Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: A festive holiday treat, silky sweet homemade eggnog is warmly flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla (it’s delicious with or without alcohol). Homemade eggnog is about a thousand times better than store-bought!
How long it takes: 25 minutes plus chilling time (overnight)
Equipment you’ll need: blender, saucepan, fine-mesh strainer
Servings: 8 (4 oz. servings)
Deck the halls with this heavenly homemade eggnog! Yuletide celebrations aren’t complete without a cup of traditional eggnog. Spiked or not, raise a cup of traditional eggnog to toast the season!
The Best Eggnog
If you’ve never had homemade eggnog, you’re missing a real treat. Homemade and store bought don’t even taste like the same product. Really, there’s no comparison. I encourage you to give this homemade eggnog recipe a try.
My son, who’s notoriously picky, took a very small sip, and said, “It tastes like pudding!” He proceeded to drink it all and ask for more. My mom, who’s notoriously not picky at all, didn’t even want to try it, being burned out on lousy eggnog. She braved a sip, and loved it! Wait ’til Christmas, Mom, when the brandy comes out.
A (Brief) History of Eggnog
People have been drinking eggnog for a thousand years. It’s thought that the drink originated in Britain, was served warm, without alcohol, and was called “posset.” The colonists in America had plenty of milk and eggs, so they adopted the tradition, adding rum which was inexpensive and widely available. George Washington even wrote a recipe for Christmas eggnog. His recipe included lots of alcohol: brandy, whisky, rum, and sherry, mixed with cream, milk, eggs, and sugar. At the end of the recipe, he advised, “Taste frequently!” “Tis the season!
Creamy Homemade Eggnog
Nothing artificial.Take a look at the ingredients on a carton of store-bought eggnog and you’ll see things like high fructose corn syrup, natural and artificial flavors, carrageenan, annatto, turmeric. While turmeric is great in curry, I’m not sure I want it in my eggnog, replacing the golden yellow of real egg yolks.
Spike it or not. You may add as much or as little alcohol to your eggnog as you like; however, this luscious homemade eggnog easily stands alone as a delightful creamy beverage.
It’s a doable recipe. Homemade eggnog isn’t difficult to make but takes a little bit of time. The end result is totally worth it!
Equipment You’ll Need
- blender
- saucepan
- fine mesh strainer
Ingredient Notes
You’ll love the simplicity of the natural and wholesome ingredients in eggnog. Perhaps all of the ingredients are already in your pantry and fridge!
- Milk: Use whole milk for this recipe. For a creamy beverage like eggnog, low fat or nonfat milk just doesn’t yield the same result. Use unsweetened almond milk for non-dairy eggnog.
- Eggs: Only the egg yolks are needed for this recipe. In older recipes, the eggs weren’t always cooked so there was a risk of getting salmonella. In this eggnog recipe, the egg yolks are thoroughly cooked so there are no worries about food poisoning. Save the egg whites to make meringue cookies.
- Sugar: White granulated sugar is used to sweeten the eggnog.
- Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cloves: You’ll be using both ground spices and whole spices.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds a smooth sweet flavor. Vanilla bean paste can be substituted if you prefer.
How To Make Homemade Eggnog
Blend the ingredients. Add milk, egg yolks, sugar, ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon to a blender and blend until the mixture is nice and creamy.
Simmer the eggnog. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, add the cinnamon stick and whole cloves, and slowly, slowly, slowly cook for about 10 minutes. Don’t try to hurry it along over high heat. Low and slow is the key here. Why? If you boil the mixture, the eggs cook too quickly and you’ll get curdled, lumpy eggnog. Not what we’re looking for here!
Strain. Once the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat, and strain out the cinnamon stick, cloves, and any bits of cooked egg.
Refrigerate. Chill overnight, if you can wait that long. We usually sample a bit (okay, maybe quite a bit) after an hour or two of chilling. Remember George Washington’s advice, “Taste frequently.”
Serve. Pour the eggnog into small glasses or cups and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon. A bit of whipped cream on top (or stirred in) is wonderful, too.
Adding Alcohol (Optional)
Brandy, rum, or whiskey (bourbon) are most commonly added to eggnog. Each has its own unique flavor so experiment to see which one you like the best. Begin by adding a small amount — you want the wonderful flavor of your homemade eggnog to shine.
For best results, add the alcohol of your choice when you stir in the vanilla, and chill before serving.
What To Serve With Eggnog
Sweet treats: For those with a sweet tooth, a plate of cookies like Snickerdoodles, Brigadeiros (fudge balls), ginger sparkles, homemade Lofthouse cookies, or double cinnamon crinkle cookies are perfect.
Savory treats: Try baked Brie with cranberries and bourbon pecans, sausage pinwheels with apple, sage, and Gruyère, or easy slow cooker spinach artichoke dip.
Recipe Variations
- Lactose free: Replace the milk with almond milk.
- Natural sweetener: Substitute honey or agave for the sugar, if desired. Use the same amount.
Store eggnog in the fridge in an airtight container. It will keep three to four days.
More Festive Beverage Recipes
Homemade Eggnog Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus additional for garnishing
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus additional for garnishing
- 2 teaspoons whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick, about 1 inch
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add milk, egg yolks, sugar, ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon to a blender. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes or until creamy.4 cups whole milk, 4 egg yolks, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, more to taste, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus additional for garnishing, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus additional for garnishing
- Pour mixture into a saucepan over low heat; add cinnamon stick and cloves.2 teaspoons whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, about 1 inch
- Cook the eggnog slowly for about 10 to 12 minutes after it starts to steam, stirring frequently until mixture starts to thicken. Slow is important! If you cook it too quickly, the mixture will curdle. Keep the heat low and do not simmer or boil. If you think the mixture is getting close to simmering or boiling, take it off the heat and stir vigorously to bring down the temperature.
- Once the mixture has thickened, remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and alcohol, if using (see note). Strain the mixture using a fine-mesh strainer to remove the cloves and cinnamon stick.1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Place the mixture in an airtight or covered container and chill for 7 to 8 hours or overnight.
- Pour into glasses, and sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon on top as a garnish, before serving.
Notes
- Add alcohol: Stir in the desired amount of brandy, rum, or whiskey when you add the vanilla extract, before chilling the eggnog. Nutrition information is calculated without the addition of alcohol.
- Lactose-free option: Substitute almond milk for the whole milk.
- Storage: Eggnog will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Is there a non-dairy milk that would work with this – visiting niece is not doing dairy!!
I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t say for sure, but let me know if you give it a try!
No add heavy or half & half?
Can I add heavy cream or half & half to make it more thicker? Would taste better with it or without?
I don’t find that the recipe needs it but you can definitely use some cream or half & half if you prefer!
sounds delicious
It’s the best eggnog I’ve ever had!