An easy, creamy (and boozy) homemade eggnog recipe that doesn’t waste the egg whites! Serve alongside all your favorite Christmas cookies and festive treats at your next holiday party.
Question: Is it even the holidays without eggnog?
I don’t think I’ve ever been to a Christmas party that didn’t have either a big bowl of eggnog, or eggnog-infused cocktails. It’s like there’s an unspoken rule that if you don’t serve it at your party, the holiday gods will come down and take away your tree topper.
Okay, maybe not – but you can’t deny that it is a Christmas season staple. Growing up I never wanted to even try eggnog because the idea of eggs in my drink freaked me the hell out.
Who can relate? Raise your hands, I know you’re out there. Sometimes just the name of a drink or food can be so off-putting that you’ve written it off before you’ve even tried it.
Hear me out on this one, though – eggnog is freaking delicious. It’s not like you’re Gaston and drinking five dozen raw eggs in a glass, it’s going to be okay. But something I can’t emphasize enough with eggnog is to always use quality eggs. It’s the star of the cocktail show, and you need them to be good.
In this house, we only use Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs because they’re free from pesticides, added hormones, antibiotics, and GMOs. We’re pretty picky about our egg choices, and using eggs that come from small family farms (a couple of which are just north of us in New Hampshire) who are dedicated to humane animal treatment, safety, and environmental sustainability is a priority for us.
Plus, the flavor and quality is consistent and can’t be beat (in my opinion).
I also enjoy a hearty amount of homemade mascarpone whipped cream on top of mine, with a little sprinkle of nutmeg.
You could of course use canned whipped cream, but if we’re going to make homemade eggnog, why not make it homemade everything?
Tips for making homemade eggnog
- Use quality eggs. I mentioned this above, but I’m serious – we always use Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs.
- Use whole milk. Using reduced fat milk is going to take away from the full flavor we’re going for.
- Slowly add the milk mixture to the egg mixture. I’m serious. Don’t rush that part of the process! You don’t want to scramble the eggs in the mix, so you want to gradually introduce the warm milk mixture to the cold egg mixture.
- The alcohol is optional. I always make mine with a combination of rum and amaretto, but if you want to keep it non-alcoholic you can just omit it. No substitutions or alterations needed.
- Don’t discard your egg whites! The best thing about this recipe is that we don’t waste any parts of the egg – just whip them with a little sugar and fold it in to your chilled eggnog just before serving. It adds a little volume and sweetness.
Now whip up a batch of eggnog, invite your friends over in their ugly sweaters, and toast to a festive and enjoyable holiday season!
After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!
Easy Homemade Eggnog
Ingredients
- 3 large Pete and Gerry's eggs, separated
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup rum
- ¼ cup amaretto, optional
- Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and/or whipped cream, for garnish
Instructions
- Separate your egg yolks and whites, placing your egg yolks in a large bowl and egg whites in a small bowl, and place the bowl of whites in the fridge for later.
- In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cream, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and salt and stir to combine. Stir frequently over low heat until the mixture beings to simmer and you see bubbles around the edges of the pan, then remove from heat. Add vanilla and whisk to combine, then let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup sugar to bowl of egg yolks and whisk until well combined, light and creamy. Set aside.
- Carefully remove the cinnamon stick from the saucepan and discard.
- Slowly add the milk mixture into the bowl of egg mixture, a little at a time, whisking after each addition. You don't want to scramble the eggs in the mix, so you want to gradually introduce the warm milk mixture to the cold egg mixture.
- Add rum (and amaretto, if using) and whisk to combine.
- Pour into a pitcher, cover, and place in the fridge to chill and until ready to serve.
When you're ready to serve...
- This step is optional, but highly encouraged: When you're ready to serve the eggnog, you want to add your egg whites!
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. While the mixer is running, slowly add 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Whisk the egg whites into the rest of the eggnog mixture.
- Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream and a little ground nutmeg or ground cinnamon, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Another thank you to Pete and Gerry’s for filling our fridge with complimentary eggs and sponsoring this recipe!
