Learn how to make soy milk at home with a few easy ingredients and no overnight soaking! We’ve included simple instructions to make this easy soy milk recipe with three classic Vietnamese flavours – original, pandan and peanut butter.
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
It’s so easy to make soy milk at home! All you need is dried soybeans and water, your favourite sweetener and optional flavourings to make it even more delicious!
Soy milk is the perfect dairy alternative for vegans and vegetarians. You can even use it in place of dairy milk in lots of other recipes.
It’s also a great no-waste recipe, as you can make all sorts of delicious treats from the leftover soybean pulp, such as biscuits, muffins, stir-fries and more!
Related: Avocado Smoothie / Che Ba Mau Dessert
What is Vietnamese Soy Milk?
Vietnamese soy milk (sữa đậu nành) is a popular street beverage in Vietnam. You’ll find it at markets or street stalls alongside amazing dishes like banh trang nuong (Vietnamese pizza) or banh xeo (crispy fried crepes).
It’s similar to regular soy milk, but can be served hot or cold (usually in plastic bags sealed with a rubber band!) and is available sweetened or unsweetened, plain or flavoured with fresh pandan leaves or peanut butter!
What is Soy Milk?
Soy milk originated in China and came about as part of the production of tofu. It’s a plant-based alternative to dairy milk, made from soaked soybeans blended with water. The soy milk liquid is separated from the pulp (known as okara) and can be used as is or sweetened with sugar.
Soy milk can be enjoyed as a beverage on its own, or used in place of regular milk in cooking. It’s also the key ingredient to making tofu.
What You’ll Need
Main Ingredients:
- Soybeans – Can also be labelled as soya beans. These are pea-sized cream coloured legumes that are packed with protein. We bought ours in bulk at the Asian supermarket, but they’re becoming more widely available at regular supermarkets. Use organic dried soybeans for the best nutrition and flavour.
- Sugar – Use regular white sugar, palm sugar, or sub with honey or maple syrup. Or leave it out for an unsweetened soy milk.
- Water – You can use regular tap water for boiling and soaking the beans, but try to use filtered water for blending if you can. This will give you a better flavour in the finished soy milk.
Optional Flavourings for Vietnamese Soy Milk:
- Pandan – Pandan is a staple addition to both savoury dishes (such as pandan chicken) or sweet dishes (like dadar gulung) in many Asian cuisines. Check out our pandan guide for more ideas. Use 1-2 fresh pandan leaves if you can get them, the scent and aroma they infuse is amazing. Otherwise use 1/2 tsp of pandan flavouring like we did. Both the leaves and flavouring should be available at most Asian supermarkets.
- Peanut Butter – We recommend smooth peanut butter so you don’t get any chunks in the milk, otherwise you’ll have to strain it again.
How to Make Soy Milk
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
Prepare the Soybeans:
- Pop ½ cup soybeans in a colander over a bowl and cover with water. Wash thoroughly with your hands and pick out any discoloured, misshapen or floating soybeans. Drain.
- & 3. Soaking your soybeans:
Quick Method: Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to the boil, then pour in your washed soybeans and continue to boil for a minute. Switch off the heat and allow the soybeans to soak in the hot water for around an hour until they double in size. At this point, you should be able to pick up a bean and easily squish it in half.
Lazy Method: Before bed, pop your washed soybeans in a bowl or jar and fill with 3 times as much water. Allow to soak overnight for 8 hours. If the weather is cooler, you may need to allow up to 12-14 hours for them to fully soften.
Blend the Soybeans:
- Transfer the softened soybeans into a blender and add 2 cups of filtered water for every 1 cup of soaked beans.
- Strain the soy milk using a nut milk bag or a colander lined with cheesecloth placed over a bowl. Tip: Pour and strain the soy milk slowly in batches so it doesn’t overflow or get clogged with the okara (soy milk pulp).
- Pull the edges of the cloth together and squeeze the pulp to extract the milk.
- Use the okara pulp in another recipe or pop it in your compost. Use a spoon to carefully press out any remaining soy milk through the bag or cloth.
Sweeten the Soy Milk:
- Pour your soy milk into a saucepan and add the sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Note: Soy milk can foam up quickly once it comes to the boil, so keep a close eye on it at all times and reduce heat to low as soon as it foams up to avoid it boiling over. Skim off any foam or skin that forms on top and discard.
- Simmer for 10 minutes. For a nuttier flavoured soy milk drink, stop cooking here. Otherwise, keep simmering for another 10-20 minutes for a sweeter soy milk. Taste test along the way until you get it just right!
Add Flavourings:
- Original Flavour: Once you’ve finished cooking, your plain soy milk is ready to drink as is, and can be enjoyed warm or cool.
- Pandan Flavour: Add 1/2 tsp of pandan flavouring or 1-2 fresh pandan leaves (knotted) to the soy milk while it’s simmering.
- Peanut Butter: Add 1 tbsp of smooth peanut butter while it’s simmering. Stir through until the peanut butter has completely melted. Best served warm.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Dried vs Soaked Soybeans: For every 1/2 cup of dried soybeans, you’ll end up with around 2-3 cups of soaked soy beans.
- Water: Add 2 cups of filtered water for every 1 cup of soaked soybeans when blending.
- Blending – If you are making a double or triple batch or are using a small blender, blend the soybeans in short bursts or smaller batches so you don’t overheat the machine.
- Straining – Make sure you’ve squeezed out as much soy milk as you can to get the most milk out of your soybeans.
- Storage – Store leftover soy milk in sterilised jars in the fridge for around 5 days. If it starts to smell sour, it’s time to get rid of it.
- Make It Easier – Want to drink homemade soy milk more frequently? Consider investing in a soy milk maker to take out a lot of the hands-on work.
FAQs
You can use soy milk in almost any recipe that calls for milk. Its high protein content makes it a great substitute for regular milk in cakes, muffins and pancakes. Otherwise, pop it in your morning coffee or pour over your cereal, oats or granola as a delicious dairy alternative. You could even use it to make your own homemade tofu!
Try it alongside a bowl of chao ga (Vietnamese rice porridge) for the ultimate comfort food combination.
Not everyone likes the taste of soy, but there are a couple of ways you can make it tastier and easier to drink. You can try adding more sweetener – whether this is sugar, honey or maple syrup – or cook it for longer while it’s simmering to make it naturally sweeter and less earthy.
Otherwise feel free to experiment with different flavours to hide the soy taste. Try adding cocoa for a chocolate soy milk, or mint or vanilla extract to see how you like it.
Try these amazing recipes next:
★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
- ½ cup soy beans dried
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp pandan flavouring or 1-2 fresh pandan leaves, knotted
- 1 tbsp peanut butter smooth
- filtered water for blending
Instructions
Prepare the soybeans:
- Pop ½ cup soybeans in a colander over a bowl and cover with water. Wash thoroughly with your hands and pick out any discoloured, misshapen or floating soybeans. Drain.½ cup soy beans
- Quick Method: Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to the boil, then pour in your washed soybeans and continue to boil for a minute. Switch off the heat and allow the soybeans to soak in the hot water for around an hour until they double in size. At this point, you should be able to pick up a bean and easily squish it in half.
- Lazy Method: Before bed, pop your washed soybeans in a bowl or jar and fill with 3 times as much water. Allow to soak overnight for 8 hours. If the weather is cooler, you may need to allow up to 12-14 hours for them to fully soften.
Blend the soybeans:
- Transfer the softened soybeans into a blender and add 2 cups of filtered water for every 1 cup of soaked beans.filtered water
- Strain the soy milk using a nut milk bag or a colander lined with cheesecloth placed over a bowl. Tip: Pour and strain the soy milk slowly in batches so it doesn’t overflow or get clogged with the okara (soy milk pulp).
- Pull the edges of the cloth together and squeeze the pulp to extract the milk.
- Use the okara pulp in another recipe or pop it in your compost. Use a spoon to carefully press out any remaining soy milk through the bag or cloth.
Sweeten the soy milk:
- Pour your soy milk into a saucepan and add the sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Note: Soy milk can foam up quickly once it comes to the boil, so keep a close eye on it at all times and reduce heat to low as soon as it foams up to avoid it boiling over. Skim off any foam or skin that forms on top and discard.¼ cup sugar
- Simmer for 10 minutes. For a nuttier flavoured soy milk drink, stop cooking here. Otherwise, keep simmering for another 10-20 minutes for a sweeter soy milk. Taste test along the way until you get it just right!
Add flavourings:
- Original Flavour: Once you’ve finished cooking, your plain soy milk is ready to drink as is, and can be enjoyed warm or cool.
- Pandan Flavour: Add 1/2 tsp of pandan flavouring or 1-2 fresh pandan leaves (knotted) to the soy milk while it’s simmering.½ tsp pandan flavouring
- Peanut Butter: Add 1 tbsp of smooth peanut butter while it’s simmering. Stir through until the peanut butter has completely melted. Best served warm.1 tbsp peanut butter
Video
Recipe Notes
- Soybeans – Can also be labelled as soya beans. These are pea-sized cream coloured legumes that are packed with protein. We bought ours in bulk at the Asian supermarket, but they’re becoming more widely available at regular supermarkets. Use organic dried soybeans for the best nutrition and flavour.
- Dried vs Soaked Soybeans: For every 1/2 cup of dried soybeans, you’ll end up with around 2-3 cups of soaked soy beans.
- Sugar – Use regular white sugar, palm sugar, or sub with honey or maple syrup. Or leave it out for an unsweetened soy milk.
- Water – You can use regular tap water for boiling and soaking the beans, but try to use filtered water for blending if you can. This will give you a better flavour in the finished soy milk.
- Water: Add 2 cups of filtered water for every 1 cup of soaked soybeans when blending.
- Pandan – Pandan is a staple addition to both savoury dishes (such as pandan chicken) or sweet dishes (like dadar gulung) in many Asian cuisines. Check out our pandan guide for more ideas. Use 1-2 fresh pandan leaves if you can get them, the scent and aroma they infuse is amazing. Otherwise use 1/2 tsp of pandan flavouring like we did. Both the leaves and flavouring should be available at most Asian supermarkets.
- Peanut Butter – We recommend smooth peanut butter so you don’t get any chunks in the milk, otherwise you’ll have to strain it again.
- Blending – If you are making a double or triple batch or are using a small blender, blend the soybeans in short bursts or smaller batches so you don’t overheat the machine.
- Straining – Make sure you’ve squeezed out as much soy milk as you can to get the most milk out of your soybeans.
- Storage – Store leftover soy milk in sterilised jars in the fridge for around 5 days. If it starts to smell sour, it’s time to get rid of it.
- Make It Easier – Want to drink homemade soy milk more frequently? Consider investing in a soy milk maker to take out a lot of the hands-on work.
Nutrition
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