Discover how easy it is to make homemade soy milk without all the additives in the store-bought version. Making soy milk at home also means you get okara, or soy pulp, which you can use to prepare other dishes or add to recipes. Learning how to make soy milk is super easy for any level cook.
Place soy beans and 2 cups of water in a container. Cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours.
After 12 hours, drain off the water keeping the soaking liquid.
Measure soaking liquid and add water to reach 4 cups in total. Place soy beans and 1 cup of water in a blender. Process the soy beans until the mixture is smooth.
Transfer the pureed soybeans in a pot with 2 cups of water. Place remaining 1 cup of water in the blender, swishing it around to remove all the pureed soybeans and add to pot.
Cook the mixture for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. The milk will get pretty foamy, so keep a close eye on so that it doesn’t boil over and make a mess.
Place the strainer lined with a cheesecloth or thin tea towel over a bowl. Pour the mixture through the strainer and cheesecloth. Use caution as mixture is hot and you don’t want to burn yourself.
Allow the mixture to drain naturally. Then tightly wrap the cheesecloth and squeeze out all the milk. Use a flat kitchen utensil if the mixture is too hot to handle with your hands.
Rinse out any soy pulp grains in your pot and then put the soy milk back into the pot.
Heat the pot of milk over medium heat and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. You can remove the foam or skin that forms on the top. Stir frequently to prevent the milk from sticking.
Remove from the heat after 10 minutes and allow the milk to cool.
Skim off the top again if it has formed a skin again while cooling. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Notes
Expert Tips for Making Okara and Soy Milk:Homemade soy milk has a much shorter shelf-life. Since it doesn’t have any preservatives, it only lasts about 3-5 days in the refrigerator.This small batch soy milk recipe yields about 3 cups of milk and a little more than 1 cup of okara. You can easily double the recipe if you go through the soy milk more quickly.When cooking the soy milk with the okara and later on by itself, keep an eye on it. Just like milk, it can easily boil over once it gets hot and it's a terrible mess to clean up.Soy milk forms a skin over the top as it cooks the second time, just use a slotted spoon to skim it off.Be sure to use a very fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to avoid soy pulp sediment in the bottom of your soy milk. If you don't have any cheesecloth, a clean, thin tea towel works well.Be sure to store your finished soy milk in a covered, preferably airtight container, in the refrigerator so it doesn't absorb any flavors.