This dairy-free eggnog is creamy and made with pasteurized eggs, spices, dairy-free milk, canned coconut milk, and sugar. For a keto, Paleo, or sugar-free eggnog, just use a sugar-substitute and celebrate the holidays without breaking your diet. It tastes like Christmas!
How about a homemade beverage or cocktail drink to will bring Christmas cheers?
It is sure to please everyone with its warm flavors and creamy consistency. Besides being delish, it’s quick and easy to make in the blender in less than 5 minutes.
Let’s make it together, shall we?
What is eggnog?
Eggnog is a festive holiday drink enjoyed around the world. It has its roots in a medieval European drink called “posset” (made with hot, sweetened, spiced milk spiked with ale or wine).
In the 17th century, sherry replaced ale or wine. Due to its scarce ingredients at that time (milk, eggs, and sherry), posset became a drink enjoyed on special occasions such as holidays.
Traditionally, eggnog is a dairy-based punch. It combines ingredients such as heavy cream, sugar, and milk with raw, whipped eggs. Sometimes, it incorporates distilled spirits, such as bourbon, whiskey, or brandy— alone or in combination.
Lactose-free eggnog recipes often call for lactose-free milk and/or canned coconut milk while vegan eggnogs skip the eggs.
Eggnog is usually served chilled but may be warmed up on chilly nights. I prefer to serve my dairy-free eggnog chilled!
Variations
The taste of homemade eggnog may depend on the country where you are drinking it!
American traditional eggnog is creamy, sweet, and has a warm flavor of spices and vanilla. If using brandy, bourbon or cognac, the spiked eggnog acquires a boost of flavor!
A traditional American recipe tastes sweet with notes of vanilla and bears a frothy and creamy texture from the eggs. More contemporary takes add warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Puerto Rican has its own version called coquito, made with coconut milk or juice with or without the addition of heavy cream. Some modern version, leave the eggs out.
Mexico has the famous rompope, which comes from the Spanish “ponche de huevo” (egg punch). A mix of almond paste and milk replace the heavy cream but it includes vanilla and cinnamon plus sometimes brandy.
In my home country Brazil, the eggnog drink is called gemada. It calls for warm milk, egg yolks, sugar, and cinnamon. A spirit such as cachaça, Brazil’s national spirit, may be added to the drink.
On the other hand, Peruvian eggnog, called biblia con pisco, asks for pisco, a type of Peruvian brandy.
In Venezuela and Trinidad, there is a variety called ponche crema prepared with rum while in Germany eggnog (biersuppe) calls for beer.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Although eggnog is a Christmas drink, you can make it with budget-friendly basic ingredients. It is one of those great pantry recipes that are quite handy!
To make this dairy-free eggnog recipe, you will need the following:
- Eggs: It thickens the drink! You can either temper them in milk to avoid safety concerns, or you can use pasteurized eggs as I did.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar, but use a sugar substitute such as monk fruit (double amount called for sugar) for a sugar-free or keto-friendly version.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon and nutmeg are the usual spices, but you can add any other of choice such as ground ginger as well.
- Flavorings: For an alcohol-free version, use pure vanilla extract. But for an eggnog cocktail, you can spike it with spirits boosting its flavor. Some of the most usual are brandy and cognac but you can also use whiskey, rum, cachaça, or bourbon among others. You one of a combination of the above!
- Dairy-free milk: I prefer to use full-fat dairy-free milk such as soy milk, or even regular milk if you are not intolerant to lactose. For an almond milk eggnog, use that type of milk.
- Canned coconut milk: It will make a non-dairy eggnog creamy and thick. If you have access to canned coconut cream is even better! And if you are not lactose-intolerant, you can replace it with either heavy whipping cream or half-and-half. Moreover, you can make coconut milk eggnog using only coconut milk instead of mixing it with milk.
How to Make Dairy-Free Eggnog
- Add pasteurized eggs, sugar or a substitute, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla or a spirit, dairy-free milk, and canned coconut milk to a blender. SEE PIC. 1
- Blend the mixture until homogenous and creamy. SEE PIC. 2
- If you wish, rim glasses with light corn syrup and then ground cinnamon, as if making a margarita. SEE PICS. 3 and 4
- Pour dairy-free eggnog into glasses. SEE PIC. 5 Pipe dairy-free whipped (coconut) cream on top and garnish as desired. Enjoy! SEE PIC. 6
How to Temper Eggs
To temper the eggs to make eggnog safe to drink, heat the milk over medium-high heat with the cinnamon and nutmeg to let infuse the flavors.
Then, slowly stream the hot warm milk into the eggs, whisking well until the mixture is homogeneous.
If you have a blender, the process is way simpler! Place eggs into the blender, blend on low, and then with the middle of the lid off, stream the warm milk into the blender. It is easier than holding a hand mixer while pouring the milk into the egg mixture.
Make sure to strain the mixture using a fine-mesh strainer to catch any egg lumps. To thicken, add the strained mixture to a pan and mix with the rest of the ingredients over medium heat until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Test its thickness by running your finger down the middle. Eggnog is ready when the line stays clean!
Useful Tips for Dairy-Free Eggnog
- Use pasteurized eggs to save time and avoid any safety concerns. If you don’t find them easily, temper the eggs.
- Use any spices or spirit of choice to flavor your sugar-free eggnog!
- The drink must be thick and creamy, almost like a smoothie.
- For classic eggnog, use regular full-fat milk and heavy cream. On the other hand, for non-dairy eggnog, use plant-based milk.
Are raw eggs safe?
Raw eggs are a great source of Vitamins A, D, and E, rich in essential fatty acids, protein, enzymes, choline, riboflavin, biotin, magnesium, potassium, copper and more.
They are also the key ingredients for making the best eggnog drink because they thicken and emulsify the beverage.
However, raw eggs may pose a health hazard because of the bacteria Salmonella. Foodborne illnesses are a concern for people with compromised immune systems.
However, only 1 in 20,000 eggs produced per year could be contaminated in the United States.
Many believe that the alcohol content in eggnog can protect against Salmonella. Yet, there is not enough scientific evidence to support this!
The thing is a study conducted by 2 microbiologists found that the spirits in spiked eggnog killed off Salmonella after the drink was aged for 3 weeks under refrigeration below 40°F (4°C). But the same was not true when stored in less time.
To be safe, heat your eggnog before drinking it. A safe minimum cooking temp for eggs is 140°F (60°C). Whisk the egg yolks with sugar while heating the mixture to 160°F (71°C) in order to kill off most pathogens, or simply use pasteurized, or heat-treated, eggs.
Store-bought eggnog is pasteurized and does not require heating!
How to Store Sugar-Free Eggnog
This dairy-free eggnog will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. You may need to blend or whisk it well to incorporate milk solids before serving. Coconut milk can solidify quickly when chilled.
Unless you intend to make an eggnog ice cream, I wouldn’t freeze this drink; otherwise, the milk will break apart when thawed. To fix it, blend the thawed mixture in the blender again.
Other Holiday Drink Recipes to Try:
PIN & ENJOY!
Dairy-Free Eggnog (Keto/Paleo)
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs pasteurized
- ¾ cup granulated sugar or a substitute such as a monk fruit for a keto version (double the amount), maple syrup, or other
- 1/3 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup cognac or brandy OPTIONAL
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups dairy-free milk such as almond milk
- 1 cup canned coconut milk or coconut cream if you find it
Instructions
- Add pasteurized eggs, sugar or a substitute, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla or a spirit, dairy-free milk, and canned coconut milk to a blender.
- Blend the mixture until homogenous and creamy.
- If you want to, rim glasses with light corn syrup and then ground cinnamon, as if making a margarita.
- Pour dairy-free eggnog into glasses. Pipe dairy-free whipped (coconut) cream on top and garnish as desired. Enjoy!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer says
Love how this eggnog is dairy free! Can’t wait to try it soon 🙂
Dennis Yannakos says
OMG! Many thanks for the recipe! It looks so good!
Denise Browning says
Ty Dennis! I hope you try our keto eggnog and enjoy.
Josiah - DIY Thrill says
This eggnog looks creamy and delicious, perfect for Christmas!
Raymund says
So nice! Definitely a good thing to drink while waiting for gift opening. BTW that gingerbread man is so cute
Eric says
You omit mention of another up&coming method of pasteurizing eggs without tempering: sous vide. No need for a vacu-packed bag, the shell takes care of that. 1hr15min at 135*F will ensure the egg still acts like a raw egg in every regard, while being (almost) guaranteed to be safe!