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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 don’t typically drink eggnog however I do love it in my lattes. This is the time of year when all of the stores are out of eggnog and I am not quite ready yet to give up my eggnog lattes so I am happy I have an alternative. Thank you for the recipe.
Happy New Year, Lauren! May 2026 be good to you and yours!
I am just about to finish off the last of the eggnog I made for the holidays, and it has been such a treat!
It was a special recipe and I’ll be making it more often,.with or without a special occasion calling!
As promised, the mixture thickened up perfectly after refrigeration, and it was light and creamy despite the rich ingredients.
For my personal taste, I’ll reduce the sugar a wee bit, and try some grated cardamom on top as a switch from nutmeg as an experiment.
Thank you, Lauren and your team, for the wonderful past years of delicious and inspiring recipes . . . I’m looking forward to your offerings in the days ahead!
“Cheers”!
I just made this for the first time today. It was good but tasted a little too eggy for me. I think I will try it again but cut back by one egg yolk.
I made this for Christmas my whole family loved it. I will make it again.
I have a suggestion for this recipe to make it even better that I have done for years. Beat 3 or 4 of the egg whites to a good peak but not dry, beat in 1/4 cup of sugar, then pour the hot eggnog into the bowl with the beaten egg whites. Mix it slow in the mixer to cook the meringue, but don’t mix it completely so there are clouds of cooked meringue in your nog. It’s heaven. Everybody in my family loves it that way and you don’t waste the egg whites. I think whipped cream makes it too rich.
Sooo yummy! I added more nutmeg and if you’re making it without alcohol, I’d add a bit less sugar. Super tasty though!
Question, is there supposed to be a ton of egg whites left behind in the strainer? I 100% tempered them but maybe I cooked it too long? Idk
Yeah, it’s normal to have some egg whites left in the strainer they can get a bit cooked even with tempering. As long as you tempered properly (adding the hot milk slowly while whisking), you’re good. If there’s a lot though, you might’ve cooked it a touch too long or too hot. Next time, just cook until it barely thickens and hits around 160°F, then strain it right away!
I don’t think there should be much egg white left behind because there is no egg white in the recipe. You don’t use the egg whites, only the yolks.
Well at the ripe old age of 72 I just made my own eggnog for the first time! I had egg yolks left from making meringue and candied almonds and extra heavy cream and have been trying to use up the leftover ingredients from my Christmas baking… it turned out perfectly and is delicious, not too rich or too thick which I prefer. I add a shot of Bailey’s to mine…. if you haven’t tried it it takes the sweet decadence to a whole new level!
Absolutely delicious!!! I love making this eggnog!
Why hot milk when you are already added the milk?
The recipe only uses milk once you heat the milk and cream together in step 2, then temper the eggs by adding small amounts of that hot milk mixture to the eggs in step 3. There’s no separate addition of milk later. The “hot milk” is just the milk you already heated up in the saucepan!