Can You Froth Soy Milk? The Truth WILL Shock You

Ever wondered ‘can you froth soy milk?’ 

The other day I was planning to make a cappuccino but I realised that I had run out of milk and the only sort of milk in my fridge was soy milk. So it made me wonder can you froth soy milk and add it to your cappuccino? I experimented with it and the results are surprising. Stick around, I want to share with you what I learn from this. 

Let’s jump straight into it.

Can you froth soy milk? 

You can froth soy milk to make cappuccino, latte or macchiato. Milk that is rich in proteins can create velvety froth and the richest one is full-fat dairy milk with 8 grams per cup while soy milk is the runner-up with 1 less (7 grams) per cup. 

What is soy milk? 

It’s wise to get the big picture of what soy milk is.

It’s made of (you guessed it) soy beans which are boiled, grounded and pressed which results in a liquid that looks like dairy milk. It’s commonly used by those who are lactose intolerant or anyone who follows a special diet. There are 54 calories in each 100 ml of it which is slightly less than 3.7% fat cow milk with 64 calories.

If you’ve never tried it has a distinct yet subtle nutty taste and it goes well with your black coffee or even tea. Some also use it to make smoothies or curry dishes. If you’re on diet you can try magic slimming coffee.

How to make perfect froth with soy milk

Tips and tricks 

The process of frothing with soy milk is slightly different to cow milk.

As mentioned soy milk is lower in protein content (depending also on the brand). Typically, when you hot soy milk too and too quickly it doesn’t thicken. So, it’s wise to always use soy milk kept in the fridge and steam it slightly slower than you would with cow milk. And of course, when you add the foam to a great-quality espresso you can make a delicious cappuccino or latte that has a nutty kick to it. 

The step-by-step process

Here’s how to go about frothing with soy milk:

• Get the milk carton out of the fridge and shake it for about 10-15 seconds
• Pour enough milk for frothing into the jug (about 1/3 of it) and start frothing
• Stop when you see that the milk starts thickening
• Avoid overheating the milk as it can break down all the proteins
• Once done pour it into your coffee slowly and steadily

Does soy milk froth? 

The answer is: Yes it does.

Because it is lower in protein content than dairy milk, it’s a bit trickier to froth but it’s just a matter of practice to really get the hang of it and enjoy coffee with soy milk froth. 

Why should you bother frothing with soy milk?

If you like to experiment and try different flavours in your coffee I highly recommend you give it a try. Your coffee is going to taste different as soy milk adds this nutty spin to it. 

Plus, it’s lower in calories, ideal for anyone following a strict diet but still wants to enjoy a latte.

2 more tips on how to froth with soy milk 

Let’s chat about 2 more tips to ensure that your foam is going to be great.

Don’t overheat the milk

Soy milk when it gets overheated loses its proteins fast.

You have to make sure that you don’t go over 145 degrees. If you go over this, the odds are that the milk will curdle. Ideally, you need to go for a temperature about 10 degrees lower than this. 

Avoid too acidic coffee beans

When foam made with soy milk is blended with acidic coffee the result is just NOT GOOD coffee – these 2 don’t work well together.

Typically, dark roast coffee beans tend to be less acidic than medium and light roasts. Also, Robusta coffee beans are less acidic than Arabica. Why not go for dark roast, Robusta coffee beans to make sure the foam will work well together with your coffee? 

Can I only froth soy milk with a steam wand? 

Fortunately, there are many different ways you can froth soy milk and still create a great layer for your cappuccino and latte. One of the simplest ones is to use a whisker; all you need to do is put the milk in a container and use the whisker to froth it. Another simple method is to use a French press by adding milk into the cylinder and moving the plunger up and down to froth.

Let’s wrap it up 

Still thinking whether you can froth soy milk or not??! I’m just joking, I hope you learned a thing or 2 from this article about the dos and donts of frothing. Stay tuned, more articles to come like this one.