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| NOW Foods Organic Soy Milk Powder, 20-oz |
I realize that many folks eat soy products. But if you do, I wanted to share my experience with a product.
I discovered this soy milk in April 2020. It was one of those foods I could order online to have shipped to my home. And it was a food that was shelf stable and I could add to my emergency pantry. I ordered 4 bags through a natural foods/supplement online store, using a first time buyer discount coupon, At that time, with a couple of discounts, I was paying the equivalent of $1.03 for a quart of reconstituted soy milk. That was an amazing price. I just recently finished off the fourth bag. I had kept the bags in my cold storage room and even at 22 months past the sell-by date the last spoonful tasted just as fresh as when I opened the first bag.
In placing another order, I went through a different online vitamin/supplement store, getting another first time buyer discount code plus free shipping. As with absolutely everything else, the price had increased substantially since 2020. Now, even with discounts, my price for a reconstituted quart is $1.56. For a shelf-stable soy milk, that's still a pretty good price for my area.
What I like about this powdered soy milk:
- it's made with organic, non-GMO soybeans
- it contains no added sugar, no gums, no thickeners -- it's just organic soy milk powder. This is very important for me as gums and thickeners (like carrageenan) make me physically sick.
- with no added sugar, I can use it in savory sauces, like cheese sauce, without adding sweetness
- because it's powdered, I don't have to worry about wasting any, or an open quart spoiling before I can use it
- I make as little or much as I need at any one time. It mixes with water easily.
- less wasteful packaging. It comes in a durable, resealable ziplock bag that I wash and reuse for other foods when empty.
I primarily use this in my lunch smoothies, adding the powder and water separately to the blender, saving the step of mixing the two together. But I've also used this in muffins, cakes and cupcakes, custard-based pies (like pumpkin), rice pudding, cornstarch pudding, cheese sauce, white sauce, peanut butter protein balls, and any recipe that would normally call for milk that I make for my family that I also want to enjoy. (If I'm making something for my family that I don't think I'll eat, I just use the regular cow's milk -- that's cheaper.)
Drawbacks to powdered soy milk:
- there's a lot of settling in reconstituted product after standing for several hours
- the taste for drinking is okay. It's not bad, it's just unsweetened and unflavored. If I wanted to drink a glass of this soy milk, I'd add vanilla extract plus sugar or honey to improve the drinking flavor. But I find it to be fine when reconstituted and poured over cereal, cream of wheat, or oatmeal, sometimes with a pinch of sugar added.
- it's not a good substitute for coffee creamer. Like every other soy milk I've tried, it curdles in hot coffee. And I don't feel like it lightened my coffee or gave it much creaminess.
My son has problems with lactose, so I will mention this to him. I'm not sure what version of cow's milk substitute he prefers, but the convenience of powdered milk for cooking would be good. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Live and Learn.
DeleteI’m going to tell my dd about this product. She’s vegan and doesn’t always keep “milk” on hand. This would be very handy for her.
ReplyDeleteI hope this is helpful info for your DD. I agree, the convenience of having it in the pantry to use as little or as much as wanted, without waste or spoilage, is a plus.
DeleteThank you for sharing a thorough review of this powdered soymilk. We've been buying Kirkland brand almond milk from Costco, 12 qts for $14.29. It has a longer shelf life than fresh milk. We also buy dry milk powder for cooking. (We're not big milk drinkers.) Price wise, dry milk powder may be cheaper than $1.56/qt but this is definitely a good milk substitute for our daughter and grandson who are lactose intolerant.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful and restful weekend,
Laura
Hi Laura,
DeleteYes, cost-wise, it's always less expensive for me to cook with cow's milk (even powdered) than commercial non-dairy milks. So when I'm making something that I won't be eating, I use cow's milk.
That sounds like a great price on the Kirkland almond milk.
Here, where I live, all subsitute/plant based miks are rather expensive. On the other hand, lactose free milk is only few cents more than normal milk. Milk powder/dried milk again - so expensive! Most common palnt based milk is oat milk, which is rather cheap now (Oatly was first major producer, now all have their own brands), soy is not very popular.
ReplyDeleteHere, you can have everything dairy products lactose free.
But this is one thing why I enjoy reading your blog: I learn so much!
Ulvmor
Hi Ulvmor,
DeleteIsn't that interesting that lactose free dairy milk is so affordable where you live. Before it was easy to find milk alternatives in regular grocery stores, I did buy Lactaid milk (lactose free cow's milk). My alternative at the time was to make my own almond or rice milk. Oat milk has become very popular here, as well. I think many people like the creaminess. A lot of choices in the non-dairy milks in my area.
I've read that soy milk is the closest substitute you can use to regular milk when you are baking. But also that oat milk will give you the browned look that is nice on muffins and cookies. Baked goods made with rice milk don't brown, and I dislike the pale look that makes it look under cooked. I think coconut and almond (if you can tolerate nuts) are decent coffee creamers. And you can make your own with flavorings you like.
ReplyDeleteMilk free is definitely a challenge. But I haven't found just one substitute that is good in all applications. Thanks for sharing about soy.
Ellie
Central Az
Thank you, Ellie, for sharing this information. I hadn't thought through or researched which milks work for what purposes. This is all good to know. Thank you!
DeleteThanks for this tip, Lili -- appreciate it! Since my husband and I don't buy or dairy milk at all I am always looking for alternatives -- and I really like the idea of having a shelf stable product especially for baking and recipes and the like.
ReplyDeleteGlad to offer the information. I like that I can keep it in the pantry for when I am in the mood for something milk-like, like smoothies or want to make a sauce, without the pressure of using up a carton before it spoils.
DeleteWe have been using soy milk in coffee for years (and soy milk powder during covid when soy milk wasn't available in the shops). I know a lot of people say that coffee has to be cooler for soy milk not to curdle, but it is not the case. After some trial and error we found a way to use it in coffee. Our secret is biocarbonate of soda. We like fresh ground coffee, so we add that to the cup, ad a tiny bit of biocarb, then add boiling water and then soy milk. I promise it doesn't change the taste and soy never curdled again.
ReplyDelete