Step 1

First, rinse your soybeans, put in a large bowl, and completely submerge with cold water. Set aside and let soak overnight.

Step 2

The next day, rinse the soybeans a couple of times and transfer to a large pot. Add 12 cups of water to the beans, and bring to a boil using high heat and continue to cook for 10 more minutes using medium heat.

Step 3

Next, blend the soybeans and water in batches until completely smooth. We used our Blendtec’s “smoothie” setting. Transfer the blended soybean mixture to another pot and let simmer for 40 minutes. Watch it carefully, as it’s easy for the soymilk to boil over! Towards the end of the 40 minutes, add salt and sugar to taste (if using), stirring to dissolve.

Step 4

After 40 minutes, strain the soymilk through a fine cheesecloth. It’s ideal to use cheesecloth, which will result in the cleanest and smoothest soy milk, but you can also use a fine-meshed strainer, as we did. If you use a fine-meshed strainer, you’ll want to let your soy milk settle before using it, as there will be some soybean solids at the bottom of whatever bottle or container you use to store it. This is especially important if you’re using the soymilk for coffee. If you’re using it for baking or to make a Chinese dish like Dou Jiang, a few solids are just fine.

Step 5

Transfer the soymilk to a bottle, jar, or other airtight container and store in the fridge on the top shelf in the back to preserve it for longer! It’s best to finish it as soon as you can--we wouldn’t recommend keeping it for longer than a few days. As with all homemade staples like pickles, tomato sauce, etc. it’s best to exercise caution!