What has less sugar than milk, almost as much calcium and protein and completely lactose-free? Soy milk! Soy milk has been a popular drink in Asia for centuries and has continued to grow in the West because of its great taste and nutritional content. If you love soy milk or need a delicious alternative to dairy milk, you should get the best soy milk maker so you could make this healthy beverage in the comfort of your home.
Ideal for those who have dairy allergies or lactose-intolerant, homemade soy milk will make sure you get the right amount of recommended nutrition every day! We’ve listed five of the top soy milk makers so you would need not go through all the manual grinding and boiling and straining of soybeans. The best soy milk maker quickly gives you smooth and silky soy milk.
You might be thinking, though, “There are hundreds of soy milk products in grocery stores! I would buy a farm and raise a cow to make my milk! Why should I bother with a soy milk maker?” Your concern is not unfounded. Why would you invest in the best soy milk maker if you can simply get a pack of soy milk at the corner store? There are many good reasons!
We’ll discuss those reasons in our buyer’s guide, but first, let’s take a look at the top five best soy milk maker!
A Quick Look At The Best Soya Milk Makers
|
Product Name |
Image |
Quality |
Price |
Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Green Electronics Gourmet Automatic |
 |
A |
$ |
|
|
SoyaJoy G4 |
 |
A |
$$ |
|
|
Joyoung CTS-1078S |
 |
A |
$ |
|
|
Tribest Soyabella SB-130 |
 |
A |
$$ |
|
|
Joyoung DJ13U-D08SG |
 |
A+ |
$$ |
The Buyer’s Guide for Soy Milk Makers
What Soy You?
Soy milk is essentially the water extract from soybeans which are pre-soaked into water, ground, and then strained.
The drink had its start in ancient China after the birth of the millstone, which was used then for grinding. However, soy milk was not in full consumption in China until the 18th Century. By then, soy milk manufacturers discovered soy milk tasted much better if heated for a longer time.
Skip 5000 years later, to our age; soy milk has become a household name especially for those who are lactose intolerant. Many hail it as the best alternative to cow’s milk especially in protein content, where they are almost identical. Take a look at just a few of the many health benefits of Soy milk.
The Benefits Of Soy Milk
- Soy milk has a lower sugar content than milk
- No cholesterol
- Contains only vegetable protein
- Enhances bone health
- Promotes weight loss and maintenance
- Prevents cardiovascular disease
Making Soy Milk
The traditional method of making soy milk was a labor-intensive process, seldom consistent and usually messy. First, one would soak whole soybeans in water for around 8-16 hours. After pre-soaking the soybeans, some would heat the beans for several minutes before grinding. Others will go straight to grinding the beans typically in a blender. One would then strain the resulting pulp.
Finally, you’d boil the water extract from the pulp for approximately ten minutes. When the mixture cools, the soy milk is ready. At this point, the soy milk is drank, refrigerated, or flavored to preference.
So yes, tiring and time-consuming. Although this method may be more practical to the occasional drinker, those who regularly drink soy milk benefit significantly from an automated soy milk maker. It will not only improve your health but also help you with the money you can save in the long run.
Meet Soy Milk’s Maker
Soy milk makers work quite similarly to an automatic espresso machine. The soy milk maker automatically grinds and blends pre-soaked beans into a fine pulp or paste. Afterward, the pulp is strained and allowed to steep and dissolve in hot water.
The hot water cooks the extract until fully cooked, while the strainer chamber keeps the soy solids separate. Typically, soy milk makers turn off automatically when the soy milk has cooked. The remaining strained soy solids, called okara (pictured below), is either disposed of, utilized as animal feed, or used in small amounts for cooking certain Asian dishes.
All you’d need to do is wash whole soybeans, soak them in water for a time, and then place them in the soy milk maker. Soon you’ll have silky soy milk!
Now, let’s take a look at what parts make up a Soy milk maker.
Parts Of A Soy Milk Maker
Although soy milk makers may differ with different brands, they all have these basic components and features:
- Heater
Heats the water and the soybean extract. - Fluid Container
The reservoir that holds the heated water and dissolved soybean extract. - GrinderGrinds and blends the whole soybean into a paste or pulp.
- Filter Chamber or Mesh Screen
Holds the soybean paste during cooking through the hot water and the keeps the resulting okara separate from the finished soy milk. - Sensors and a simple computerA small and straightforward computer controls the heating, cooking, and mixing.
The Maker’s Benefits
- Time and Effort
The best soy milk maker work so well in that it makes soy milk faster than you going to the market to buy store-bought milk. Once you’ve placed the pre-soaked beans into the machine, you can focus on other tasks and then come back when the soy milk is ready.
- Full control over Final Product
Healthy soy milk is made up of three main ingredients, soybeans, water, and a little salt. Some would also opt to add some sugar for a sweeter taste. You could also use organic soybeans for an even healthier option!
This control and awareness of what goes into your soy milk is the biggest advantage of homemade versus store-bought soy milk. In sharp contrast to the simple and straightforward ingredients of homemade soy milk, store-bought options are full of sweeteners, artificial and natural flavorings, food coloring, thickeners, and other unhealthy additives.
Many of those who claim that soy milk is unhealthy often refer to these additives from store-bought soy milk.
- Long-term savings
A soy milk maker will practically pay for itself in the long run, and you’d still have savings left over!
A single batch of soybeans can yield up to a week’s worth of soy milk saving you the need to regularly buy soy milk, which can be pricey, from stores and the gas you’d spend to get there!
- Convenience
Imagine, you will no longer need to buy soy milk or look for the best brands at the best prices. There’s now no need to worry about the many unhealthy additives that store-bought soy milk contain. You’d no longer worry about running out or the mess you’d make when manually making soy milk.
- Versatile
Finally, one more significant advantage of soy milk makers is that they are not limited to making soy milk! You can also make rice milk and milk from nuts like cashew and almonds. You could add that to these large savings as most nut milk can be expensive! Some soy milk makers can even make soups!
What About That “Beany” Taste?
Many would raise the concern of the somewhat beany taste in homemade soy milk as they contemplate buying the best soy milk maker.
That “beany” taste is, of course, normal and the soy milk is still safe to consume. Ultimately, this flavor characteristic is a matter of preference.
If you prefer non-beany soy milk, then you could knead and remove the hulls of the soybeans before soaking. After soaking, you may heat the beans for around two minutes in a microwave or a little longer in a pan before placing them in the soy milk maker. This process lessens the “beany” taste of the final product.
What Should I Look For In The Best Soy Milk Maker?
Here are the important things you need to consider when deciding on your next soy milk maker:
- Capacity
Soy milk makers can range from 1-liter models up to 2 liters while the finished product keeps for about five days. Hence, your decision on size depends on how much soy milk you and your family can consume during this period.
- Noise
The amount of noise emitted by soy milk makers will vary, from extremely noisy to whisper quiet. If you need to minimize noise, then decide on more silent soy milk maker. Ignore this advice, however, if noise during operation is irrelevant to you.
- Versatility
An excellent soy milk maker is a multi-tasking machine. Look for the model that also allows you to make coconut, almond, rice, hemp and other kinds of milk! And we’ve mentioned that some could even make soup or porridge!
- Performance
On the performance of a soy milk maker, keep in mind three things: grinding, overflowing, and heat. The top soy milk makers do an excellent job grinding soybeans which result in a greater soy milk yield.
Also, good models prevents the milk from overflowing or burning, typically turning off or power cycling in this scenarios
- Design
The design and aesthetics of your soy milk maker are entirely up to you. However, the base material of the machine may influence its durability. Those with stainless steel exteriors and interiors will, of course, work and operate longer than those made of plastics.
- Maintenance
You’ve avoided a cluttered and messy kitchen by using a soy milk maker, instead of the traditional way of producing soy milk. Hence you’d also want a soy milk maker that is easy to clean and maintain. Many models can be taken apart for better cleaning and storage.
Additionally, there are soy milk makers available that feature a self-cleaning function!
Armed with this knowledge, let’s now take a look at the five best soy milk maker!
Conclusion
You can’t go wrong with our top five! Decide now on one of the soy milk makers and drink yourself to better health!
Our personal choice, though, would go to the Joyoung DJ13U-D08SG as the top soy milk maker. It’s also one of the “smartest” with its built-in computer as in grinds, blends, and extracts delicious soymilk. We love its keep-warm function, but not as much as its high yield of thick yet smooth soymilk! Finally, its great design and aesthetics make sure it stays at the top of our list.
Did we miss your favorite soy milk maker? Aside from soy milk, what other recipes do you use with soy milk makers? Let us know!