Soy flour
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It is made from soybeans.
Defatted soy flour still carries about 30 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams.
Soy flour is low FODMAP in a 20 gram serving.
Safe in small amounts; may bother some people or raise blood sugar.
Rules by country
Soy flour is a food ingredient with no E-number. It is covered by the soybean and protein flour standards in the United States, and in the EU it is one of the protein-rich foods permitted for use in foods for special dietary purposes.
What is it?
Defatted soy flour is about 50% protein and only about 10% carbohydrate, with a very high water absorption that makes it useful as an egg replacer and as a breading. The protein is complete, with all nine essential amino acids, and it has the highest lysine content of any common plant flour, which is why it improves the amino acid profile of a wheat loaf when the two are mixed. The trade is the flavor: raw soy flour has a strong beany taste from the lipoxygenase enzyme, which is why it is usually heat-treated.
Where it comes from: Ground soybeans. Defatted flour has had most of the oil pressed out, which makes it a pale, high-protein flour; full-fat flour is darker and nuttier and oxidizes faster.
Why it’s in food
- Egg replacement
- Protein fortification
- Gluten-free baking
- Coatings
- Meat extenders
Often found in
Also listed as: Soy flour, Soya flour, Soybean flour, Full-fat soy flour, Defatted soy flour, Soy flour, defatted
Health & gut impact
Soy protein is complete, and soy flour carries a very high amount of it, around 50 grams per 100 grams in the defatted form. It is the reason soy flour is used to raise the protein content of bread and pasta rather than just as a filler.
FAO, Protein Quality Evaluation in Human Nutrition (2013)
Wheat is short of lysine and soy is short of methionine, so a loaf made with both has a better amino acid balance than either alone. This is why soy flour has been used in bread fortification for decades.
FAO, Protein Quality Evaluation in Human Nutrition (2013)
Soy is one of the eight allergens the United States has required on labels since 2003 and one of the 14 in the EU. It is also the allergen most likely to be an accidental presence, because soy flour and soy protein are used widely as meat extenders and breadings.
US FASTER Act (2021) and EU Regulation 1169/2011 allergen list
What can I use instead?
Ratio: Use a similar weight for protein
Best for: Cleaner protein with less flavor
Related
More grains & flours:
Common questions
Is soy flour gluten-free?
Yes, it is made from soybeans and contains no gluten. It is also a declared allergen in its own right, so a gluten-free product made with it still carries a soy warning.
What is soy flour used for?
It is used to raise the protein content of bread and pasta, to replace egg in baking, to bind meat products, and as a gluten-free thickener. It also adds fiber, since it carries roughly 3 grams per 100 grams in the defatted form.
Does soy flour taste bitter?
Raw soy flour can, because the lipoxygenase enzyme it contains reacts with the bean oils to produce bitter compounds during mixing. Heat-treated flour has that enzyme switched off, and most commercial soy flour is treated.
Is Soy flour safe?
Use in moderation (78/100). Soy flour is a food ingredient with no E-number. It is covered by the soybean and protein flour standards in the United States, and in the EU it is one of the protein-rich foods permitted for use in foods for special dietary purposes.
Is Soy flour vegan?
Yes. It is made from soybeans.
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Scientific sources & regulatory citations
- FAO, Protein Quality Evaluation in Human Nutrition (2013)
- US FASTER Act (2021) and EU Regulation 1169/2011 allergen list