Learn how to cook soybeans at home in a regular pot or a saucepan. Use the cooked soybeans for high protein hummus, in soups, stews, and salads, or nibble on them as they are. Furthermore, learn how to make dry roasted soybeans for a tasty low glycemic healthy snack.
What I love about this recipe:
- It’s a perfect batch-cooking item.
- Cooked soybeans have very versatile use.
- Low glycemic and high protein food.
Cooked soybeans and roasted soybeans are vegan and plant-based, gluten-free, oil-free, high protein, low glycemic, and suitable on vegan Candida diet.
Table of contents
How to Cook Soybeans at Home
It’s very easy and relatively quick to cook your own soybeans. However, you need to be at home for a 3-hour period to keep an eye on the simmering soybeans and add more water whenever necessary.
Now, let’s get into the process of cooking soybeans at home.
First, take the dry beans and pour them into a large bowl. I normally use 2½ cups (460g, 16.2oz) of dry beans. Then, remove any defective soybeans from the batch. It’s simply to save your teeth from breaking when eating cooked beans.
Next, cover with filtered water (about 1,140 grams, if using 460 grams of dry beans), stir, and soak the beans for at least 12 hours. Drain and rinse the soaked soybeans well before adding them into a large pot with clean filtered water.
On high heat bring the water to boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and simmer uncovered for 3 hours. Before you can leave your soybeans to simmer unattended, for about the first 15 minutes, skim off the foam using a skimmer spoon.
Do You Need to Skim Off the Foam When Cooking Soybeans?
It seems that it’s not necessary to skim off the foam when cooking beans. Apparently, it doesn’t affect neither the taste nor nutrition. However, I’d advise you to do it for aesthetic reasons as well as for being able to see what’s going on under all that froth.
After you’ve skimmed off the developing foam, add bay leaves into the pot. The reason of adding the bay leaves later, is that it would be more difficult to skim the foam as bay leaves float on top.
Now, leave the soybeans simmer on low heat until they’re soft, about 3 hours. Check on your cooking beans every now and then, stir occasionally, and add hot water whenever the water level is too low. The beans should be under water.
Ideally, let the cooked soybeans and the cooking water to cool down before you drain the beans out. This way you prevent the beans from drying (turning wrinkly) or breaking.
In case you’re more of a visual learner and listener, check out the below video on how to cook soybeans at home! Besides cooking the beans, I also talk about a fascinating study about postmenopausal hot flashes and soybeans. Go and watch the video!
Here’s and easy step-by-step guide on how to cook soybeans at home:
- Clean the beans.
First, take any amount of dry beans and pour them into a large bowl. Then, remove any defective soybeans from the batch. It’s simply to save your teeth from breaking when eating cooked beans.
- Soak the beans.
Next, cover with filtered water, stir, and soak the beans for at least 12 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Cook the beans.
Add the soaked soybeans into a large pot and cover with filtered water. On high heat bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and simmer uncovered for 3 hours. Before you can leave your soybeans to simmer unattended, for about the first 15 minutes, skim off the foam using a skimmer spoon.
After you’ve skimmed off the developing foam, add bay leaves into the pot. The reason of adding the bay leaves later, is that it would be more difficult to skim the foam as bay leaves float on top.
Now, leave the soybeans simmer on low heat until they’re soft, about 3 hours. Check on your cooking beans every now and then, stir occasionally, and add hot water whenever the water level is too low. The beans should be under water.
How to Store Cooked Soybeans
Once cooked and cooled, store in an airtight jar or a container in the fridge for up to a week. For longer keeping, transfer the beans into zip lock bags or freezer friendly containers and freeze.
How to Use Cooked Soybeans
There are several ways you can use cooked soybeans:
- Add to salad bowls, stews, and soups.
- Make high-protein low glycemic soybean hummus.
- Or nibble on them as they are.
Cooked Soybeans Nutrition
Nutritional info for cooked soybeans (½ cup, 86 grams, 3oz): 147.9 kcal, 2 grams carbohydrates (5.4% of kcal), 7.7 grams fats (46.9% of kcal), 1.1 grams saturated fats, 15.7 grams protein (42.5% of kcal), 5.2 grams fibre, and 0.9mg sodium.
Feel free to PIN the below image!
How to Make Dry Roasted Soybeans in the Oven
I guess you’ve heard of roasted soybeans as an excellent low glycemic vegan snack. You can buy them in Asian supermarkets or order online for convenient snacking.
However, you can make them at home as well. When you prepare them yourself, you can play with different flavours and adjust the baking time according to your preferences and needs.
Start with soaking dry mature soybeans for 12 hours. Make sure to add about 4 times more water as soybeans take in a lot of liquid. Then, drain and rinse.
Now, pour the rinsed soybeans back into the bowl and add flavours of choice. For example, garlic powder, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, some Himalayan salt or tamari. Stir well.
Next, pour the flavoured soybeans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread them evenly in a single layer.
Bake the soybeans at 175°C (350°F) for 20 minutes and then stir using a spatula. Bake for another 20 minutes and stir again. Now, bake for the final 20 minutes and make the final check to make sure they’re nice and crisp. If not, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
By the way, I personally like my soybeans a bit soft in the middle and it’s totally fine if you’re going to eat the batch in a day or two. However, for longer storage, make sure they’re through and through dry and crisp to avoid mould developing.
How to Store Dry Roasted Soybeans
Unless you’re making a bigger batch, you most probably won’t have any leftovers.
However, should you still do, store them in a container or a jar on kitchen counter for up to 2 weeks. Make sure the soybeans are completely dry before transferring them into a jar or a container.
In case you’re not sure whether the beans are completely dry, store them in the freezer.
How to Use Dry Roasted Soybeans
Evidently you can snack on roasted soybeans as they are. Alternatively, add a handful to your salads or Buddha bowls.
Needless to say, roasted soybeans make an excellent snack to take to the office or on a hike.
Again, if you’re a visual learner and prefer listening to reading, go and watch the below video!
Step-by-step visual guide to building your own balanced bowls.
How to Make Dry Roasted Soybeans
- Total Time: 13 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Learn how to make dry roasted soybeans in the oven without oil for a delicious and healthy low glycemic snack.
Soaking time: 12 hours
Ingredients
- 230g (1 1/6 cups, 9.11oz) dry mature soybeans, soak
- A few pinches of Himalayan salt
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp. smoked paprika powder
- 2 tbsps. nutritional yeast
Instructions
- First, take the dry beans and pour them into a large bowl. Then, remove any defective soybeans from the batch. It’s simply to save your teeth from breaking when eating cooked beans.
- Next, cover the beans with filtered water, stir, and soak the beans for at least 12 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Now, pour the rinsed soybeans back into the bowl and add flavours of choice. For example, garlic powder, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, some Himalayan salt or tamari. Stir well.
- Next, pour the flavoured soybeans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread them evenly in a single layer.
- Bake the soybeans at 175°C (350°F) for 20 minutes and then stir using a spatula. Bake for another 20 minutes and stir again. Now, bake for the final 20 minutes and make the final check to make sure they’re nice and crisp. If not, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
Notes
By the way, I personally like my soybeans a bit soft in the middle and it’s totally fine if you’re going to eat the batch in a day or two. However, for longer storage, make sure they’re through and through dry and crisp to avoid mould developing.
Storage: store them in a container or a jar on kitchen counter for up to 2 weeks. Make sure the soybeans are completely dry before transferring them into a jar or a container. In case you’re not sure whether the beans are completely dry, store them in the freezer.
Alternatively, roast cooked soybeans. Bake them two times for 20 minutes and then for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Method: Oven
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of the recipe
- Calories: 111.8 kcal
- Sodium: 29.4mg
- Fat: 4.7g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7g
- Carbohydrates: 4.4g
- Fiber: 3.9g
- Protein: 9.3g
Feel free to PIN the below image!
I did the “How to Make Dry Roasted Soybeans in the Oven” and turned out great! I also wondered other legumes that can replace the soybeans. I just tried myself with lentils, following the same process, and I’m not sure it’s that great. Maybe I should have started with lentils, they have a very similar size and shape. I roasted the lentils until dry, I was fearful they would stay too raw and not be as nutritious, because they dried faster than the soybeans I think. I also wanted them dry. They don’t look burned at all, I can’t see any black in them, however they taste ever so slightly burned. So be very careful when doing this, there is a short moment where they pass from almost dry to burned. When I investigated other people recipes, many of them, “roasted lentils” they very often boil lentils before roasting them. This comment are just disorganized thoughts from a beginner, you can or not respond, but your article has been awesome to me!
Hi Pepe!
Sorry for the late answer!
I have tried with chickpeas but it doesn’t work like with soybeans as they remain quite hard. I guess it’s better to boil other legumes first and then bake them.
I hope this helps!
Nele
Where do you get your soy beans?
Hi Cindy! I live in Northern Europe and order mine online from an organic shop. I recommend you Google non-GMO organic soybeans in your area or search Amazon for example (there are many options there). I hope this helps!
I reckon you’d LOVE a pressure cooker, Nele!!! I cook all my pre-soaked beans in a pressure cooker. Once they reach heat they take about 7 mins to cook – yes seven minutes! This is in a classic stainless steel pressure cooker (15lbs per square inch – some of the fancy multi-cookers cook at 5lbs per square inch which takes a lot longer, or 10lbs per square inch). No need for lower pressure when cooking beans, chickpeas, lentils, rice, etc). Pressure-cooked food is more nutritious! Plus it is great for saving time, money and energy – AND lowering our carbon footprint. I say every plant-based kitchen should have one. The new style cookers are totally safe, by the way. They are awesome! And now, I have no financial associations with any pressure cooker manufacturers 🙂
Thanks for the hint!
You are amazing thank you so much
Thank you so much Jocelyn! 💚🤗
Thank you for the recipe – I was amazed that you didn’t need to boil / pressure cook the beans before roasting them! I haven’t tried it yet as I’ve just bought dry soybeans and I’ve soaked and pressure cooked them, but I will try this as well. Have you had any luck roasting cooked soybeans?
Hi! Yes, it was news to me as well! But it works very well with soybeans. You definitely can also roast cooked soybeans.