Homemade Eggnog

Celebrate the holidays the right way with Homemade Eggnog! Spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and spiked with bourbon, this festive drink is sure to warm the hearts of everyone who has a glass.

What Is Eggnog Anyway?

This classic winter-time drink has evolved into many different versions, but is traditionally made with milk, sugar, egg yolks, and thickened with whipped egg whites. This homemade eggnog is so beautifully creamy, thick, and spiced compared to its store-bought counterparts! It can even be made with soy milk or nut milk for those who are lactose-free.

How to Make Eggnog

This eggnog recipe is so easy, and can be customized to your liking by switching up the spices and/or the type of liquor. First, set aside one tablespoon of sugar. Slowly add the remaining sugar while you whip the egg yolks. Mix the yolks for about 5 minutes or until they become light in colour and smooth. Set the bowl aside.

In a saucepan, add the milk, cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Heat the milk mixture until it barely begins to simmer. Using a ladle, slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the whipped egg yolks. Stir consistently to avoid any lumps. Return the mixture to your saucepan over medium heat. Use a whisk and keep everything moving to avoid lumps.

Once the mixture reaches 160F/ 70C, remove it from the heat. Whisk in the liquor and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in the fridge for one hour, or until completely cooled.

Start whipping the egg whites when the milk mixture is fully cooled and ready to use. Whip the whites until soft peaks form, and add the remaining tablespoon of sugar from earlier. Continue to whip the whites until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the milk mixture. I served this eggnog in a glass rimmed with melted chocolate and crushed candy canes, and topped the glasses off with a cinnamon stick.

Raw Eggs or Cooked Eggnog

This recipe is traditionally made with completely raw eggs, including the yolks. The cooking step we added is completely optional, but will give your eggnog some extra thickness and put your mind to ease if you’re worried about using raw eggs! The whipped egg whites are raw in this recipe. You can use pasteurized eggs, or pasteurize them yourself to make sure any bacteria is eliminated before making this recipe.

If you prefer, you can take the egg whites out of this recipe completely. This will reduce the servings to 3 or 4, so feel free to double the recipe if you do this. I would also cut the amount of liquor in half so that your eggnog isn’t too boozy!

What Alcohol Can  You Use in Eggnog

I went with bourbon for my homemade eggnog. If that isn’t your cup of ‘nog, you can try it out with white, dark, or spiced rum, whiskey, cognac, or brandy. This recipe is easy to modify to make it your own! You can, of course, leave the liquor out all together to make your eggnog family-friendly.

Looking for More Holiday Cocktails? Try These!

• Grenadine Sunrise
• Mulled Wine
• Pomegranate Elderflower Spritzers
• Apple Crumble

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Homemade Eggnog

4.84 from 6 votes

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Cooling Time: 1 hr

Total: 15 mins

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Serves: 6

Print Pin Rate

Celebrate the holidays the right way with Homemade Eggnog! Spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and spiked with bourbon, this festive drink is sure to warm the hearts of everyone who has a glass.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar granulated
• 6 eggs separated
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• 1 cup bourbon

Optional

• 4 candy canes crushed
• 2 oz chocolate melted
• 6 cinnamon sticks

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Set aside 1 tbsp of the granulated sugar. 
• Add the egg yolks to the bowl of your mixer and beat until the lighten in color. Gradually add the remaining sugar to the bowl and beat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan add the milk, heavy cream, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Add a ladle of the milk mixture at a time to the egg mixture and stir. This is called tempering. Add a few ladles, about 4 or 5 of the milk mixture and stir. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 160 F degrees.
• Remove from the saucepan from heat and stir in the bourbon. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill for at least an hour.
• Add the egg whites to a medium bowl and beat until soft peaks. Add the tbsp of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. 
• Whisk the egg whites into the chilled eggnog. Serve cold.

Video

Recipe Notes

Store leftover eggnog in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 407kcal (20%)Carbohydrates: 22g (7%)Protein: 8g (16%)Fat: 21g (32%)Saturated Fat: 12g (75%)Cholesterol: 226mg (75%)Sodium: 113mg (5%)Potassium: 197mg (6%)Sugar: 21g (23%)Vitamin A: 950IU (19%)Vitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 144mg (14%)Iron: 0.8mg (4%)

Course:Drinks

Cuisine:British

Keyword:eggnog, holiday cocktails, homemade eggnog

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