You wont believe how easy and DELICIOUS homemade Eggnog is, and this recipe really is the best! Thick and creamy with the perfect mild flavor and hint of nutmeg. You'll never buy store-bought eggnog again!
Eggnog
I absolutely love eggnog! I have nothing against store-bought eggnog–we have it all the time in our fridge this time of year–but this homemade eggnog recipe is truly what dreams are made of! If you've ever thought you didn't like it, you just have to try it made from scratch.
Several years ago I sought out to make homemade eggnog. My first attempt was not a success and left my husband cringing. Let's just say that the completely “raw egg” method of making eggnog is just not for me.
I pressed forward, determined to succeed, and ended up loving this recipe from Cuisine at Home. I used ground nutmeg instead of fresh, because I always have ground on hand. I also ignored their ice-water bath suggestion and just refrigerated it instead.
The end result was liquid gold, and it's become our family's favorite eggnog recipe ever since! Seriously, this homemade recipe will “WOW” even the biggest eggnog snob!
This eggnog recipe is thick, sweet, creamy and smooth, with the perfect flavor. It doesn't contain alcohol (if you'd like to add some, read on for my suggestions), but we are non-alcohol drinkers at my house, and I wanted an eggnog recipe my kids can enjoy too.
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 most of the hot mixture has been added, add the entire mixture back to the saucepan. Continue cooking and whisking for just another minute or two until it barely thickens. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Then remove it from the heat and add the vanilla. Refrigerate the eggnog mixture until chilled.
We like to serve it with a some whipped cream and an extra little dash of cinnamon and nutmeg on top.
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. Common choices of alcohol to add to eggnog include brandy, rum, bourbon or whisky.
Don't miss my Eggnog French Toast!
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Recipe
Homemade Eggnog
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
- alcohol optional, see note
Instructions
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and creamy.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cream, milk, nutmeg and salt. Stir often until mixture reaches a bare simmer.
- 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.
- Once most of the hot milk has been added to the eggs, pour the mixture back into the saucepan on the stove.
- Whisk constantly for a minute or so, 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.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, and alcohol*, if using.
- Pour the eggnog through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or other container and cover with plastic wrap.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
This post contains affiliate links.
I made this eggnog for Christmas Eve. It is out of this world delicious!
Oh. My. Word. So delicious and so easy! As others have said…I’ll never buy eggnog again! Thank you so much for sharing!
Oh wow!!!! This is awesome!!!! My husband loved it!!
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!
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!
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!
Thanks for your sweet comment! I would die without eggnog too! haha Hope you guys love it!
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.
Hi Jessie, it makes about 3 1/2 cups of eggnog! Hope you love it!
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?
Hi Rebecca, sounds like fun! It makes about 3 1/2 cups!
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!
Yum!! I’m glad you liked it!! Nothing quite like homemade nog 🙂
Can any kind of milk be used (whole milk, 2%, skim)?
Yep–I used 1% –whole milk would obviously make it even creamier and yummier 🙂
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
Thank you everyone’s comments made sense. On hand, the 2% milk and the half and half worked really great. Whipping the egg yolks ahead of time, stirring continuously, love the recipe. Added a little rum at the end. Made Philly (mushroom onion cheese pepper in Au jus sauce) steak hoagies to go with. Bake hoagies until crispy. Melt cheese on them at the end of oven toasting when very crispy. *spoon on with a lil bit of sauce. Pour remainder sauce in very small bowls. Thank you Lauren (beautiful name like Sarah, Melissa)
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!
Hi Cheryl, you could definitely double the recipe! Enjoy!
I made this. So amazingly delicious. Thank you for the recipe. Off to make it for the second time.
Thanks for you comment! So happy you liked it! Homemade Eggnog is the best!
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
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
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!
I used an electric mixer to whip the egg yolk and sugar, and then again while adding the hot milk to the yolk mixture. Mine came out incredibly creamy and delicious. I ended up adding some milk later on to thin it out.
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!
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!
I’ve made Irish Cream for years. I used to use raw eggs, but now I use Egg Beaters.
We love eggnog but I’ve been hesitant to make a homemade version because of the raw egg. I’ll have to give this a try!
I do use the raw eggs, because I go out and collect them that morning! I buy raw milk from a local dairy to go with it. Unfortunately, I have to use completely ‘dead’ overheated ultra pasteurized cream 🙁 Oh well. I just use less of it and more milk than recipes call for.
I wouldn’t use raw eggs if they came from a store though.
How could i get this a little thicker?
Cook it longer 🙂
Leave it without stirring in the stove but low heat
No.. never leave it without stirring! Treat it like a creme anglaise and stir continuously under low heat until it coats a wooden spoon.
most eggnog and boiled custard (a similar variant found in Tennessee and Kentucky) use a few tsp of cornstarch added to the egg/sugar mixture.
I don’t know. My self I think I’d like it a little bit thinner. I ‘m just trying to remember a version you Dad made when I was a was a child ?!! ?⛄️????
More cream less milk
Yay oh, good for you! We had chickens and bought raw milk at the Farmers Market so we are a believer.