Luscious and incredibly delicious, expect this homemade paleo and keto eggnog to vary little (if at all!) from the traditional holiday classic!
Homemade Paleo & Keto Eggnog
Ultra Luscious!
To kick off the holiday cheer I’ve got one of my favorites: a ridiculously creamy and velvety sugar-free keto eggnog.
If you’re anything like me, its taste will be enough to swoon you back to Christmas past. And definitely not in an Ebenezer Scrooge sort of way!
Fact is, this custard-based drink is thought to be around since the late 1600s (!!). And whether you enjoy it warm or chilled, spiked or virgin, creamy or frothy, this keto recipe will cover all your bases.
Oh, and just 2g net carbs peeps! (I still can’t believe this lol!).
The Sweetener
You’ve got plenty of options for this sugar free eggnog. You can use allulose (my favorite because no aftertaste and zero GI, just be sure to add 30% more as it’s less sweet!), erythritol (the one with the least cooling aftertaste imo is Lakanto) and xylitol (non-corn though to avoid tummy troubles!).
*Because allulose is 70% as sweet as sugar, you need to add 30% more (simply multiply the amount of sweetener in recipes by 1.3!).
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 🐕
The ‘Milk’
You’ve got a couple options here. Arguably the best (i.e. the traditional version) is the heavy whipping cream version (HWC). But the coconut milk one is killer too, you just need to take care of a few details.
For the HWC version you can do a 1:1 ratio of cream to nut-based milk (macadamia and almond work great!), adjusting with a little more milk after chilling until desired consistency is reached.
Meanwhile, for the coconut version use 1 1/3 cup of full-fat coconut milk. With roughly an even ratio of the solids and liquids from the can. Just keep in mind that this version is slightly more prone to scrambling, so you’ll want to add in the warm coconut milk veeeery slowly as to not scramble the eggs! And (very important!), but sure to remove it from heat before it begins to simmer.
The Spices
Freshly grated nutmeg is truly ideal here. You may have noticed this, but nutmeg looses its kick very fast. So the pre-ground version will never compare.
And also ideal are cinnamon sticks. But you can get away with subbing here for 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
The Booze
Totally optional… but then again, highly suggested! I recommend you either go for a dark rum or a bourbon. Both nil carbs and great pairings.
Fun fact: when eggnog made it’s travel across the Atlantic to the colonies, rum was a cost-effective substitute to the other heavily-taxed liquors. But during the American Revolutionary War, the supply of rum dried out, and bourbon began to be used as a substitute. So both rum and bourbon are the traditional alcohols of choice.
Though if keto, know your limits as booze can hit you way harder. I use 2/3 cup here, but anywhere from half to one cup will work great. Or just pour to taste.
The Method
There are many (many!) ways to make eggnog. With the traditional being raw and cured…! But given that that takes roughly two weeks, I decided to go for the cooked route.
Fact is you’re essentially making a custard, with the yolks acting as the thickeners. So you’ll be whisking the egg yolks with the sweetener until light and fluffy. Followed by tempering in the ‘milks’, i.e. adding them veeeery slowly as to not scramble the eggs! And then cooking the mixture for roughly 10 minutes until it just begins to simmer. Very simple, yet awesome results.
And in terms of the eggs, if you’re ever to splurge on free-range or organic eggs this is it. At least in my opinion, you really can taste the difference here. Unsurprisingly perhaps, as the yolks take center stage.
Oh, and I opted out of the folded egg whites at the end. Even though it’s the traditional way, I’m just not that fond of the added frothiness. I simply like my eggnog thick and creamy, like most commercial varieties out there. But if that’s your thing, go for it: right before serving, beat your egg whites until soft peaks form and fold them into the eggnog. Just note that if you have leftovers, the egg whites will separate.
And… the video story!
Homemade Paleo & Keto Eggnog
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened nut milk macadamia or almond
- 2 cups heavy cream or coconut milk*
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated, plus more for garnish
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2-3/4 cup xylitol allulose or erythritol (I use 1/2 cup)*
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2-1 cup dark rum or bourbon to taste
Instructions
- Please see recipe video for deets and tricks!
- Add nut milk, heavy cream, cinnamon and nutmeg to a medium saucepan and simmer for about 8-10 to infuse. Remove from heat and set aside while you prepare the yolks.
- Add egg yolks and sweetener to a large bowl and, using a whisk or an electric mixer (easier), beat them until light, fluffy, and most of the sweetener has dissolved (if using erythritol, some granules will remain).
- Gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Tempering means adding the hot milks (very!) little by little to your egg mixture while whisking constantly, so your eggs don't curdle.
- Return everything to the saucepan, and cook over medium/low heat for roughly 8-10 minutes, or until your mixture reaches 160°F/70°C and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and sieve onto a medium mixing bowl. Stir in vanilla and liquor of choice, to taste. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
- Your eggnog will continue to thicken while chilling. So give it a good stir right before serving, and feel free to thin it out with a little nut milk until desired consistency is reached.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Got some leftover eggnog? Why not whip up our bulletproof eggnog latte. And if you’re a cheesecake fan, our no-bake keto eggnog cheesecake-for-1 comes highly recommended.
Oh my gosh, this is fantastic!! If you put a blind fold on me I couldn’t tell the difference from the store bought and this recipe. Instead of rum, I added 4 teaspoons of rum extract – delicious!!! You have the best recipe that really take good.
Judy how wonderful to hear!! Thank you for wearing re-the rum extract!
I made this in my vitamix rather than fussing with the yolks and it seems to have worked pretty well. Liked it without the rum….i only had a cap full so i added it to my glass…. … while it was still warm 😉 amazing with the rum. We will see if it thickens when it cools
I’m still advising against blender eggnog… I’ve never been able to get the proper consistency with this method (you destroy the fluffiness of the yolks with the ‘sugar’ = not a proper custard). Maybe some peeps luck out. xo
You are a true magic maker!!!! I made this eggnog last night and it looked so good…but little did I know that my morning coffee would be a magical experience!!! The eggnog is luscious and creamy, with just the right amount of sweet. Other than using unsweetened cashew milk, I did not deviate from the recipe. And while it thickened much more than would be drinkable, it’s perfect as coffee creamer. Thank you again and again for such great recipes and your sweet disposition!!!
Awww 😂!! Its awesome as coffee creamer right (pssst the coffee creamer recipe on the site is essentially eggnog 😜!). You can always thin it out with some more cashew milk to get it to eggnog consistency! xo!
I am so excited to try this recipe! I attempted a traditional eggnog and substituted the sugar for stevia and the consistency was way too thin and the whipped egg whites kept floating to the top so I’m hoping to have better luck with this recipe!
Quick question: I tolerate dairy quite well so I was wondering if whole milk could be used instead of almond milk? Thanks!!
Yeah definitely Jamie! Just keep in mind the carb count in milk 😉 xo~
Extremely excited to use your recipe to make Eggnog Cheesecake!! Thank you for this deliciousness
oooooh my pleasure Danica!
Hi!
Great simple recipe but my mixture completely curdled in the final step and gave me scrambled eggs! Any advice?
Thanks so much and looking forward to trying again!
Hi Leah! If your eggnog curdled in the final stage of cooking its because it was overcooked (so lower the heat and cook slightly less! a thermometer is helpful to make sure you remove it right before it starts to simmer). Hope this helps!
My first two batches curdled too. Third time I only used HWC and I cooked it using a double boiler method. I kept stirring and I was so surprised to see thickened delicious egg nog. Another advice I found was to take it off the burner as soon as it curdles and to add a tablespoon of HWC slowly in and slowly stir it in.
This eggnog is amazing! Very easy to make. I used coconut milk and heavy cream. My son has but allergies. It is delicious! So silky smooth. I made the first batch and tasted it warm and I fell in love! I immediately made a second batch because I knew everyone was going to love it and drink it on me! Thank you for saving my Christmas 🤗🌲
First time making any type of eggnog…and it came out perfect! Very similar to what you would buy in the stores! I used 1/2 cup Golden Lakanto and it was plenty sweet…hardly any aftertaste. Used Silk Unsweetened Almond milk and you would never know you used anything other than regular dairy. Did 1/4 cup rum and I thought it was plenty but that’s obviously subjective. I was paranoid about curdling the eggs so I stuck a thermometer and monitored the whole cooking process. In the first stage I warmed only up to about 204 F…just as it was starting to bubble but not boiling. I then turned the heat off and let the temp go down to between 160-170 F before I tempered the eggs and added it to the rest of the milk. Then I heated slowly, and kept stirring and went up to 180F and it thickened. Turned out perfectly smooth! So awesome Paola! Best Pre-Christmas gift! Thx 😘
Tamara how awesome to hear you nailed it on the first try!! Thank you as well for being so precise with how it worked for you, it’s immensely useful to me (and other readers!). XO and happy holidays!
I used cashew milk instead of almond, and powdered Swerve as the sweetener. It came out with good flavor, and I do believe I tempered the eggs correctly, but the finished product is a bit too thick. I may have had the heat a bit too high during the final step because I did see some of the egg nog stuck around the inside bottom of the saucepan. I’m going to try another batch soon and be more careful during the final step. I really want to replace my usual Egg Nog Latte with a low carb version!
You can always thin it out a bit (it’s explained in the recipe). Too thick can be fixed 😉
Thanks, Paolo! I did thin it with more cashew milk after it chilled. I think I may have overcooked it, though, since the mouthfeel of the thickness just doesn’t seem right. I’m going to try it in my morning coffee to see how it is as a creamer!
gotcha!
I’ve also noticed that how thick also varies with different HWCs
That’s interesting! I used Horizon Organic that we buy at Costco. It is very thick!
Right?! I’ve made it with different ones from both Mexico and the US and I swear I get a different Thickness each time… so I just thin it out a bit to taste (this is a good thing because you end up with even less carbs/serving 😜)
Wonderful so delicious and I used Brady extract because it’s what I had.
Really good
I made yo coconut version of this tonight. Second simmer I took it off the burner at 170 degrees. It’s been in the refrigerator and it’s not thickening at all. It’s very watery. Thoughts on how to thicken? Should I try a third heating and try to get it to 180 degrees? It tastes good!
Paola, You are my absolute favorite ! Your in depth explanations of your delicious recipes educate me not only on the ingredients but the method of preparing as well…and i just love that! The gorgeous photos of the food reel me in like a hooked trout on a fishing line. I spend endless nights reviewing and writing out the recipes i want to try. The excitement i felt when I realized I don’t have to suffer while on my Keto Journey… was that of a child’s first visit in a candy store. I just want to say…thank you for your work and dedication to those of us out here who desperately need what you deliver!!! Your at the top of your profession! Sincerely Leigh Carroll Portsmouth, Virginia
Hi, you say not to simmer this if you are using coconut milk. I’m using coconut mild. Do you mean don’t simmer on first AND second heating, or just second heating? You simmer the milk/cream twice in this recipe.
The second simmer
Hi Paola,
I’m allergic to egg yolk and wonder if you by any chance know of any substitute for “egg nog” with no egg yolk?
Love your recipes. Absolute lifesaver
Oh man I don’t think I can help you there (I would look into some of the big vegan sites such as Minimalist Baker, I bet they have some eggless hacks!)
Hi Paola! So excited to see this recipe!
Question though…my mixture scrambled at the bottom when it went back into the pot. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out why and I’ve come to two conclusions…the pot might be too hot when I pour the mixture back in to heat a second time OR I’m supposed to keep stirring as I wait for it to heat up again.
Do either of these sound plausible? Otherwise I followed the recipe to a T. Still tastes good after being overnight in the fridge but I end up dumping a lot of egg out.
Hi, can I use half & half?
I’m not seeing a video anywhere. Did it get deleted?
Hi David! sometimes the video player doesn’t pop up if peeps are running adblockers xo!
I cook just about every recipe you post, but my goodness, this eggnog recipe and the pumpkin pie recipe knocked both me and my family’s socks off! Amazing. I’m cooking a “gnom-gnom” Thanksgiving and I don’t think any of my non-keto friends will be the wiser!
I do have one question on the eggnog: How many ounces is it per serving? I like to measure my intake (bc it’s very easy to overdo anything this delicious!).
Fantastic!!!! My keto eggnog living husband raved about it!!!
Yay!!!
Hi-I love egg nog but I have nut allergies. Do you think coconut milk (from the dairy section) not canned would work with the heavy cream?
I don’t see why not Joanne! Alternatively, I even whipped it up once with water as I ran out of a nut milk (worked the charm too!) 😉
I e made this and I don’t know if it’s “scrambled” but when said and done it is not smooth. Chunky eggnog doesn’t work.lol. If I cook it after a bout 4 min it starts to do this? I am using low heat. Any suggestions I want some egg nog sooo bad but not chunky!
Oh no! Dee when did it looked scrambled to you? It generally happens either if you add the hot ‘milk’ too quickly or if you cook it long enough. Sometimes you can salvage it somewhat with an immersion blender (it just doesn’t;t thicken up the same)
Exactly what happened to me. It was fine during the tempering part but I think I had the heat on too high. Thanks for mentioning the blend part. It’s perfect!!
Have you doubled or tripled this recipe ? I’m going to need a large batch of this 🙂
I (most definitely!) doubled it last Christmas. It also halves well (not that you need it ;)!) xo!
Is there a dairy free version of this?
Soon! xo
Have you tried erythritol in this? I can’t do xylitol, I know it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t but I don’t want to waste it if you have tried and it didn’t.
Hi De! I’ve made it with Pyure before (erythritol and stevia) and it did work fine. I haven’t tried with Swerve though xo!
How are you getting 2 carbs, a tablespoon of heavycream is 1 carb
Hi Melissa! It actually has 0.4g net carbs on average per tbsp FYI. So if you do the math properly with the other ingredients it works out. Xo
It also depends on heavy cream. Some has higher carbs because they add diglycerides. That increases your carb count
Do you think it makes any difference if I use powered Swerve instead of the granulated? It seems to be the only kind available in our local stores.
No it wouldn’t be a problem here at all (just be careful when adding it as 1tbs of powdered is more than 1tbsp of regular) xo
What can I sub for the heavy cream? I can’t do milk products (which makes Keto a little harder, lol)
Hi Linda! I actually don’t do too much dairy either (aside from grass fed butter). You can definitely change the HWC for full-fat coconut milk, you just need to be extra careful when adding in the hot milk (do it spoonful by spoonful!). And also make sure you remove it from the heat before it starts to boil! The version is a bit more prone to scrambling, but still delicious. Check out the post on on the coffee creamer as it’s based on the eggnog and has more details 😉 xo!
The “g” in gnom stands for genius! I’ve never been disappointed in any of your recipes (and I’ve tried several). Thank you for sharing!
Lol totally blushing! So happy you’re enjoying the recipes Shayna! 😉 xo!
Hello,
My husband LOVES eggnog, and hates that it is gone off the shelves by the end of January. I want to try to make this for him (he can eat whatever he wants and stays nice and slim, but I want to help him eat more healthy overall). Regarding the cinnamon stick, can I just use powdered cinnamon, and if so, how much?
Thank you for this amazing and ultra-helpful site!
Hi Christine! Yes you can sub for 1/2 teaspoon (it’s in the section on spices) xo and hope you enjoy!
Came out really awesome!
NICE! Glad you loved it and thanks for reporting back on the temperature adjustment that worked for you! xo!