The holidays are here, so let’s compare store-bought eggnog vs homemade eggnog! Try my own recipe. Pairs perfectly with healthy sugar cookies or a slice of warm apple slab pie.
Eggnog has been one of my favorite holiday treats for as long as I can remember. My grandma used to keep a quart in her fridge just for me.
I’ve always loved its spicy, thick, custard-like goodness, and with Christmas merely two weeks away, cravings are in full swing. There’s just one big hurdle standing in my way…
The list of ingredients.
Nutrition of Store-bought Eggnog
Have you read the nutritional label of eggnog lately? The list of ingredients is dismal:
- Grade A Milk
- Cream
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Egg Yolks
- Sugar
- Nonfat Milk
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Spices
- Carrageenan
- Annatto (Color)
- Turmeric (Color)
For crying out loud, that high fructose corn syrup seems to be everywhere! Especially the carrageenan too.
Talk about a buzz kill. And we don’t even use alcohol in our ‘nog! This leaves me with a major bone to pick.
Why does one of my favorite holiday drinks contain a bunch of junk?!
Surely it’s possible to enjoy this delicious drink without all that fake stuff, right? I mean, what did our great-grandmothers do 50 years ago? Wikipedia pegs eggnog of being available earlier than 1800 – way before high fructose corn syrup OR carrageenan ever existed. Why do we need all the icky stuff now?
In all the recipes, the ingredients are fairly the same:
- Milk
- Cream
- Egg yolks
- Sweetener (maple syrup is another common sweetener)
- Vanilla extract
- Nutmeg
All of these are real, whole foods; none are processed or artificial.
On the positive side, did you know homemade eggnog has many health benefits? It’s rich in potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamins A and D!
Ingredients For The Best Eggnog Recipe
How to Make Homemade Eggnog
Here’s my own real-food eggnog recipe (taste-tested and approved!).
Step 1. First, blend the yolks of the egg + honey in a blender.
Step 2. Combine milk and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Step 3. Then, add a tablespoon of the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture, and blend.
Step 4. Once the majority of the hot milk has been added to the egg mixture, pour it back into the saucepan.
Step 5. Stir vigorously until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove the saucepan from the stove and stir in the vanilla.
Step 6. Pour half of the mixture (1/4 cup at a time) through a strainer and into a container with an airtight lid (I use my blender). Refrigerate until it has chilled.
Step 7. Finally, once it’s chilled you can serve it with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Recipe Tips
- For the egg whites, you’ll have leftovers, try my scrambled eggs recipe for breakfast!
- The homemade eggnog will thicken as it cools.
Best Eggnog Recipe Questions
Is homemade eggnog safe?
Homemade eggnog is safe to consume when you use whole, pasteurized, or liquid eggs. I used organic eggs in my recipe.
How long does homemade egg nog last?
You can store this healthy eggnog in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Are you supposed to drink eggnog hot or cold?
Eggnog is typically served cold but can be heated! Use medium-low heat if you’d like a warm cup of this tasty drink.
Delicious Taste of Homemade Eggnog
What about the taste – can you tell the difference?
I think I can, but I’m not entirely sure. I think store-bought eggnog is extremely thick, and in some cases, too thick to drink.
- The homemade version is definitely thicker than milk, it’s not as thick as store-bought ‘nog and I liked it this way better. I’m guessing the recipes that call for additional heavy cream would be thicker, but I don’t have cream so I wasn’t able to verify that.
- Besides thickness, the taste was really good! It tastes clean if that makes sense. And the fact that you can add more ground cinnamon and/or nutmeg and/or vanilla if you want? Make just one single cup (instead of letting the remaining three spoil in the fridge).
Totally in love. Freshly grated nutmeg would likely put.this.over.the.top., but make do with what you have.
Store-bought VS. Homemade Eggnog
When homemade eggnog is put to the test up against store-bought, it wins!
You know what’s in the store-bought stuff and how to make it homemade. With this in mind, you likely already have what you need to make it AND you know it’s cheaper. What do you do now?
Make 2 cups of homemade eggnog. Use half in the scone recipe (use eggnog in lieu of the cream) and enjoy them fresh out of the oven with the other half!
More Easy Beverage Recipes
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The holidays are here, so let’s compare store-bought eggnog vs homemade eggnog! Try my own recipe. Pairs perfectly with healthy sugar cookies or a slice of warm apple slab pie.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Instructions
1. First, blend the yolks of the egg and honey in a blender. Do this until it is creamy and light.
2. Combine the milk and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Then, add a tablespoon of the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture, and consistently stir.
4. Once a majority of the hot milk has been added to the egg mixture, pour it back into the saucepan.
5. Stir vigorously until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove the saucepan from the stove and stir in the vanilla.
6. Pour half of the mixture (1/4 cup at a time) through a strainer and into a container with an airtight lid. (I use my blender). Refrigerate until it has chilled.
7. Finally, once it’s chilled you can serve it with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Notes
- For the egg whites, you’ll have leftovers, try my scrambled eggs recipe for breakfast!
- This homemade eggnog will thicken as it cools.
- Store in fridge up to one week.
Nutrition
- Calories: 335
I couldn’t find the recipe either.
2 cups of whole organic milk
4 egg yolks from organic eggs
2 Tbsp honey
sprinkles of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla
Something must be wrong with me, but I don’t see your recipe showing up. I see the list of the others you link to, but I don’t see yours. What am I missing?
Thanks for your help!
I clicked on your link for Cranberry Eggnog scones and it comes up Cranberry Orange scone recipe, No mention of eggnog. I am bummed. I was searching for how you make your eggnog too, but just get the list of ingredients. Totally bummed.
Hi Judy! Here’s my recipe for eggnog: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/food-wars-eggnog/, and for scones, simply use eggnog in lieu of the cream. 🙂
I just mad the egg nog. My kids had never tried egg nog before. Let you know how they like it.
Thank You
Maria
Yeah for providing homemade egg nog recipes. I fell in love with Organic Valley’s eggnog, but their brief season is over. Excited to possibly extend my egg nog season a little longer by trying to make some of these recipes!
Enjoy Gwen! It’s so good!
Did you try making eggnog with non-dairy milk? What would you recommend?
Thanks for sharing a link to my eggnog recipes, Tiffany.
A note on the honey. I’m a part of a local group that gets together to organize bulk buys from local producers on things like honey and maple syrup. Together we get better prices and get the real thing from producers we trust, and they have a guaranteed market for their products.
I can’t stand store eggnog – way too thick and sweet! I grew up on a dairy farm and my mom always made the fresh stuff with our own milk and eggs.
You’re welcome!
Looking into local sources for honey and other items is on the list for 2014, but I do think it’s tougher in my area. Just not sure why!
re: alotta honey is better than a little HFCS
unless ur getting raw honey from a local farmer ur honey is prob from “farmed-bees” which are fed HFCS. they set a tray of HFCS beneath the hive and bees go no where else as their food source is right there. so no pollen from flowers in the honey either.
so in effect most honey is straight HFCS!
which makes me kinda glad i buy the cheapest honey i can find, unless i could afford the health-food kind, local and truly raw.
but it makes me mad as i thot at least it’s not corn syrup or even traditional white or brown sugar. 🙁
but now…
i was upset to comprehend this when i learned it, but it is true, research it.
I just tried my hand at homemade eggnog for the first time, and it’s delicious! I’m going to try it in your scone recipe too!
Just a note – I think your math is off 😉
LOL – thanks for catching my error Heather! I think I should keep quiet about that math degree. 😉 Glad you liked the eggnog, and it’s SO good in the scones. Gives it a dark, richer, fuller flavor. So Christmas-y! 🙂
I LOVE the taste of homemade eggnog, I can tell for sure. Though, my recipe is much creamier than store-bought. Thanks for linking to it 🙂 Merry Christmas! 🙂
You’re welcome Trisha! Merry Christmas to you! 🙂
My entire family loves egg nog, as in my husband and I can drink a quart in one sitting! However, there is only one brand that we really, really love (I even drove 30 miles and paid >2x more for organic and we still liked the bad stuff better) and I am afraid homemade just won’t cut it. We only get 1 gallon of raw milk each week and I don’t want to waste it. However our farmer gifted us with an extra gallon this week so maybe it’s time to give it a go! Will try it and let you know what we think! I can already tell yours is going to be way less sweet – which is unfortunately why I think we love it?
I don’t blame you for not wanting to waste the raw milk! And you’re right, my version is way less sweet. I thought my recipe was wrong, but it took me a few sips to realize that it was because of the sweetener! You can always add more honey if you’d like. 1/2 cup of honey is still better than even just a tiny bit of HFCS. 😉
Just made homemade eggnog this weekend for the first time. I’m not a huge nog fan but my husband is and we thought it would be a fun tradition. Our recipe was different because I’m nursing and wanted to cook the eggs. It came out great and I would totally make it again, in fact we probably will! I agree, tastes much cleaner than store bought, worth the extra effort!
I’ve seen some recipes where you temper the eggs too Joyanna, which is a great alternative for pregnancy or conventional eggs. And I wholeheartedly agree that it’s worth the effort, although with a blender, the effort isn’t much. 😉