Soy milk is a great alternative to cow’s milk. It’s delicious, affordable, easy to make, and only requires 2 ingredients: water and soybeans.
Soy milk is a delicious and healthy alternative to cow’s milk. You can find it at pretty much any supermarket and is so inexpensive, but homemade soy milk is much better than store-bought
It has a strong flavor, though, so it’s not my favorite milk for drinking plain, it is my favorite choice for cooking because it’s higher in fat than other plant-based milk products and has a similar texture to cow’s milk.
Making soy milk at home is really easy. You just need 2 ingredients: water and yellow soybeans, that’s all! However, you need to cook the milk before drinking it, as soy is a legume and can’t be eaten raw.
You can also add other ingredients, like vanilla extract, cocoa or carob powder, some sweetener (dates are amazing) or anything you want.
Soy is pretty controversial, it has supporters and detractors, but soy products have been consumed by centuries in Asia and they’re super healthy people, so don’t be afraid and enjoy your super tasty homemade soy milk.
In addition, soy milk is better for your health, the planet and the animals than cow’s milk, so give it a try!
How to make soy milk – Step by step
- Soak the soybeans in water overnight.
- Drain the soybeans and remove the outer skins. Then blend the soybeans with 3 cups or 750 ml of water until well blended and almost smooth (photo 1).
- Strain the blended mixture using a nut milk bag, a cheesecloth, a napkin or a fine mesh strainer (photo 2).
- Pour the mixture into a pot or a saucepan and add 1 cup or 250 ml of water (photo 3).
- Bring to a boil, stir and skim foam (photo 4).
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes (photo 5).
- Let the soy milk cool and enjoy it (photo 6). You can add other ingredients such as vanilla extract or dates. Blend the mixture if necessary.
Pro tips
- Use yellow soybeans, it’s the best kind of soybeans to make soy milk.
- Add more or less water depending on how thick you like your milk
- Feel free to add any sweeter you want or don’t add any sweetener at all. Add it gently until the milk tastes good.
- Some recipes call for a tiny amount of salt, but I prefer my milk salt-free.
- Feel free to add other ingredients like cocoa powder or ground cinnamon.
- Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3-5 days.
- You can use your soy milk to prepare recipes like vegan chocolate cake, vegan carrot cake, vegan cheesecake, vegan cinnamon rolls, or even gluten-free banana bread.
What is soy milk?
Soy milk is a type of plant milk. It is 100% plant-based and it doesn’t contain cholesterol at all. I love to use it for baking because it has a thicker texture than other types of plant milk.
Is soy milk good for you?
Yes, it is! Unless you can’t consume soy or it feels heavy in your stomach, soy milk is perfectly fine for consumption. Just remember – if the milk has been in the fridge for some time and it smells bad, don’t drink it.
Soy milk vs almond milk
Soy milk and almond milk are two different kinds of plant milk. I usually alternate between them and use them for different things; I use soy milk for cooking and baking recipes like vegan vanilla cupcakes or vegan blueberry muffins, whereas I prefer to add almond milk to my morning coffee.
Looking for more plant milk recipes?
Did you make this soy milk recipe?
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Soy Milk
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Total: 35 mins
- About 2 cups (500 ml) 1x
- How To, Drink
- Vegan, Chinese
Servings About 2 cups (500 ml) 1x
Soy milk is a great alternative to cow’s milk. It’s delicious, affordable, easy to make, and only requires 2 ingredients: water and soybeans.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried soybeans (80 g)
- 4 cups water (1 l)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or a piece of vanilla bean (optional)
- 4 dates (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the soybeans in water overnight (ideally 12 hours or longer).
- Drain the soybeans and remove the outer skins. Removing the outer skins is optional, but your milk will have a better texture if you do.
- Blend the soybeans with 3 cups of water (750 ml) until well blended and almost smooth.
- Strain the blended mixture using a nut milk bag, a cheesecloth, a napkin or a fine mesh strainer.
- Pour the mixture into a pot or a saucepan and add 1 cup of water (250 ml). Bring to a boil, stir and skim foam.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
- Let cool the soy milk. You can add other ingredients such as vanilla extract or dates. Blend the mixture if necessary.
- Use it to prepare recipes like vegan chocolate cake, vegan carrot cake, vegan cheesecake, vegan cinnamon rolls, gluten-free banana bread, vegan vanilla cupcakes, or vegan blueberry muffins.
- Keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3-5 days.
Notes
- Use yellow soybeans, it’s the best kind of soybeans to make soy milk.
- Add more or less water depending on how thick you like your milk
- Feel free to add any sweetener you want or don’t add any at all. Add it gently until the milk tastes good.
- Some recipes call for a tiny amount of salt, but I prefer my milk salt-free.
- Feel free to add other ingredients like cocoa powder or ground cinnamon.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (250 ml)
- Calories: 95
- Sugar: 2.1 g
- Sodium: 16 mg
- Fat: 4.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.2 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 9.5 g
Update Notes: This post was originally published in Mayo of 2014, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips in October of 2021.
Soy milk is great. And it really is this simple to make. I wish you didn’t hype it as a healthy replacement to cow’s milk, however. Virtually no nutrition expert would support the view that any milk replacement, especially soy milk, is as healthy and full of nutrition as cow’s milk. There are many reasons to drink soy instead of cow’s milk, but nutrition is not one of them (unless you are lactose intolerant). Let’s keep to the facts, rather than espouse false information.
Hi Brandon! The nutritional values of soy milk and cow’s milk are different 🙂
I also am wondering if you could cook the beans before blending them. I would like to use the pulp. I don’t know how I would cook the pulp before adding to a smoothie or other raw recipe.
Hi! I haven’t tried to cook the beans but I think it’s better not to cook them! Also, you can see here: https://simpleveganblog.com/chocolate-hazelnut-truffles/ how we use the pulp 🙂 In this case, we use hazelnut pulp but feel free to use soy pulp!
Does anyone have any savoury recipes for the pulp at all? Thanks
Hi! You can add it to your cakes or breads! Also, our truffles are just amazing: https://simpleveganblog.com/chocolate-hazelnut-truffles/ 🙂 In this case, we use hazelnut pulp but feel free to use soy pulp!
Hi,
I’ve tried this recipe and the consistency is great. The milk kind of tastes like soap though? What could that be? After blending and filtering I boiled it for little over 20 minutes so the fasin should be gone?
Hi Sandra! I think it could be due to the brand of soy you used 🙂
how much calcium does 1 cup have?
Hi! I don’t know exactly how much calcium is in 1 cup, sorry!
Why my soya milk comes out like cream (or even custard)? Did I blend the soy too smooth (too long in the blender) or didn’t I use enough water (usually I put around 4 cups of water for 1 cup of soy)? It doesn’t affect the taste, fortunately, but it is a bit weird if I want to drink it as milk (so far I only use it for my tea).
Hi Emily! Maybe you need to add more water next time 🙂
I just startet to make soymilk and I am wondering why not cook the soybeans before blending, it would be much easier to remove the skin and to use the pulp for other recepts. Or how you use it for the truffles ?
Hi Petra! It is not necessary to cook them just soak them!
This is a question, not a comment!
Commercial soy milk has vitamin B12 added. Is there a way of doing this with home made?
I ask because I rely on my purchased milk to help me get enough of that elusive vitamin!
Hi Mary! I haven’t tried it myself but I think it is not possible 🙂
You can get liquid B12 drops that you could add. But TBH if you just want to make sure your diet isn’t deficient in any odds and ends you might as well just take a multivitamin; it’s cheaper (the supermarket stuff is just as good as the fancy brands) and it’ll contain a wider range of micronutrients.
Of course, if you think you might have a particular medical condition (rather than just needing to top up your diet for those vitamins that a vegan diet is lower in) then see a doctor, don’t take advice from random idiots on the Internet like me 😉
Do I need to cook the soy milk if I am going to use it to make tofu?
Thank you
Hi Margaret! I haven’t tried to make tofu but I think you need to cook the soy milk 🙂
Looks great. Does it matter if you don’t peel the soybeans after soaking?
Hi Evelyn! Feel free not to peel the soybeans after soaking 🙂
I used the pulp as an add in for my dog’s food!
Thanks for the tip 🙂
This recipe worked really well. I did not skim the foam whilst it was cooking and it seemed to dissipate on its own during the cooking process. I found the easiest way to remove the skins from the beans was to put them in a metal flour sieve and shake gently from side to side then drop the beans back into water and the skins floated. Thank you again for another amazing recipe.
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Hi Cazzie! Thanks for your tip 🙂
My soy milk is boiling and it’s looking great. Thanks for the easy to follow recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
Hope you like it Jacqueline 🙂
Great site. Can I leave the pulp in the soymilk when I make it? I don’t understand why we wouldn’t want the fiber. Would it make it go bad?.
Thanks! It’s just because of the consistency 🙂
I made this and it’s great! I didn’t skim the foam. I thought I would have to shake it before using, but the next morning when i got it out of the fridge, the foam had all dissolved into the milk. I do have a question. Is there anything you can do with the “sludge” left over after straining? It looks sort of cheese-like. I wonder if you could make cheese out of it.
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Oops, i see this question has already been answered sorry!
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Don’t worry! Have a nice day ☺️
Hi! Feel free to use the leftover in your vegan burgers, meatballs, nuggets or even in cookies, balls or smoothies ☺️
What is the amount of soybeans? I can’t seem to find it
½ cup dried soybeans (80 g) 🙂
Wow thanks alot I actually made it and it was tasty.
So glad you liked it, Teo 🙂 Have a nice day!
Great milk.
Is there anything i can do with the left over soya pulp?
Add to cake or bread mix perhaps?
Hi Sophie! Feel free to add it to your cakes or breads! Also, we have a recipe with pulp: https://simpleveganblog.com/chocolate-hazelnut-truffles/ 🙂 In this case, we use hazelnut pulp but you can use soy pulp 🙂
Pro Tip – buy a soy making machine on ebay – you can find for 100 aud and buy borasilicate glass bottles from a laboratory supply store -about 13 aud for a 1 litre bottle – so easy to pour the hot milk straight into the bottle ( just remember they are hot) – I have two bottles and I make soy milk once a week – one after the other less cleaning up . I actually add cream to my soy milk for coffee because I am more interested in taste and less packaging and transport and keto then being vegan – but thats me . I even planted some of the beans this week because apparently one plant will yield enough soy beans for a litre of milk so why not see if I can grow enough for 2 litres a week ( 104 plants to grow in a year) , Don’t forget to use the okara in cakes. I never bother with removing the skins the machine grinds them up – you can make other stuff in the soy milk machine as well
Thanks for your suggestion! Have a nice day 🙂
The most important tip from my experience is to use a larger pot than you think you need and DO NOT walk away or even turn away from the pot until you turn the heat down to simmer. Otherwise, it overflows so fast and messy stove top cleanup will follow.
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Thank for the tip 🙂
How do you remove the soybean outer skins?
Hi Bonnie! Here is an article: https://tempebumbung.wordpress.com/2020/07/21/tempeh-making-process-how-to-dehull-soybeans/ that explains it in an easy way 🙂 Hope I have helped you a bit!
I don’t bother removing the skins; I just blend them as is. Any fibrous shreds from the skins all come out when you strain it anyway.
The strained pulp I make into tempeh. You just dry it out enough that it’s like damp sawdust rather than like mashed potato, and treat it like any other tempeh substrate.
Can we boil again after keeping cooked soya milk in the freezer.
Hi! Feel free to boil it again 🙂
Hi Losune, thank you for sharing your brilliant vegan recipes especially the soy milk. I have tried preparing mine and it was wonderful but I discovered my milk cuddles after it cools down. Is there a way I can prevent my soy milk from cuddling?
Lastly, I prefer using dates as my sweetener, but can I blend the soy beans and dates together during the initial stage of preparation or anh better advice?
Hi Adams! Don’t know why your milk curdles after it cools down. Have you followed the recipe to a T?
I recommend you not to blend the soy and the dates together!
Hope I have helped you 🙂
It doesn’t say the quantity of soya beans in the recipe.
½ cup dried soybeans (80 g) 🙂
I haven’t made it but am confused by your nutrition numbers. They don’t jive with the ingredients you used.
You put in 80 grams of soy which literature says is 39% protein at most. It’s in 1000 grams of water, so how does less than 32 grams protein total become 9.5 grams per cup (236.5 mL) when that would be 32 g protein/ 1000g water = 0.032g protein /mL water. So 0.032 g protein /mL water x 236.5 mL water = 7.568 g protein/cup. But your nutrition info says 9.5 g protein per cup. You didn’t put that much in. Where did the extra come from?
Maybe some of the water boils off during the boil step, which would concentrate the protein. Not sure if it would concentrate it that much though.
Can you fortify the soy milk, like the store bought brands; I want to make sure to get my calcium etc? Also, I have a soy-milk maker. Would I still need to boil the milk afterwards to get rid of the beany taste? Lastly, can you make oat milk in a soy milk maker?
yes you can, you just need to shake it up like you would store-bought, and yes, and no
Thanks for your help, Billiebean 🙂
Hi Susan, I have never try to fortify it but I think you can do it. If you use a soy-milk maker you also have to boil the milk, this will make it more digestive. Lastly, soy-milk maker is only for soy milk!
Have a nice day 🙂