Easy Dairy Free Eggnog Recipe (Thick and Creamy) (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken eggnog? ›

To make it thicker, use less milk. 1 cup of whole milk will make a smooth eggnog, but if you know that you like a thicker eggnog, stir in only ½ cup of milk. Once it chills and thickens a little in the fridge, add more milk to thin it out to your liking.

This eggnog recipe calls for 3 cups of liquid dairy. I make it with 2 cups heavy cream and 1 cup whole milk. You can change the ratio (e.g. 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup cream), or use lower-fat products like half and half or 2% milk but you do so at the risk of a less-creamy final product.

Because the eggnog thickens the longer you keep it stored in your refrigerator (and it's quite boozy), you can always dilute it by adding more milk just before serving.

It is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, and whipped egg whites (which gives it a frothy texture, and its name).

Egg yolks: Egg yolks thicken the mixture, creating a decadent texture. Sugar: Of course, you'll need white sugar for this dessert-like beverage.

It will thicken as it cools. If you want a thinner, completely smooth consistency, you can add the entire mixture to a blender with 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk and blend until smooth. Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, and fresh whipped cream, if desired. Store homemade eggnog in the fridge for up to one week.

Use almond milk as a dairy alternative instead of heavy cream when making Keto Eggnog. Almond milk has low carbs which makes it ideal for those following a Ketogenic diet. Add almond or coconut extract for extra flavor. You can also add ground nutmeg, cinnamon or ginger for additional flavor options.

You can make a similar heavy cream alternative using regular milk and butter. Whole milk has a fat percentage of around 3.5% and is preferable to lower-fat varieties, but you'll still want to use more melted butter than you would with half-and-half. For best results, try mixing ⅔ cup of whole milk with ⅓ cup butter.

Half and half doesn't contain enough milk fat to form luscious stiff peaks the way heavy cream does, so it doesn't work as a substitute for making whipped cream. Half and half needs to be tempered when added to hot liquid, or it will separate and curdle, while heavy cream does not need tempering.

“Eggnog is made with 'heavy' ingredients that, eaten in exclusion of anything else, might cause stomach distress,” registered dietitian Barbara Ruhs said. “Cream is full of fat and that takes longer to digest.

What is the best alcohol to put in eggnog? ›

Choose The Right Spirit

While brandy is the most traditional alcohol to pair with eggnog, according to traditional recipes, you can also use a mixture of dark rum and Cognac. If you like your eggnog with more of a kick you can also add bourbon, but we recommend sticking to rum and Cognac to preserve the 'nog's flavors.

Best Eggnog Recipe

Game plan: It's good to give the eggnog a full 3 weeks of aging or up to 1 year, but you can drink it right away; however, the flavor will be less rounded.

“The most recent estimates indicate that about three out of every 10,000 eggs is positive for salmonella,” Schaffner said. “This means the risk from any individual egg is low, but of course the more eggs you combine, the higher the risk.” Pasteurization is one of the keys to avoiding salmonella poisoning from eggnog.

Even though the kingship between rompope and eggnog is indisputable, there is a slight difference between these two hearty drinks: The traditional eggnog recipe called for whole eggs, whereas rompope just called for egg yolks—hence the very distinctive hues of each drink.

The bubblegum or banana flavor you mention in certain commercial eggnogs may be the result of specific artificial or natural flavorings used in their recipes. If you want to replicate that flavor in homemade eggnog, you can try experimenting with natural flavor extracts or essences.

Any remaining tiny lumps or grains could be removed by passing the custard through a strainer.

While brandy is the most traditional alcohol to pair with eggnog, according to traditional recipes, you can also use a mixture of dark rum and Cognac. If you like your eggnog with more of a kick you can also add bourbon, but we recommend sticking to rum and Cognac to preserve the 'nog's flavors.

The cream, which is just milk fat, will appear as solid chunks in your eggnog. If you determine your eggnog hasn't gone bad, you can take the extra step of thoroughly mixing the cream back into the rest of the eggnog before serving and enjoying it. (To be safe, you might just throw the eggnog away.)

Eggnog is primarily made using egg yolks, cream, milk, spices, and a sweetener. If it's too sweet, you can mix in heavy whipping cream and/or any kind of milk to dilute it.