Soy Flour

• Soy flour exists in full-fat, low-fat and defatted versions, depending on how much oil was removed during processing. Find it alongside regular flour in many grocery stores or specialty food stores. It’s often used to thicken gravies and sauces or to coat foods before frying in place of regular flour. To use soy flour to extend hamburger meat, choose textured soy flour, available as a product called textured soy protein.

Texture Makes the Soy

• Textured soy flour is made from defatted soy flour and contains between 50 and 70 percent protein. It has a similar texture to ground beef and is widely used as a meat extender or meat replacement in the vegetarian diet, or to increase the protein content of foods. The textured soy protein exists in flavored or unflavored chunks, flakes or granular form. TSP is sold primarily at health food stores or the natural food section of supermarkets.

How to Use

• Unflavored textured soy protein is low in calories and contains no cholesterol or saturated fat, so using it in your hamburgers offers a healthy option for your family. TSP must be rehydrated in boiling water before use. If you’re using it as a meat replacement or extender in your recipes, a pound of TSP equals about 3 pounds of ground beef. Mix equal parts of unflavored TSP and regular ground beef for hamburgers. The unflavored product will assume the flavors of the meat and spices it is combined with.

How to Store

• Store unflavored textured soy protein in a dry, airtight container, and it will last indefinitely. Flavored TSP stored in this manner should last up to a year. After rehydrating either version, refrigerate and use withing a few days, or freeze for 3 to 6 months. These storage times apply to TSP even when mixed with ground beef.