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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 made your recipe and it was a hit! And it was so easy….thank you for making an old housewife into a gourmet hostess! Lol. I AK really impressed with the way you set up the recipe….it was so easy to follow and you even included the recipe with alcohol…which is how I made mine….wow…it was just sooooooo goooooood!
My family loves eggnog! Usually I buy eggnog during the holidays. But it is good to know a recipe for it when I need it.
Great recipe
The flavor is wonderful, but it has a strange texture that sticks to the roof of your mouth. I love store-bought eggnog. It is not that texture. Its an odd film, which by itself is almost bitter. Is that just what you get with homemade eggnog, or did I do something wrong? Any tips?
Great recipe. Made a 3x full dairy version, and a 1x dairy-free using oatly full fat milk, and full fat coconut milk as the heavy cream. Did everything the same on both, both are outstanding. IMPORTANT: using a stand or hand mixer will up the game, especially if you stream the hot milk mixture extremely slowly into the egg yolk mixture.
Hey, I had a question. When I made this recipe, it turned out really eggy. I know it’s eggnog, but you could smell the egg and it tasted like eggs. Any idea of what I did wrong?
If you’re sure the eggs were fresh, then they may not have been tempered properly. Be sure to very slowly mix simmering water with the yolks first, before adding them to the pot.
What we are making here is a runny custard or ‘anglaise’. The key point here is not to overcook the egg so never above 80-85C (175-185F)wisking or at least turning constantly with a large spoon to avoid cooking the egg and turning them into scramble eggs and give it that “eggy flavour”. It is ready when the liquid coats the back of your spoon in a nice uniform shiny layer. Remove from the flame, shock the pan in cold water to stop the cooking process , then keep turning/whiking for another few minutes whilst the pan rest on a cool surface or trivet and cover the surface of the liquid with clingfilm until until fully cool this will prevent the formation of a skin. Hope this help 😊
You probably didn’t temper the eggs slow enough and it actually cooked the eggs.
Sounds like you didn’t use fresh eggs. I have chickens, sooo? Maybe get the free range brown ones next time?
Hello!
Quick question, if I want to make this for more people, do I just double or triple the amount of ingredients? I was thinking maybe for about 20 people!
Yes, I would triple the recipe (click the x3 button at the top of the recipe card and it will do it automatically for you!)
Delicious, quick and easy. Husband has been hooked on Darigold brand and says he chooses this recipe instead. Love it! I made a double batch 2-cups whole milk, 2-Cups Non-fat Milk, 2-cups heavy whipping cream and 12-eggs. Even tastier after in the refrigerator overnight.
This recipe is as good as it says it is. Wonderful rich taste! I’m so happy I tried it. Thank you for sharing
The taste was great. Mia batch came out super thick. In fact it was so thick you have to eat it with spoon. What did I do wrong?
Hi Donna, it just got cooked a little too long in the saucepan. You could try adding some warm milk to it, to thin it out.
Hello Donna, it seems maybe you inadvertently discovered a spin-off for this recipe — egg nog pudding!!😄😋