Home-Made Plant-Based Milk

The Palisadian-Post has partnered with locally founded environmental organization Resilient Palisades to deliver a “green tip” to our readers in each newspaper. This edition’s tip was written by Ingrid Steinberg, co-founder and board president of Resilient Palisades, and Zero Waste team member.

One of the most effective ways to reduce your climate impact is to minimize the quantity of animal products you consume. A good place to start is with milk.

Many people are now switching to almond, soy, oat or other plant-based milks. Unfortunately, like most cow’s milk, plant milks tend to come in plastic-lined containers that must be thrown away.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to have plant-based milk without all the waste? It turns out that there is.

I have been making soy milk at home for the last couple of years. I use a machine called a Soyajoy.

The process is really simple. I buy organic soybeans in bulk online. When I need milk, I soak half a cup of beans for eight to 12 hours, then transfer them to the Soyajoy, add water and hit “start.” Thirty-six minutes later, I have delicious, steaming hot soy milk waiting for me.

The milk needs to be put through a fine sieve (that comes with the machine) and funneled into a container. I found some great glass milk containers online. The Soyajoy takes just a couple of minutes to clean.

Fellow Resilient Palisadian Susan Fairbairn makes almond milk as well.

“I have both a Soyajoy that I use for making soy milk and soups, and an AlmondCow that I use for making oat and almond milk—often a combo,” Fairbairn explained. “I soak whichever grain, bean or nut I’m using overnight, pop it in the maker in the morning, and fresh milk is ready in no time.”

Both of the makers filter out fiber and also require a little clean up, Fairbairn continued.

“The almond fiber can be used in baking,” Fairbairn added. “The AlmondCow is simpler to clean but does not heat up, so it doesn’t work for soy milk or soups (unlike almonds or oats, soy beans must be heated in order to improve the nutritional quality and flavor of the beverage). I found some good glass containers that are easy to clean, which is also key to making this a habit.”

In addition to saving on waste, and being a great part of a plant-based or plant-forward diet, home-made plant milks are healthier than their store-bought equivalents. They are free of the added preservatives, emulsifiers and flavorings that come with most store-bought plant milks.

As a further bonus, making our own soy milk is costing my family less, too. The machine, which was priced around $200, paid for itself in less than eight months. Since then, we’ve been saving about $300 per year compared to what we would be spending on packaged plant milk.

So, making your own plant-based milk is healthier, better for the climate, minimizes waste and could save you money over time. And, home-made plant milk is fresh and delicious!