Though recently surpassed in popularity by almond milk and oat milk, vanilla flavored soy milk has been a popular plant-based beverage for decades. And while vanilla soy milk is a high protein non-dairy alternative, is it really a healthy choice?
Many vanilla-flavored soy milks contain highly processed ingredients. This guide details what to look for and what to avoid when choosing a healthier vanilla-flavored soymilk.
Healthy Vanilla Soymilks:
- Minimize added sugars
- Are free of glyphosate residue (organic or non-GMO soybeans)
- Avoid gums and other thickeners
- Are free of carrageenan
- Minimize sodium
Water will always be the first ingredient in vanilla soy milk. Ideally, the only other ingredients will be organic or non-GMO soybeans and vanilla flavor. However, most commercially available vanilla soymilks have relatively long ingredient lists.
For a full explanation of these common additives and why they are best avoided, check out our comprehensive evaluation of unflavored soy milk.
Which popular vanilla soy-based beverages are healthy?
We evaluated popular vanilla soy milks based on the following criteria. (1 – 8)
Criteria used to evaluate vanilla soymilk
All information below is for a 1 cup serving.
Types of added sugar are red. Thickeners, gums and carrageenan are bold.
Healthy vanilla soy milk
Most vanilla soy milks found in the grocery store have a long list of ingredients and way too much added sugar. In fact, there is only one store-bought soymilk that we consider a healthy choice.
West Soy Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Soymilk
West Soy Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Soymilk Ingredients: Organic soymilk (filtered water, whole organic soybeans), natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors.
Reasons to consider West Soy Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Soymilk:
- No added sugar
- Organic soybeans, so likely glyphosate free
- Certified gluten free
- Free of highly-processed gums, thickeners and emulsifiers
Vanilla soy milk that is just okay:
One of the vanilla soy-based beverages we evaluated can be considered “okay”.
If you are okay with consuming a small amount of gellan gum or added sugars, some of these vanilla soymilk options might work for you. However, if you are following a particular diet which avoids gums or thickeners, you will want to avoid these soy-based beverages.
Silk Unsweet Vanilla Organic Soy Milk
Silk Unsweet Vanilla Organic Soy Milk Ingredients: Organic soymilk (filtered water, organic soybeans), vitamin and mineral blend (calcium carbonate, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, sea salt, gellan gum, ascorbic acid, natural flavor
Reasons to consider Silk Unsweet Vanilla Organic Soy Milk:
- No added sugar
- Organic soybeans, so likely glyphosate free
- Certified gluten free
Reasons why you may want to think twice about buying Silk Unsweet Vanilla Organic Soy Milk:
- Thickened with highly processed gums
Vanilla soy milks to avoid:
Most vanilla soy milks are not healthy options. All too often, they contain too much added sugar or other additives that are best avoided in a healthy diet.
It is worth noting that not all vanilla soy-based milks categorized as “avoid” are equal. A couple vanilla-flavored soy milk are free of additives, but contain more added sugar or sodium than can be considered a regular part of a healthy diet. Other vanilla soymilks contain highly processed thickeners and other undesirable ingredients.
The following vanilla-flavored soy-based beverages should be avoided or consumed only after thoughtful consideration.
365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Vanilla Soymilk Beverage Ingredients:
365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Vanilla Soymilk Beverage Ingredients: Organic soymilk (filtered water, organic soybeans), organic cane sugar, organic natural flavor, calcium carbonate, sea salt, gellan gum, organic vanilla extract, organic locust bean gum, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B2, vitamin B12
Reasons to avoid 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Vanilla Soymilk Beverage:
- Each one cup serving contains 7 grams of added sugar
- Thickened with highly processed gums
Silk Organic Vanilla Soymilk
Silk Organic Vanilla Soymilk Ingredients: Organic soymilk (filtered water, organic soybeans), organic cane sugar, vitamin and mineral blend (calcium carbonate, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, sea salt, natural flavor, ascorbic acid, gellan gum
Reasons to avoid Silk Organic Vanilla Soymilk:
- Each one cup serving contains approximately 7 grams of added sugar
- Thickened with highly processed gums
Silk Vanilla Soymilk
Silk Vanilla Soymilk Ingredients: Soymilk (filtered water, soybeans), cane sugar, vitamin and mineral blend (calcium carbonate, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, sea salt, natural flavor, gellan gum, ascorbic acid
Reasons to avoid Silk Vanilla Soymilk:
- One cup contains 8 grams of added sugar. This is two teaspoons of sugar per one cup serving or 40% of the daily recommended serving of added sugar for women
- Thickened with highly processed gums
Great Value Organic Vanilla Soymilk
Great Value Organic Vanilla Soymilk Ingredients: Organic soymilk (filtered water, organic soybeans), organic cane sugar, calcium carbonate, natural flavors, sea salt, gellan gum, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B2, vitamin B12
Reasons to avoid Great Value Organic Vanilla Soymilk:
- Each one cup serving contains approximately 8 grams of added sugar
- Thickened with highly processed gums
Edensoy Organic Vanilla Soymilk
Edensoy Organic Vanilla Soymilk Ingredients: Purified water, organic soybeans, naturally malted organic wheat and barley extract, organic vanilla extract, calcium carbonate, kombu seaweed, sea salt
Reasons to avoid Edensoy Organic Vanilla Soymilk:
- One cup contains 14 grams of added sugar from malted organic wheat and barley extract. This is more than one tablespoon per serving or 70% of the daily recommended serving of added sugar for women
Edensoy Extra Organic Vanilla Soymilk
Edensoy Extra Organic Vanilla Soymilk Ingredients: Purified water, organic soybeans, naturally malted organic wheat and barley extract, organic vanilla extract, calcium carbonate, kombu seaweed, sea salt, vitamin E, beta carotene, vitamin D2, vitamin B-12
Reasons to avoid Edensoy Extra Organic Vanilla Soymilk:
- One cup contains 14 grams of added sugar from malted organic wheat and barley extract. This is more than one tablespoon per serving or 70% of the daily recommended serving of added sugar for women
Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk
Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk Ingredients: Soymilk (filtered water, soybeans), cane sugar, vitamin and mineral blend (calcium carbonate, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B2, vitamin B12), salt, gellan gum, natural flavor
Reasons to avoid Silk Very Vanilla Soymilk:
- Each one cup serving contains 15 grams of added sugar, 75% of the daily recommended allowance of added sugar for women
- Thickened with highly processed gums
Kirkland Organic Vanilla Soy Non-Dairy Beverage
Kirkland Organic Vanilla Soy Non-Dairy Beverage Ingredients: Organic soymilk (filtered water, whole organic soybeans), organic sugar, calcium carbonate, sea salt, organic flavor, carrageenan, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d2, vitamin b2, vitamin b12
Reasons to avoid Kirkland Organic Vanilla Soy Non-Dairy Beverage:
- Thickened with carrageenan
- Each one cup serving contains 6 grams of added sugar
Simple Truth Organic Vanilla Soymilk
Simple Truth Organic Vanilla Soymilk Ingredients: Filtered water, whole organic soybeans, organic sugar, natural flavors, calcium carbonate, natural vanilla flavor, sea salt, carrageenan, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B2, vitamin B12
Reasons to avoid Simple Truth Organic Vanilla Soymilk:
- Thickened with carrageenan
- Each one cup serving contains approximately 8 grams of added sugar
Soy Dream Vanilla Enriched Soymilk
Soy Dream Vanilla Enriched Soymilk Ingredients:
Reasons to avoid Soy Dream Vanilla Enriched Soymilk: Filtered water, organic whole soybeans, organic evaporated cane syrup, calcium carbonate, natural vanilla flavor with other natural flavors, sea salt, carrageenan, vitamin E, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, vitamin B12
- Thickened with carrageenan
- Each one cup serving contains approximately 11 grams of added sugar, more than half of the AHA’s daily recommended intake for women
Conclusions about healthy vanilla soy milks
When it comes to choosing a healthy vanilla-flavored soymilk, simple clean ingredients are best. Also, if you like a sweetened soymilk, consider buying the unsweetened version and adding a small amount of your preferred sweetener.
For more information on soymilk, including differences between shelf stable and refrigerated brands and information about vitamins added to soymilk, read our comprehensive guide to choosing healthy soy milk.
Check out these other product evaluations:
- What soy milk is healthy?
- Choosing a healthy oat milk
- What popsicles are healthy?
- Choosing a healthy almond milk
- Are plant-based burgers healthy?
- Choosing healthy crackers
- Which popular breakfast cereals are healthy?
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