Homemade Soy Milk
Soy milk has many health benefits and nutrition. It’s my favorite beverage.
I can drink it every day, as breakfast, whenever I am thirsty and all through the day.
You can get it at any regular grocery stores. You can also buy it at Chinese or Asian food stores.
Homemade is always better and richer in taste, with a pleasant soy aroma. So, how to make soy bean milk at home?
Chinese Soy Milk Recipe
In this tutorial, I will teach you the easy step-by-step.
It’s made with organic and non-GMO soybeans, unlike mass-produced and packaged brands that are made with non-organic, GMO (genetically modified) soybeans and preservatives.
History of Soy Milk
It is called doujiang in Chinese, or 豆浆.
It’s a traditional beverage and a staple in Asia, especially in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
The Chinese invented this refreshing drink thousands of years ago. They also made tofu and tofu skin from it.
This beverage is very versatile and can be served sweet or salty.
In China and Taiwan, soy milk with fried Chinese crullers or youtiao is a staple breakfast for many people.
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe calls for only three (3) main ingredients:
- Soybeans. Please use organic and non-GMO soybeans for the best results. You can buy them online or at stores such as Whole Foods.
- Water.
- Sugar.
How to Make Soy Milk?
While there are many soy milk makers or machines available in the market specifically for making this milky beverage, you don’t really it.
You can use a blender or food processor to blend the soybeans.
I used Blendtec to blend the soybeans and it was really easy, quick and hassle free.
First, rinse the soybeans thoroughly with water and soak them overnight with water.
The next day, discard the water and rinse the soybeans a few times. Remove the soybean skins as much as you can. Drain and set aside.
Next, blend the soybeans with water and bring the mixture to boil.
Simmer on low heat until the milk reduces to your desired consistency.
I like my soy milk richer so I simmer it longer for a thicker consistency.
Before serving, use a cheese cloth or cloth coffee filter to filter out the soybean residue.
Add sugar to taste or serve salty with Chinese youtiao.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Soy Milk Good for You?
Vegetable protein is very healthy and hence it is good for you.
It has many benefits for our health and it’s also rich in all kinds of nutrition.
Can I Freeze It?
I don’t recommend freezing because you drink it as a beverage all through the day.
You can keep it cool in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, without any preservatives.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 171 calories per cup.
What to Serve with This Recipe?
Serve it as a hot beverage with traditional Chinese noodles or side dishes. For a healthy Chinese or Taiwanese-style breakfast, I recommend the following recipes.
5 Secrets to 20 Min Dinners
Get tricks for quick & easy meals!
Soy Milk
Learn how to make soy milk with this homemade and easy Chinese soy milk recipe. Complete with step-by-step picture guide and calls for only soy beans, water and sugar.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. 0.6 kg organic and non-GMO soybeans
- 15 cups water
- Sugar to taste
Directions
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1Rinse the soybeans thoroughly with water and soak them overnight in water.
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2The next day, discard the water and rinse the soybeans a few times. Remove the soybean skins as much as you can. Drain and set aside.
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3In a blender, blend the soybeans in five (5) batches. Add 3 cups of water to each batch of soy beans and blend well.
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4Transfer the blended mixture into a big 8-quart stock pot. Repeat the same until all soybeans are blended.
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5Bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. As soon as it boils, lower the heat to low and simmer for about 5- 10 minutes or until the soy milk reduces to your desired consistency.
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6
Turn off the heat once the soy milk is done. Use a cheese cloth or cloth coffee filter (you can get it on Amazon) to filter out the soybean residue. You may use a ladle to press down on the soybean residue to extract all soy milk. Discard the residue.
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7Add sugar to taste before serving the soy milk.
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8If you like salty soy milk, do not add sugar. You can add fried youtiao or Chinese crullers. Cut them into pieces and add them into the soy milk for a substantial breakfast.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
There are many ways to make soy milk. Some people blend the soy beans and then filter out the blended soy beans before boiling the soy milk. This is the easiest method. I personally prefer my method above because boiling the soy beans bring out deeper and richer flavors of the soy milk, with the aromas of cooked soy beans infused in the soy milk.
I prefer my method because boiling the blended soy beans releases the soy aroma. The soy milk is also richer in taste.
LNE
I had soy milk in China many years ago, while it was better than the asian soy milk in Canada, it was not that memorable. I had fresh soy milk in Taiwan a couple of years ago and nothing else has been better! It was fresh, thick, smooth and creamy. This recipe with the 1:2.5 ratio, will definitely give you a thick and creamy soy milk. The texture and viscosity was similar to egg nog. I made a smaller batch, 260 grams of dried soy beans with 6.5 cups of water. I used a Vitamix and only used just enough water to cover the beans for the first 30 seconds then added more water for another 30 seconds, reserving 1.5 of cups of cold water for later. After boiling for 5 to 10 mins, I used a nut milk bag to strain and found most of soy milk flowed through easily. With the nut milk bag resting on a metal strainer/sieve, I used my rubber spatula to press out more soy milk, I then poured the reserved water into the nut milk bag to cool down the okara before giving it a good squeeze. I simmered the strained soy milk for another 15 – 20 minutes to pasteurize and to cook off the beany flavour. I ended up with just under 2 litres of soy milk, I added a heaping 1/4 cup of sugar and it was perfect! Hardest part was the continuous stirring, I got lazy on my second attempt (different recipe) and burned my soy milk. I recommend using a rubber spatula so you can scrape the bottom of the pot while stirring to make sure nothing sticks and burns. If I was making tofu, I would use a 1:4 ratio, if you use any higher ratios for just soy milk then you may as well just buy it in-store =P
M
You’ve thought of it all thanks
Katy
How much can this make based on your recipe?
Rasa Malaysia
14 cups.
Lillian Tsang
Do you have to stir the soy milk while boiling it? We make it using a similar method as yours, and even though we stir it often, we still have a lot of soy sticking on the bottom of the pot..
shin
Hi, what voltage of blender should we use to blend the beans?
Rasa Malaysia
You don’t have to change the voltage. Just blend.
shin
Would it work with a 500Watt output blender?
Shawn Chong
Awesome recipe, clear instructions and tasty soya milk!
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome thanks Shawn.
Nat
The 1.5 pounds of soy beans you use issue that 1.5 pounds before or after soaking. About how many cups would that be?
Rasa Malaysia
Before soaking. I am not sure how many cups. I weigh.
Nat
great! thanks! I love your website, lots of tastes from my mom’s cooking that I miss
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Nat thanks so much for your support. Happy cooking! :)
Régis Stéphant
hello i would liket to try your recipe which looks great, however i am a bit confused (i min France and used to liters) with the quantities.
How do you read 7 quarts 6 1/2 liter water
thanks for your help
Rasa Malaysia
It’s 7 quarts or 6 1/2 liters.
Alex P Rosenkrantz
Hi Bee,
Thanks for the recipe. I guess live and learn because making soymilk is a pain in the mass. I’m in the middle of cooking it now and have had to scrape the bottom every two minutes during the trying to boil stage because it starts to stick. And it boiled over even while diligently scraping and watching! I’m buying a soymilk machine! ! I guess good acquired knowledge, but I’m never making soymilk over the stove top again. Anyways, I would preface your article with an open and blunt paragraph stating this is a pain, just but a machine, but if not here you go. Regardless, thanks for the recipe and blog, but I think more frank, open, opinion will pay your blog dividends.
谢谢
Rasa Malaysia
I am not sure why but I didn’t have that issue when I made it.
Katy
My grandmother made it the same way except she will filter the soybean after blending before boiling. Maybe if you do it this way you won’t have soybean stuck on the bottom of the pot.
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, but doing it this way also means that you won’t get the soy fragrance. So there are pros and cons.
Lina Lane
You need to use a heavy bottom pot – stainless steel not aluminum. That could be the Issue It works for me.
attoh kojo bruce-ababio
this will be my first experience of preparing soy milk on my own……bruce-ababio
Rasa Malaysia
Awesome!!
Ne erp
I know this is an old thread, and I don’t know if anyone will ever read this…
1) Do NOT buy cheap bulk soybeans! They produce poorly. Most American soy bean growers grow soy beans designed for being turned into soy oil and livestock food. These will not give good results. Find an Asian market and buy soybeans grown for making tofu, you will get much better yields. There are growers in California that grow good Japanese or Asian soybeans, or you can just buy imported soy beans.
2) Soymilk MUST be cooked for at least seven minutes to destroy enzymes that are toxic. I cook mine for ten. It is NEVER necessary to cook soymilk more than ten minutes. Get your soybean/water ratio right from the start. NEVER simmer soy milk to thicken it.
3) Buy a good book on tofu and soy milk making. A lot of the online recipes are WRONG. The old Japanese Tofu masters make tofu from soymilk that was made from approximately 8 cups of water to 1 cup of beans. I use that same ratio and I get perfect tofu. If you are just making it for the soy milk, you use less water depending on how rich you want your soy milk, usually 4-6 cups water per cup of soy beans. Again – go buy a good book on soy milk and tofu making.
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks for your tips!