A healthier take on festive holiday eggnog, this clean eating dairy-free eggnog uses almond and coconut milk, egg whites and pure maple syrup. It’s lighter in calories and dairy-free but still just as delicious as real deal nog. This post is sponsored by Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs.
Eggnog is one of those things people tend to absolutely love or hate. I didn’t grow up drinking eggnog as a holiday tradition, but Isaac likes it so he introduced me to it a few years ago. As I’m typing this I’m realizing that it’s kind of funny that my Jewish husband is the one who introduced ME to eggnog.
Anyhow, once I tried eggnog I realized that while I adore the taste of it, I’m not so fond of its heaviness. Plus, there are a ton of ingredients in the packaged stuff that aren’t so EBF-friendly. Heavy cream, corn syrup, thickening agents and preservatives to name a few.
With that in mind I was inspired to create a lightened-up, clean eating eggnog recipe that’s dairy-free, but still rich, thick and loaded with festive holiday spices. I ended up with a delicious creamy beverage that I’d be happy to drink all December long.
Egg Whites vs. Egg Yolks
I’m excited to be teaming up with Pete and Gerry’s for this recipe. Not only do I love that their eggs are organic, free-range and certified humane, but I like the fact that they offer cartoned egg whites, something I find myself buying often – particularly for egg white oats.
I’m fully aware that eating the yolk is healthy, but I often use egg whites to boost the protein content in a meal without adding any extra fat. Cartoned liquid egg whites make this super easy and I like that I’m not wasting a bunch of egg yolks.
Liquid egg whites are pasteurized so they’re a great option to use in eggnog if you’re worried about the risk of consuming raw eggs. With that being said, there’s no need to worry because this version is cooked over medium-heat before being chilled and served.
Lightened up Eggnog
To keep this eggnog light I choose to use a blend of almond and coconut milk, egg whites and pure maple syrup. No heavy cream or refined sugar here!
I really like the light and sweet flavor that the maple syrup adds, but feel free to experiment with your favorite sweetener. I have a feeling that honey would work really well. You could also try a sugar-free version with stevia. The texture might change a little bit, but I think the eggnog would still taste great.
Ingredients Needed For Eggnog:
unsweetened vanilla almond milk
light or regular coconut milk
egg whites
maple syrup – or liquid sweetener of choice
vanilla
cinnamon
ground nutmeg
ground clove
rum or whiskey (optional)
How to Serve Eggnog
Eggnog can be served warm or chilled over ice with a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg on top. It’s a delicious drink to enjoy during the holiday season, with or without a splash of alcohol. One batch makes at least four drinks so it’s perfect for parties too!
Why Does Eggnog Curdle?
Eggnog can curdle quite easily if you’re not careful! It’s very important to keep your stovetop at a medium-low temp. If the saucepan gets too hot or is left on the heat too long your eggnog will curdle. It’s also important to constantly stir your eggnog while it’s on the heat. If you skip this step it can cause the eggnog to curdle.
If you make this clean eating dairy-free eggnog let me know how it turned out in the comment section or share a photo on social media. Just be sure to tag me (@eatingbirdfood + #eatingbirdfood) so that I see it!
A healthier take on festive holiday eggnog, this clean eating dairy-free eggnog uses almond and coconut milk, egg whites and pure maple syrup. It’s lighter in calories and dairy-free but still just as delicious as real deal nog.
Ingredients
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
15 oz can light or regular coconut milk
3 Pete & Gerry’s Organic egg whites (or 1/3 cup liquid egg whites)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
pinch ground clove
rum or whiskey (optional)
Instructions
Place all ingredients except alcohol in a blender and process for 2-3 minutes.
Pour eggnog mixture into a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Simmer for 15 mins — whisking constantly, being careful not to boil or burn the liquid — until the mixture has reduced and thickened. At this point the eggnog should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and let eggnog cool before placing in the fridge to chill. Once cool, I transferred the eggnog into a large mason jar for storing in the fridge until ready to use.
Serve chilled over a cube or two of ice with a pinch of extra nutmeg on top. Add a splash of rum or whiskey, if using.
Knew it was too good to be true to find a dairy free eggnog recipe. I’m in Scotland and I love that in the US you can buy eggnog like in a milk carton. Nothing over here. So tried to make my own. It didn’t thicken after 15minutes and still longer. A lot of other recipes call for using egg yolks too so I added some of the mix into the egg yolks and back to pot like you would if making custard but then it started to curdle even though it was a low heat & I was constantly stirring. 🙁
Hey Sarah – Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out for you. My recipe isn’t supposed to get thick like traditional eggnog. It probably started to curdle because the mixture was on the for heat too long. You shouldn’t have needed to add egg yolks.
Yay!! I so glad you found this one and I hope you get a chance to try it soon! And thank you so much for the kind words about the name bird food. I like it because it’s easy for folks to remember. 🙂
This looks so yummy! I love the real ingredients. My husband and I love eggnog, so I will definitely be trying this recipe soon. Something my husband’s family introduced me to is warm eggnog—have you ever had it warm? I’m thinking we’ll have it warm first so we won’t have to wait for it to chill to try it. ????
Hey Jennifer – I just re-tested this recipe over the weekend and didn’t have any issues with it curdling. I’m thinking you either had the temp too high or the liquid was left on the burner too long causing it to curdle. Did you stir it the entire time while on the heat?
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Knew it was too good to be true to find a dairy free eggnog recipe. I’m in Scotland and I love that in the US you can buy eggnog like in a milk carton. Nothing over here. So tried to make my own. It didn’t thicken after 15minutes and still longer. A lot of other recipes call for using egg yolks too so I added some of the mix into the egg yolks and back to pot like you would if making custard but then it started to curdle even though it was a low heat & I was constantly stirring. 🙁
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Hey Sarah – Sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out for you. My recipe isn’t supposed to get thick like traditional eggnog. It probably started to curdle because the mixture was on the for heat too long. You shouldn’t have needed to add egg yolks.
OMG, that’s looking so delicious.I really love your recipe. The almond milk and coconutmilk are my most favorite.Thanks for putting them together.
Thank you so much, Donna.
This recipe looks fantastic. I really need to try it
Perfect. I was looking for DF eggnog recipe. Thanks Brittany….BTW, love the site name “Bird food” 🙂
Yay!! I so glad you found this one and I hope you get a chance to try it soon! And thank you so much for the kind words about the name bird food. I like it because it’s easy for folks to remember. 🙂
This looks so yummy! I love the real ingredients. My husband and I love eggnog, so I will definitely be trying this recipe soon. Something my husband’s family introduced me to is warm eggnog—have you ever had it warm? I’m thinking we’ll have it warm first so we won’t have to wait for it to chill to try it. ????
Love this! Can’t wait to try it! I loved drinking egg nog as a kid but I haven’t had any in years. Thanks for sharing!
Yess!! These look so creamy and festive!
Hey Jennifer – I just re-tested this recipe over the weekend and didn’t have any issues with it curdling. I’m thinking you either had the temp too high or the liquid was left on the burner too long causing it to curdle. Did you stir it the entire time while on the heat?
Hey Jennifer – I am so sorry to hear that your eggnog didn’t turn out for you! Did you change anything about the recipe?
Mine curdled too.☹️ Not very flavorful either – maybe add more spice. I followed the recipe.
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