Soya milk: is it good for you? 

What is soya milk?

Soya milk is made by soaking soybeans, blending them with water and straining the mixture to produce a smooth, creamy liquid.  

Some brands use soy protein isolate - a concentrated extract in powder form - instead of whole beans, but the result is similar.  

Soya milk does not naturally contain calcium, so it is added along with vitamin B12.

It is naturally dairy-free and lactose-free, and a suitable alternative for people avoiding dairy milk. 

Like all plant-based dairy alternatives, it cannot legally be called ‘milk’ in the UK – only animal milks can.  

This is why you will see it labelled as ‘soya drink’ despite being commonly referred to as ‘soya milk’. 

While these non-dairy drinks are designed to mimic dairy milk in how they look, taste and behave, their nutrition varies widely. 

Most plant-based drinks are classed as ultra‑processed foods (UPFs) because they have added ingredients such as stabilisers, emulsifiers, salt, oil, sugars or sweeteners.  

This does not automatically make them unhealthy. They can still fit into a balanced diet, but it does mean the ingredients list matters. 

Is soya milk healthier to drink than cow’s milk?

Soya milk is one of the closest plant‑based alternatives to dairy in terms of protein, providing around 7 to 8g per 200ml, like cow’s milk.  

This makes it more nutritionally complete than oat, coconut, almond or rice milks, which contain very little protein. 

It is lower in saturated fat than whole or semi‑skimmed cow’s milk, and most unsweetened versions are similar in calories to skimmed milk.  

The UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommends choosing sugar‑free, fortified plant-based drinks, with added calcium, vitamin B12 and iodine to match the key nutrients in cow’s milk. 

This means you are best to buy unsweetened varieties of soya milk with added calcium and B12.  

How cow’s milk and plant alternatives compare nutritionally

The below table shows the nutritional values in 100mls of 6 plant-based milk alternatives compared with full-fat cow's milk.

The numbers are averages – rounded up 1 decimal point – taken from Nutritics and milk.co.uk. They are for unsweetened products. Data on sweetened products is shown in brackets where they differ.

Source: A Nutritional and Environmental Impact Comparison of Skim Dairy Milk and Plant Beverages: A Review

*added ingredient

Is soya milk good for cholesterol?  

Soya milk is naturally low in saturated fat and soy protein itself has cholesterol‑lowering effects.  

Research also shows that around 25g soy protein a day may help reduce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, by around 3 to 4 per cent, when consumed regularly as part of a balanced diet.  

The effect is small but meaningful, and becomes much stronger when soy is included as part of the Portfolio Diet, which combines cholesterol‑lowering foods such as soy, nuts, oats, and plant stanols and sterols.  

This dietary pattern can reduce ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol by around 17 to 30 per cent.  

You would need to drink at least three 250ml glasses of soya milk a day to reach the 25g soy protein target, so most people meet this through a mix of soy foods, like tofu, tempeh, edamame, soy yogurt and soy mince, as well as soya drinks. 

Can I cook with soya milk?  

Soya milk is one of the most versatile plant milks for cooking.  

Its higher protein content means it behaves more like dairy in meals that rely on milk proteins for thickening, so can be used as a substitute in most recipes.

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