My Christmas 2021 menu is off to a good start thanks to the Holiday Gin & Tonic I just made. I do love a nice cocktail! This Homemade Eggnog wasn’t originally going to be part of my Christmas menu this year, but then I needed some eggnog… What happened was my dessert recipe needed some eggnog, and eggnog is impossible to find in September. Since I’m working so far ahead, my only option was to make it myself. Thank goodness I found this Homemade Eggnog recipe! It looks easy and promises to be the best eggnog recipe ever. Spoiler, it’s pretty damn good, and I ended up adding it to my holiday menu because it was so yummy. It’s a non-alcoholic drink recipe, but you can always change that if you’re so inclined.
The BEST Homemade Egg Nog recipe! Thick and creamy with the perfect mild flavor and hint of nutmeg. You’ll never buy store-bought eggnog again!
The Ingredients
All I know about eggnog is it’s made with eggs and you can find a carton of it in the dairy section in December. There are a few other things in it, but nothing that isn’t stocked in your average grocery store.
I had the nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, and sugar on hand. That left me to buy some eggs, milk, and heavy cream. That was all conveniently in the dairy section, making shopping even easier. Love it!
The Process
There are a few steps involved, but this recipe wasn’t all that difficult. The recipe lists a total time of 25 minutes, but I had my Homemade Eggnog ready in less. Here’s how my time was spent:
- 6 minutes to prep
- 11 minutes to cook
- 17 minutes total (not including time to cool)
I started out by separating the egg yolks and mixing them with the sugar. My stand mixer with the whisk attachment was perfect for the job.
I started heating the milk, cream, and spices in a saucepan while the eggs and sugar mixed. Once it was close to bubbling, I ladled a few scoops into a measuring cup that had a pour spout. That made it easy to slowly pour into the egg mixture while the stand mixer was running on low speed.
Then I poured the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and continued to whisk until it reached 160℉. It reached that temperature quickly, and then I removed the pan from the heat and added the vanilla.
I noticed some chunks of egg yolk in the mix when I poured it back into the saucepan. It bothered me a little, so I strained the eggnog as I poured it into a pitcher (you can let the eggnog cool in the pan if you don’t have a heat-proof pitcher). Now that my eggnog was perfect, I let it stand on the counter for about an hour before covering it and refrigerating overnight.
The recipe doesn’t mention whipped cream or cinnamon sticks to garnish, but they are both shown in the recipe’s photo. I had to have them, too, so I whipped up some whipped cream. I served my eggnog in Irish coffee mugs with piped whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon plus a long cinnamon stick. So cute!
