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Enjoy the holidays without the guilt of too much sugar or fake flavorings with this healthy homemade eggnog! It’s easy to make and naturally sweetened with maple syrup!
Where would the holiday season be without eggnog! It’s always one of my families advent activities!
Just like many other holiday decorations and foods, I find eggnog sneaks onto the grocery store shelves earlier and earlier each year but I don’t think anyone is complaining!
There’s just one problem with eggnog; it’s not healthy. In fact, the store-bought stuff is not healthy at all! Have you read the ingredient list of eggnog lately?
Ingredients in Store-Bought Eggnog are Not Health
Milk, sugar, cream, egg yolks, fat free milk, natural and artificial flavors, guar gum, salt, carrageenan, mono and diglycerides, red 40, yellow 5&6.
The ingredients in store-bought eggnog start off well but end horribly!
I switched to one of the local farm’s eggnog a few years ago thinking it was better. They have great milk that is as close to raw milk as you can get (I’d buy raw milk if we could afford it).
I assumed since they are milk fanatics that they’d have high standards for eggnog but alas it is not so.
The local farm eggnog had the good basic ingredients but still had non-fat milk powder, whey powder, natural and artificial flavors, modified food starch, carrageenan, cornstarch!
Honestly, they are worse in some ways than the store-bought stuff!
Some eggnogs on the market would better be named eggnog flavored milk!
Eggnog needs to contain at least 1% egg yolks to be labeled eggnog. It’s a sad world we live in folks! You can read more about what’s in that eggnog at Ethical Foods.
Instead of continuing to buy eggnog with crazy ingredients, I decided to make my own! As it turns out, it’s really not that hard to make eggnog!!!
Homemade eggnog is not as complicated as everyone thinks. It’s mostly mixing eggs into milk and then adding some seasonings.
When I make this healthy homemade eggnog I can rest easy that the ingredients are real and it’s a healthier version because it’s not full of sugar like the store-bought eggnogs!
What About the Eggs in Eggnog?
Now, when it comes to eggnog the first thing everyone worries about (myself included) is the eggs. Traditionally, eggnog is made with raw eggs but raw eggs always worry people.
Now if you use the freshest, most organic eggs you can find then I don’t think you have anything to worry about. But if using raw eggs still worries then you can cook your eggnog.
This is what I do because even if I found perfect eggs, raw eggs still bug me. Raw eggs are too crazy for me to wrap my brain around… unless it’s raw eggs in cookie dough and then somehow I have no issues with it.
If you want to make uncooked or raw eggnog:
Simply mix all the ingredients in this recipe in a blender and voila. You are done. Just make sure to drink it quickly in a day or so because it will spoil quickly.
This recipe is for eggnog that has been cooked! (no egg worries!)
Below, I’m sharing my recipe for healthy homemade eggnog that is cooked. This doesn’t mean that you have to drink warm eggnog (save that for the lattes!).
It just means that the mixture is cooked first so you don’t have to worry about raw eggs and then it is cooled in the fridge.
I’ve also included directions for thicker eggnog because the lack of white sugar and cream makes this healthy homemade eggnog not quite as thick as store-bought eggnog. The thicker version adds in one extra ingredient that helps thicken the eggnog up.
Enjoy the holidays without the guilt of too much sugar or fake flavorings with this healthy homemade eggnog! It's easy to make and naturally sweetened with maple syrup! Cooked Eggnog Directions: In medium saucepan, mix milk, maple syrup and nutmeg. Cook over low heat until warm (no not bring to a boil or even a simmer). While you are heating the milk, add egg yolks to blender and blend for 1 minute. Slowly add 1 cup warmed milk to the blender (while it is running). This is to help your eggs not curdle. Slowly add remaining warmed milk to the blender and allow to blend till well mixed. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over low until it reaches 160 degrees. Stir in vanilla extract. Cover and Refrigerate for a few hours before serving. Thicker Eggnog Directions: (this is the same as cooked version but with one extra ingredient: guar gum) In medium saucepan, mix milk, maple syrup and nutmeg. Cook over low heat until warm (no not bring to a boil or even a simmer). While you are heating the milk, add egg yolks to blender and blend for 1 minute. Slowly add 1 cup warmed milk to the blender (while it is running). This is to help your eggs not curdle. Add 1/4-1/2 tsp guar gum while blender is running. Slowly add remaining warmed milk to the blender and allow to blend till well mixed. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over low until it reaches 160 degrees. Stir in vanilla extract. Cover and Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Healthy Homemade Eggnog
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 8oz
Amount Per Serving: Fiber: 0g
