Learning how to make soy milk is fun and enriching and a lot easier than you might think. This preservative-free and additive-free homemade soy milk works great for drinking, culturing, or making tofu.
The leftover fiber is called okara, or u no hara, and can be dried or frozen for use in cooking, or as fertilizer. Homemade Soy milk has a slightly grassy flavor compared to soy milk bought commercially. Here’s exactly how to make soy milk at home!
SOY MILK RECIPE
Soy milk is a great alternative to animal milk. It’s delicious, can be made at home affordably and easily, and it’s so simple. Just soybeans and water. Of course, we like to do all kinds of fun things with our soy milk like make dairy-free yogurt or tofu, but it’s also fantastic just to drink.
SUPPLIES FOR MAKING HOMEMADE SOY MILK:
- Container for soaking beans – You can use any container that holds 4 or more cups, but we like to use 32 oz. Mason Jars.
- Blender – As long as the beans are well-soaked, most blenders will work perfectly fine.
- Strainer - Cheesecloth, like our fine-meshed Butter Muslin Cheesecloth, works fine, but we haven’t found anything more convenient than these Organic Cotton Nut Milk Bags.
- Heavy-bottom Pan – A thin pan doesn’t disperse heat as evenly and can lead to scorching.
INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING SOY MILK AT HOME:
If you like, you can add various things to your soy milk like a little sugar, some agave nectar, a pinch of salt, or even something a little more interesting like cinnamon or cocoa. You are going to want to use yellow soybeans as they make the best soy milk.
- ½ cup soybeans
- 2-3 cups water for soaking
- 4 cups water for blending
- Sugar to taste (optional)
SOY MILK RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS:
- Soak soybeans in 2-3 cups of water overnight. This will soften the soybeans and get them ready for blending.
- Discard the water and rinse soybeans. We want to get rid of any of the dirt or contaminants that were on the beans themselves.
- Remove skins as best you can. You can rub the beans by hand while they’re underwater. The released skins will float to the top and can be skimmed off. Don’t worry if you can’t get them all. Blending the beans will release all that soy nutrition.
- Add soybeans and 4 cups water to a blender.
- Blend until smooth. This step exposes the entire bean to the water, ensuring we wring all the nutrition we can from these beans for our homemade soy milk.
- Strain the blended mixture using cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. Our testing has led us to these organic cotton nut milk bags. They’re a great balance of tightly woven cloth that keeps the pulp inside, porous enough to let the milk flow freely, tough enough to withstand multiple milkings, and with a tie-close top that prevents blowouts.
- Heat the strained milk in a heavy-bottom pan to 212ºF (100ºC). Hold this temperature for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Cool the milk and store. This is an important step since, as a legume, soy can’t be consumed raw.
- Refrigerate up to 4 days.
VARYING YOUR SOY MILK RECIPE
Soy milk is a delicious and variable product all by itself, but if you want to, you can really amp up the flavor of your soy milk with a few simple additions. Try adding any of the following to your soy milk:
- Add cocoa powder and a little sweetener while your soy milk is hot
- Blend soy milk with the fruit of your choice
- Blend with cinnamon
- Add a sweetener like honey, agave or maple syrup
- Add a splash of vanilla
WHY MAKE SOY MILK AT HOME
Homemade soy milk is a great alternative milk for making yogurt. You can also use it for making homemade tofu or in non-dairy yogurt recipes. Cultures for Health is your one-stop shop for all things fermentation and cultures and that includes making your own soy milk! From all the tools you need to multiple different all-in-one kits that have everything you need to start making your own food at home, we have it all and take all the guesswork out of navigating the fermentation world. Click here and download our yogurt recipe book for your homemade soy milk and our available fermenting supplies.
Post time: Mar-03-2023