Homemade Eggnog – creamy and deliciously thick homemade cooked eggnog spiced up with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. A wonderful and versatile holiday drink that can be enjoyed with or without some booze. You’ll never buy store-bought eggnog again!

I was supposed to share this deliciously sweet and spiced drink right before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, I have to move around what’s on my holiday calendar and ended up sharing this in the middle of December.

But I don’t see why that would lose your enthusiast. ‘Cause this holiday classic drink is truly a MUST-HAVE especially when the winter rolls in. An amazingly delicious drink that pairs well with Christmas cookies and other comforting baked treats! Oh yesss! If you’re already on a cookie roll, you better keep a bottle of this eggnog handy in your fridge. 

You’ll be needing it, for sure!

What is Eggnog?

Eggnog is a holiday beverage that is popular in the United States and Canada, basically made of eggs and milk. Usually, it is being served from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.

Traditionally, homemade eggnog is made of milk or cream, sugar, raw eggs, alcohol, and some spices like vanilla and nutmeg. Most of the commercial eggnog that you buy in stores today does not have eggs in it due to the risk of salmonella.

But I decided to go with the traditional route and use fresh egg yolks. Don’t worry, you won’t feel the raw eggy taste in this drink as I made sure to heat it up on stovetop to also thicken the texture of this eggnog recipe.

What Alcohol Goes in Eggnog?

If you would like to add alcohol in your eggnog, it is recommended to choose a high alcohol concentration to help cut through the sweetness of the eggnog.

You can add it with brandy, rum, bourbon or whiskey. But which of them are the best among the best? Well, it really depends on your personal taste. There is definitely no right answer about this question, it is just a matter of personal taste.

What Does Eggnog Taste Like?

Eggnog is sweet, creamy, smooth and spiced milky flavor. And the best part?? It’s just super easy to make; comes ready in less than 30 minutes. As they always say, homemade eggnog recipes always taste far better. And I’m here to confirm that it is indeed true!

Eggnog Ingredients

This homemade eggnog recipe contains a long list of ingredients compared to others, but I promise you it will all be worth it. And you won’t be needing alcohol to fully enjoy this drink!

• Large egg yolks
• Granulated sugar
• Heavy whipping cream
• Whole milk
• Evaporated milk
• Ground nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Whole cloves
• Sea salt
• Pure vanilla extract
• Additional nutmeg or cinnamon stick for topping, optional

How to Temper Eggs?

Tempering is a way of saying to mix the two ingredients of different temperatures together without altering the texture. Generally, tempering an egg means to add hot liquid to the egg mixture. The goal of this process is to slowly bring up the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them.

So to make sure you are not drinking raw eggs in this recipe, I started with heating up a milk mixture. Then slowly add it to the sugar and egg mixture in a bowl while mixing it before pouring more. Once all the milk mixture has been whisked together, pour everything back into the saucepan, and heat up while constantly stirring to avoid any lumps as it thickens.

How to Store Homemade Eggnog?

To keep your eggnog drink fresh for a longer period of time, you should keep it away from the light. Store your homemade eggnog in the inner part of the refrigerator rather than in the door. This is to prevent it from spoiling easily from the fluctuation of the temperature due to frequent opening.

How Long Does it Last?

Homemade eggnog usually lasts almost about a week when stored properly.  As for freezing, I haven’t personally tried it, but it’s not really recommended as it will destabilize the structure and alter the consistency of the drink. 

Want to make an “eggless” kind of eggnog?? You might love this Puerto Rican version of eggnog – COQUITO. It’s made with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and coconut milk instead of eggs. Enjoy!

More Holiday Drinks You’ll Love

• Mulled Wine
• Homemade Bailey’s Irish Cream
• Sorrel Drink
• Sorrel Fruity Sangria

How To Make Eggnog

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until combined.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, whole milk, evaporated milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and sea salt. Continuously stir until the mixture starts to simmer.

Add a generous amount of milk mixture to the eggs and sugar, making sure it’s combined before adding more. Repeat until all of the milk mixture is whisked together.

Pour back into the saucepan and whisk constantly until the mixture has slightly thickened and immediately remove from heat. Note: keeping the mixture on the heat for longer than necessary will cause it to clump together.

Stir in the vanilla extract. You can add any alcohol (Brandy, rum, bourbon) if using any.  To serve, pour the eggnog into a pitcher and garnish with nutmeg and cinnamon sticks. Store eggnog in the fridge for up to one week.

Watch How To Make It

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Homemade Eggnog

Homemade Eggnog - creamy and deliciously thick homemade cooked eggnog spiced up with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. A wonderful and versatile holiday drink that can be enjoyed with or without some booze. You'll never buy store-bought eggnog again!

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: eggnog, homemade eggnog

Servings: 5 - 6

Calories: 431 kcal

Author: Imma

Ingredients

• 8 large egg yolks
• ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (119g) heavy whipping cream
• 1 ½ cup (360ml) whole milk
• 12 oz (340g) evaporated milk
• ½ teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon (0.65g) cinnamon
• 4 whole cloves
• ⅓ teaspoon (1.67g) sea salt
• 1 teaspoon (4.2g) pure vanilla extract
• additional nutmeg or cinnamon stick for topping , optional

Instructions

1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until combined.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, whole milk, evaporated milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and sea salt. Continuously stir until the mixture starts to simmer.

3. Add a generous amount of milk mixture to the eggs and sugar, making sure it’s combined before adding more. Repeat until all of the milk mixture is whisked together.

4. Pour back into the saucepan and whisk constantly until mixture has slightly thickened and immediately remove from heat. Note: keeping mixture on the heat for longer than necessary will cause it to clump together.

5. Stir in the vanilla extract.

6. To serve, pour the eggnog into a pitcher and garnish with nutmeg and cinnamon sticks.

7. Store eggnog in the fridge for up to one week.

Recipe Notes

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