Homemade Organic Soymilk
May 14th, 2008
Stumble it!
When I decide to do a food experiment, I’m pretty good at predicting how the final product will turn out. I’ve been thinking about making my own soymilk for a while now, even though I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like the end result. So I spent some time looking for tips on how to make the best tasting soymilk at home. With those tricks up my sleeve, I started soaking the beans last night and crossed my fingers, hoping my initial prediction would be wrong.
But I was right. As pretty as my soymilk is, I wouldn’t drink a glass if you paid me.
Now, it’s not terrible. It’s not even bad. It’s just different. I was REALLY hoping I’d be all “homemade soymilk tastes better!” and “commercial soymilk sucks!” but sadly, my palate is keenly attuned to Silk brand soymilk, which has been processed and messed with to such a degree that I think it might be impossible to replicate it at home.
It bums me out that I like commercial stuff better, but them’s the breaks.
Usually I don’t share recipes on my blog that I don’t approve of (on the rare occasions that I do, I’m not shy about saying so), but I think the process of making soymilk is interesting. I thought you might like to see how you can make it at home without a fancy $100 machine. I hear the machines are great, mind you, but if you’re considering buying one you should definitely give this a go before you invest in one to make sure you’ll like the taste.
And just because I don’t like the taste of homemade soymilk, it doesn’t mean you won’t. It’s… beany. And… well? Beany is the best word for it. I’m also hoping that someone who makes tasty soymilk at home all the time will read this, discover a flaw in my recipe or technique, and give me the secret to tasty soymilk. This was my first time making it, afterall, so it’s possible the I just screwed the whole thing up.
Soaking the beans
Right. So the first thing you’ll need is organic dried soybeans. I hear there’s a particular variety called Laura soybeans that have a better taste, but they’re expensive and only available online. I picked mine up at my local grocery store in the bulk section. The night before you make your soymilk, soak the beans in a large amount of cool water overnight.
It’s amazing how much water these babies soak up, so give them ample space to expand. If you’re going to soak them for more than 8-10 hours, soak ‘em in the refrigerator. They’ll keep refrigerated for a few days, just change the water whenever you think of it. (At left: dry vs. soaked)
Removng the Skins
I read that you can reduce the beany taste of your soymilk by removing the skins before blending them with water. They were supposed to “slip right off” after soaking, but mine required a fair amount of agitation to remove. I ended up scrubbing them mercilessly between my palms, like I was washing the plague off my hands, but, you know, with soybeans instead of soap. After about 10 minutes I gave up.
After removal, the skins were also supposed to float to the top of the water for easy scooping, but mine didn’t seem to be all that buoyant. To separate them from the beans, I ran the faucet at full-tilt into the large pot the beans were in, so that the overflowing water would carry the skins with it. That worked alright, but I did need to use a slotted spoon to help the process along. I think I removed just over a cup of skins, and I’m sure I didn’t get all of them. Below is a bowl full of throughly abused soybeans.
Blending the Beans
Now it’s time for blending. I have a crazy Vita-Mix blender, which pulverizes anything in its path. I think that a regular blender will work fine for this. Your okara (the bean pulp, more on that in a second) might not be as fine, but that probably makes for easier straining. You’ll need to blend in batches:
1 Batch, for 1+ Cup Finished Soymilk*:
1 Cup Soaked, Skinned Soybeans
3 1/2 Cups Water
Let your blender run for at least two minutes. You want to make the mixture as smooth as possible. If your blender won’t fit the batches as measured above you can blend less, but keep the proportions of beans:water the same. I made two batches.
*It’s possible I over-reduced my soymilk by simmering it too long and/or failing to use a lid, which may be why the flavor is so intense. Boil yours with a lid for a higher yield.
Straining
Strain your blended soymilk into a large bowl. I used a nutmilk bag, which is essentially a fine mesh bag with drawstring that strains out even the even very tiny particulate. If you don’t have a nutmik bag, use several layers of cheesecloth, or a very fine chinois strainer. You can not over-strain your soymilk.
Really. I strained mine five times: three times before cooking and twice after it was finished and cooled.
The pulp leftover from straining is called okara. There are many recipes that call for okara, so save it to use later. Keep in mind, though, that many recipes call for okara that comes out of soymilk machines, which is cooked okara. This okara is raw and REQUIRES cooking of some sort to break down/neutralize nasty enzymes that we humans can’t digest very well. I think I’m going to try Susan V’s Okara “Crab” Cakes, myself!
Boiling the Milk
Bring your strained soymik to a boil. Once it’s simmering, cook it for 20-30 minutes. While it’s cooking, yuba (a skin) will form on top. Skim it, and any foam, off. Yuba is edible, an a lot of people really enjoy it, so check out recipes for that, too!
Flavoring, Cooling and Storing
At the end of cooking, flavor your soymilk. I added a pinch of salt and a scant tablespoon of sugar. Add a little bit at a time and taste it as you go until you reach the flavor you like the best. Transfer it to the refrigerator and cool. After cooling, I strained mine again to remove any extra yuba that had formed, and removed even more particulate that had settled at the bottom. Your soymilk should last about a week in the fridge. Glass containers with lids are best
Final Thoughts
I’m pissed that I don’t like it more, but it was a neat project. It was only recently that I realized it was even possible to make soymilk at home. I think I’ll stick to buying mine. I’ve had great success making nutmilks at home (specifically almond milk), and they’re not only easier to make but really, really tasty to boot. If I try to make soymilk again, I might add rice, or oats, which I hear helps the reduce the beany flavor, but other than that, I’m not sure how much more palatable I can make it.
Soymilk experts, any advice?
98 Comments Add your own
1. Tiffany | May 14th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
This is one recipe on your site, that since I’ve been subscribed, I’ve actually made, prior you posting an entry. I have to say I like homemade soy milk more than store bought soy milk.
2. Anna | May 14th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I found the Laura beans to be better, but in the end, I feel like you do. Even with the Lauras, the taste is just too beany. I feel like a failure of a foodie.
3. Ana | May 14th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
ohhhh I love homemade milks
yay for soy milk.
Ok, i’m new to your blog, do you have a cookbook yet? I would love to buy it! I noticed you don’t post all of your recipes so if there is a book, let me at it
4. Ana | May 14th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
oh and i add a touch of vanilla extract and maple syrup to mine
5. Debbie Cowherd | May 14th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I do have a soy milk maker, and I agree the taste is quite a bit different than commercial milks. I don’t really like any of them to drink, though. I don’t really get why you’d want to drink it, but that’s probably just me. (I never drank cow’s milk either, before I was vegan.) I do cook with soy milk, though. What I do love is making my own tofu from fresh soy milk. Which, of course, you can do without a machine, too, but it does make it really easy. Either way, it makes tofu really cheap.
6. Elaine | May 14th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
The first batch I ever made was really bad too. The second batch was better. I did a few things differently:
- boiled the skinned beans with some baking soda, then drained and rinsed, twice
- blended with boiling water
- cooked it longer, can’t remember if that was before or after straining though.
Did you add sugar and vanilla? some recipes mention a tiny bit of salt.
Anyway, the second batch was drinkable (I had to throw out the first) but I still didn’t like it as much as So Nice, so I haven’t made a third.
7. Lisa (Show Me Vegan) | May 14th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I know nothing about making soymilk. But I do love the black, turquoise, and white colors in your photos! Very nice.
8. Lisa | May 14th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
fyi: Silk is owned by Dean Foods.
9. Louise | May 14th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
I love unsweetened, plain soy milk so I bought a machine as soon as I found one for $75. I’ve never made it by hand before, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but the machine is pretty darn easy. The hardest part is cleaning it after I’ve made the soy milk.
The trick to enjoying soy milk is to not think of it as a milk substitute. You can even think of it as bean juice if you want. I like the flavor of the beans, but soy milk tastes best when it’s still hot, fresh from the soy milk maker. It doesn’t taste too soy-like then.
10. a-k | May 14th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
i’ve only made homemade soymilk once, and i couldn’t get past the beany taste either (i much prefer making rice or nut milks). actually i’m not a big fan of soymilk anymore, because it always does weird things like curdle in my coffee, and silk (my former favorite brand) started giving me stomachaches - probably from all the processing.
i have heard, however, that soaking your beans in a wide, shallow container is a hoaxy-sounding but apparently effective method for reducing the beany taste. if you try it again, that might be something to think of.
11. SP | May 14th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Silk uses a special variety of soybeans and uses steam to extract the milk rather than boiling water. I’m not sure if there’s a way to duplicate this at home.
12. Josiane | May 14th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Thanks for sharing your recipe/process even though you didn’t like the results: it’s something I want to try some day, and I’m sure I’ll like homemade soymilk better than most commercial ones.
Actually, the soymilk brand I buy - Natur-a (http://www.nutrisoya.com/) - has an unsweetened and unflavored version, and this is the one I like best. I usually prefer getting used to the real taste of food, and I also think that this one is much more versatile for cooking. When there aren’t any left at the grocery store, I buy the So Nice unsweetened version, but it’s flavored with vanilla, and that drives me crazy: how am I supposed to cook a bechamel with stuff like that? I’ve only tried Silk once, and you’ve probably guessed that I hated it: too strongly flavoured, and way too sweet for my taste! That’s why I know homemade soymilk may well be for me… so I really appreciate that you shared your experiment here.
Sorry about that too long comment, and thanks again!
13. shannon | May 14th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I started making soymilk in the seventies, using the Laurel’s Kitchen Cookbook. Their method is to use boiling water in the blender to grind the beans. This gives the soymilk a less beany taste. I think it’s pretty good. The book says, “Soymilk can have a bitter beany taste, the result of an enzyme (lipoxygenase…) that goes into action when the bean is broken in the presence of air and water. Scientists aat Cornell University developed a way to inactivate the lipoxidase….The secret of the Cornell process is to grind the beans in hot water, at least 180 degrees, which inactivates the lipoxidase….This boiling water grind process yields a soymilk that is bland and pleasant tasting.” I took this from The New Laurel’s Kitchen, by Laurel Robertson, Carol Flinders, and Brian Ruppenthal. Check it out.
14. Yin | May 14th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
I find it surprising that you like Silk brand better, because I grew up drinking home-made soy milk, with just rock sugar added in. Silk has so much vanilla and other things in it, that it doesn’t taste like the sort of pure soy milk I grew up drinking. (Not to mention the consistency is completely wrong.)
My parents make it pretty much the way you did: boil the soy, blend it up, strain, and serve. I love the natural nutty flavor that’s lost in Silk.
15. Jess H. | May 14th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
I really like that you include extra photos in your recipe, like the before and after beans. I’m hooked on this one brand of soymilk by eden foods, called eden soy organic rice and soy milk. it’s a blend of rice milk and soy milk, with some kombu seaweed and carrageenan.
I can’t wait to try this recipe, I’d definitely want a nut bag to strain it and maybe some brown rice syrup.
16. Jess Y. | May 15th, 2008 at 12:23 am
My mom makes homemade soymilk occasionaly.
Yeah compared to store bought, there is a big difference.
The beany flavor is a lot like Chinese soymilk.
Also, my mom adds a lot of sugar.
Which offsets the beany/bitter taste I believe.
And keep up the blogging!
17. plume | May 15th, 2008 at 1:48 am
My mom made soymilk to make tofu when I was little and you couldn’t find soy products easily in France.
We never tried to drink it, though, but the tofu was delicious…
Now I use a french organic brand and I think it’s even cheaper to buy it than to make it, if you count the time and the price of energy.
I tried to make some soymilk once and I used depeliculated soy beans because I couldn’t find anything else, it’s easier too I suppose.
18. magpie | May 15th, 2008 at 2:27 am
I recently had homemade soy milk made with a machine and I thought it tasted very similar to store-bought soymilk. Then again, I prefer unsweetened soy milk, so that might’ve been a factor in my enjoyment.
19. cperry | May 15th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Part of your distaste may simply be from not being used to the homemade. We got a Soyabella not quite a month ago and we’ve been experimenting with filtering and with the amount of sugar - for us, 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and just a pinch of salt, plus a 2nd straining through a coffee filter (I need to look for a nut bag!) really works. While the first batches were more beany tasting, I found that I got used to the flavor quickly. We haven’t bought Silk soymilk for a month, and I’m just fine with that.
20. Katie | May 15th, 2008 at 7:43 am
What a GREAT idea! I am totally trying this! Thank you!
21. Jana | May 15th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I never liked the flavor of Silk; too sweet and thick. I bought a Soyabella about a year ago and love it. The worst part of making soy milk in it is the clean up. I saved the okara and made Susan V’s Crab Cakes and was not impressed. Also, we no longer put the okara in our compost because it really makes it smell. I also add a little agave and salt to it and don’t even strain it again. I actually prefer almond milk, though, in the Soyabella. Could not be easier and either one of these will use a lot less energy and time than your posted method. The Soyabella paid for itself in no time!
22. Kaylen | May 15th, 2008 at 9:18 am
I bought a soy milk maker this year and at first I was also put off by the strong soy taste of the milk. I then tried making Bryanna’s soy and rice milk (recipe here http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/638376.htm), which I found much more palatable. After several batches of soy and rice milk, I tried soy-only milk again and loved it! So it didn’t take particularly long for my tastes to change.
Another thing to note is that it’s possible that you just don’t like the particular beans you bought. I first bought organic beans from a health food store — no clue what country they were from. Then, when I found I was making a lot of soy milk, I found an organic farm in London, Ontario that was growing them and bought some from there. The soy milk from those beans tastes significantly different — I think I prefer it.
Anyway, my 2 cents is to keep on trying!
23. Wannabe | May 15th, 2008 at 9:51 am
My decision to go vegan was really so hard for me…not because I knew it was best for my body, the environment etc….but because I HATE HATE HATE soymilk. Until I tried Vitasoy Organic Creamy Original. It tastes so much like regular milk to me. LOVE.
24. Shayna | May 15th, 2008 at 10:22 am
I really like So Nice’s unsweetened soy milk and even drink it straight up. I think if you add a vanilla bean or 2 to the boiling process and some sugar it might just be awesome! I am going to try this next time I see bulk soybeans.
25. moi | May 15th, 2008 at 10:23 am
aw!
26. shannon | May 15th, 2008 at 10:59 am
that’s so cool! I totally want to try this soon.
Reading your blog makes me wish I could spend a couple days a week not working and just stay home and cook! (Ok, and that I had someone else to do the dishes, b/c that’s my second obstacle to copious amounts of home-cooking!)
27. Kelly | May 15th, 2008 at 11:12 am
For those who want to try the taste of homemade soy milk before attempting at home, I suggest that you go to a Chinese supermarket. Soy milk has always been a big part of the food culture (mainly a breakfast food). The Chinese serve it hot or cold, salty or sweet. I prefer hot and sweet! If you like the homemade Chinese soy milk and want to make it yourself, then I also suggest you buy the soybeans at the Chinese market…it will cost way less than what you’ll find at Whole Foods and the like.
28. Sharon | May 15th, 2008 at 11:55 am
what about adding just a touch of vanilla extract?? my favorite soy milk is west soy unsweetened vanilla; the vanilla flavor is not strong but its just enough to give the milk a little umph with out any added sweeteners.
29. Alice (in Veganland) | May 15th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
It sounds like it was quite an adventure by itself! At least you won’t live with the doubt that you might like homemade soymilk…
30. Tilia Linden | May 15th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I haven’t tried doing this yet so I can’t promise it works but I might have found a solution for the beany taste:
http://www.soya.be/how-to-make-soy-milk.php
“Step3: Heating the soya beans (optional)
Heating the soya beans will destroy enzymes which are responsible for the development of beany flavour. This heating can best be achieved by microwaving the wet soaked soya beans during 2 minutes.”
I find this a very informative site about all things soy. Hopefully this tip works!
31. Olivia | May 15th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I am another happy Soyabella user. It’s quick - especially since my man makes it for me - and he experimented to find a way to make it taste super nice with barley malt, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whenever we run out and I have to use an emergency carton of my previously-beloved Pacific soy, I’m grossed out by how sweet and fake-tasting it is.
32. Suganya | May 15th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I have tried making soymilk at home. Yes, its beany. Takes time and leaves a sink load of dirty dishes. But, the okara(pulp) tasted great in tikkis(similar to crab cakes).
Indira has detailed posts on this
http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/2006/06/23/
http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/archives/2007/07/18/vegetarian-congee-with-rosematta-and-yuba/
33. Low Fat Granola « V&hellip | May 15th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
[...] call it pretty close to that shoveled childhood handful. All I need to go with it is the bravery of Lolo to commit to making my own soy milk to go with [...]
34. Payton | May 15th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I make my own soymilk every week, but to make it taste right I include some of the following besides the soybeans:
* raw cashews
* brown rice
(and after straining:)
* maple syrup or agave
* vanilla
* salt
It works great for me!
35. toontz | May 15th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I make my own soy milk (with a machine) every two days. My food blog is centered around using all the okara: http://www.okaramountain.blogspot.com
I bought a machine for economic reasons. I estimated that it costs me less than 20 cents a quart to make it. Some pointers:
Make sure your soybeans are not old. Buy them from a place that has high turnover.
I add 2 tablespoons of raw oats to each batch of soybeans before processing (makes it creamier).
After processing, I run it through a “gold” coffee filter to get rid of all the residue. Works fantastic!
I do not bother taking the skins off as I did not notice one bit of difference in the taste. And it is a real pain.
I add salt, vanilla and some kind of sweetener (honey, sugar, natural cane sugar, or brown rice syrup)
Let the soy milk cool COMPLETELY before covering it and refrigerating it. This will make a difference in the beany taste.
Storing it in a glass container will make it taste the best.
It will taste different than the store brands, but you do get used to it quite quickly. By my third batch, I was hooked.
36. Samantha | May 15th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
You should really do something like almond milk or sunflower seed milk. It’s much easier (no boiling) and faster (no boiling).
37. Valerie | May 15th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
When I lived in Vietnam last year, we made soymilk nearly every day. We drank it sweetened, and warm, partly because there was no refrigeration. Two things. You don’t have to reduce the milk. You are heating it to aid digestion. Once we heated it , we immediately put it in a large thermos, and left it for an hour. It is this heating process which helps with the flavour. Also, when squeezing the milk, don’t squeeze the bag very tightly. Doing this will contribute to the very beany taste. Squeezing very, very gently gives a wonderful tasting milk.
38. Robin | May 16th, 2008 at 9:29 am
what a cool project. i love the taste of Silk too, but I recently learned that the company is owned by Dean Foods, a huge dairy conglomerate. boo urns. Just thought I’d let you know, if it makes a difference to you.
My fave soy milk now is vitasoy creamy original. yummm. i buy natura too.
39. kimmy | May 16th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I know there’s a LOT of comments but thought I’d add my 2 cents because I prefer homemade soymilk over the processed expensive stuff. Some differences in my method are:
I soak the beans in the fridge overnight.
I strain the beans, rinse, then blend the beans (skin and all) with boiling (or really hot) water.
I take that mixture and put it in a stockpot (twice the volume of the liquid) and you need to bring it to a boil, stir, add cold water when it foams over, THEN when it finally boils like a normal liquid and not like a foam volcano, I boil it for 10 minutes.
Then I strain it once.
The I mix the okara with more hot water and strain it again.
Sweetener and a bit of vanilla and that’s it.
I don’t put a lid on the pot and I’ve made soymilk a lot and found this method foolproof. It still is beany, but to me that’s what soymilk tastes like. I LOVE the beany taste. When I was in Peru, you could only get fresh homemade soymilk in the smallest towns (a pint for 15 cents) and they add cinnamon to it. I should try to photo document my soymilk making one of these days, but yours is SO beautiful.
40. Freya | May 17th, 2008 at 7:49 am
Heey!
After reading your post, I was inspired to try myself.. :]
This was my first time trying to make soya milk too, so I’m definitely not an expert! But I made some yesterday and here’s what I thought…
The final milk came out pretty good… I think it tasted nice and it wasn’t too beany, in my opinion.. but I normally don’t drink it by it’s self, and only have it over cereal or use it in cooking.
Anyway,
I used 125g of beans, soaking them overnight for about 10-16 hours… and the things I did differently to you were:
1. I boiled them for about 30 seconds or so with baking soda, then rinsed and skinned, then boiled for another 30 seconds in just water, then rinsed agaain. (getting the skins off took forever!)
2. I blended them with about 1 litre of hot water, adding a little at a time.
3. Strained it, then brought it to the boil and then simmered for probably about 10-15 minutes. Also, I stirred it continuously, not wanting yuba to form, because I’ve heard that it contains lots of the goodness and fat in the milk, so if you remove it, then you’re getting rid of that nice stuff, which, I guess, would make a less tasty soya milk?
4. At the cooking stage I also added about 2 teaspoons of raw cane granulated sugar, a tiny pinch of salt and about 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
5. Then I put it in a glass bottle and tried to cool it down as quickly as possible, by putting the bottle in a bowl full of water and ice-cubes. (I’ve read that this, too, reduces the beany taste).
I refrigerated it overnight and had it on cereal today!
The only real disappointing thing was that the milk was a bit too thin.. Shop brought stuff always seems to be thicker and creamer. I wasn’t bad though.
I wondering how I could make it thicker/creamer now.. Any ideas? What was yours like?
I am going to try again sometime, and try to speed up the hulling process!
Ahh, sorry! That went on a bit! I’ll stop rambling now.
Btw, I am in absolute awe of your site. It’s amazing. Your recipes, photographs and writing are all fantastic!
I’m always checking to see if you’ve posted a new recipe or something!
Definitely one of my favourite website.
Keep it up! ^_^
(Waay too long a reply.. it probably didn’t all make sense!)
41. Julieta | May 17th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Hi Lauren,
I followed your recipe, only using very hot water to blend the beans, and I was 100% happy with the results. I drank a glass of cold soy milk with some whole-wheat cookies, and it was delicious. The difference is that I have never tasted Silk, I think it’s too processed. So maybe you’ll find homemade soymilk tasty when you get used to it. Thanks for the recipe, and good luck with the next batch!
Julieta, Mexico.
42. koootz | May 17th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
im freaking impressed that you even attempted to make your own soy milk…. and nut milks wow
43. Nikki L. | May 17th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Wow, there’s a lot of comments on this topic! I’ve been considering trying this at home too, but it may be really hard to even find dried soybeans where I live (without them being so old that they won’t make a good milk).
I personally can’t stand the taste of Silk, and I’m really suprized when people say they prefer it. I drink So Nice, the unsweetened, original version, but upon someone mentioning here that So Nice original unsweetend is flavoured, I gave the carton a closer read, and realized that they were right. What do you know!
It never occurred to me before that my store-bought soymilk would be highly processed, so I’m really glad for this post, as it just might enable me to cut a little more over-processing out of my diet.
44. Cecilia | May 18th, 2008 at 12:41 am
wow awesome!! this post reminds me so much of my childhood where i sat on the kitchen stool watching my mum making soymilk for us on the weekends! :o)
I grew up in a country where ‘fresh’ milk isn’t available (the long life ones taste gross), so I drink homemade soy milk instead, but ever since I moved to Australia, my mum stopped making them :o( so I drink the store bought soy milk instead…and yes, they taste very different! The store bought ones have a processed ‘taste’ to it, but i don’t mind them still…
Haha… i didn’t know that the mushy fibrous ‘poop’ (as me and my brothers call it!) can be turned into such a fabulous dish.. tehee… oh and umm, the floaty stuff on top of soy milk is what dried bean curd is being made out of…awesome huh…
sorry, for the odd comment .. hope you have a great day..keep up with the great recipes!
45. Gina | May 18th, 2008 at 3:28 am
wow. i’m glad you had the courage and energy to make your own soy milk. i would love to try and do this, but am very deterred by all the variations to making it. thanks for posting your homemade soy milk adventure.
46. DessertObsessed | May 18th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I prefer soymilk from the store (its sweeter and tastes much less “soy”), but my parents always make their own soymilk and they love it!
47. DJ | May 18th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Beautiful pix as usual - I’m a novice when it comes to making soyamilk so I have no advice to offer, but good for you for giving it a shot!
48. Chef Erik | May 18th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I tried making soy milk 15 years ago. It was a disaster, wish I had this recipe. Nice pics!
49. Chef Erik | May 18th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
One more thing, I’m hosting the Veg Head carnival at the end of the month, I would love to post thie recipe. Details are in my side bar. I think my readers would love it.
50. Kaye | May 19th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Hello,
I tried home made soy milk, the method I used was slightly different to yours.
I boiled the whole mixture BEFORE straining out the okara, so a process more akin to the one an automed soy milk maker uses.
The other thing that really made a difference would be that I added just a tiny amount of vanilla. I was surprised how this changed the taste.
Hope this helps.
51. Maureen | May 19th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
A+ for effort!
52. Kip | May 20th, 2008 at 4:02 am
I make all of my own soy products and in my experimentation, I have found that home-made soymilk is better with a little oat milk. I also want a more nutty flavour. I’m hoping to perfect my recipe soon. If I do, I’ll be sure to report back
53. Gnewvegan | May 20th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Maybe one day I will try this.. Never thought about making it homemade..
54. SteveL | May 20th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
I have a SoyQuick machine and love the taste and ease.
I cringed reading your process. The machine method is so easy, and clean up is not that bad. The secret is to clean up right away.
I prefer unsweetened rich tasting soy milk. I once met someone involved with making commercial soy milk. He said the secret to a non-beany flavour was making it in an oxygen-free environment. Obviously this can’t be done at home, but my machine is fast - taking only about 15 minutes - so perhaps the nice flavour is due to there being less time for oxygen to do its thing.
I soak the beans unrefrigerated for one day sometimes two. Just rinse the water occasionally. Sometimes I add whole sesame seeds to the mix. They add a nice subtle flavour.
Once the machine is finished, I immediately pour the piping hot soy milk into jars. The heat allows the lids to make a vacuum seal, thus helping to preserve it. I let the jars cool, then refrigerate them. There is also some soy foam generated ideal for making cappuccinos.
When using the milk, I don’t shake it. The richest, best tasting milk naturally rises to the top. Near the bottom of the jar, the milk can taste thinner and at the very bottom is sediment.
Here is a link to the machine I have. Got it about 8 years ago.
http://www.soymilkquick.com/soyquicksoymilkmakersdz4.php
Also see http://www.vegsource.com/talk/soy/messages/429.html
and http://www.bryannaclarkgrogan.com/page/page/638376.htm
55. edamame | May 21st, 2008 at 8:04 am
Oh,soy milk! A cookie made from soybean milk is popular very much in Japan. I am interested in the food culture of your country. And I support your site. If there is time, please come in my site. From Japan
56. Shu Yen | May 22nd, 2008 at 1:01 am
In Asia, there is more water in the blend and we boil it with pandan leaves for a really nice fragrance.
Then, the milk can be further blended with fruits and vegetables like papaya, honey dew (or cantaloupe), water melon, almonds or even celery.
Have a look at the kind of concoctions a local franchise is serves up: http://mrbean.com.sg/product.asp
57. Organic cooking | May 22nd, 2008 at 4:49 am
Oh..!! This is a amazing I am interesting this type of milks all this item very good and cookie is very nice.
58. Beany | May 22nd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I don’t like the taste of homemade soymilk either (too beany) but I do like with everything else: cooking, baking, etc. The beany flavor disappears when using in making other dishes. So you could still buy store bought stuff for drinking and use the homemade one for everything else.
I’ve tried all the suggestions mentioned above (adding salt/vanilla essence/etc) to no avail. My husband doesn’t mind the flavor of homemade soy milk, but I don’t care for it too much.
59. lara | May 24th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
have you tried nutmilks? with a vitamix blender, i think it is pretty easy to make almond or hazelnut milk. (though, i haven’t myself, i have seen many recipes in raw foods cookbooks)
60. nick | June 4th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Can I just say that I think that: If you’re really going to go to the trouble of making your own milks, soya is certainly the least rewarding AND least tasty option there is? I can? Oh, thanks.
61. speedwell | June 5th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
But Nick, it’s the most nutritious and versatile. Try making tofu out of rice milk, for example.
And how much trouble is raising, breeding, and milking a cow, goat or sheep… for just the part of the year she is a milk maker?
62. jules | June 5th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Homemade soymilk? I will share a secret: You do have some of process right, like the soaking. i never heard of the skins ordeal. But here is a trick!!!!!
Bring your beans to a low boil in fresh water before you blenderize them. This is the secret: use a candy thermometer if you have it. when your beans reach 180 Degrees F, immed rinse in cold water. I can;t stress it enough. this is a low boil with a bit of foam forming on top. hot enough to sting your finger. DO NOT OVERBOIL or your beans are ruined. If your beans do not get hot enough, beany flavor. Overcooked, a different beany flavor. after you have cold water rinsed them, taste them. they actually taste sweet. you can eat these now. you can toast them in oven like nepalese soynuts, too.
Puree 1 cup beans to 3 cups water and cheese cloth strain.
creamy, frothy, good, rich. add flavors tastes like consistentcy of silkmilk. this is a bit of a process to do it all however.
this okara is more coarse. I use it in a recipe called:
No Egg Eggsalad. Mix okara with mayo, tumeric, maybe cashew butter, great sandwich filler. I have made this soymilk without electric blender: use a corn/masa grinder. grind these
beans several times then put in a mayo jar with enough water and shake shake shake!!!. strain thru cheese cloth. I tried new t-shirts. work great but can’t clean them well enough and it sours my next batch of milk. good luck:)
i
63. cammu | June 6th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Recently i bought a kit to make sprouts and tofu.
In the booklet there was a recipe for making soy milk. I tried the recipe and i was really desapointed. It’s not good at all!
I don,t know if i will try again…
Next test is the tofu.
64. Jessica | June 8th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
We recently began making our own soymilk (using a machine) and like it a lot. The one problem is that it seems to have a lot of sediment in it. Any advice?
65. sgt pepper | June 14th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
When I first made homemade soymilk, I also thought it was too beany. And people told me I’d get used to it. But I didn’t want to get used to ut–I wanted my Silky goodness. But I did get used to it (ehich is strange, I know), and now I love it and prefer it to Silk. I’ve even moved further away from the Silk spectrum and now prefer my homemade soymilk unsweetened.
My gf prefers Silk though, and won’t drink my homemade, so we’re a split household.
Bryanna’s mixture of soy, rice, and oats is vey tasty, too.
66. mike landers | June 17th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
i didnt even read your whole post but saw u werent happy. i have a soymilk machine and dont use it often due to time constraints. i run a vegan bakery out of my home in philadelphia. i love soydream vanilla personally. But anyways a nice trick ive dicovered is using a little bit (a tbl or 2) of raw cashews ground in a coffee grinder added when i add sugar. this helps thicken and richen the smilk. most commercial soymilk is so good because its really fuckin sweet and its consistently smooth. Eating tons of guar, locust, xanthum, etc gums is not necessary and probably not great for your guts tho. i love cashews more than guar gum. also i usually triple strain the milk before adding cashews and sweeties. i love your blog.
67. Nicole | June 25th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
In Korea, this soymilk is used as a noodle soupbase for summer delicacy
68. Mogana | July 4th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Hi! I ‘m new to ur blog…the pictures and explanation are clear and love reading it. You’re indeed a very neat person. My mum used to make soy milk when we were small. We loved it and use to take it chillled.
To avoid the beany flavour and smell, we use screwpine leaves or in Malaysia, we call it ‘pandan’ leaves. It gives a fragrant smell to the drink. Yummy!
69. Hafeesah Simmons | July 15th, 2008 at 3:30 am
Being a vegan I taught myself to make a variety of soymilk especially hemp soymilk. I also make the best tasting vegan tofu in the world from a variety of fruits. I also make vegan tofu from organic wines and sodas. The most important part of the tofu is the whey. It nutritious and tasty. I make tofu a thousands ways. Its never boring or tasteless. I make tofu sherbert and tofu popcicles.
70. Hafeesah Simmons | July 15th, 2008 at 4:26 am
Being a vegan I taught myself to make a variety of soymilk especially hemp soymilk. I also make the best tasting vegan tofu in the world from a variety of fruits juices organic wines and sodas. I make tofu sherbet and tofu popsicles. It’s never boring or tasteless. Asians have followed the same recipe for thousands of years. No one has experimented other ways to make tofu like I have. The most important part of the tofu is the whey. It’s a tofu sin not to drink the tofu whey. It’s nutritious and tasty. But tofu makers disregard it as waste. The whey let you know the coagulating process is completed or not. I learned that nigari or other bitter minerals did not complete the tofu making process like fruit juices and aloe vera. My whey help you digest the oil in tofu and keep your muscles healthy and strong. It also balances your electrolyte and oxygenates your cells. The protein vitamins and minerals from the tofu curds end up in the whey. I use it as probiotic dietary supplement. It is a perfect food for anoxia individuals and cancer patients. The cow industry came along and added cows’ whey to soybeans and called it a health drinks? What a joke. It’s a vegan sin to keep fresh tofu in water. It removes the nutritious whey and nutrients. I eat my tofu right after it’s made. I also make the yuba skin to from rice soymilk to wrap my tofu meals in. Everyone should know how to make soymilk and vegan tofu it’s easy and fun. It does not taste like commercial soymilk or tofu.
71. Jas | July 19th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
I normally drink Silk soymilk (vanilla) and am happy with the wide variety of vitamins it contains. Would anyone happen to know homemade soymilk’s nutritional content?
Also, what is the cost difference when soymilk is made at home?
Thanks!
72. ken | August 7th, 2008 at 9:24 am
We like the soymilk we make better than packaged. First you may be addicted to the MSG in packaged products (its not reqired on the label). I soak my beans until the water runs clear. Soaking in the fridge works best after the initial soak. Cook the beans until soft. Cuisinart them and add only a small amount of water at a time to get a fine mix. Cool the mash and store in jars in the fridge. The stuff should be so thick it won’t pour out of the jar. This is your mother which will keep better with so little water. Keep a quart of water cold in the fridge. When you want some get another quart jar, add the amount of soy mash you like, add the cold water, maple syrup and vanilla. Tastes great, no carcinogenic carageenan, no msg, no chemicals.
73. Karen | August 8th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Hi, I read in some books on soy beans that there are several methods possible at home to reduce the beany flavor. One is the Illinois method which requires you to soak the beans overnight and boil them for 10 mins. or just boil the beans for 20 mins w/o soaking. This however produces a ‘chalky’ taste that some may not like. Another method, the ‘rural’ method is soaking the soy beans overnight and dipping them in boiling water for 15-30 sec. This also removes sugars which cause a person to fart. So basically boiling for some period of time helps to make it less beany.
I haven’t much experience in these methods but am trying the ‘Illinois’ method right now.
See Google books:
-Soybeans: Chemistry, Technology and Utilization by KeShun Liu, p. 146
-Food Uses of Whole Oil and Protein Seeds - Page 67 by Edmund Lusas
74. Brian Heagney | August 9th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Okay, even though I love the Silk flavor and texture, I’ve got my homemade soymilk (no machines for me) down to where I don’t have that “beany” smell/taste.
(The method I used was soaking soybeans overnight, blending with near boiling water, straining once through a t-shirt/cloth, bringing back to a boil and adding sugar and salt)
That’s all well and good. BUT…has anyone gotten their homemade soymilk to NOT curdle in coffee? Cause I’m stumped.
Thanks in advance.
75. art Trese | August 11th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
No wonder you tasted beans.. way too many beans for the amount of water used. You were making soybean soup. Try less than half a cup of soaked beans.. you’ll get something closer to soy milk. And I see no reason to boil, simply raise to a simmer for a short while.
Lastly, just because some commercial producers try to make soy milk seem close to cow’s milk for American consumer’s tastes, I would argue that it is better to accept that soy milk has some flavors from the plant kingdom in it, and enjoy it for what it is.. .
76. Sandy | August 22nd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I was once like you and made my soymilk the old-fashioned way on the stove top. But I knew there had to be an easier way and I discovered a Korean soymilk maker. I used any soybeans, laura beans, whatever I bought and had on hand, making tofu, using the yuba to wrap tofu chunks for agedashi-dofu (fried tofu). My latest soymilk maker is the Soyabella, and I make a batch every day, with the every other day batch used for tofu. The okara is stir-fried with salt and seasonings to use as a protein addition to almost anything. I like a little of that in fried dumplings, or sprinkled on a salad. Extra okara goes into the compost heap or earthworm bin. I drink the soymilk straight, without sweeteners or salt, and I enjoy it cold. Yes, I love Silk soymilk, but I have acquired the taste for plain, cold soymilk. I just drank my last glass of the day and have a half cup of beans soaking now to put into the Soybella tonight.
Truly, you should try cold, plain soymilk for three days straight–you won’t want to go back to the burden of schlepping cartons from the store, and wasting the paper and the energy used for the packaging, transportation, and storage of commercial soymilk.
77. Alan | August 25th, 2008 at 6:05 am
Yes. Laura beans are better. I sometimes add some cashew milk to the soymild. Cashew milk is pretty good as you might imagine. Once in a while I also add some cherry flavoring I got from Boyjavon for a change. It is hard to find additives that taste good with soy milk because it’s just not that good. I recommend blending it with something you do like, and cashew milk works for me. Have fun…
78. Alan | August 26th, 2008 at 3:42 am
I forget, sometimes i add malt to the soymilk.
79. jess | September 12th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I am seconding someone from above as I just made my newest batch of soy milk and was hoping for less of the beaniness or grassiness…
For the first time, instead of just chomping the beans in my food process with water, I brought the beans up to ~180 F first; just had a glass of the warm stuff after straining and it was the best I’ve every made!!! And nothing added
Also, I soaked the beans for a lot less time (only 8 hours); not sure that mattered, though…
One more thing - I say to all you soy milk maker lovers - get your hands dirty!!! Homemade soy milk with a big ole pot and a food processor (and strainer, and handkerchief…) is where it’s at!!!
Great to do with kids, or on a rainy afternoon… and the tofu, which comes next with a little more work is out of this world!
If you don’t have time to do this every once in a while, either you’re drinking too much soy or you just need to slow your life down a bit!
80. Adz | September 27th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Are you using SLR?
81. Soy milk and Tofu «&hellip | October 7th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
[...] Vegan Yum-Yum [...]
82. akhil sharma | November 18th, 2008 at 8:27 am
dear all
im also extream lover of soya like all of you and after so many worst attemts i have develops technics to make soymilk without beany flavour and creamy tofu . for this mission first we have to choose 100gms of good quality beans and 20gm wheat.now wash it very well and put it in enough water than mix 1/2tsp baking soda and1/2 tsp salt in water and leave it for 12 hours to socking process .after 12 hours wash it again and remove covers of beans very gently by your hands (dont try to crush it because lipoxigenes is very sensitive from phisical damage of beans)after removel of covers (cottyladens)wash it again and put it into grider put a pinch baking soda 1/4 tsp salt and 1tsp suger in grinder and finly put 1/2 ltr boiling water into grinder and grind beans for less than two minuts in warm water.now take the resulted slury to a big pot for boiling it. after boiling stair it with a chees cloth and kneed it for last drop as you can .now see the colour , yeild , smell ,and taste this is the soy milk of my style .i will tell you about tofu in next comment thanks good night
83. Lori | December 10th, 2008 at 10:44 am
I read the ingredients in the commercial soy milk and there is natural flavor in it. That is probably what makes it taste different than home made. And I read that “natural flavor” is truly unnatural because if it was natural it would say “extract” or “juice” of whatever. That is why I want to make homemade soy milk. It is a gamble trusting commercial food products even the ” organic natural ” foods they almost always have natural flavor in it.
84. Michelle | December 15th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I have food allergies and Silk uses corn alcohol to extract the flavor of the beans. That is what the lady told me. They have additives in it.
85. correatown | January 25th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
LOVE YOUR BLOG!
Thanks for this post & thanks to all the helpful comments and tips… I’ve been so excited to make my own soymilk & now I am going to TRY!
86. Shelley | February 1st, 2009 at 4:26 pm
We just tried our first batch of soy milk by hand. We love the process. Here’s the question:
How does a 32 oz home-made batch made with 3 parts water, 1 part beans, compare nutritionally to a store-bought 32 oz carton - like Westsoy organic unsweetened? It feels like you’re getting more protein in the home made. Anyone know?
87. morgen | February 7th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Hello again, Morgen from Kootsac here:)
I came across this article on your site while searching for what to do with the ‘okara after making soy milk’.
I have made three batches of soy milk so far and drank it all.
First batch was a bit beany - my recipe had me boil the milk in a double boiler which I think accounted for the beany taste.
Definitely it’s important to blend the beans with boiling water - this eliminates the beany taste.
I don’t use a double boiler now, I just cook in the usual way.
My third batch was very creamy and yummy. I used different beans for this. They were really tiny compared to the first batches but swelled up huge. I think that it does make a difference what kind of bean you use.
I would encourage you to give it another go. It’s great not to be bringing home the non-recyclable tetra paks.
I am considering buying a soy milk maker though:)
Thanks for a great article and consequent discussion.
Love your website.
88. johanna | February 9th, 2009 at 11:21 am
After reading all of the comments on your soy milk, I decided to try it. My daughter enjoys soy. It’s very expensive. I the recipe, and added some oats as suggested in one of the other comments. I thought it turned out pretty good. Better than store bought. I had a colicy baby and cut dairy out of my diet, which seemed to help while breast feeding. Now my daughter will only drink soy. She just loved it. Thank you. I will be drinking it more often now because it was cheap to make, and better for me having diabetes. It dosen’t affect your blood sugar levels the way that milk does.
anyone who drinks soy should try this. You’ll be surprised.
89. Brittany | March 10th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
This recipe I’ve attached calls for 1/2 cup of brown/cane sugar and some vanilla. Maybe that’s what your recipe is missing.
90. slawek | March 12th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
What can I say…
I also tried to do it at home- seemed so easy and it was really great fun to do it, but…
That is the point- it looked fabulous- so white, and smooth, and than I tasted it…
It was awful- a bit sour, and for me it wasn’t milk- some kind of drink, but no milk!
I decided to make tofu, and it was delicious! So small, but delicious;)
91. Vee | March 13th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I went to the trouble and initial expense of making my own soy milk because unsweetened kind - made with soybeans and water! go figure! - is the hardest kind to find in the stores, and often the most expensive (go figure) and not on sale.
Stores sell shelves-full of that sweet goo. Calling it “creamy” doesn’t make it any less nasty. (Do any men like this stuff, or just broads?)
I hate eggnog-thick, sweet goop! That’s why I just now began making my own soy milk!
I like learning from other vegans and soy eaters, but I hate the idiots (my opinion) who get on the soy milk boards and ask how they can make their home made soy milk all thick, sweet and goopy just like like the store crap!
92. Barb | March 14th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Thanks for all the advice! I’m just looking into making soy milk for the first time.
Also, if Silk bothers you, realize that it is dairy. (Look for the little “D” next to the hecksher–the OU on the package). It has some dairy ingredients in it–though they are not obvious.
Hi Barb! Just wanted to mention that there aren’t any dairy ingredients in Silk, but it is made on shared equipment that also processes dairy, so that’s why I gets the kosher D status. Here is the word from Silk:
93. Charla | March 18th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I have a soymilk maker (love it) but between the taste and the gag-reflex to the residual okara, I couldn’t get the kids (or hubby) to drink it. I have tried every strainer known to man but JUST solved the problem this week. I went to the fabric store and bought unbleached muslin material. I came home and sewed it into a bag. It works SO WELL!!!! I FINALLY have “smooth” soy milk. It’s a lot easier than trying to use coffee filters, too.
Now, on to the flavor. I have tried every suggestion I have read (except for the maple syrup–going to try that now)…I’ve done every type of sugar (brown rice syrup, organic cane, etc etc)….
94. Kerk Fisher | March 25th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Our homemade soy milk curtles in our coffee. Any way to avoid that? Thanks
95. nick | March 27th, 2009 at 3:04 am
ive noticed a few people have mentioned there soy milk curdling in there coffee. i drink plunger coffee an have never had an issue with it curdling. when im offered instant coffee at mates places it almost always curdles. go figure!! merely an observation
96. She Mei | April 10th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
My late mom used to make soy milk a lot,because I love it. In Indonesia, there are loads of people/shops that sells homemade soymilk…
97. food+photography » &hellip | May 24th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
[...] call it pretty close to that shoveled childhood handful. All I need to go with it is the bravery of Lolo to commit to making my own soy milk to go with [...]
98. Raw Homemade Almond Milk &hellip | June 7th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
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