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A food blog with simple, healthy, vegan recipes

Homemade Soy Milk

Homemade soy milk

Homemade Soy Milk is an alternative to cow’s milk and we love it because it’s cheap and easy to make. Soy is pretty controversial, it has supporters and detractors, in fact, we prefer other plant milks. Our favorite is almond milk because of the flavor and the properties and nutritional benefits almonds have.

Soy milk isn’t as simple to make as other plant milks (for example to make almond milk you only have to blend almonds with water) but it’s still easy to make and besides, it’s cheaper than other milks.

Homemade soy milk

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We recommend you to buy organic or at least non-transgenic soybeans. It’s more expensive, but it’s totally worth it, your health is so important. Take care of your body, you only have one!

Homemade soy milk

To make homemade soy milk, you only need two ingredients: yellow soybeans and water. Easy peasy! You can also add vanilla beans (or homemade vanilla extract), cocoa or carob powder, some sweetener (we love dates!) or your favorite ingredients, it’s up to you.

Homemade soy milk

I drink a juice or a smoothie almost every day and I always use a glass straw. I prefer glass instead of plastic because it’s cheaper, healthier, more minimalist and it’s also better for the planet, all advantages! I bought my glass straws Glass Dharma’s website, but you can also buy them at Amazon, here is the link.

You need to try this recipe, homemade soy milk tastes much better than store-bought and it’s also cheaper and healthier. You only need two ingredients, a blender, a strainer, a saucepan and a spoon, that’s all!

Homemade soy milk

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Homemade Soy Milk

★★★★★ 4.5 from 10 reviews
  • Author: Simple Vegan Blog
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Drink
  • Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free

Homemade Soy Milk is an alternative to cow’s milk and we love it because it’s cheap and easy to make.

Homemade soy milk
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Ingredients

  • ½ cup yellow soybeans (80 grams)
  • 4 cups water (1 liter)
  • ½ teaspoon of homemade vanilla extract or a piece of vanilla bean (optional)
  • 4 dates (optional)

Instructions

  1. Soak the soybeans in water overnight for a minimum of 12 hours.
  2. Drain the soybeans and remove the outer skins.
  3. Blend the soybeans with 3 cups of water (750 milliliters) until well blended and almost smooth.
  4. Strain the blended mixture using a cheesecloth, a napkin or a strainer.
  5. Pour the mixture in a saucepan, add 1 cup of water (250 milliliters). Place the saucepan on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir and skim foam.
  6. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
  7. Let cool the soy milk. You can add other ingredients such as vanilla or dates. Blend the mixture if necessary.
  8. Store the soy milk in a sealed container in the fridge for four or five days.
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      • Becky, you can certainly eat uncooked soy or drink uncooked soymilk………….But 99% of people do not like the taste…….It will be bitter & unpleasant….

        Also, soy supposedly has alot of toxins that are neutralized by cooking the soybeans…..

        Personally, i feel organic soybeans are a great food, but you gotta SPROUT them first…………The more you sprout, the better……..

        Then if you want to make raw soymilk, go for it……But i don’t think you will like the taste

        Reply

        • I can confirm: i made soy milk with uncooked soy beans, then I used this milk to make soy yogurt in a yogurt maker. The taste was VERY unpleasant: acidic, bitter, not good at all. I will try again but this time cook the beans.

          ★★★★★

          Reply

          • Right on, Vanessa……….I feel ya………..

            I usually just put all the sprouted soybeans into a crockpot for about an hour…….I can tell by the smell when that bitterness is gone…..

            But i don’t make milk…….I make sprouted soybean yogurt…… That’s gonna be the healthiest, safest thing that you can do with a soybean……

            I don’t strain anything…….I want the soy pulp also……..Im greedy!

            I want the fiber, the pulp, the calories, the bacteria, the whole 9 yards!

            You know, we might be able to just boil the beans for 1 minute or so……

            I think what you gotta do is pour boiling water over the soybeans…..I have seen instructions like that……..But i never did it……

            I will try that & report back to you all……

            Peace out!

          • Hi Vanessa! I prefer to cook the soy beans, this way they’re easier to diggest 😀

      • I interpreted Becky’s question differently– I understood her to be asking why do you bring the soy milk to boil (Step 5) once you have made it from cooked soybeans.

        ★★★★★

        Reply

      • There is a protein that prevents digestion of amino acids and can cause pancreas problems in too much/daily consumption called trypsin inhibitor. Cooking makes it harmless and nutritious, high in cysteine.

        Reply

      • So what shell are you peeling off ? Sorry it’s the second direction…. Or are you saying you can skip this step if you buy a certain type of soy??

        Reply

        • Hi Maureen! English is not my first language, so maybe I didn’t understand the question. I buy deshelled soybeans, but when I soak them overnight, I remove the outer skins, which are floating in the water. This is what I undertand for soybean shell , but the soybeans have also an outer skin. If you want to remove the skin, this post can be useful for you. Have a nice day!

          Reply

    • After you soak the beans overnight, you will notice how a layer of translucent yellowish husk has come off some of the beans. I personally don’t mind it and just blend it all the same. But if you’d like to remove them, just rub the beans together and they’ll come off easily. Soak the beans (quickly) and the husk will flow to the top so just drain off.

      Reply

    • I just read all your comments about soy…………

      You can save yourself ALOT of work & thinking by simply making SPROUTED SOY YOGURT……..

      You don’t need to strain, no deshelling, you don’t need cheesecloth, you don’t need to worry about throwing away the OKARA or the skins, you don’t need to worry about toxins or mineral blockers…You don’t need any soymilk machines… You don’t need to worry about calories………Soybeans have more calories than other beans, but its all very low fat……

      This is a predigested, super high protein, mineral rich whole food………….I consider it a SUPER FOOD, like dulse or algae….

      All you got to do is sprout the soybeans by first soaking them overnight & then rinsing them in cool water 2x a day & making sure they drain well…

      Save the soak water & ferment it at 72 to 75 degrees for a day or 2………..That will become SOY SPROUT REJUVILAC!……Its super delicious, nutritious & smells great!…..Related to sauerkraut juice…..

      Anyways, in 2 days, your soybeans will become SPROUTS & have tails………You can now make your yogurt or sprout them another 2 or 4 days…….

      To make yogurt, just take your soy sprouts & gently cook them with water in a crockpot or regular pot………Then you blend the soy with the cooking water…..

      Now place this puree in a warm part of the house (72 to 75 degrees is great…….80 will work)……..

      Don’t cover it…….Make sure the puree is exposed to air…….Otherwise, it will spoil…..

      Stir every few hours, okay?……In about 5 to 8 hours, you will see seperation & bubbles in the puree……….

      It has become yogurt!……..It will taste sour…..

      If you want it to be like soymilk, just dilute it with water…

      Yes, U R right, soy is excellent with DATES!…….

      Im buying non GMO soybeans from LAURA’s, up in Iowa, i think…
      I forgot……I gotta look……. Type in Laura’s soybeans

      ★★★★★

      Reply

      • Hi again
        I have now made this recipe a second time and I wonder if I am doing something wrong. I end up with quite a lot of soya been pulp left and the milk is quite watery. I wonder if my blender isn’t good enough or is usual to end up with lots of pulp. Also have you ever tried to cook the waste pulp? Seems like it could make something maybe?

        Reply

        • Hi Lorraine! I think maybe your blender is not powerful enough, I use a Vitamix blender to make this recipe. I haven’t cooked the waste pulp, but maybe you could use it to make a soup with some veggies…

          Reply

        • Lorraine- this pulp is called Okara and is chock full of protein, fiber, and nutrients (don’t throw it away). You can find lots of recipe ideas for okara at okaraproject.blogspot.com, or on pinterest, but I like to quickly saute it with onions, peppers, etc and eat it as a savory breakfast (it is alost like polenta/grits in texture). I love it, and I love using it because it feels like it is “free”! The other thing I make most often is the okara crumble (a sweet topping for yogurt and such, almost like granola) from lafujimama.com

          Reply

        • Try the ratio 1 cup soya to 4 cups water. I use this ratio in all my plantbased milk. No need to have a powerful blender. Just a better sieve or bag. Pulp- don’t waste. That’s pure fiber. Google recipes for it.

          ★★

          Reply

  7. Lorraine, the pulp is called okara. You should definitely save it. You can use it many recipes including bread and veggie burgers. Just do an internet search. There is no sense in wasting all of the fiber and protein!

    Reply

    • Hi Corr! That’s not exactly true and most of the GMO soy is for feeding the animals, just look the label and buy non GMO soy or even better, organic soy products 😉 Have a nice day!

      Reply

  9. Hi,please explain what you mean when you say “bring to a boil” also ” stir and skim foam” . Thank you

    Reply

  10. The okara also works as a face exfoliator! I got this tip from a Chinese beauty guide.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Hi, I have a Vitamix blender which came with a cook book. The instructions for soya milk are; soak beans for 4-8 hours, drain beans and steam for 15 minutes and then blend beans with water! That’s it!! No cooking except for steaming! I am now worried that I’m consuming uncooked soya!!!!

    Reply

  13. Hi!
    I made soya milk, but when kept for heat/boiled on low flame ….

    It the bottom of vessels it formed like pulp …..

    I wonder where did I go wrong

    Reply

  15. Thank you for the recipe! I would prefer to make this in bulk (let’s say 4x) and then freeze until we need. Have you ever tried this? Should it work?

    Reply

  17. You say to opt for nontransgenic soybeans. What are the adverse health effects of transgenic soybeans?
    Looking forward to trying this recipe. Thanks!

    Reply

  18. I just tried this recipe. It is excellent. So many commercial soy milks are full of mystery flavourings, so this gives me an alternative, and yuuuuugely reduces my waste Tetri-packs. Thanks so much for posting it.

    Btw Iosune, English is also my 2nd language; my 1st language was baby-talk 😛

    Reply

    • Hi Harry! You’re so welcome 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it! Hahaha, baby-talk was also my first language, so English is the third 😛

      Reply

  19. after going through all the steps in making home made soy milk, my biggest problem is the numerous curds or curdling of the milk when on fire and after been left to simmer. it does not make the milk appetizing to me. if i strained it after boiling to remove the curds, am i doing the right thing? please i need help.
    Thanks

    Reply

  20. Hi Iosune,
    After the soaking I prefer to cook the beans whole first, than rub of the shells and blend it with water. In my experience the milk burns easily to the pan if I blend first and cook later (I might have a crummy pan though). Thanks for all your recipes. I loved your Pasta Alfredo, the energy balls and so many more recipes.
    Winnie

    Reply

    • Hi Winnie! Thanks a lot for your comment 🙂 You’re so welcome! So glad you liked our recipes. Have a nice day!

      Reply

  22. Why does my soy milk thicken? I make soy milk either in a SoyaJoy machine or by grinding in a Vitamix. Either way, it turns out great. But often the milk gets very thick (about the consistency of yogurt) after 3-7 days. It smells and tastes different when this happens and I throw it out.

    I have tried making sure everything is sterile (as much as possible in a home kitchen) by rinsing out the storage bottles with bleach etc. to no avail.

    I searched the Internet and can’t find anyone having similar problems.

    Any idea why this happens and how I can avoid it? And/or is there a good use for the accidentally thickened milk? Maybe it is trying to turn into yogurt or tofu 🙂

    Reply

  23. Thanks for this. I tried it because I miss real soy milk. Outcome: Big mess. Please tell me, how do you cope with the quantity of FROTH?! Heating the milk is so difficult because it becomes a giant foam monster, billowing out of the pot even on very low heat. Skimming the froth will remove 50% of the milk, because that’s how much froth there is. Any more tips for this aspect please? Thanks 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Steph! You could try to cook the beans first and then blend the milk, maybe it could works. So sorry the recipe didn’t work for you!

      Reply

  25. Boiling the soymilk is kind of a pain. It would definitely be easier to cook the whole, soaked beans and then throw them into the vitamix with the water and strain. I wonder if that would work. Basically, I wonder if you can make soymilk the exact same way you would make almond milk, only using whole, cooked soybeans instead of almonds.

    I just tried this recipe and I’m now making it into yogurt. Maybe I’ll try it the easier way and see how it compares.

    Reply

  27. Hi, so the recipe states 1/2 cup of soybeans and soak overnight, except after they have soaked it turns into 1 cup. My question once they have soaked and expanded, do you still use 1/2 cup or use the full cup. Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi Danielle! I add it to soups and smoothies, but you can also use it to make cookies, burger patties and so many other recipes 🙂

      Reply

  30. Hi everyone! I would strongly suggest that everyone look at the book “The Book of Tofu”. It was published back in the mid 70’s and tells and gives recipes for the entire process of making tofu, the basis of it is soymilk. In this case, raw is not better. In fact it disrupts your bodies ability to absorb essential nutrients. That said, if you follow these instructions you can make the freshest, best soymilk you could ever have. Just make sure to find good quality soybeans, since they can go a bit stale if left out too long.

    Reply

  31. Hi, I just wanted to ask, would this soy milk have the same amount of protein, calcium and b12 as the store bought one? How can I increase the nutrients

    Reply

    • Hi there! I’m so sorry, but I don’t know. It depends on the amount of soy beans they use. However, this milk doesn’t containt calcium and b12, but you can have enough calcium with a balance plant-based diet and I prefer to take a b12 supplement once a week 🙂

      Reply

  33. Hi. I enjoyed studying your recipe and all the comments and your answers. But I didn’t see an answer to something I’ve been researching. Do you use your homemade soy milk to make your yogurt? I read the Vegan Under Pressue cookbook by Jill Nussinow. She says homemade soy milk isn’t successful to make homemade soy yogurt. How does yours turn out? Do you do anything special? Thanks.

    Reply

  34. Is there any occurrences of fermentation if soaking beans longer than 12 hours? If so, how would it appear? Thanks

    Reply

  35. I found a recipe for soy milk that cooks the beans before making the milk. Has anyone tried this?

    Reply

    • Hi Sally! I think there’s not an easy way, sorry. I tried a similar recipe without removing the skins and it also worked pretty well, so you can omit this step if you want 🙂

      Reply

  38. How long would this stay good if frozen? I’d like to use it instead of milk for ice cream. So it’ll be frozen in ice cream form.

    Reply

  39. Hi i am doing a school project on soybeans and was wondering how much milk was made with the ingredients listed.

    ★★★★

    Reply

  42. I soak the beans overnight, get rid of the floating stuff as much as possible by squeezing the beans, than I cook them whole for 15 minutes, put them in the fruitjuicer with enough water and a few pitted dates and voila. Soymilk is ready. No burnt pans, no mess with cheececloths. The pulp comes out almost dry (I pour that over my plants. It’s done in less than 20 minutes including the cooking. Next time I’m going to cook them with the floating shells to see if it really makes a difference in taste. I use less water than in this recipe because I like the milk a little less watery. You can also cook a big batch of whole beans, and put them in the freezer, so you always have beans to make milk quickly.

    Reply

  43. hi does the home made soy milk need cooking for sometime like u said 20 mins? Also how long wl it last refrigerated?

    Reply

  44. Thank you so much. I am almost close to mid age man, single and further in my life trying to see better points of different vegan cultures as it is soybean. Learning in my life a little bit better to organize myself and going through certain living points not typical for me. Same as food intakes. Finding more myself personally in this kind recipes, most without spices oils or vinegars. Almost base on water cooking usually without any kind of add-on as salt pepper, or oils butter or vinegar inside of the cooking meals. Rare in my life depending to use in cooking salt, oil, vinegar or other spices. Not drinking alcohols, coffee’s, and finding myself better in this kind “untasty” living. More space for exercising, healthy style of living and cooking. Need to say that I read your blog and certain recipes to ongoing forward with my nutritional daily needs. Personally finding myself more and more in this and I like it.
    P.S.
    I am not complete vegan in my living points
    Best Regards,
    Miroslav Mladenovic

    Reply

  45. Quite good,we follow such recipes to teach people to include in their daily diets.we are in india.non gmo soyabean is easily available .but country faces malnutrition .we mean wife and me.we are over 70years old.we manufacture some soyabean products.

    Reply

  46. Simple and easy recipe. Recently my son has turned vegetarian so I am always on a lookout for veggi dishes. Thanks for sharing this Soymilk recipe Iosune.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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