Learn how to make sữa đậu nành or Vietnamese soy milk at home. It is a delicious drink made from simple ingredients: water, soybeans, and sugar. It's perfect for any time of the day. Adding pandan leaves creates green Vietnamese-style soy milk called sữa đậu nành lá dứa, which is refreshing and comforting.
Growing up as a kid, my mom would make sữa đậu nành for us. It was one of my favorite memories. She could've simply bought us the cans from the Vietnamese grocery store or even soy milk bottles from tofu shops but she really enjoyed making it fresh for us.
I could always finish sữa đậu nành so much faster than normal dairy milk. I find that it goes well with Vietnamese food such as pho, cari ga, or even drunken noodles.
If you love Vietnamese drinks, you'll need to try my recipe for Vietnamese salted coffee, Vietnamese egg coffee, or a very strong Vietnamese milk iced coffee.
This soy milk recipe is simple and easy to follow. The hardest part is squeezing and milking the milk out of milk bags. Just follow my recipe and I'll walk you through step-by-step!
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Easy Vietnamese Soy Milk (Sữa đậu Nành)
Ingredients
- 1 cup soybeans
- 8 cups water
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 stalks pandan leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and rinse soy beans thoroughly. Then pour 8 cups of water over the beans and let it soak for 8 hours or overnight.
- When the soybeans have softened and expanded wash the soybeans. If there are any shells, pick them out and discard them.
- Take ⅓ of the soybeans and add to the blender. Pour in 300 ml of water. Add pandan leaves at this time if you want the flavor. Blend the soybeans and water until it has become milk. Take the nut bag and place it into a pot or bowl. I prefer using a pot because it makes for less cleanup. Pour the milk into the nut bag and let the milk drain into the pot. Repeat this step until all of the soybeans have been blended.
- Now it is time to milk the soymilk. With one hand twist the top of the milk bag tight and then the other hand squeeze the bag draining out the milk. Keep squeezing the milk bag until you have squeezed as much milk out as possible.
- Put the pot onto the stove and turn it on low. Use a spoon to stir the milk. Be sure not to let it burn.
- Add sugar to the milk at this time and continue to stir the milk. (Optional)
- When the milk starts to steam and come to a slow boil, turn it off. Wait for the milk to cool down and serve warm or over ice. Enjoy!
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
More on Vietnamese soy milk (Sữa đậu Nành)
You'll find more information regarding sữa đậu nành below. These are clear detailed steps with accompanying pictures to aid you in making this recipe!
🥄Equipment and Tools
- Blender - Any blender will do! Once soybeans are soaked and soft they blend very quickly. I have a Blendtec blender and use it all the time!
- Cheesecloth or nut milk bag - I use a nut bag because it holds up better than cheesecloth but you use what you want!
- Medium-size pot - You'll need a medium size pot to hold the milk and cook it in.
- Pitcher - You'll need a pitcher to hold the milk! I prefer glass!
🛒Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Pandan leaves - Pandan leaves are optional. If you want to add pandan flavor you can use fresh leaves or frozen leaves. Wash and cut to small pieces to blend! If you want to make it even easier use pandan extract. It'll have the pandan flavor and will add a strong green color.
- Water - You'll need two parts of water. One to soak the soybeans and the other part to blend the soybeans into milk.
- Soybeans - Use non-GMO beans. I usually get mine from the Asian supermarket and they seem to have the best prices there.
- Sugar - I use white granulated sugar but you can add any sweetener of your choice! If you want to drink sữa đậu nành plain then omit the sugar!
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
👩🏫 How to Make Sữa Đậu Nành
Step 1: Soak soybeans in water for at least 8 hours, best is to set it up and let it sit overnight. Then in the morning wash rinse and pick out the shells of the soybeans.
Step 2: After washing and rinsing the soybeans, separate them into 3 almost equal parts. It doesn't have to be perfect.
Step 3: Add one-third at a time to the blender. Add water and pandan leaves (optional) and blend until everything is completely mixed.
Step 4: Set up your pot with the milk bag. To the milk bag empty the soy milk and let the milk strain into the pot.
Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all the soybeans have been blended.
Step 6: Carefully close the top of the bag and twist the top closed with one hand.
Step 7: This action will extract the milk. Continue to squeeze and extract the bag until there is no more milk coming out. Then discard the pulp. Repeat until all the milk and pulp have been extracted.
Step 8: Now it is time to cook the milk. Start with the heat on low. Do not turn the heat to high, if you boil the milk it will burn and it will have a burnt taste. Cook it on low heat and continually stir the milk. This process should take about 30 minutes.
Step 9: Add sugar and continue to stir. When the milk starts to have a slow boil, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Step 10: Serve warm or over ice and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Soak soybeans overnight.
- Don't leave the milk unattended! You will need to keep stirring to prevent any burning.
- When your soy milk is cooling and a thin film solidifies, it is normal. Just take a spoon to remove it. The milk is still good.
🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
In Vietnamese culture, we cook soy milk to develop the flavor of the soy milk. Putting soy milk on heat also helps kill potential bacteria that might be present in raw soybeans. This also helps make it safe for consumption. Cooking soy milk also makes it easier to digest compared to raw soybeans. Lastly, cooking soy milk helps thicken the soy milk and improves the texture of the milk.
The green color of Vietnamese soy milk comes from the pandan extract and leaves. Pandan is very popular with soy milk in Vietnamese cooking.
❄️Storage and reheating instructions
- Refrigerator: Store in a closed container for up to 3 days. If milk starts to sour, discard it immediately.
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