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A glass of chilled dairy free eggnog is equally refreshing and cozy. This thick and creamy holiday drink is the perfect night cap spiked with brandy and topped with fresh ground nutmeg.
Need another drink recipe? Try dairy free hot chocolate, Starbucks pink drink, or amaretto hot chocolate.
Table of Contents
- Reasons to Love this Dairy-Free Eggnog Recipe
- Grab These Dairy Free Ingredients
- How to Make Dairy-Free Eggnog
- Step 1. Warm the Milk and Mix Eggs.
- Step 2. Temper the Eggs
- Step 3. Heat the Eggnog to 160°F
- Step 4. Chill and Serve
- Expert Recipe Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Non Dairy Eggnog FAQ
- Can You Buy Dairy-Free Eggnog?
- Storage Tips
- More Holiday Drinks
- Dairy Free Eggnog Recipe
Table of Contents
- Reasons to Love this Dairy-Free Eggnog Recipe
- Grab These Dairy Free Ingredients
- How to Make Dairy-Free Eggnog
- Step 1. Warm the Milk and Mix Eggs.
- Step 2. Temper the Eggs
- Step 3. Heat the Eggnog to 160°F
- Step 4. Chill and Serve
- Expert Recipe Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Non Dairy Eggnog FAQ
- Can You Buy Dairy-Free Eggnog?
- Storage Tips
- More Holiday Drinks
- Dairy Free Eggnog Recipe
Originally published in 2021, this is my favorite festive drink for the holiday season. If you haven’t tried it, this will become a new favorite and you may even want to add it to your holiday traditions. This reader-loved recipe uses simple ingredients and a basic cooking method to bring it together in 20 minutes or less.
Traditional eggnog uses whole milk and heavy cream, while this egg nog does contain dairy. We’re swapping the milk and cream with dairy free milk and coconut cream to keep it dairy and lactose free. Store-bought versions usually have added fillers, binders, and processed ingredients. The best part is this simple eggnog uses a few ingredients, achieving the same rich texture.
One note: this is not a vegan eggnog recipe! The eggs in this recipe gives it the rich and creamy texture that regular eggnog has.
Reasons to Love this Dairy-Free Eggnog Recipe
- 100% homemade
- Done in 20 minutes
- Cozy holiday spices (perfect for Christmas time!)
- Easy to spike with dark rum
- Creamy eggnog with simple ingredients
Grab These Dairy Free Ingredients
Here are the basic ingredients you need. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Full-fat coconut milk
- Plant-based milk (like unsweetened almond milk or oat milk)
- Egg yolks (adding extra egg yolks makes the creamiest nog)
- Coconut sugar or granulated sugar
- Spices: cinnamon, salt and fresh nutmeg
- Vanilla (fresh pod is best but vanilla extract works!)
You can add rum to make it spiked eggnog! Or try this root beer cocktail, winter sangria or Christmas paloma recipe!
How to Make Dairy-Free Eggnog
Here is the visual guide to make this dairy-free eggnog. The full instructions are at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
Step 1. Warm the Milk and Mix Eggs.
Combine the coconut milk and dairy-free milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Whisk the raw eggs and sugar in a separate bowl.
Step 2. Temper the Eggs
Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture eggs, whisking constantly.
Success tip: going slowly and continue to mix helps bring the temperature of the eggs up slowly so it doesn’t curdle.
Step 3. Heat the Eggnog to 160°F
Pour the eggnog back into the saucepan stir over medium-low heat until it reaches 160°F (a safe temperature for homemade eggnog).
Success tip: it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step 4. Chill and Serve
Remove it form the heat, strain it through a mesh seive, and cool to room temperature. Transfer it to a jar or pitcher, cover, and refrigerate to chill for 2-3 hours or overnight. Serve non-alcoholic or spike it with dark rum. Finish it with fresh ground nutmeg and enjoy!
Success tip: stir in a bit of dairy-free milk before serving if the dairy-free eggnog becomes too thick while chilling.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Use fresh ground nutmeg: Hold a citrus zester over the top of the cup of dairy free eggnog and grate it back and forth to sprinkle on top. You can also use a special spice grinder. You can purchase organic whole nutmeg on Amazon!
- Know when it’s thick enough: stop cooking and chill when it coats the back of a spoon. Dip the back of a spoon in the mixture and pull it out. If you can’t see any of the spoon then you know it’s done.
- Separate the egg yolks right: use the egg shells to transfer the yolk back and forth between the two halves until the egg whites fall. You can do this over the sink or a small bowl to save them.
Serving Suggestions
Serve eggnog chilled in your favorite fancy mug, coffee mug or really any glass (like a mason jar!). Top with fresh ground nutmeg (already ground works too) and add a cinnamon stick.
Additional mixers: peppermint schnapps, white chocolate liquor, maple syrup. You could even use this as coffee creamer and add it to your morning cup!
Non Dairy Eggnog FAQ
The best alcohol to spike your eggnog is rum, brandy or bourbon. My first choice would be a brandy, but I also love a spiced rum because it’s more subtle and goes well with the eggnog spices.
Eggnog is typically served chilled with fresh nutmeg. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be served warm on a chili night! Heat it slowly in a saucepan on the stove.
You can spike your eggnog with rum, add nutmeg on top. Beyond that, you could add chocolate or orange liquor, ground spices like all spice and cloves or even peppermint schnapps.
This all depends on the recipe and the quality of the eggs. Store bought eggnog is pasteurized and if you buy eggs that are pasteurized then you’re good! However, you can also bring the eggnog base to a temp of 160°F while you’re cooking to ensure it’s safe, which is what we do in this dairy free eggnog recipe.
Eggnog’s roots date back to British aristocracy when the wealthy would drink this custard-based beverage topped with pricey spices during the winter. Because nutmeg is such a prevalent flavor in eggnog, it makes it perfect for the holidays.
Can You Buy Dairy-Free Eggnog?
You can buy store bought dairy free eggnog like Trader Joe’s Almond Nog, Almond Breeze’s Nog and the So Delicious Holiday Nog, but I love that this recipe only has 7 ingredients (no extra additives or thickeners) and you can make it in under 20 minutes.
Storage Tips
Store eggnog in an airtight container for up to one month in the fridge. In fact, this America’s Test Kitchen article explains why aged eggnog is even better than fresh.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Holiday Drinks
Dairy Free Eggnog
Email this recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 (13.5 ounce) cans full fat coconut milk (about 3 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups dairy free milk any kind
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg plus more to top
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 vanilla bean pod split with the beans scraped out (or 1 teaspoon vanilla)
- Dark rum for serving optional
Instructions
- Whisk together the dairy free milk and coconut milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and and bring to a gentle boil.
- While the milk is heating, whisk together the egg yolks and coconut sugar until combined in a large bowl.
- Pour the eggnog back into the saucepan and add the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. Heat over medium-low until it reaches a temperature of 160°F and the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
- Strain the dairy-free eggnog through a fine mesh sieve to remove any small bits of cooked egg that may have formed. Allow the eggnog to cool to room temperature. Transfer it to a pitcher, cover and refrigerate until chilled (2-3 hours) or overnight.
- The eggnog will continue to thicken as it chills. Stir in more non-dairy milk until it reaches your desired consistency. Spike with dark rum if desired and top with nutmeg.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I followed instructions and my eggnog separated. Had to pitch it. I was looking forward to dairy free eggnog. Wish I could add a picture
No instruction on where to add spices.
It may have separated because you heated the milk too quickly! It needs to be brought up slowly. The recipe card is updated to include instructions on when to add the spices. Thanks!
Instructions weren’t clear
Recipe does not say where to add the spices. Also is not clear whether the egg whites are used or not. This recipe is not for a beginner. There’s a lot of guesswork involved.
Yummy! I added a pinch of salt and a slash of vanilla.
Eggnog turned out well but the step-by-step instructions didn’t explain what to do with the spices and vanilla, I had to use another recipe to confirm.
Hey Jason! I’m confused about what you’re referring to. The recipe clearly has all of the information needed. The post itself has step by step images with details to show you what each step of the process is like. And if you scroll to the recipe card at the bottom it has the detailed instructions. Thanks.
Just made this last night and it’s fantastic tasting, although the recipe instructions don’t state when you’re supposed to put the spices or vanilla in. The text instructions seemingly forget about them completely.
Eggnog tastes great! Concerns with recipe: 1. No actual instruction to separate the eggs. I knew to do it, but not everyone might know this. 2. Nowhere do the instructions tell the user when/where to add the dry spices and vanilla. I added them where I thought most logical, but I don’t know if that was correct.
Hi Barbara,
I made this tonight, and you’re correct about the instructions. I followed the photos, which were not clarified in the written instructions. I’ve made custard type dishes before, but for the novice, I think that they would probably end up leaving the ingredients out.