You’ll never want to drink store-bought soy milk again after trying this creamy and refreshing homemade Chinese soy milk beverage. All it takes is just 4 ingredients to make this easy traditional soy milk drink.

What Is Soy Milk?
Soy milk, soya milk, 豆漿 (in Cantonese), or sữa đậu nành (in Vietnamese) is an everyday staple item in a lot of Asian households, in fact, you may even find soy milk more readily available than cow’s milk in a lot of these households.
As a kid growing up in an Asian household, I had plentiful access to soy milk as my parents would regularly either buy it from Asian supermarkets or make it at home when they had time.
Soy milk as you’ve guessed is a beverage that comes from soy beans and resembles the look and texture of cow’s milk while still being a non-dairy milk. The soy beans are first soaked in water and then grinded down to extract the juice and flavor before finally being cooked. Soy milk can be served either hot or cold.
Due to soy milk being plant-based, it’s a very popular choice amongst vegetarians and also people who are lactose intolerant and can’t consume cow’s milk.
Soy beans are also very affordable as well, not to mention being healthy and full of protein, vitamins, and minerals.
Furthermore, once you know how to make soy milk at home, it opens up a world of possibilities for making other dishes like tofu, Chinese tofu pudding, and bean curd. The pulp from the soy beans can also be used in a variety of dishes as well. This makes it very versatile.
So as you can see, there are a tonne of benefits to learning how to make soy milk from scratch.
What Type of Soy Beans Do They Use for Soy Milk
Yellow soy beans are the most common type of soy bean that is used in making soy milk. The beans are tiny and small when dried and have a yellowish beige color to them. They will expand about 3x their size after soaking in water for several hours.
Black soy beans are another type of soy bean that is used for making soy milk however it is much less common and also more difficult to find compared to yellow soy beans. Unfortunately I have not been able to locate any at my local Asian supermarket.
Where to Buy Dried Soy Beans?
Dried soy beans are readily available at most Asian supermarkets and that’s probably where I recommend you purchase your dried soy beans. Not only will it be the right type of soy beans but it will most likely be a lot cheaper to purchase the soy beans here compared to a non-Asian supermarket as well. I don’t recommend that you order them online from third-party sellers as often times they sell them significantly more than what they retail for at stores.
Homemade Soy Milk vs Store-Bought Soy Milk, Which Is Better?
If you ever compare freshly made soy milk with store-bought soy milk, especially non-Asian brands, you’ll notice there’s a huge difference in the taste and quality of the soy milk. Freshly made soy milk has a rich and beany aroma and taste to it vs store-bought soy milk which barely has any soy flavor left after all of the garbage that they’ve added into the drink like additives, preservatives, and thickeners. Let’s also not forget that corporations love to water their drinks down as well all in the name of profit!
What you end up with after this mess is a poor excuse for soy milk and a much lighter wallet.
That’s why in my opinion, it’s highly recommended to make your own soy milk instead of buying it.
Not only will your own homemade soy milk taste vastly superior to any corporate junk that they sell on store shelves, it will cost you significantly less to make your own as well.
I was able to pick up a large 1.5 lb bag of dried soy beans for less than $2 USD at my local Asian supermarket. With this amount of soy beans you could probably make around 3-4 times the amount sold in store-shelves for a fraction of the cost depending on how much water you use in the recipe.
And let’s not forget you can actually choose what type of soy beans you use for your own recipe as well such as Non-GMO soy beans or high quality soy beans. With store-bought soy milk who knows what kind of low quality cheap soy beans they use to improve their bottom line!
Is Making Soy Milk at Home Difficult?
Now I know you might be thinking this sounds great and all, but isn’t making soy milk from scratch a difficult process?
Not really.
It basically comes down to 4 steps:
- Soaking the soy beans. (You literally put the soy beans in a large bowl and soak it for several hours. Easy right?)
- Blending & grinding the soy beans. (You know how to use a blender right?)
- Straining out the pulp (You’ll need to use a little muscle here)
- Boiling the soy milk (just being patient and watching over your soy milk)
That’s it!
As you can see, this Chinese soy milk recipe is very simple to make.
Now if this doesn’t sound so bad, then let’s look at the ingredients you’ll need to make your very own home made soy milk at home.
Soy Milk Ingredients
- Soy beans 450g (dry)
- Water 2.2 L
- 5 Pandan leaves (optional)
- Rock sugar 30g (optional)

Ingredient Notes
Soy beans: There are different varieties of soy beans out there but for our purposes we’re going to be using the traditional ones that you typically see which have a yellowish beige color to them. These are the ones that are traditionally used for making soy milk and tofu and gives the soy milk it’s white color. If you can find organic soy beans then I recommend using those otherwise regular store-bought ones are fine. Nearly all Asian supermarkets will sell soy beans and it will be the kind suitable for making soy milk which is why I recommend going to an Asian supermarket instead of your typical one to avoid problems. They also tend to be cheaper at Asian supermarkets as well which is a bonus 😁.

Try to look for soy beans that don’t have any dark spots or blemishes on them.

Pandan leaves: This ingredient is optional but highly recommended as it adds a tonne of flavor to the final product. In traditional Vietnamese soy milk recipes, you’ll often times see Pandan leaves being added to soy milk to enhance it’s flavor. Try to look for fresh Pandan leaves that don’t have any blemishes or dark spots on them. If you do see any dark spots or it feels extra soft and slimy, then the Pandan leaves are nearing expiration. You can also use frozen Pandan leaves if you can’t find any fresh ones.

Substitutions
- Soy beans: A good substitute for regular soy beans would be black soy beans if you can find them. These beans tend to have a milder taste compared to regular soy beans.
- Pandan leaves: You can substitute vanilla extract or Vietnamese branded vanilla powder.
- Rock sugar: You can use regular white sugar if you don’t have rock sugar. I don’t recommend brown sugar though unless it’s Chinese brown sugar sticks. Regular brown sugar has molasses which will affect the taste and smell of the soy milk.
How to Make Chinese Soy Milk
- Rinse the soybeans and remove any bad soybeans and impurities that you see from the batch of soy beans.
- Now take a large bowl, add in your washed soy beans to it, and add in enough water to fully submerge the soy beans and also have an extra 2 inches of water on top of the soy beans as well. This is because as the soy beans are soaking in the water, they will enlarge and grow in size so you want to have enough water to fully cover the soy beans as they grow larger.

- Now place the large bowl with the soy beans in the fridge and let it soak overnight or for at least 10-12 hours before use.
- You’ll notice that after soaking overnight, the soy beans will look significantly larger than before. They will also be significantly softer too, making them perfect for grinding now.

- Once the soy beans have finished soaking in the water, remove the shell from the soy beans. An easy way to remove the shells from the soy beans is to just gently run your fingers through the soy beans in the bowl with the water. The shell will naturally just come off of some of the soy beans. Do this a few times and all of the shells will have come off.

- Now drain the soy beans from the water.

- Now depending on the size of your blender, add the soy beans along with water to your blender. If you have a smaller blender or its motor isn’t that powerful, add the soy beans and water to the blender in batches and only fill it up to about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way with the soy beans. Use about 2-3 times the amount of water for the soy beans that you will be blending if blending in batches. Make sure that you use up all 2.2 L of the water in the recipe.


- Now blend the soy beans together with the water until it’s smooth and fine.

- Next, pour out the soy milk into a nut milk bag or a cheesecloth bag inside of a large pot.

- Squeeze out all of the soy milk in the nut milk bag, leaving only the pulp in the bag.

- You may want to strain out the soy milk one more time if you want your soy milk to be extra smooth without any traces of pulp in the soy milk.
- Now add in your rock sugar if you’re making your soy milk sweet, otherwise just leave it out.
- Next add in your washed Pandan leaves to the pot. I recommend tying the leaves together as well. If you need help on how to tie your Pandan leaves, check out my Vietnamese corn pudding recipe. I have a section written with photos on how to tie Pandan leaves there.

- Now boil the pot with the raw soy milk over the stovetop on medium heat, making sure to constantly stir it and also scrapping the bottom of the pot to prevent the soy milk from sticking to it and burning. Bring the soy milk to a light boil.


- Scape out any foam or bean curd sheets that form at the top of the soy milk while it’s being boiled.


- As soon as the pot comes to a light boil, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and continue boiling the soy milk for an extra 10-15 minutes while constantly stirring it.
- Once done, immediately remove the pot from the stove and let it cool down. Serve while hot or cold.



Tips
- If you prefer your soy milk to not be as rich and thick, then you can add in more water to the soy milk when boiling it. How much will depend on your own preferences but a good place to start would be 1 cup of extra water (250 ml). You can also adjust the level of sweetness as well or just leave out the sugar entirely. If you intend on making other recipes using the soy milk such as Chinese tofu dessert then I recommend not adding in any sugar to the soy milk.
- Never boil the soy milk at a high temperature otherwise it will get burnt at the bottom and develop a bitter burnt taste to the soy milk. It’s much better to use a lower temperature and let it cook for a while longer than to use a higher temperature. You’ll also notice a lot of curdling happening at higher temperatures as well which can be mistaken for pulp which you want to avoid.
- If you see any bean curd sheets developing at the top of the soy milk while boiling it, simply remove it from the top. You can eat the bean curd sheet and it tastes awesome too!
- I recommending blending your soy milk in multiple stages if you have a cheap low powered blender like mines to avoid burning out the motor. Just fill the blender up no more than 1/3 of the way with the soaked soy beans and add in your water and blend everything together.
- When boiling the soy milk over the stovetop in a pot, make sure to constantly stir it to prevent the bottom of the soy milk from burning. Make sure that you also scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent the soy milk from sticking to it as well.
Common Mistakes Beginners Make
- Not soaking the soy beans in water or not soaking the soy beans long enough, leading to extra hard and rough soy beans and further extending it’s cooking time, not to mention potentially damaging your blender too.
- Not removing the skin from the soaked soy beans prior to blending them, making the soy milk taste bitter.
- Boiling the soy milk at too high a temperature leading to a burning taste and smell in the soy milk, not to mention causing the soy milk to curdle as well.
- Not stirring the soy milk constantly leading to a burnt taste in the soymilk. You will see the bottom of the pot turn black if you don’t constantly stir it.
Storage Tips
The soy milk can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days however you’ll most likely finish it all before then 😂.
Side Dishes:
Tofu pudding goes well with soy milk. I’ll be posting my tofu pudding recipe soon so keep an eye out for that 😉.
Another recipe that goes well with soy milk is Cantonese soy sauce chow mein. It’s quite refreshing to wash down all of the oil from the noodles with a glass of soy milk.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.S)
Can I Keep the Pulp and Drink It Together With the Soy Milk?
Yes you can, in fact, some people actually prefer some pulp in their soy milk. If you have an extra powerful blender like a Vitamix that is able to finely blend the soy beans then you can also just boil the soy milk with the pulp and not strain it out. It will have a more thicker nutty texture. This also saves you time as well. I on the other hand, don’t like having any pulp in my soy milk so I filter it out.
Can I Use the Leftover Soy Bean Pulp for Making Other Dishes?
Yes you can. The leftover pulp can be used for making other dishes like buns.
Can I Use Cooked or Canned Soy Beans for This Recipe?
No!
Can I Substitute the Soy beans With Another Ingredient Like Almonds or Oat to Make Almond Milk Instead?
Ah come on, what kind of a question is this?
Why even bother looking for a soy milk recipe in the first place if you’re just going to make another plant-based milk like almond milk or oat milk? Why not just go search for a recipe on how to make almond milk or oat milk instead? 🤦♂️
Why Does My Soy Milk Have a Sour Taste or Look Very Thick After Leaving It in the Fridge for a Few Days?
I’m sorry to say this but your soy milk has gone bad! Don’t drink it and throw it away, maybe your fridge too 😔.
Can I Add Extra Ingredients to the Soy Milk Like Cinnamon or Coco Powder, Etc.?
You can add whatever you want since you’re going to be the one that’s drinking it and not me, however if it tastes bad or you get sick afterwards don’t blame me 🙄.
How Do I Store Leftover Soy Beans?
If you have any leftover soy beans that you didn’t use for the recipe then they should be stored in a dry cool place in an airtight container.
Does Soy Milk Need to Be Boiled?
Yes! You may become ill if you drink soy milk that has not been cooked yet.

Easy Homemade Traditional Chinese Soy Milk
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 450 g Soy beans Dried
- 2.2 Litres Water
- 5 Pandan Leaves Optional
- 30 g Rock sugar Optional
Instructions
- Rinse the soybeans and remove any bad soybeans and impurities that you see from the batch of soy beans.
- Now take a large bowl, add in your washed soy beans to it, and add in enough water to fully submerge the soy beans and also have an extra 2 inches of water on top of the soy beans as well.
- Now place the large bowl with the soy beans in the fridge and let it soak overnight or for at least 10-12 hours before use.
- Once the soy beans have finished soaking in the water, remove the shell from the soy beans. An easy way to remove the shells from the soy beans is to just gently run your fingers through the soy beans in the bowl with the water.
- Now drain the soy beans from the water.
- Now depending on the size of your blender, add the soy beans along with water to your blender. If you have a smaller blender or its motor isn’t that powerful, add the soy beans and water to the blender in batches and only fill it up to about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way with the soy beans. Use about 2-3 times the amount of water for the soy beans that you will be blending if blending in batches. Make sure that you use up all 2.2 L of the water in the recipe.
- Now blend the soy beans together with the water until it’s smooth and fine.
- Next, pour out the soy milk into a nut milk bag or a cheesecloth bag inside of a large pot.
- Squeeze out all of the soy milk in the nut milk bag, leaving only the pulp in the bag.
- You may want to strain out the soy milk one more time if you want your soy milk to be extra smooth without any traces of pulp in the soy milk.
- Now add in your rock sugar if you’re making your soy milk sweet, otherwise just leave it out.
- Next add in your washed Pandan leaves to the pot. I recommend tying the leaves together as well.
- Now boil the pot with the raw soy milk over the stovetop on medium heat, making sure to constantly stir it and also scrapping the bottom of the pot to prevent the soy milk from sticking to it and burning. Bring the soy milk to a light boil.
- Scape out any foam or bean curd sheets that form at the top of the soy milk while it’s being boiled.
- As soon as the pot comes to a light boil, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and continue boiling the soy milk for an extra 10-15 minutes while constantly stirring it.
- Once done, immediately remove the pot from the stove and let it cool down. Serve while hot or cold.
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