Always Keep Soy Milk in Your Pantry
There has never been such a variety of vegan milks, which is great news for people who don’t (or can’t) drink cow’s milk, and a double-edged sword for vegan chefs and bakers. Variety is great, but it means every new alternative milk is a gamble; I had oat milk with a half and half texture, almond milk which was basically off-white water, and everything in between.
If you primarily consume vegan milk in your coffee, with cereal, or on its own, an unexpected texture (or flavor) situation can be annoying, but not entirely a deal breaker. However, when you bake and cook, the wrong milk replacer can ruin your recipe. That’s why I always keep soy milk in the fridge or pantry: its quantity is known. If you are not allergic to soy, it will not let you down. That’s why.
Soy milk is easy to find, is the same across all brands, and is chemically very similar to cow’s milk, making it a reliable ingredient for cooking and baking. Although different companies have different recipes, they all tend to have roughly the same texture and nutrient content; if your regular brand is sold out or not available on the road, replacing with a new one will not be a big deal. Also, of all the widely available vegan milks, soy milk is the closest to cow’s milk because it actually has protein. In fact, according to USDA’s FoodData central nutrition database , soy milk has about the same nutritional profile as 2% milk . The specific types of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates may not match, but the total amounts are the same—and that’s important.
All these qualities together make soy milk as close as possible to the ideal substitute for real milk. In my experience, you can be sure that soy milk behaves almost exactly like cow’s milk over a wide range of temperatures and pH values, in other words, in cooking and baking. I’ve used it in waffles, pancakes, sheet pies, cornbread, instant pudding, rice pudding, and German buttercream; I acidified it with lemon juice to make a vegan “buttermilk”; I made it with sofrito for a vegan bolognese; I used it to make tanjong for milk bread and béchamel for vegan macaroni and cheese. Last Thanksgiving, I even used it as a base for homemade vegan butter. (It worked surprisingly well; besides, I’ll never do it again.)
Soy milk may not be as cool as the new kids in the alternative milk block, but if you’re after a reliable vegan milk substitute, you just can’t beat it. Don’t get me wrong: when I want a delicious refreshing drink, I still go for oat milk, but when I need an ingredient I can trust, it’s always soy. Keep one or two long-term storage boxes in your pantry for emergencies; I promise you won’t regret it.