Homemade Eggnog Recipe

4.31 from 26 votes

Made from wholesome ingredients, this traditional homemade eggnog recipe is smooth, creamy, perfectly spiced, and so easy to make.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Calories 2610kcal

Author Mommypotamus

Equipment

Candy thermometer (for cooked version)

Ingredients

2 cups cream (Or coconut cream)
2 cups milk (Or coconut milk)
6 egg yolks (Raw or pasteurized)
1/3 cup maple syrup (Or more to taste)
2 tsp vanilla extract (How to make vanilla extract)
¾ tsp nutmeg (Or more to taste)
1 pinch sea salt
bourbon or rum (Optional - See Notes section for more information)

Instructions

No-Heat Blender Method

Add the milk, cream, egg yolks, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt to a blender.
Blend everything together for about a minute, then add alcohol if using and blend for another 10-15 seconds. Pour the eggnog into a jar with a lid, then place it in the refrigerator to chill. If possible, allow the eggnog to chill overnight so the flavors meld together even more.
Sprinkle with nutmeg and garnish with a cinnamon stick if desired before serving. Stir before serving.

Cooked Eggnog Method

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together with the maple syrup until well-combined.
Place the milk and cream in a saucepan and on the stovetop until it is steaming but not boiling.
Take the milk/cream mixture and S-L-O-W-L-Y pour it into the egg mixture while whisking continuously. This is called tempering the eggs, which basically means you're heating them without accidentally scrambling them in the process.
Return the mixture to the stove top set to low/medium heat. Place the candy thermometer in the pot and continue to heat until the temperature reads 160F, then immediately remove it from heat.
Stir in the vanilla, nutmeg and salt, then transfer it to a jar and place it in the fridge to cool. If you're adding liquor, wait at least an hour to stir it in.
Pour the eggnog into a jar with a lid, then place it in the refrigerator to chill. If possible, allow the eggnog to chill overnight so the flavors meld together even more. Stir before serving.

Notes

Nutrition facts are estimates.

Raw eggs are optional in this recipe. They can increase the risk of foodborne illness. Older adults, pregnant women, infants, and immunocompromised people should avoid eating raw eggs or foods that contain raw eggs.

Notes On Adding Rum Or Bourbon

You can add rum or bourbon to taste, or if you're interested in using alcohol to increase the eggnog's safety profile you can adapt this method described by Cook's Illustrated.

It tastes pretty strong, so when I made it with this method I ended up diluting the final product just before serving with a little more cream, maple syrup and nutmeg to taste.

The process looks like this:

Use at least 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor for every egg (Three yolks are roughly equivalent in volume to one whole egg, so for the six egg yolks in this recipe the amount of 80-proof liquor to use would be 3 ounces. )
Mix the alcohol, eggs, and maple syrup together and don't add the dairy. Allow mixture to age.
When you're ready to serve, add the dairy, vanilla, nutmeg and salt to a blender along with the egg mixture and whip on high for one minute.

In the Cook's Illustrated version, the egg/liquor mixture is aged for three weeks to mellow out the flavor and give the alcohol time to do its job. However, in a similar experiment done by a microbiologist at the Rockefeller lab only 24 hours was needed.

Nutrition