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Homemade Eggnog

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The BEST Homemade Eggnog recipe! Thick and creamy with the perfect mild flavor and hint of nutmeg. You’ll never buy store-bought eggnog again!

A clear glass filled with homemade eggnog and topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Eggnog

Are you wondering how to make eggnog from scratch?  You have come to the right place!

For the past month I’ve been on the lookout for Eggnog at the grocery store. My husband and I are complete addicts! I swear I can usually find it stocked in stores by October, but this year I have yet to find ANY!  Jeff and I were bemoaning this fact when I told him I was going to make it from scratch.

He cringed. He cringed because I’ve tried making homemade eggnog before, and to say it didn’t turn out great would be putting it nicely :-). (The raw egg recipes, as authentic as they may be, are just not for me!)  This time though, I was determined to succeed! And thank heaven I decided not to give up, because the result was liquid gold! Seriously, this homemade eggnog is good enough for the biggest eggnog snob.

A spoon taking a scoop of homemade eggnog from a clear glass.

This eggnog recipe is thick, sweet, creamy and smooth, with the perfect eggnog flavor.   It doesn’t contain alcohol, which is also non-traditional, but we are non-alcohol drinkers at my house, and I wanted an eggnog recipe my kids can enjoy too. I’ll definitely be making this every year–and I even got Jeff’s approval to do so!

How to make eggnog:

Start by whisking the egg yolk and sugar together in a small bowl.  Then, in a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cream, milk, salt, and nutmeg and stir the mixture until it just reaches a simmer.  Next temper the eggs by adding small spoonfuls of the hot mixture to the egg mixture.

Stir each spoonful and once all the hot mixture has been added, add the entire egg mixture back to the sauce pan.  Continue cooking and whisk until it thickens.  Then remove it from the heat and add the vanilla.  Refrigerate the eggnog mixture until cool!

What type of alcohol goes in eggnog?

If you would like to add alcohol to your eggnog, choose a drink with a high alcohol concentration to help counterbalance the sweetness of the eggnog.  Eggnog is ofter made with brandy, rum, or bourbon or whisky.

Consider trying these eggnog inspired recipes:

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4.34 from 3 votes
The BEST Homemade Egg Nog recipe! The eggs are tempered and cooked and the recipe is fantastic!
Homemade Eggnog
Print Recipe
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 

The BEST Homemade Egg Nog recipe! Thick and creamy with the perfect mild flavor and hint of nutmeg. You'll never buy store-bought eggnog again!

Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best eggnog, christmas drink, eggnog recipe
Unit: cup, large, teaspoon
Servings: 5
Calories: 368 kcal
Author: Lauren Allen
Ingredients
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ground cinnamon , for topping
Instructions
  1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and creamy.

  2. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cream, milk, nutmeg and salt. Stir often until mixture reaches a bare simmer. 

  3. Add a big spoonful of the hot milk to the egg mixture, whisking vigorously. Repeat, adding a big spoonful at a time, to temper the eggs. 

  4. Once most of the hot milk has been added to the eggs, pour the mixture back into the saucepan on the stove. 

  5. Whisk constantly for just a few minutes, until the mixture is just slightly thickened (or until it reaches about 160 degrees F on a thermometer). It will thicken more as it cools!

  6. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

  7. Pour the eggnog into a pitcher or other container and cover with plastic wrap. 

  8. Refrigerate until chilled. 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.

  9. Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and fresh whipped cream, if desired.

Recipe Video

Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

The BEST (and easiest) Homemade Eggnog recipe! On TastesBetterFromScratch.com

The BEST Homemade Egg Nog recipe! Thick and creamy with the perfect mild flavor and hint of nutmeg. You'll never buy store-bought eggnog again! | tastesbetterfromscratch.com #easy #noalcohol #cooked #recipe
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Comments

  2. We make homemade Irish Cream every holiday season. It actually kicks off the season for us on done random Saturday morning. I do use raw eggs in it. Maybe it’s my farm upbringing but raw eggs don’t bother me at all although I know all the warnings. I’m 55, from a large extensive daily of raw cookie dough eaters and don’t know of anyone who has ever gotten sick. It’s hard to be a believer. A rare steak makes me much more anxious!

    Reply

    • Yum ,homemade Irish cream sounds so good. I never use raw eggs ,only because my little boy is allergic to eggs and im afraid he might happen to get into stuff. He has gotten into the fridge at night and decided to make a cake. We caught him before he ate thE “pudding” mix and eggs but still ended up in the ER just by handling raw eggs. He was one big welp . So if anyone has a child with bad allergies (our son has to get shots twice a week) be careful with raw eggs.
      But man I tell you homemade Irish cream sounds delish!

      Reply

    • Is there a way you could make it just a little thicker? I mean like if your is a 3 make it a 6. Very small difference

      Reply

      • I apologize for explaing it weird. I am still only a teen. And get very upset when I mess something up. Cooking is what I am going to college for. So thats why it stresses me out

        Reply

        • Hi Megan, thanks for commenting! That’s really awesome you are thinking of culinary school! The egg yolks are what thicken the eggnog (and the cream does a little as well.) I would add 1 additional egg yolk to make it thicker. Hope that helps!

          Reply

  4. This looks amazing and can’t wait to try! Can someone tell me if this recipe can be doubled? I would love to put it in a punch bowl for a party!

    Reply

      • We love egg nog and the stores do not stock it after the holidays so I went online to find a recipe and came across yours and decided to dive in and go for it. We I did not have heavy cream and used half/half instead and I was not disappointed. We are happy… happy… happy… we can have eggnog anytime of year now!
        Thanks. Karen

        Reply

  6. I made this for our family on thanksgiving. Everyone loved it, now I’m making this for the neighbors . Can’t get enough taste so good!

    Reply

  7. I will be making this for my boyfriend for his birthday this week and cannot wait to try it out! Do you remember about how many ounces or cups it makes?

    Reply

  8. I’d like to make this for a party of about 15 people. When you say “serves 4,” how large are the servings? I’m afraid of having WAY TOO MUCH eggnog if I quadruple the recipe.

    Reply

  9. I can’t wait to make this! My boyfriend and I moved to the Czech Republic last month for his job, and there is NO EGGNOG HERE!!! I drink it every Christmas and I think i’d become a scrooge without it. Thank you for sharing your successful recipes online. It’s people like you that make it possible for me to have home anywhere. =]! Happy Holidays!

    Reply

  10. So I am dying to make this recipe! I have about a cup of milk and 3 cups of heavy cream…do you think if I flipped the amount for the milk/cream it would still taste like eggnog…or a giant cup of cream?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Katie–I would suggest just watering down the cream a little bit–use your 1 cup of milk. Then measure out 1.5 cups of heavy cream. Add 1/2 cup of water to the cream to make 2 cups. That should work great!

      Reply

  11. I’ve never had eggnog except from a carton- didn’t like it. But I’ve been wanting to try it homemade bcz it seems so festive :). This recipe is perfect. I love it! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

    • If you pour the eggnog over peppermint ice cream, it makes a nice treat that even my non eggnog children like. If you want to make it like a punch, put the ice cream in the punch bowl and pour the eggnog over it, then pour Sprite over it. Candy cane stir sticks make it a little more festive.

      Reply

  13. I have been looking for a recipe because my daughter is lactose intolerant. We’ve been able to find cream, milks, cheese, yogurt, and whipping cream, but no eggnog. I made your recipe tonight, and it’s fantastic. I tried some before it was completely cool, and loved it. I have a feeling I’ll be making lots of it this year. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  14. I made this for a Christmas party last night. It’s perfect. Even one of my guests who hates eggnog decided to try a shot glass of it since everyone else raved about it and ended up filling an entire cup up with it. She actually said it tastes really good. I added just a touch of bourbon before chilling it. Thank you for this recipe. I have a feeling I will be making this multiple times this Christmas season.

    Reply

  15. Pretty good recipie. My kids loved their egg milk lol I refridgerated it overnight, it was really thick. So I thinned it out with milk and it was still great!

    Reply

  17. HI to all I did your recipe and is great!!
    We did one like your recipe and then we did one with a little rum on it and it was a great hit on our party!!

    Thank you so much!!

    Reply

  18. I wish the consistency wasn’t like chowder! The taste is good, but I don’t know why the texture is thick and lumpy. I must have stood over the stove whisking like crazy for a good 40 minutes. Any advice?

    Reply

    • Hi Julie, It shouldn’t have taken anywhere near 40 minutes to cook. After you add the tempered eggs it should thicken slightly within just a few minutes, and it thickens even more after it cools. If you want a super smooth consistency I would suggest letting it cool, then add a few tablespoons of milk and pour it all into a blender. Blend for a few seconds and it should be perfectly smooth.

      Reply

  19. Hi, I tried this recipe but mine didn’t thicken. It’s been in the refrigerator for about 3hrs now and still hasn’t thickened up. Will it maybe take like overnight to get it thick? Or should I just scratch it and start over?

    Reply

  21. I’ve made this twice for my hubby. It turned out so great. I didn’t have heavy cream so I made it with 3 1/2 cups of whole milk with one stick of butter. It’s just as good and cheaper. Thanks for the tips on how to temper eggs. So many possibilities have opened up now.

    Reply

  22. This was FANTASTIC! I double the recipe and spiked it with Southern Comfort once it had chilled down. Great recipe! Thanks for posting!

    Reply

  23. Very Very thick.
    I would not consider the eggs raw as they go through a cooking process in the end.
    Im using this as a mix with Appleton’s rum. Don’t think I’d use this recipe again because its too thick.
    I made some years back that was perfect, just never kept the recipe.
    It is tasty .

    Reply

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