and didn't crumble as much as the first time. Next time, I will try using fresh mushrooms as the next person suggests. Getting better all the time. Thanks!
  • Kip
    Thanks for reporting back; it's always good to know how things are turning out for other people. I'm wondering if the addition of another binding agent might keep it from being less crumbly, like perhaps an egg replacer or corn starch (or arrowroot or tapioca flour) mixed with water.

    I didn't realise you were in Japan... I was going to ask how you found okara to buy, but in country which appreciates soy so much I'm not so surprised :)
  • yidaki_mark
    Totally yummy recipe but I enhanced it by doubling the amounts of herbs and using "fresh" instead of dried. I also added a few shitake mushrooms which I had simmered in soy sauce for a few minutes. Totally delish!
  • Kip
    The mushrooms are a great idea!
  • All from a bland-looking bean!
    I used your dandy recipe as a springboard and gleefully put into my mixing bowl probably over 5 cups of still-wet okara (3 days old, still good), oatmeal for "hold together" consistency, some of my cooked black bean soupy stew (had onions and muchos herbs/spices), then tossed in the typical flavorings I use to bring life to tasteless okara. What I think helped the most was a packet of dehydrated onion soup mix. I also added vegetarian worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, barbeque sauce, and powdered spices (curry, chili, cumin, coriander, oregano, celery salt, e.g.). I added appox 1/4 teaspoon of salt and I've probably forgotten a couple of ingredients. I mixed it, adding soy milk as needed to hold its shape, and put it into an 8x4 inch loaf pan. The only thing I would change about what I did was that I cooked it at 350 Fahrenheit for well over an hour: this very dense and moist recipe next time will be cooked at 375 degrees and I will keep doing the knife-probe to check for doneness. So far, so very, very palatable--and I consider it just about free! What began as an assertion of jobless reality, a need to find ways to stretch my dollars (I started making my own soymilk about 2 months ago) has become a venture into a land where I derive great pleasure and satisfaction from experimnenting and creating good-quality meals. THANK YOU for the recipe and Power to the (cooking) People!
  • Kip
    I'm glad it gave you some inspiration! I always have such huge amounts of okara and never get to use it all. There's some epic guilt for throwing it away. I'll have to try something like this too!
  • Kristi
    Thank you for posting your recipe. I haven't seen too many for Okara, so a veggie one was a refreshing find. My "meatloaf" didn't exactly solidify. It is still liquidy. I also found it to have a bit too many spices, but still very tasty and I'm sure it has more nutritional value than most other everyday recipes.
  • Kip
    Sharon,

    It's generally made of soy protein and is a substitute for beef mince...
  • sharon
    what is vegetarian mince (ground beef)??
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