Unsweetened soy milk powder, 13g protein: Garuseonsaeng Seoritae Yakkong 99.3

An unsweetened raw soy milk powder made with 99.3% Korean black soybeans (yakkong) — low sugar burden, easy protein

Once I got pregnant, I started looking for snacks that would let me get enough protein and nutrition without weighing down a meal too much. Since I've also been watching my sugar intake lately, I ended up checking the nutrition labels on the soy milk I used to drink casually. I was actually surprised to find that a lot of store-bought soy milk has quite a bit of sugar in it. So while searching around, I tried Garuseonsaeng Seoritae's yakkong (black soybean) soy milk, which skips sugar and lets the soybean's own nuttiness come through.

What is Garuseonsaeng Seoritae Yakkong 99.3 soy milk powder?

As the name suggests, Garuseonsaeng Seoritae Yakkong 99.3 is a powdered soy milk made of 99.3% Korean black soybeans (yakkong) and 0.7% Korean sea salt. It contains no added sugar, flavoring, preservatives, or emulsifiers — an unsweetened product that matched exactly what I was looking for.

The first thing I check when choosing soy milk is the sugar content. During pregnancy, you end up checking the label even on a simple snack, and I found that even soy milk marketed as healthy sometimes has surprisingly high sugar.

At the same time, soaking and grinding soybeans myself every time just isn't realistic. A product I could simply mix with water in the morning when I'm short on time, or when I'm hungry between meals, seemed much more convenient.

How to mix the powder: 30g in 150–180ml water

With Garuseonsaeng Seoritae's yakkong soy milk, you scoop out 2 spoonfuls with the included spoon — about 30g — and mix it with roughly 150–180ml of water for one cup. When you first open the bag, it looks similar to regular roasted grain powder (misugaru), but with a deeper, more concentrated soybean feel. Apparently the whole soybean, skin included, is ground up, and if you look closely you can see tiny flecks of black bean skin mixed in.

It dissolves surprisingly well even in cold water, so you don't need to prepare warm water to make a simple cup. That said, like most powdered products, it can naturally settle over time, so it's good to give it a stir before drinking.

I preferred it a bit more concentrated rather than too watery, and it was convenient that you can adjust the amount of water to suit your own taste.

What does unsweetened black soybean soy milk taste like?

Since Garuseonsaeng Seoritae's yakkong soy milk is unsweetened, I assumed at first it might taste bland, but the nutty flavor of the soybean was actually quite pronounced. It's definitely different from sweetened soy milk, but there wasn't a strong beany or grassy taste either. With a bit of sea salt added, it wasn't completely flat — if anything, the salt made the soybean's nuttiness come through more.

I usually like sweet drinks, so the first sip felt a little plain, but after a few more sips I actually found this kind of taste more comfortable to have in the morning or when peckish, without feeling heavy. It also paired well with other snacks like bread or fruit, since the soy milk itself isn't sweet.

Nutrition facts: 13g protein and 1.2g sugar per 30g

Based on a 30g serving, Garuseonsaeng Seoritae's yakkong soy milk has 132kcal and 13g of protein. Carbohydrates are 9.7g, sugar 1.2g, and fat 4.5g. This nutrition breakdown was honestly the part I liked most.

13g of protein from one simple cup felt fairly substantial, making it good to have as a snack between meals. I also liked that the product itself contains no added sugar.

That said, 'unsweetened' doesn't mean the sugar content is completely 0g — soybeans naturally contain some sugar, which is why 1.2g of sugar shows up on the nutrition label. If you have gestational diabetes or are managing blood sugar, it's better not to assume this has zero effect on blood sugar, and instead check your total carbohydrate intake across meals.

Whole-bean soy milk made from Korean black soybeans

Garuseonsaeng Seoritae's yakkong soy milk is apparently different from ordinary soybean powder made by simply roasting and grinding beans. It reportedly uses a patented process that turns the black soybeans into soy milk first and then powders it, grinding the soybeans whole, skin and all, into a whole soy milk (jeondooyu).

What stands out most is that it uses 99.3% Korean black soybeans, rather than mixing some black soybeans into regular soybeans. That's also why you can see the beans' natural color and skin flecks. Since this is something I eat every day, I personally liked that the ingredient list is this simple.

Drinking Garuseonsaeng Seoritae Yakkong 99.3 as a snack during pregnancy

During pregnancy, it's hard to sit down for a proper meal every time you feel hungry, but if you just eat bread or snacks, you get hungry again quickly. In those moments, I found it worked well to pair Garuseonsaeng Seoritae's yakkong soy milk with fruit or simple bread.

That said, since it's 132kcal and 13g of protein, I felt it's better thought of as a way to add protein to a simple meal or as a snack when you're short on time, rather than as 'one cup equals a full meal.'

Also, since it's a powder, there's no need to stock up on multiple cartons in the fridge like liquid soy milk — you just scoop out what you need and mix it with water, which made it easy to store and carry around.

Final verdict on Garuseonsaeng Seoritae Yakkong 99.3

While looking for a healthy meal-substitute snack during pregnancy, what mattered to me was 'is it convenient, low in sugar, and high enough in protein?' — and Garuseonsaeng Seoritae's yakkong soy milk fit those criteria pretty well.

If you're expecting a sweet soy milk, this will taste plain, but if you like the natural nuttiness of soybeans without added sugar, it was easy to keep drinking regularly without feeling like a burden. Most of all, getting 13g of protein from one 30g cup made it a convenient way to top up protein in the morning or when feeling peckish :)