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Soy Milk

Making your own soy milk takes a little time, but it’s very easy, it will last for a week in the refrigerator, and you don’t need to worry about any additives. Soy milk
Yield 1 quart
Time 5 to 30 minutes (plus overnight soaking)
Tools
  • large bowl
  • blender or food processor
  • 2 Q or larger pot
  • colander or sieve
  • muslin or fine cheesecloth
Ingredients
  • 1 c dry soybeans, well rinsed
  • 1Q + 3c water
Directions Place the soybeans and 3 c water in bowl, and leave to soak overnight. Drain and rinse beans.

There are three different ways to make soy milk, all of which taste a bit different, so experiment to see what you like best.

  1. Raw soy milk (shown)
    –     Purée beans with 1 Q water in the blender.
     
  2. Almost raw soy milk
    – Boil beans with several c water for 2 minutes, then drain and let cool.
    – Purée with 1 Q water.
      
  3. Cooked soy milk
    – Purée beans with 1 Q water.
    – Place in pot and bring to a simmer. It will foam up like crazy; turn the heat down to keep it simmering for at least 20 minutes.
    – When the foam has dissipated and the soy milk looks yellow and grainy, remove from heat and let cool.

Line the colander with muslin and place over bowl. Pour soy milk purée through muslin into bowl, then squeeze the muslin to release remaining liquid. The grainy paste that you strain out is called okara and is full of fiber.

Season the milk as desired and chill.
Notes Since there are no additives, this does not taste exactly like commercial soy milk. If you want to drink it, experiment with additions like sugar, brown rice syrup, salt, vanilla, and a dash of mild vegetable oil to improve the flavor. For baking, however, you can use it to replace dairy milk as is.
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Homemade soy milk