Healthy Vitamix Blender Soy Milk
健康营养 搅拌器豆浆

All the solutions are incorporated into the recipe, so if you’re just looking to make easy, home-made soy milk now:

First, a brief history of soy milk

Legend has it that soy milk and tofu date to the 西汉 (xī hàn) Western Han dynasty around 164 BC. To care for his ill mother, a prince named 刘汉 Liú Hàn in modern day 安徽 Ānhuī province ground soy beans to make soy milk. There’s no written proof of this story, but there are stone tablets dating to the era with evidence of tofu’s existence at the time. If it’s true, that would mean that soy milk has been around for almost 2200 years!

What’s sure is that tofu and soy milk have well over 1000 years of history in China and East Asia. The ubiquitous Vitasoy shelf-stable soy bean drink dates to 1945. To make the flavor appealing to the masses, Vitasoy took a cue from soda and debuted flavored drinks pumped full of sugar. My cooking method makes that totally unnecessary. There’s an interesting history of the evolution of commercial soy milk in the West in this Serious Eats article.

Despite research showing its heart-healthy qualities — soy consumption is linked with declines in LDL “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides — soy milk consumption in the US has been declining since 2008. With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the grocery supply chain, now is the time to reconsider soy milk.

Okara 豆腐渣

豆腐渣 (dòu fu zhā) or okara (from Japanese 雪花菜) is the coarse soy bean pulp left over from making soy milk or tofu in the traditional manner. It’s a nutritional powerhouse: high-fiber, high-protein, low-calorie. As a byproduct of the the traditional soy milk recipe, okara is usually strained out and hidden in diet food (e.g. partial flour replacement in pancakes), used as fertilizer, or used as animal feed.

Instead of having to hide nutritious okara in other dishes, with a high-powered blender (I love my Vitamix), we can puree the okara until it’s totally smooth. This way, it adds body, creaminess, and nutrients to our soy milk! The high-powered blender is the key here; the soy milk is totally smooth without straining or filtering.

What about isoflavones?

Isoflavones are phytoestrogens (plant-based compounds with a chemical structure similar to estrogen) that naturally exist in soy. Depending on the article, they’ve been labeled as both miracle compounds and toxic. However, research shows that moderate consumption of soy as in an Asian diet will not cause an effect one way or the other.

Keep in mind that we’re using less than 2 Tbsp of soy beans per cup of soy milk. More importantly, soaking and cooking the beans further reduces any phytoestrogen activity. For a good summary of existing soy isoflavone research, check out this page at Oregon State.

Environmental benefits

By far the most popular plant-based milk by sales in the US is almond milk, at $1.3B of $2.0B in annual sales (source: Good Food Institute). As a whole, plant-based milks make up 13% of total milk consumption in the US, so it’s clear that non-dairy milk is here to stay.

With increased attention on agricultural contribution to greenhouse gas emissions (particularly cattle farming) and drought (almond farming in California), soy milk is an environmentally-friendly choice. By making soy milk at home, we can further reduce the fuel consumption necessary to ship refrigerated soy milk to your local grocery store; it’s 90% water!

This article in Science in by researchers at Oxford University has more detail on the environmental impacts of various foods.

According to the Oxford study, soy milk is the joint winner on the sustainability scale. Plus, soy is the only plant milk that comes close to offering a protein content comparable to dairy.

The Guardian, “Almonds are out. Dairy is a disaster. So what milk should we drink?”

On the environmental front, the two major concern with soybean consumption are genetic engineering and deforestation. Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybeans, which are genetically modified to be herbicide-resistant, are a definite cause for concern. Some growers in Brazil (the world’s largest soybean exporter) have been burning Amazonian rainforests to grow soybeans for export. To avoid both of these problems, choose US- or Canadian-grown organic, non-GMO soybeans.

Cost benefit

The average cost per gallon of 2% milk in the US was $3.31 in May 2020 (source: USDA). A half-gallon of commercial soy milk in my neighborhood grocery story is $2.50+.

Even organic, non-GMO soy beans cost less than $3/lb in my area or here online in bulk. One cup of soy milk requires 1 oz of dry soybeans, 1 cup of water, and 1 serving each of the calcium and vitamin D supplements. That comes out to less than $1.40 per gallon, or <$0.10 per cup!

Flavor and Digestibility

Approximately 65% of the old population is at least partially lactose-intolerant after infancy. Soy milk is of course naturally free of lactose.

Still, in the early days, many people justifiably regarded soy milk as an inferior beverage. The presence of non-digestible sugars called oligosaccharides in beans can cause digestive issues. But scientific research shows that soaking and thorough cooking significantly reduce present of these compounds. Although quick soaking methods using hot water or a pressure cooker exist, I recommend a long (overnight) soak for the best flavor and digestibility.

My recipe calls for soaking overnight and steam-cooking the beans before blending. As a bonus, this results in less mess because we never boil the final product. If you’ve ever made stove-top Chinese soy milk, you know it tends to foam up and boil over, resulting in a crusty mess. Alternatively, steam the soaked beans for 9 minutes in an Instant Pot and then natural release.

Furthermore, the steaming method denatures lipoxygenase enzyme that causes the beany 腥 (xīng) flavor that sometimes arises from under-cooked soy milk from soy milk machines. By grinding whole cooked beans instead of raw, we reduce that enzyme activity for a smooth, nutty flavor. In addition, I add peeled ginger to the mix, a traditional Chinese cooking trick to neutralize any undesirable beany 腥 flavors.

Which blender?

If you’re thinking of purchasing a high-powered blender, I really can’t recommend my Vitamix enough. Although the price tag is definitely higher than an ordinary blender, it makes perfectly smooth soy milk, 豆沙 (dòu shā) bean pastes, nut butters, smoothies, and soups. I go into detail on which model to pick and how to get the best deal on this page.