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 dairy milk. It is packed with nutrients and health benefits and this homemade recipe is way better than any beverage you can find at the grocery store.
It is dairy and lactose-free, so it is perfect for you if you have lactose intolerance. Besides, it only requires 2 simple ingredients! You actually need to blend the soy beans with water and then strain them using a nut milk bag.
How to make soy milk - Step by step
- Soak the soybeans in water overnight.
- Drain the soybeans and remove the outer skins. Then add them to a powerful blender and blend them 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).
Pro tips
- Use yellow soybeans, it's the best kind of soybeans to make this milk. They're a great source of protein. Soy protein is one of the best vegetable ones!
- Add more or less water depending on how thick you like your milk. However, it naturally tends to be thicker than other milk alternatives.
- 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.
- Before you drink it you need to cook the milk, as soy is a legume and can't be eaten raw.
- You can use your soy milk to prepare recipes like vegan chocolate cake, vegan carrot cake, or vegan cheesecake, or have it with your cereal in the morning.
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, this kind of plant milk is perfectly fine for consumption, as it has been in Asia for centuries. 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 the first one for cooking and baking recipes, whereas I prefer to add almond milk to my coffee and smoothies.
Looking for more plant milk recipes?
Did you make this soy milk recipe?
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Soy Milk
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried soybeans
- 4 cups water
- 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.
- Add them to a powerful blender and blend them 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.
- 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
Update Notes: This post was originally published in May of 2014, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips in January of 2022.
Carolyn says
So easy to make and tastes great with nothing at all added. Why do you simmer for so long?
Iosune says
Hi Carolyn! Because soy is a legume and you need to cook it really well 🙂
Margaret says
According to the Non-GMO project, "Soybean is the number one genetically modified crop in the world, representing half of all worldwide biotech crop acreage with an 82% adoption rate among soy farmers." One real danger of gmo foods may come from the heavy use of pesticides to grow them. So, if you want to avoid gmo's, you'll want to purchase organic soy beans.
Iosune says
Hi Margaret! Most of the GMO soy is for the animals, not for humans. Here in Europe, you can only find non-GMO soy products 🙂 You should be more worried if you eat animal products, but not if you're eating vegan soy foods. Have a nice day!
Judy says
I'm amazed that you are still pushing soy anything after it was revealed almost 2 yrs. ago that all the soybeans in the US are now GMO and poisoned with Roundup. No other countries in the world are buying our soybeans now. We can't even give them away!
Iosune says
Hi Judy! I think most GMO soybeans is for the animals, not for humans, but just buy non-GMO soybeans 🙂
Rehna says
Is it ok tht not to remove soy bean skin after soaking ??
John Chatfield says
I normally don't remove the skins but I tried a batch with the skins removed and didn't notice any difference in the milk produced. I still ended up with a milk that was just as thin as with the skins and tasted the same.
Iosune says
Hi John! Thanks a lot for your comment 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Rehna! It's optional, so it's up to you 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Rehna! Yes, you can omit that step 🙂
Rose says
Can i make a flour from the beans left after draining the milk?
Thank you
Iosune says
Hi Rose! I've never tried it myself, but I think it should work. There are so many recipes on the internet with okara (the soy pulp left when you make soy milk). Have a nice day!
Sanjay says
Soy milk (how to dispose of soy smell)
Evelyn Lim Lay Lin says
Enjoyed reading your recipe. To get rid of the beany taste of soy milk, I boil the milk for at least 25 minutes.
Iosune says
Hi Evelyn! Thanks a lot for your comment 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Sanjay! My milk hadn't a strong smell, but you could try to boil it longer 🙂
Michelle Gauthier says
I'm having difficulty finding yellow soybeans, is this essential? Thank you!
Daniel says
No, its not. They can call them yellow or white or whatever... All these soybeans taste similar because they are all from the soybean family. Soy family makes great milk. As long as it is NON-GMO
Iosune says
Hi Daniel! Thank you so much for your comment 🙂
Evelyn Lim Lay Lin says
I find that the best soy milk are from organic Canadian soy beans.
Iosune says
Hi Evelyn! Thaks a lot 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Michelle! I've only made this recipe using yellow soybeans, sorry!
Emma says
This was amazing! I was craving comfort food and not a lentil version. This really hit the spot.
Iosune says
Hi Emma! Thank you so much 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Guillaume J Williams says
If my milk coagulates in the refrigerator, do you know if anything can be made from these curds?
Daniel says
So what if it becomes solid? Proceed as usual.
Iosune says
Hi Guillaume! I'm so sorry, but I don't...
Kirsten says
What a great recipe. Do you soak the beans at room temperature or in the fridge? Does that matter at all?
Iosune says
Hi Kristen! Thanks a lot 🙂 At room temperature, but I think it doesn't matter.
John Chatfield says
With the non-organic beans that I use, soaking them at room temperature resulted in a better flavor and less Okara as compared to soaking them in the refrigerator. See my other comments about rinsing them prior to soaking.
Nate says
Hi there! I just found your blog, I'm looking into what it would take to make our own non-dairy milk like this or almond milk.
Is the recipe scalable? I ask as being part of a two-person household where we both work full time (and love our smoothies) we go through a couple of litres of packaged soy milk a week at the moment. Spending an hour every two days to make our own milk I'm not sure works, although being able to do a batch each weekend might! Thanks!
Iosune says
Hi Nate! This milk only lasts 3-5 days, but nut milks are made in just seconds, for example cashew milk is really delicious and you just need to blend the cashews and the water, that's all, you don't even need to drain the milk. Any nut will do 🙂
Renee says
I followed a similar recipe, and the flavor was really beany in not a good way. Is there anything I can do to reduce the grassy/beany flavor?
Iosune says
Hi Renee! You should try my recipe 🙂 My milk hasn't that flavor at all...
John Chatfield says
Prior to soaking, I rinse the raw beans in a strainer until there are no more bubbles. This is to remove any organics on the beans that would cause them to go bad while soaking. Then I soak them for 12 hours at room temperature followed by soaking them in the refrigerator for several more hours. I then give the soaked beans a good rinse. And I think it is important that when cooking the beans, you bring them to a rolling boil to drive off unwanted flavors. This gives me a good thick milk with good flavor.
Iosune says
Hi John! Thank you so much for your comment 🙂
John says
Renee,
Based on information that I found on other websites, I rinse the raw beans in a strainer until there are no longer any bubbles. This is to remove any bacteria present on the surface of the bean so that I can soak them at room temperature for 12 hours and not have them go bad. I also think it is important to bring beans (either before or after blending) to a rolling boil. I have no experience to say that either of these suggestion will help with your issue.
Best of luck.
Iosune says
Hi John! Thank you so much for your comment 🙂