Abstract: Soybean protein is a kind of high quality plant protein resource which has great gelatability, biocompatibility and safety. It is also one of the main sources for preparing protein-based hydrogel materials. The latest research progress of hydrogels based on soybean protein is summarized in this paper. After a brief introduction of soybean protein and its structure, the main preparation methods and gel mechanism of soybean protein hydrogels are discussed. The application of soybean protein hydrogels in food industry is summarized, the existing problems and future research directions of soybean protein hydrogels are put forward to provide theoretical basis for preparing higher performance soybean protein hydrogels and promoting its wide application in the food field.