Making Soy Milk: 6 Easy Steps

Homemade soy milk is excellent high-protein plant milk. Organic soy milk became our milk of choice for our morning coffee with hot milk, no more to say. Making soy milk is easy and cheap and ensures you have a non-GMO product.

We like that this recipe is super adjustable. You can make it creamier, sweet, or flavor-infused.

You can also make it plain if you need it and use it as a base to make another soy food. to make a vegan bechamel sauce and vegan mashed sweet potatoes.

In combination with olive oil, it makes a delicious vegan ricotta cheese, and it is the best milk to make vegan buttermilk, ideal for vegan baking, given its high-protein content.

It is way cheaper than store-bought and super easy to make. It requires 2 ingredients, 30 minutes, a filter of any kind, and a blender.

Jump to:

• 🧐 Why should you do your own
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🍽️ Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💡 Expert Tips
• 🫙 Storage
• ❓ FAQ
• 📚 Recipes that use Soy Milk
• 🥛 More alternative milks
• 🎥 Video
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

🧐 Why should you do your own

1. Health reasons

Commercial soy milk often comes loaded with additives like guar gum and lecithin. Opting for your own mixture using organic, non-GMO soybeans not only provides tranquility but also ensures you're nourishing your body with high-quality, plant-based protein that's easily digestible, free from saturated fats and casein found in whole milk, which some studies suggest may encourage the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Plus, soy milk typically has fewer calories than dairy, aligning well with weight management goals.

2. Convenience

Homemade soy milk is a cinch to prepare, taking just 30 minutes from start to finish. You have the freedom to produce exactly the amount you need, customized to your taste preference for flavor, thickness, and sweetness.

3. Budget-friendly

Making soy milk at home is economical—you save by using simple, low-cost ingredients and by buying in bulk. You also avoid the added expense of packaged flavors and can tailor the quantity to prevent waste, ensuring your pennies are well spent for every batch you brew.

It’s a straightforward, thrifty choice that benefits your budget and the planet.

4. Sustainability

Homemade soy milk is a win for sustainability. By making it at home, you're reducing packaging waste and the energy spent on processing and transportation that comes with store-bought options.

Plus, choosing organic, non-GMO soybeans supports eco-friendly farming practices. This DIY approach minimizes your carbon footprint, making every sip a toast to the Earth's health.

🧾 Ingredients

• Dried soybeans
• Filtered water

Optional

• Sweeteners like Medjool dates
• Flavor enhancers like almond or vanilla extract
• Sea salt

Hint: keep your milk unsweetened if you plan to make vegan buttermilk with it and use it in baking.

🍽️ Equipment

• Large saucepan
• Saucepan
• Nut milk
• Strainer
• Flat hand skimmer

🔪 Instructions

Step 1. Soak & Drain: Start by soaking non-GMO soybeans in water overnight. Drain them afterward.

Optional: Some people remove the outer skin; I have done it countless times and can't notice any critical difference in texture. If you choose to do it, plan for an additional 20 minutes.

Step 2. Blend & Season: Transfer the soaked soybeans to a blender or food processor. Add fresh water and blend for 1 to 2 minutes.

This is your moment to jazz it up with your chosen flavors. Sweeten the deal with a touch of your favorite sweetener, a dash of sea salt, or a hint of vanilla essence for that extra oomph.

Flavor possibilities: Think chocolatey notes with cocoa powder, a vanilla whisper, a caffeine kick with coffee, a berry burst with strawberries or a nutty undertone with hazelnuts.

Crafting your dairy-free milk means waving goodbye to unwanted sugars. For natural sweetness, now's the time to blend in those pitted dates or a dollop of homemade date paste.

Preferred sweeteners: Consider naturally sweet dates, homemade date paste, plump raisins, smooth agave syrup, stevia, erythritol, or rich maple syrup.

Step 3. Blend & Strain: Whizz the ingredients in your blender until they reach a creamy consistency, which might take one to two minutes, depending on your blender's power.

After blending, pour the mixture through a nut milk bag or a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Use your hands to press and extract every last bit of liquid.

Step 4. Boil, Simmer, & Skim: Transfer the blend to a larger pot, stir in 2 cups of filtered water, and heat it up to a boil over medium-high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low immediately.

During cooking, remember to give the mixture a gentle stir now and then and use a skimmer to remove any foam that forms on the surface.

Step 5. Cool & Strain: Allow the mixture to cool down. If necessary, strain it through a wire colander.

Step 6: Transfer it into sealed bottles. Store it in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3-4 days. See more details below to extend soy milk's shelf-life.

💡 Expert Tips

Exploring Soy Milk Preparation: Chinese vs. Japanese Methods

In the world of homemade soy milk, there's more than one way to create this delightful plant-based drink. Based on our exploration of the two methods here are our findings and recommendations.

Chinese Method: Blend, Strain, Then Cook

This method is widely used and loved for its simplicity and efficiency.

1. Soak Your Beans: Start by soaking your soybeans overnight. This softens them and makes them easier to blend.
2. Blend with Water: After soaking, blend the beans with fresh water. The ratio is typically 1:3 (soybeans to water).
3. Strain the Mixture: Use a nut milk bag or a fine-mesh strainer to separate the pulp (okara) from the soy milk. This step is crucial for a smooth texture.
4. Cook the Soy Milk: Pour the strained milk into a pot and bring it to a boil. Then, let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This step is important for both safety and flavor.
5. Flavor as Desired: Once cooked, you can add sweeteners or flavorings like vanilla or dates.
6. Cool and Store: Let the milk cool before storing it in the fridge. Homemade soy milk typically lasts 3-4 days.

Japanese Method: Cook, Then Blend, and Strain

An alternative method involves cooking the beans before blending. This approach is less common but has its own set of advantages.

1. Soak Your Beans: Like the traditional method, start by soaking your soybeans overnight.
2. Cook the Beans: Instead of blending them raw, cook the soaked beans first. You can use a pressure cooker or a regular pot. Cooking time varies, but a pressure cooker like Instant Pot can do it in about 40 minutes.
3. Blend the Cooked Beans: Once the beans are cooked and cooled, blend them with water. The texture might be creamier than the traditional method.
4. Strain if Needed: Depending on your preference for texture, you might still want to strain the mixture, though it's often less necessary with this method.
5. Flavor as Desired: Add your preferred sweeteners or flavorings.
6. Cool and Store: Allow the milk to cool before refrigerating.

Comparing the Methods

• Flavor: The innovative method often yields a milder, sweeter taste compared to the traditional method.
• Texture: Cooking the beans first can result in a creamier texture.
• Nutrient Retention: Cooking the beans before blending might preserve more nutrients.
• Time and Convenience: The traditional method is generally quicker, but the innovative method can be more hands-off, especially with a pressure cooker.

In conclusion, both methods have their unique benefits. The Chinese method (used for the step-by-step on this recipe) is quick and straightforward, while the Japanese method offers a different flavor profile and texture, takes longer, but an instant pot can help.

Why not try both and see which one becomes your go-to for homemade soy milk? Let us know in the comment section of this post.

🫙 Storage

Wondering how long does soy milk last?

The lifespan of homemade soy milk can hinge on your equipment's cleanliness and the ingredients' freshness. Typically, it stays good for about 3 to 4 days.
We're big fans of incorporating soy milk into our morning smoothies, or lemon blueberry overnight oats, and coffee.

Consequently, we usually finish a batch within three days.
If you use lots of soy milk, you can skip the sterilization step, as the milk generally remains fresh until the third day without issue.

Should you notice your soy milk spoiling sooner than expected, here's a quick fix to sterilize your containers:

Begin by pouring hot water into the jars, ensuring they're not cold to prevent cracking.
Follow up with a cycle in the dishwasher for a thorough cleanse.

And when you've got excess milk or need to dash out unexpectedly, there's a nifty trick: freeze the soy milk in ice cube trays. These frozen cubes are perfect for tossing into your smoothies later, ensuring no drop goes to waste! In fact soy milk is one of the best milk for smoothies given its high protein content.

❓ FAQ

📚 Recipes that use Soy Milk

You can use it the same way you would dairy milk, but without the saturated fat and vegetable protein!

This is our plant milk of choice to make low-protein dishes like our 4-ingredient potato soup, to raise its protein content.

Consume soy milk in your coffee, in smoothies, in your homemade granola or breakfast fruit bowl, vegan bechamel sauce, baking, and even making vegan ricotta cheese.

Below are some sweet and savory recipes where you could use your soy milk:

• Vegan mashed potatoes for their creamy texture and balancing the protein ratio on this carb-heavy side dish.
• Vegan Cauliflower Wings, soy milk is the perfect liquid yet creamy medium for the batter.
• Creamy Vegan Sauce for Everything to add creaminess.
• Post-Work Out Smoothie and Easy Strawberry Banana Smoothie for added protein.
• This dairy-free milk is perfect for your Superfood Green Detox Smoothie, also on this site, to complement your weekly breakfast meal plan.

Read on: High Protein Vegan Meals »

🥛 More alternative milks

Make sure you also check these easy-to-make milk alternative Options: 5-minutes Almond Milk, homemade oat milk, cashew milk, hazelnut milk, walnut milk, and vegan buttermilk for cooking and baking.

All great dairy alternatives for lactose-intolerant people, those following a vegan diet, or who just don't want to deal with all the hormones or saturated fat present in cow's milk.

Interested in vegan protein sources? Read on high protein vegan meals.

🎥 Video

⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe