Glasses of eggnog sprinkled with nutmeg and garnished with cinnamon sticks.

What I love about this dairy-free eggnog

  • It’s a creamy eggnog made with real eggs so it’s more like the traditional eggnog you grew up drinking.
  • The eggs are cooked. First they’re tempered and then the whole mixture is cooked to a food safe temperature, which makes it safe to keep for a long time in your fridge and makes it nice and thick.
  • You can make this recipe alcohol free or make it a spiked eggnog by adding your favorite liquor.
Glasses of eggnog sprinkled with nutmeg and garnished with cinnamon sticks with cranberries laying next to the glasses.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this almond eggnog

Close up of a glass of dairy free eggnog sprinkled with nutmeg and garnished with cinnamon sticks and cranberries.

How to make eggnog from scratch

Mix the eggs and sugar. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and whisk until they’re nice and shiny. You want the sugar to actually dissolve, so the less grains of sugar you can see, the better.

Temper the eggs. Heat 1 cup of dairy free milk to almost boiling in a large saucepan. Then slowly whisk it into the egg and sugar mixture. This will temper the eggs and prevent them front scrambling and allow you to cook the eggnog to a food safe temp.

Heat the eggnog. Mix the remaining ingredients into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Transfer it all to the saucepan and heat the eggnog until it reaches 161˚F for at least 15 seconds. This pasteurizes the eggs and helps thicken the eggnog.

Chill the eggnog. Transfer the eggnog to a pitcher or large mason jar. Cover and refrigerate the eggnog for at least 1 hour. Preferably overnight.

If you plan on adding liquor, you can do it now or later. We like to add it later so that each person can choose their own.

Glasses of dairy free eggnog sprinkled with nutmeg and garnished with cinnamon sticks and cranberries.

FAQs and tips for making dairy free eggnog

Does eggnog have raw egg?

Most recipes call for tempering the eggs, which is a process of bringing two liquids to similar temperatures. This is done to avoid scrambling the eggs, but it does cook them enough to not be considered “raw”.

What alcohol goes best in eggnog?

Traditionally eggnog is made with either brandy or a darker rum, or even bourbon. Different locations have different traditions, but use whichever you prefer or have on hand.

Do you serve eggnog hot or cold?

For this recipe, we served it cold. Traditionally, it can be served either hot or cold though.

Glasses of dairy free eggnog sprinkled with nutmeg and garnished with cinnamon sticks.

More indulgent holiday beverages

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Dairy Free Eggnog

By: Melissa Belanger
Celebrate the holidays with traditional eggnog made without milk. This dairy free eggnog is extra creamy and satisfying. You won’t even miss the cream. Spike it with your favorite liquor to make it a cocktail or serve as-is for an alcohol free treat.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 6 large eggs yolk
  • 2 cups unsweetened dairy free milk
  • 1 1/2 cup dairy free heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 – 1 1/2 cups brandy, bourbon or rum (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional

Instructions 

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together until smooth. Set aside.
  • In a saucepan, heat 1 cup of dairy free milk to a strong simmer (not quite boiling). Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously until combined.
  • Add egg mixture to saucepan with remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook, while whisking continuously, until mixture reaches 160˚F. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

We used almond milk for this recipe, if you want a nut free option try using oat milk. 

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 25mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin C: 0.001mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

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4 Comments

  1. Kari says:

    What brand of DF heavy cream do you use? I have never seen that product… wondering if I can substitute coconut cream (the cream layer on top in the full-fat canned milk)? It might give the egg nog a coconut flavor? Thank you 😊

    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      I use the Silk heavy whipping cream alternative. I’ve found it at a few of my local grocery stores and Walmart. I think you could probably substitute coconut cream, but I think full fat regular coconut milk from a can would work ok, too. I’m not sure about the coconut flavor. It honestly depends if you’re used to the taste of coconut or not, but the rest of the ingredients should mask it, and you could always add a bit of extra vanilla or spices to hide it if you find it too overwhelming. Hope that helps! Let me know if you try it. I would love to know what you think!

  2. Kris says:

    Would this still work if your Egg Yolks are from Medium-ize Eggs instead of Large?

    We just made an Angel Food Cake, so we have 12 Medium-Size Yolks and are scrambling (pun-intentional) now to use them up.

    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      Yes. I think that will work just fine! I would make use an extra egg yolk or two to make up for the smaller size, but other than that it should be just fine!