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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! For a fun flavor twist, try my Pumpkin Spice Eggnog recipe!
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!
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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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
This is my second time making this and it is so good! I made homemade whip cream with it and it literally tastes like ice cream!!
Can I ask how you made whipped cream from
This? Wouldn’t the added milk and ingredients to the cream make the eggnog not able to whip up into a fluffy whip cream? Ty! 🙂 I’d love to learn
She made whipped cream to accompany the drink.
You add the whipped cream to top it off at the end when your put it in your glass.
If you’d like eggnog flavored whipped cream you can add eggnog syrup or extract instead of vanilla to your whipping cream
Ummm, it’s exactly the same recipe for an ice cream base that NYT Cooking uses. Unfrozen nutmeg ice cream.
That’s because the custard for homemade ice cream is the same as the custard for egg nog, pudding, custard pie.
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!!
I add 1/2 cup of rum to mine and I use coconut rum just because my family likes cocunit
Hello from the UK. This eggnog recipe sounds fantastic and something I’ve always wanted to make for my family. I notice that you say alcohol can be added and I was just wondering how much you’d add to this particular recipe and at what stage.
Many thanks in advance.
I add 1/2 cup of rum to mine and I use coconut rum just because my family likes cocunit
Was not a fan of this recipe. It ended up being super thick i had to cut it with a whole cup of milk extra before it was the right consistency. And the flavor is also off. For me at least.
My son was joking with me about how I won’t buy anything if it’s “not in season” and mentioned egg nog. He clearly missed the point of seasonal foods but I thought why not find a recipe for egg nog even though it’s June. This looks easy and delicious. I’m expecting accolades!
What if the eggs don’t turn light and creamy? And don’t look as thick as yours? Is is only yolk like do you have to remove the whites somehow?
Yes, you separate the yolks from whites.
I am lactose intolerant, can I skip the cream and use almond milk?
You can! (although it wont thicken quite as much.)
I’d recommend using full fat coconut milk (it’s usually in a can) to make it thicker. I’ve used it for a lot of vegan/dairy-free recipes. I’m not sure if you’d want to use the whole can or just separate just the fat for this recipe. But that’d be how I’d thicken it in substitute of heavy cream.
Cut the sugar down to 1/4 cup and drank it warm from the saucepan – couldn’t wait for the fridge cooling time. Delicious!
Oh my, this is delicious! I wasn’t sure what kind of milk to use, but all I had was unsweetened vanilla almond milk and it turned out great. I couldn’t wait for it to cool down – had to slurp down a few spoonfuls warm and it was oh-so-good. Thanks for the wonderful and easy-to-follow recipe!
What a beautiful recipe! Today our chickens turn 2 years old so I made homemade eggnog for the first time. It’s chilling in the fridge now. Smells absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait to drink some tonight with my late grandpa’s favourite Raynal French Brandy.
PS. Terry- the egg is NOT RAW. If you follow this recipe, It’s cooked to 160˚F which will kill any salmonella or other bad bacteria. The eggs are tempered so they maintain their liquid state while still being cooked thoroughly. I’d use this recipe any day over store bought chemicals. But to each their own. 😉
The Egg Nog came out excellent! We loved it! I’m making it again for sure.
Thought about your recipe and after careful consideration made my eggnog using Jello instant vanilla pudding and 1/2&1/2
Ran it thru the blender,topped with nutmeg
Great,no raw egg
To Terry, no raw egg, just all the chemicals in the pudding mix.
No raw egg anyway. Its cooked.
Terry read the recipe, the egg yolks are cooked, not raw… P.S. it’s called EGGNOG not pudding nog
Will consume chemicals but not natural ingredients. Probably a “vegan”.
Go back to Twitter
lol, thank you for the laugh. So true.
To inform you Terry, The eggs are not raw but it’s ok I at first also thought they were raw eggs until I read the directions