How to Make Homemade Soy Milk

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Intro: How to Make Homemade Soy Milk

Soy milk is a very healthy addition to anyone's refrigerator. It is filled with nutrients and a great beverage for work, school, or anytime. Store-bought soy milk can get pretty expensive especially compared to regular cow's milk. Soybeans, on the other hand, can be found for a much better price and can even be bought organically. I will show you how to make your own (organic) soy milk and the great thing is you don't even need to spend money a soy milk machine. Soy milk is very simple and easy to make and can be used in many other yummy, healthy desserts, too.


Thank you for those who voted for this instructable!

STEP 1: Ingredients

To make about 2 quarts and 1 1/2 pints of soy milk, you will need:
  • 1 cup of soybeans (I bought my soybeans for $0.89 a pound- so this recipe would only cost about 2 quarters :)
  • 11 total cups of water (this will be added two to three cups at a time)
  • 1/4 cup of sugar (this probably will be adjusted according to your tastes- not pictured)
Some equipment is also needed but nothing you can't find in your kitchen :)
  • A blender
  • A pot (should be fairly big and be able to hold at least 11 cups)
  • Multiple bowls
  • A cheesecloth (this is for straining the mixture so other items could be used in place of this, like a strainer)
  • A wooden spatula for stirring
  • A container for holding the finished soy milk

STEP 2: Preparation

Pour the soybeans and 2 of the 11 cups of water into one of the bowls (make sure there is enough room for the soybeans and 1 cups of water and the water covers the top of the beans). Soak the soybeans for at least 8 hours (if I have the time, I would even soak it overnight). Be sure to add more water if the water level falls below the level of the soybeans.

STEP 3: Blending

Pour the water the soybeans were soaking in into the blender. Then pour all the soybeans into the blender. Add four cups of water and blend until smooth.

STEP 4: Straining

Then pour the soybean mixture into the cheesecloth and hold over the pot. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can. After, pour the leftover soybean pulp back into the blender and add 3 more cups of water and blend until smooth. Repeat straining the mixture through the cheesecloth. Pour the pulp into the blender again and add 2 more cups of water (this brings you to 11 total cups). Strain the mixture again.

STEP 5: Boiling

You have now made raw soy milk! Put the pot on the stove top and turn the heat to high. Stir the mixture until it comes to a boil. Make sure to keep the soy milk from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Skim the top to get some of the foam off. Boil the mixture for 2-3 minutes.

STEP 6: Flavoring and Finish :)

Add about 1/4 cup of sugar to taste (1 teaspoon per cup). Other flavors can also be used to flavor soy milk. Some ideas are:
  • Vanilla
  • Chocolate
  • Fruits (like strawberry and blueberry)
  • Honey
Congratulations you have now finished making soy milk! Soy milk can be enjoyed either hot or cold. It can also be used for baking but is very delicious by itself. Leave a comment and tell me how yours came out!

179 Comments

Thank you very much for the exposure. But I want to know if I'm to commence the process with the shell still on it?
Great instruction! I am up against two DIFFERENT techniques. Any comment from anyone would be appreciated. THIS recipe leaves the soy raw until it has been sufficiently liquified, then it is cooked. If I'm recalling the instructions I read yesterday, the soybeans were somewhat cooked before taking off the soymilk -- and I think there may not have been a repeat addition of water . . . . memory has aging blah-las, sorry. Also, I have read about the SoyaGrow (?name) soy milk maker and it sounds wonderful but I'm not buying a Chinese product. So --any alternatives to suggest?. Thanks again for the very clear instructions and . . . more later after I give it a try!

i use a Soyajoy G4 automatic soy milk maker, which is well worth the investment if you are going to continuously make soy milk at home as I do. It will also make soy milk from dry soybeans, which I prefer out of convenience. It also seems to me that the soy milk made from dry soybeans doesn't go bad as quickly as that made from soaked beans. I add 4 ounces by weight of non-GMO soybeans and 1/4 cup of old fashioned oatmeal to the milk maker, add the water to between the marks and start the cycle. Once it is done, I strain the mixture through a very fine mesh strainer that is provided with the G4. I usually strain it twice to get as much pulp out as possible. I strain it into a 2 quart plastic pitcher and add 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger, and two packets of sweetener (I use the stuff in the yellow packets), stir it together, add enough water to bring the level up to the bottom of the pour spout, and swish it together to mix. The ginger counters the "grassy" taste of the soy. I have also found that the taste improves considerably once it is chilled and has sat overnight. It is remarkably close to cow's milk in taste, texture, and appearance. I use it exactly as one would use cow's milk with no appreciable difference, including using it in coffee. To make a thicker coffee creamer, I add 3 heaping tablespoons of powdered coffee creamer to 1 1/2 cups of the hot soy milk and store in the refrigerator.

They've graduated to G5. The fact that the machine is made in China, which isn't anywhere honestly owned up to, has not changed. I live by purchasing from ABC. There are alternatives.
Hello, how long before the soymilk goes bad
About 5 days. It seems to last a bit longer if I make it with dry soybeans instead of soaked soybeans.
How many cups of water do I need for boiling
How long should this soy milk last in the refrigerator?

How can I prepare soymilk so it stay long with out fridge
Thank you for teaching me how to prepare soy milk. What can i do for my soy milk to last long without being in the fridge
hi this George. what happens if you boil the milk for so long?
and what is the boiling time for one pan of soyabeans when boiling?
there is one problem, am making it for commercial use and when i boil the milk on heat for about 1 and half hour then some yellowish water comes to the top after i scoop the foam and let it to cool
You said 2 quarts, but is it UK quart or US quart? Please mention one proper unit.
....Thank you..
Please how do I make my soy milk to have a thick consistency? A friend asked me to try corn flour or gelatin. Has it been tried by you.?

hi! I just made this tonight and it had a very strong soy taste. Is that how it should be or should I boil it longer? I brought it to a boil and then timed 3 mins. then removed from the heat. I waited 10 mins then added 1/4 c sugar and 2 tsps vanilla.

I am nervous that perhaps I soaked the beans too long, all night and all day and perhaps the beans began to ferment. In the photo above, your soaked beans are in clear water. My bean water had some bubbles and slight foam, though there was no fermented smell. Help :/

A strong soy taste is fine. In fact, that's how Asians like it. But most Westerners don't like it and prefer it to taste more milk-like so manufacturers have found ways to lessen the soy taste, often with the use of additives. If your beans were under water, it's unlikely to have fermented overnight. Refrigerate if you're worried about spoilage. Also, boil for at least 10 mins at 212F to deactivate the phytohaemagglutinin, a toxin present in most beans. The 2-3 in this recipe is too short. The 10 mins won't affect the taste, but it does make the soymilk safe to drink.

How do you make fermented soy milk. I heard that any soy you eat it should be fermented including the milk. I don’t see any recipes on how long you should soak the beans to make a fermented milk. I’ve soaked beans for 8 to 12 hours an then I make the milk in the soyjoy g4 but I’m nit sure that’s considered fermented it doesn’t taste fermented . Any suggestions???
Hi,

Is soaking soybeans for 8-10 hours considered fermented beans for soy milk ? Or do they need to be soaked longer at room temperature.

Kind regards
Meggen
I make tofu and soy milk at home. The dry beans have not been washed so they need to be prior to soaking. Soaking removes most of the obnoxious gas in the dry beans so you don't want to consume this water. Drain and use it to water your outdoors plants. Replace with equal amount of clean water for your soy milk. Don't worry about squeezing the last drop of soy milk because the solids can be used to make tempeh. Contrary to most recipe instructions, the soy beans don't need to be hulled. I only list one link for why you should not use the soaked water.
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Hello

How do I make tempeh from the rest of the left over ? Please explain

thanks

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