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Start with which milks you’ll make and how many cups a week, then with how much soaking, squeezing and rinsing will fit into an ordinary morning. Here are the six situations we hear most, and what fits each.
“Almond or cashew milk, most days, for the family”
This is the no-strain case. Almond and cashew milk are cold jobs: soak, grind, filter, drink. A no-strain machine hangs a filter basket into a jug, spins water through the nuts and keeps the meal in the basket, so a pitcher of milk comes out with nothing to wring. None of them heat, which is right for almond and wrong for soy.
The Almond Cow is the big-batch original, with a stainless filter basket and a glass collector. The Nama M1 is the newer design built around a glass jug and a filter that stays in the machine. Both publish a cycle of about a minute, before the soak.
Cold no-strain maker, filter basket, one button
Almond Cow Milk Maker
Almond Cow Almond Cow Milk Maker (120 V)
The machine that made the category: a cup of nuts goes in a stainless filter basket under the motor head, water in the jug, and one press of the cow button spins a pitcher of milk out in about a minute, by Almond Cow's account. Soaking is optional, there is no bag to wring, and nothing heats. The meal stays in the basket and comes out as almond flour.
- Batch
- Up to 1.5 L, about 5 to 6 cups; dry ingredients to the 1-cup line of the basket
- Cycle
- About one minute ("Fresh in 60 Seconds"); soaking optional
- Programs
- One cold cycle, one button; no heating
- Touches the milk
- 304 stainless interior (international page); "food-grade stainless steel and plastic" (US page)
- Motor
- 240 W, 120 V; Almond Cow says 10,000+ rpm
- Size
- 12 × 9.5 × 6.5 in; 4.6 lb
- Warranty
- 1 year, parts and motor
Suits: A household that drinks almond, cashew or oat milk daily and wants the biggest cold batch with the least handling.
Weigh: It makes cold milk only, so soy has to be cooked afterwards on the stove. Almond Cow's own pages disagree on which parts are dishwasher safe (the filter basket on one, all removable parts on another); plan on hand washing. One-year warranty.
Cold no-strain maker, blend-and-spin, pulp pouch
Nama M1 Plant Milk Maker
Nama M1 Plant Milk Maker
Nama's milk maker from the people behind the J2 juicer: a filter basket in a Tritan chamber, a knob for blend time (creaminess), then a spin cycle that wrings the liquid out of the pulp on its own, and a spout to decant. Nama calls it Blend + Strain; the pulp lands in a fold-to-seal pouch, so there is nothing to scrape. Nama says no soaking is needed; there is no bag and nothing heats.
- Batch
- Not published by Nama; about 32 oz / 0.9 L (reviews)
- Cycle
- Blend time set by the knob, then an automatic spin cycle; about two minutes (reviews)
- Programs
- Adjustable blend, auto spin, spout to decant; no heating
- Touches the milk
- Tritan chamber, stainless strainer mesh, glass-filled nylon and stainless blade cage
- Motor
- 600 W; blend 10,000 rpm, spin 2,500 rpm
- Size
- 8.7 × 7.3 × 16.3 in; 11.9 lb with chamber set
- Warranty
- 15 years on all parts
Suits: Anyone who wants control over texture (the knob sets how long it blends) and a machine built to last: Nama publishes a 15-year warranty on all parts.
Weigh: Nama publishes no batch size or cycle time; reviewers report about 32 oz and about two minutes. The chamber is Tritan, a plastic, if that matters to you. No heating element, so soybeans must be fully cooked before they go in (Nama's support page says so). Hand wash with the included brush.
“Soy milk, cooked the way it has to be”
Raw soybeans carry trypsin inhibitors and a beany taste that only cooking removes, so soy milk must be boiled. A heated maker grinds the beans and cooks the milk in one program and then rinses itself. Joyoung has made these for the Chinese market for decades; the Kidisle 32 oz is the household multi-cooker with oat, nut and hot-drink programs alongside soy.
Heated soy milk maker, 1.3 L, no filter
Joyoung DJ13U-G91 Soymilk Maker
Joyoung DJ13U-G91 Automatic Soy Milk Maker, 900 to 1300 ml
Joyoung built the soy milk machine category in China and this is its US-voltage 1.3 L model: ultra-fine grinding with no filter to wash, a soy program that grinds and boils in one cycle, presets for time and temperature, and a warming function. Soy first, then grains and nut milks.
- Batch
- 900 to 1300 ml (listing)
- Programs
- Soy milk, grains, nut milks; preset time and temperature; warming function (listing)
- Heats
- Yes: grinds and boils
- Touches the milk
- Stainless (listing; sibling models list 304)
- Power
- 120 V, 1100 W (listing)
- Straining
- No filter: ultra-fine grinding (listing)
- Warranty
- 1-year limited (listing)
Suits: Anyone whose milk is soy, who wants it cooked properly with the least fuss, and who may go on to tofu.
Weigh: Joyoung has no working US website; model names churn (G91, P10, D988SG) and the listing is the only identifier, so match the model before buying. Specs are from listings. No filter means fine sediment in the glass; strain if you mind.
Heated multi-cooker, 32 oz, eight programs
Kidisle 8-in-1 Nut Milk Maker, 32 oz
Kidisle 8 in 1 Nut Milk Maker Machine, 32 oz
The household size of the Kidisle line: a stainless jug on a heated base with eight touch-panel programs covering soy, almond, oat and coconut milk, rice paste, boil water and a self-clean, plus a delay start and a keep-warm of up to two hours. It ships with a fine mesh strainer and a nut milk bag for the people who want their almond milk smoother than the grinder leaves it.
- Batch
- 32 oz (listing)
- Programs
- Soy, almond, oat and coconut milk, rice paste, boil water, self-clean; delay start; keep warm up to 2 h (listing)
- Heats
- Yes
- Touches the milk
- Stainless jug, 10 stainless blades (listing)
- Power
- 800 W, 120 V (listing)
- In the box
- Fine mesh strainer and nut milk bag (listing)
- Size
- Listings disagree: 5.1 × 5.1 × 11 in or 7.8 × 7.8 × 12.8 in; about 4.2 lb
Suits: A family that drinks soy or oat milk by the jug and wants it cooked, warm and ready at breakfast on the delay timer.
Weigh: Kidisle publishes no spec sheet; every figure here is from the listing, and listings disagree on the size. The jug is rinsed by hand, never in the dishwasher. The grind is not a filter: strain for smooth almond milk.
“Oat milk for the morning coffee, warm”
Oats are the opposite of soy: heat turns their starch to glue. You want a machine that grinds cold and warms afterwards, or a cycle short enough that the oats never cook. The IAGREEA 35 oz runs hot or cold on each of its eight programs; the Olayks 20 oz is the rare budget maker whose listing says which programs heat (oat milk to 122 °F, nut milk at room temperature, soy to a boil). Either suits a cup or two at a time, which is what coffee needs.
Heated multi-cooker, 35 oz, hot and cold programs
IAGREEA 8-in-1 Nut Milk Maker, 35 oz
IAGREEA 8-in-1 Nut Milk Maker, 35 oz, white
One of the few budget heated makers with a maker's page behind it. Eight programs (juice, soy milk, almond milk, milk shake, boil water, oat milk, rice paste, self-clean), hot and cold cycles, a 12-hour delay and a two-hour heat preservation, with a small lid for adding seasoning mid-run. IAGREEA says fresh soy milk takes 36 minutes and the self-clean 8 to 11.
- Batch
- 35 oz / 1 L
- Cycle
- Soy milk in 36 minutes; self-clean 8 to 11 minutes (maker)
- Programs
- Juice, soy milk, almond milk, milk shake, boil water, oat milk, rice paste, self-clean; hot and cold; 12 h delay; 2 h heat preservation
- Heats
- Yes, with cold programs too
- Touches the milk
- 304 stainless chamber and lid (white 8-in-1 page); the 35 oz page says nonstick interior
- Power
- 750 W, 120 V
- Size
- 5 × 6 × 10.3 in; about 4 lb
- In the box
- Cleaning brush, measuring cup, scrub sponge
Suits: Oat milk and smoothies on the cold cycle in the morning, soy or rice paste on the hot ones at night, for a household of two or three.
Weigh: No filter in the machine: IAGREEA's own how-to says to strain for a smoother texture. The maker's pages disagree with each other on interior (304 stainless on one, nonstick on another) and on weight. Dishwasher and warranty not published.
Heated maker, 20 oz, room-temperature and hot programs
Olayks Nut Milk Maker, 20 oz
Olayks 8-in-1 Nut Milk Maker Machine, 20 oz, 12 blades
The Kidisle 20 oz's near twin with one useful difference the listing spells out: which programs heat and which don't. Soy milk and rice paste run to 212 °F, oat milk to 122 °F, nut milk and milk shake at room temperature, plus boil water, an 18-hour delay and a self-clean at 176 °F. Twelve stainless blades.
- Batch
- 20 oz / 600 ml (listing)
- Programs
- Soy milk (212 °F), rice paste (212 °F), oat milk (122 °F), nut milk (room temp), milk shake (room temp), boil water, self-clean (176 °F); 18 h delay (listing)
- Heats
- Yes, to boiling on soy and rice; room-temperature nut milk
- Touches the milk
- 12 stainless blades; body not published
- Power
- Not published
Suits: A cup of cold almond or cashew milk, or a warm oat milk, without cooking it; soy on the hot program.
Weigh: No maker site; everything is from the listing and the manual, which warns the lid must align with the handle or the run stops with an error. Size and weight not published.
“One cup, when I want it, on a small counter”
The 20 oz heated makers: kettle-sized, a cup or two a cycle, programs for soy, oat and nut milk and hot drinks, a self-clean rinse. The Kidisle 6-in-1 is the one people buy; the Olayks above is its near twin.
Heated maker, 20 oz, six programs
Kidisle 6-in-1 Nut Milk Maker, 20 oz
Kidisle Automatic Nut Milk Maker, 20 oz, white
The small Kidisle: a kettle-sized 600 ml jug with six programs for nut, oat and soy milk, juice, boiled water and a self-clean, a two-hour keep-warm and a touch panel. A cup or two per cycle, soy cooked properly, and the cheapest way to a machine that does it.
- Batch
- 20 oz / 600 ml (listing)
- Programs
- Nut milk, oat milk, soy milk, juice, boil water, self-clean; keep warm 2 h (listing)
- Heats
- Yes
- Touches the milk
- Stainless (listing)
- Power
- 600 W, 120 V (listing)
- Size
- 5 × 5 × 8 in; 3.8 lb (listing)
Suits: One person, one or two cups at a time, a small counter, and soy or oat milk warm for breakfast.
Weigh: Listing-only specs, no maker page, no cycle time published. The jug is hand-rinsed. Too small for a family's week.
“Cooked, no bag, and in glass”
The ChefWave Milkmade is the heated maker built like a coffee machine: water tank, grinding compartment, a glass pitcher under a valve. Six programs steam and grind the ingredients, ChefWave’s manual says no nut milk bag is needed, and it runs a seven-minute self-clean after every batch. Among the other heated makers the jugs are stainless but lids are often plastic; the cards say which.
Heated maker, six presets, glass pitcher, no bag
ChefWave Milkmade
ChefWave Milkmade Non-Dairy Milk Maker
The heated maker that behaves like a coffee machine: a water tank on the back, a grinding compartment, a glass pitcher under a dispensing valve. Six programs (almond, macadamia, soy, oat, cashew, coconut) steam and pre-soak the ingredients, grind them, and dispense; ChefWave's manual says the grind is fine enough that no nut milk bag is needed. It runs a seven-minute self-clean after every batch, and the manual says nuts and soybeans need no pre-soaking.
- Batch
- 10 or 20 fl oz per run
- Cycle
- 20 oz run shows 12 to 16 minutes on the display; 10 oz 5 to 12 (manual)
- Programs
- Almond, macadamia, soy, oat, cashew, coconut; delay start; quick (3 min), deep (8 min) and dry (10 min) auto clean
- Heats
- Yes: steams and pre-soaks, then grinds; pitcher is hot after a run
- Touches the milk
- Glass pitcher with steam cover; grinding compartment (material not stated)
- Power
- 1000 W, 120 V
- Size
- 13.6 × 6.5 × 12.8 in; 11.7 lb
- Warranty
- 1 year (manual)
Suits: Someone who wants cooked soy or a warm almond milk in a glass pitcher with no straining, a batch or two a day, and a delay start for the morning.
Weigh: Everything is heated, oats included, so the oat milk is the thick kind. Batches are 10 or 20 oz. The company's own website has gone; the manual (hosted by a retailer) is the spec sheet, and support was an email address. One-year warranty per the manual.
“I’m not sure I’ll keep it up”
A nut milk bag and the blender you own. Soak, blend, pour through the bag, squeeze. It costs a fraction of a machine and tells you in a month whether you make milk. If you do, the bag becomes the backup and a machine takes the daily batch; if you don’t, you own a bag.
Nylon nut milk bag, 200 micron, drawstring
Ellie's Best Pro Quality Nut Milk Bag
Ellie's Best Pro Quality Nut Milk Bag, 12 × 12 in
The bag most blender-route recipes assume: fine Italian nylon mesh at 200 microns, triple nylon seams, a drawstring, and a rounded bottom so the meal doesn't pack into corners. Ellie's Best says it is built for milk with no pulp in it and to be squeezed hard.
- Mesh
- Fine Italian nylon, 200 micron
- Seams
- Triple nylon
- Size
- 12 × 12 in (listing)
- Closure
- Drawstring
- Cleaning
- Rinse and hang; hand wash
Suits: The first bag, and the one to keep as a backup when a machine arrives; also cold brew, juice and yogurt straining.
Weigh: Nylon holds smells if it is put away damp: rinse at once and hang. Ellie's Best doesn't publish dishwasher advice; retailers say hand wash.
Whatever you picked
Rinse the filter the moment you pour, before the meal dries. Keeping a milk maker clean has the order, and the ratios guide has the quantities for every milk. The three routes compared are on the no-strain, heated and blender and bag pages.
