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Last Updated on January 2, 2024

The creamy texture and sweet taste of dairy free eggnog are an irreplaceable part of Christmas. Sipping on the heartwarming drink throughout the holiday season is just as sacred to me as getting my loved ones gifts. But since milk is the main ingredient in eggnog, people who don’t eat dairy miss out on a lot of deliciousness.

That’s why I’ve decided to try my hands at dairy-free eggnog, and it worked! Replacing milk with coconut milk, I made a tasty batch of eggnog with a dash of cinnamon spiciness. So if you want to get a dairy-free taste of the festive drink, check out my recipe!

When I was a kid, eggnog was a treat.  It was also, well, sickly sweet so it makes sense that I wanted to drink it ALL the time. I’m pretty sure that I drove my mother crazy with all my begging and now, as a parent, I can see why she caved in after the 100th time and even made her own version of homemade eggnog with bourbon.

Ingredients

Here’s a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make dairy-free eggnog:

• 13.5 oz full-fat coconut milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons of dark maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
• A pinch of cloves

These ingredients will give you two delicious glasses of traditional eggnog, so if you want to make more or less, adjust the amounts accordingly. You can also throw in a couple of cinnamon sticks for decorating your eggnog glass after making it, but they aren’t necessary. Also, if you like your drinks extra sweet, you can add granulated sugar or coconut sugar.

The equipment you’ll need to make this recipe are a saucepan, bowl, whisk, and two large glasses for serving.

How to Make Dairy-Free Eggnog: The Traditional Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 140 per serving

Now that the ingredients are out of the way, it’s time to whip up a tasty batch of dairy-free eggnog. Here are the steps you should follow.

1. Heat the Coconut Milk

The first step you should do is to pour the canned coconut milk into your saucepan and heat it on low heat. If you’re in a rush, you can put it on medium heat, but I don’t recommend so because coconut milk is prone to curdling when cooked at high temperatures.

Make sure to use full-fat coconut milk, not reduced fat, because it’ll give you an ideal consistency and richness. Some people like to add coconut cream to enhance the eggnog’s texture and make it more filling, but full-fat canned coconut milk is more than enough.

2. Add the Spices

While the coconut milk is heating gently, you should add the spices, namely the nutmeg, cloves, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. You can skip the cloves if you dislike their intense aroma.

And here’s a word of advice when adding nutmeg: always get fresh nutmeg and grate it right before you use it. Ground nutmeg loses flavor quickly and tastes slightly different from fresh nutmeg, so it might not add the same delicious effect to your homemade eggnog. Also, fresh nutmeg has a much more intense flavor.

The same goes for cinnamon. Freshly grated cinnamon is extra spicy and delicious, so use it if you can.

While adding the spices, gently whisk them into the hot coconut milk to infuse the flavors. Once the coconut milk is heated and whisked with the spices, leave it to cool for a while.

3. Whisk the Egg Yolks and Maple Syrup

Combine your dark maple syrup and egg yolks in a large bowl, and whisk them manually. You can use a stand mixer if you own one to save time, but the old-fashioned way is just as fine. Keep whisking till the egg mixture looks fluffy and light.

4. Mix the Coconut Milk and Egg Mixture

Once the egg mixture reaches the right consistency, add the warm coconut milk to the bowl. But as the milk pours right onto the eggs, you should keep whisking slowly to maintain the consistency.

A trick I like to do here from time to time is to use the blender. First, I run it at a low speed with the egg mixture inside and leave the lid half off. Then, I slowly pour the hot milk into the blender and let it do all the whisking. It’s less handy work and results in the same delicious taste.

5. Serve It Hot or Cold

If you like to drink your eggnog cold, you can stop here and let the mixture cool for a while in the fridge before drinking it. But if you like drinking it hot, you have an extra step to take.

After turning off the blender, pour the eggnog back into the saucepan you used to prepare the hot coconut milk. Heat the drink on medium heat and stir till it’s thick and hot enough for your liking.

You can serve your traditional eggnog with delicious and warm pastries or any Christmas desserts you have in the house. It also pairs unexpectedly well with ice cream, but you have to have a sweet tooth to take in that amount of sweetness.

As a decorative touch, add a cinnamon stick inside each glass and sprinkle ground cinnamon powder on the surface. You can also add an anise star if you like going the extra mile.

How to Make Dairy-Free Eggnog: The Easy Way

If you don’t have time for all the heating and the whisking, there’s an effortless way you can try to make eggnog. But it works better if you plan on serving your drink cold.

All you have to do is throw all the ingredients in a blender and let them blend at high speed. Keep the blender on till the drink looks frothy. It should take about one minute to reach this consistency, more if you blend it on low or medium speed.

Then, pour your eggnog into a pitcher and push in into the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or till it’s chilled enough for your liking. Give your drink another quick blending round to maintain the consistency, then serve it in a large glass.

Types of Milk You Can Use to Make Eggnog

If you’re not a fan of coconut milk, don’t worry. There are many other types of milk you can use to make an equally delicious glass of eggnog. I’ll tell you about them and how they affect the drink’s taste.

Almond Milk

Almond milk is the closest to coconut milk when it comes to sweetness. However, the latter is creamier. This is why I prefer to use it in my homemade eggnog recipe. But almond milk wins when it comes to fewer calories, so it’s a good choice if you’re on a low-calorie diet.

As for taste, almond milk tastes nutty, which goes incredibly well with the rest of the eggnog ingredients. So if you dislike coconut flavor, it’s an excellent alternative. You can use both sweetened and unsweetened almond milk.

Macadamia Nut Milk

Macadamia nut milk tastes sweet with a rich and creamy texture, so it’s the perfect milk for eggnog. It’s also lower in calories than coconut milk, making it a healthier alternative. Some people like to mix the two types of milk to make eggnog. It gives them perfect consistency and a satisfying amount of sweetness.

Rice Milk

If you’re allergic to nuts and want dairy-free milk, you can go with rice milk. It has a naturally sweet taste that goes well with eggnog ingredients. But the catch here is that it has a thin consistency that doesn’t give the same rich effect as whole milk when used in making the Christmas drink.

Oat Milk

Oat milk is another delicious dairy-free milk you can add to your recipe. It has a sweet and nutty flavor that doesn’t overpower the other flavors of eggnog, and it’s creamier than coconut milk. However, I don’t prefer it because it leaves an aftertaste.

Cashew Milk

Cashew milk is a thick and sweet dairy-free milk that would work great with your eggnog. While it has an earthy taste that doesn’t appeal to everyone, it gives your drink the perfect consistency when added to the egg mixture.

Soy Milk

While soy milk lags in sweetness when compared to other dairy-free types of milk, it has a rich and creamy texture that deems it suitable for eggnog. I personally don’t prefer it because it has a beany taste that shows in the drink, but you can try it and see if you like it.

Recipe Tips

Here are a few tips to make your dairy-free eggnog extraordinary.

For one, if you like an extra kick of spice in your drink that cinnamon doesn’t provide, you can add a pinch of ground ginger. It’ll enhance the eggnog taste without overpowering the other spices.

More so, a trick I like to do when I have leftover eggnog is to use it as a topping for desserts. You can use it with pancakes, bread pudding, cheesecake, waffles, cake, and ice cream. It adds a shot of sweetness to desserts, and using it is always better than throwing it out.

You can also put it in a large bowl and use it as a dip for gingerbread cookies, graham crackers, cream biscuits, and more.

If you want to drink the rest of your eggnog later, you can store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. However, you should pour it into a capped bottle. It’ll make it easier for you to shake it before drinking, which is necessary considering that the ingredients might separate.

Finally, you can replace egg yolks with meringue powder if you want to make vegan eggnog.

What to Serve With Eggnog

Most people serve eggnog on its own because it’s so creamy, making it satisfyingly filling. However, if you’re hosting a Christmas party and want to serve some desserts next to it, here’s a list of ideas that go well with the wintery drink:

• Dairy-free gingerbread cookies
• Pumpkin pie
• Pound cake
• Cream biscuits
• Pumpkin spice muffins
• Almond brownies
• Apple pie
• Christmas-themed sugar cookies
• Cranberry pie

Eggnog Spin-Offs

Want to get creative with your homemade eggnog this year? Here’s a list of spin-off drinks you can make using eggnog.

Coffee Eggnog

Instead of making your coffee with whole or dairy-free milk, you can use eggnog for a dash of Christmasy vibes and spicy flavor. It’s a refreshing change from your regular cup of coffee, and the creaminess of eggnog complements the caffeinated drink nicely.

Hot Chocolate Eggnog

Christmas is the perfect time to snuggle in bed with a comforting cup of hot chocolate in your hands. But instead of traditional hot chocolate, you can spice it up with some leftover eggnog. All you have to do is reheat it and add some cocoa, and you’re good to go!

Eggnog Milkshake

An eggnog milkshake is the perfect, refreshing drink for a cold winter day. Making it is pretty simple if you’ve already made some eggnog earlier. Throw a few scoops of vanilla ice cream in a blender, add eggnog, and blend on high speed. And voila!

Eggnog Tea

For a delicious cup of eggnog tea, add half a cup of heated eggnog to a cup of black tea. It’s an ideal drink for tea lovers and will make you all warm during cold days. You can also throw in some boba pearls to make it a bubble tea.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Safe to Use Raw Eggs in Eggnog?

It depends on where you buy your eggs. If you purchase it from a trusted source that gets eggs from pasture-raised chicken, then you have nothing to worry about. But if you don’t know where the eggs come from, I don’t recommend it.

What Does Eggnog Taste Like?

While there’s a famous misconception that eggnog tastes like eggs, it isn’t true. In fact, eggnog tastes slightly like a vanilla milkshake or melted ice cream. It’s sweet and creamy with a dash of spiciness. It might have a hint of an eggy taste, but it isn’t that noticeable.

Is Homemade or Store-Bought Eggnog Better?

While the two might taste the same, store-bought eggnog has many additives and preservatives that aren’t healthy for your family. And since homemade eggnog doesn’t take more than 20 minutes to make, it’s a winner.

Can I Add Coconut Sugar to My Dairy-Free Eggnog?

If you have a sweet tooth and want your eggnog to taste extra sugary, adding a teaspoon of coconut sugar to the recipe is fine. However, coconut sugar has a caramel-like taste that might overpower some of the other spices, so if it isn’t necessary, ditch it.

Should Eggnog Be Served Hot or Cold?

The best way to serve eggnog is chilled, right out of the fridge. However, drinking cold beverages in December isn’t appealing to many people. So you can heat it before drinking if you want a heartwarming drink on a cold day.

To Wrap Up

Eggnog is a favorite Christmas drink for many people, but its dairy-based nature deems it unsuitable for those who cut dairy off their diets. Luckily, I’ve come up with a dairy-free eggnog recipe that’s equally delicious.

If you have enough time, you can make eggnog the traditional way, which involves using a saucepan to heat its components. But if you’re low on time, you can throw all ingredients in the blender and let the electric appliance do all the work.

Either way, you’re in for a delicious, dairy-free treat for this year’s merry season!

Continue to Content

Yield: 2

Dairy free Eggnog

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Pour a glass of this simple, delicious, dairy-free eggnog at your next holiday celebration

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Ingredients

• 13.5 oz can Full Fat Coconut Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon power
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoon dark maple syrup
• 2 egg yolks

Instructions

1. In a sauce pan over low heat add the coconut milk and whisk in the spices. Once the liquid is warm remove from the heat. Let cool so the liquid is warm to the touch.
2. Whisk in the egg yolks.
3. You can either drink warm or cool
4. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 140Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 184mgSodium: 13mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 3g

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