Learning how to make homemade soy milk is simple, and easily lends itself to a “system”. Whether you drink it daily or use it occasionally for baking, spending $2+/box is not necessary. Just stock dried organic soy beans in your pantry, and you can have as much as you need whenever you need it. I purchased a 25# of organic soybeans on Amazon, and I must admit that it will last me a LONG time. But that translates to about $.80 for 8 cups. Store brands run at least four times that. And this is organic, which is non-negotiable when it comes to soy because over 90 percent of US crops contain GMOs. No. And Thank you.

How to make homemade soy milk:
Soak 1 cup dried soybeans in water for 3-4 hours. (Overnight is fine.) Drain. Cover with water in a sauce pan and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse. Notice the shell pods that float to the top. Scoop to remove. (You don’t need to get them all, just grab the majority.)

Place soybeans in a Vitamix or high speed blender. Cover with water to the 8 cup mark. Puree on high for 3 minutes. Add 1-2 tsp vanilla and 1-2 tsp sugar if desired.

Now, here’s where you can benefit from my learning curve. After you blend, other recipes will tell you to pour into a nut bag or strain thru a cheese cloth. And I can tell you, this is a DEAL BREAKER for me. In my initial attempts at this, I felt like I was back in the 1800s, doing laundry on a wash board. Kneeding and pressing and crying in angst as my hands cramped and I made a big Huge CRAZY mess all over my kitchen as it spilled and slopped and took forever and then still never seemed to strain all the way. I just gave up.

But as a woman born in the seventies, when Wonder Woman wore a cape and Farrah Fawcet drove race cars, defeat is not something I take lightly. Besides, I had bought 25 POUNDS of soybeans. I was not throwing that way. And yet. FOR SURE. I was not squeezing it through a nut bag.

As I was researching various alternatives such as commercial grade sieves, strainers and cheese presses to make this job a little more 2012, I ran across one word of inspiration: nylon.

Today, I’m happy to have Spanx to make it all look smooth. But as a former wannabe Charlie’s Angel, I do own a pair of control top panty hose.

I keep them in the same drawer as the leg warmers and wrist bands. You know, just in case.

So instead of a nut bag, I started using control top nylons. Because nothing beats a great pair or L’eggs like a delicious glass of soy milk. Read more about how you can “Ditch the Nutbag” However, since then, I have found a 90 grade cheese cloth on Amazon that works even better.

Recipe for homemade soy milk:
1/2 cup dried soy beans
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
1 tbsp sugar (optional)

Remove any soy beans that look bad. Soak soy beans for 4-8 hours. Drain, add new water and boil soy beans for 15-20 minutes. Drain.

Place soy beans and 3 cups of water into Vitamix, high speed blender or food processor. Blend for one minute. Pour through nut bag, cheese cloth or nylon. Collect milk. Add leftover pulp (okara) to blender. Add 2 cups of water and blend for 1 minute. Strain again.

Collect the leftover pulp, and use it for pancakes or cookies.(I am working on a recipe, so if those words aren’t linked yet, bookmark this and check back next week…I’m working on it!)

Colleen