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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!!
Awesome sweet, thick, spicy and creamy delete of a Christmas-time drink, you can make yourself anytime you want, any way you want, leaded or unleaded, it’s all great. ❤️
I, too, am never ready to give it up when the holiday is over and the stores run out. Never!
It really is easy and tastes great. As long as you don’t cook to much or at too high of temperature, you’ve got it, and anytime you want.
So, my opinion, is EggNog-On Dudes & Dudets 😋
Oh I can’t cook to much at once? I was gonna make a double order of it, cuz I’m making eggnog rice pudding as well, and all these great comments, I know I’m gonna wanna drink some as well. Maybe I will just make one batch at a time. I would rather take my time, and have it come out right, then go half fast, and ruin it completely. Glad I read yr comment, thanks for the heads up!
It’s January 8 and I’m making more! I need more!
Right there with you Ann! The stores have run out of eggnog and I am just not ready to give up on it’s comforting goodness just yet, especially after the year we just had. Have never made homemade before, so excited to try this recipe!
Getting ready to make this for the 2nd time. I added a cinnamon stick while heating the milk/cream, turned out so rich and creamy.
Way better than store bought!! I added about 1/4 cup of brandy, whiskey and rum to the batch and it is perfect for a chilly Wiaconsin winter evening!
You added 1/4 cup of each of them?
I sure hope not
That was my question? I guess I’ll try the 1/4 cup each and see what happens. The eggnog recipe is sooooo good!
With a 1/4 cup each, I am surprised you feel any cold. 🙂
I sure hope they did! Make a double batch next time and give me a call!!
Excellent! It was a little too eggy for my taste, so I used 5 yolks instead of 6. The amount of time you whisk it on the stove determines how thick it is. I found about 6 minutes of whisking to be perfect.
This eggnog is fantastic. Since it is a custard, it’s relatively involved, though not as much as pastry cream. Extremely creamy, easy to master, a good balance of sweetness to the spice of the nutmeg. Perfect with whipped cream and cinnamon. Well done on this recipe!
Oh yeah, I have a tip. The second time I made this, I cooked it too long, causing the egg to scramble and the eggnog to separate. To fix this, I put the pot in a big bowl of cold water and whisked for a while. Doesn’t completely return it to normal, but helps the texture a ton.
Thank you for this recipe!
The most delicious and fresh tasting nog I’ve ever had!! So easy. Wayyy better than store bought just because it tastes so fresh and you know exactly what’s in it.. love it!!
I love this recipe. I made this for the 2nd time and its cooling down in the fridge as we speak. I also 5 1/2 tbsp brandy. Delicious. Thank you for a great recipe.
I’ve tried many store bought versions of eggnog that I did not enjoy. I always assumed that I didn’t like eggnog. My husband loves it. I usually buy him a small container around the holidays. This year I forgot and decided to make my own. Oh my goodness, this is so delicious. After we finished the first batch I made another smaller batch. Halving the recipe is super easy and still tastes perfect. I couldn’t wait for it to cool so I ended up adding a bit of French pressed coffee and making eggnog lattes. I’ll definitely make this recipe every year.
Am on the front end of making your delicious eggnog, and may have missed how many ounces there will be with the finished product. Thanks. George in Carlsbad CA.
Mine came out at almost exactly a quart.