Here’s how to make the best thick, smooth, creamy vegan eggnog recipe at home, with absolutely no eggs or dairy required!
Why you’ll love this vegan eggnog recipe
Tastes like the classic. This completely dairy free eggnog is the perfect recipe for Christmas or the holidays. One sip of the sweet and spicy beverage, and you’ll want to drink it all year long.
High protein. Just one large serving provides over 10 grams of protein!
Low calorie. The single serving recipe is under 100 calories. It can also be sugar free, gluten free, nut free, cholesterol free, low fat, low carb, and keto friendly.
No heavy cream. Unlike traditional eggnog, today’s vegan version is made without cream, and even non vegans may appreciate that there are no raw eggs.
Also be sure to try these Vegan Snickerdoodles
What does eggnog taste like?
Many people will tell you that the traditionally smooth holiday spiced drink tastes like creamy custard or melted ice cream (umm, yes please).
Others say it tastes like Christmas in a glass, with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. The typical non vegan version is normally made with milk, sugar, heavy cream, whipped egg whites, and egg yolks.
You can actually buy vegan eggnog at the grocery store these days. Look for brands such as Elmhurt, Califa Farms, Silk, Almond Breeze, or Trader Joe’s.
However, even store bought vegan eggnog brands can be high in calories and sugar, and I often find them to taste a little too sweet. For example, Trader Joe’s almond nog or oatmilk nog are nice treats on occasion, but with 22 grams of sugar in just one cup, they are not exactly healthy.
Enjoy eggnog along with a plate of Vegan Christmas Cookies
Step by step recipe video
Dairy free eggnog ingredients
The recipe calls for nondairy milk, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, sweetener of choice, silken tofu, a pinch of salt, and pure vanilla extract.
Use your favorite vegan milk, such as almond milk, soymilk, or oat milk. Or go with canned coconut milk or nondairy creamer for a super thick, milkshake like taste.
Be sure to buy pure vanilla extract, not imitation vanilla flavoring. And do not forget the pinch of salt, which brings out the sweetness and compliments the spices.
I love pure maple syrup here. Something about the flavor of maple just works so well when paired with holiday spices. Feel free to choose regular sugar, agave, or a sugar free alternative like monk fruit or stevia.
Look for soft tofu in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Mori-Nu also makes a shelf stable silken tofu that works well for this recipe.
Vegan eggnog with no tofu
To whip up a soy free eggnog, simply go with an equal amount (half a cup) of any of the following options instead:
- Vegan vanilla ice cream, Greek nondairy yogurt, or Coconut Ice Cream.
- Raw Thai coconut meat
- Ripe avocado – this option will turn the drink slightly green but it is surprisingly tasty.
- Banana, if you love the idea of banana flavored eggnog
- Baked sweet potato puree (Here’s How To Cook Sweet Potatoes)
- Or you can substitute two thirds cup raw cashews or macadamia nuts (soaked for six to eight hours, then drained and patted dry)
How to make vegan eggnog at home
This healthy eggnog recipe is incredibly easy.
It makes one large serving. To yield a larger amount or serve an entire family or dinner guests, you may double or triple the recipe.
- Start by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or with an immersion blender. I like to use a personal size blender like a Magic Bullet, which allows me to put it in the dishwasher for quick cleanup afterwards.
- Process until thick and smooth. Taste, then add more spices if you wish.
- If you want to spike the homemade eggnog, add a few drops of rum extract or a very small splash of brandy, rum, Cognac, or bourbon.
- Dust with an optional shake of additional ground cinnamon to garnish.
- Drink cold, or heat in the microwave or on the stovetop for a hot beverage.
It’s especially delicious for breakfast with Baked Apple Cider Donuts or Tofu Scramble Recipe.
Vegan Eggnog
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dairy free milk of choice (120g)
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk or additional dairy free milk (120g)
- 1/2 cup silken tofu (100g) (or one of the soy free options listed above)
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (2g)
- 3 – 4 tbsp pure maple syrup or sweetener of choice (60g)
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/16 tsp ground cloves
- optional splash brandy or rum
Instructions
- If using a sweetened milk, you may wish to use less sweetener.
- 1. Add all vegan eggnog ingredients to a blender.
- 2. Blend until thick and smooth.
- 3. Taste, then add more spices and sweetness to taste, if desired.
- 4. Enjoy cold in a glass. Or warm up in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove top until hot.
Notes
Vegan Holiday Recipes
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
or these Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Finally a healthier version of an eggnog. I’ll be making this for the Christmas season. I was tired of making with the usual recipe. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks for the recipe as always! It was nice and creamy though I wanted a little more flavor (since I didn’t have any rum to add). Added a tiny bit of molasses which worked great 🙂
Wow! Yet again, another amazing recipe Katie! Now I can drink eggnog every day from now until New Year’s without feeling guilty about it. Thanks!
I made a few slight changes to the recipe. The end result was delicious! I did not use the full amount of salt or cloves, but I did use the full amount of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. I used unsweetened vanilla cashew milk for my milk of choice and only 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract. I did include the lemon (I used slightly under 1/2 tsp of fresh lemon juice and had no weird lemon taste at all) but did not include any rum. I used 1 and a half packets of Truvia as my only sweetener. I absolutely loved the taste. I think I still prefer Silk Nog, but this is definitely something I would make again. It would be nice if it were a bit thicker. Maybe adding a little extra tofu or using pea milk or full fat coconut milk would give it the texture I prefer. Another faux eggnog recipe I’ve made in the past used a small portion of an instant pudding packet as a thickener, which could also potentially help. Even as it is, though, it is a great holiday (and apparently, 4th of July) drink!
Tried this and my mom and I both liked it (we are huge eggnog fans) but felt that it tasted more like pumpkin spice – still good though! I think that might be because I use Penzey’s spices which have a much stronger flavor, and even though I reduced the amount I used, it was probably still too spicy! Also I didn’t have any rum; will definitely add next time. Or do you think rum extract would work well?
Extract sounds like it would be great as long as you only use a little because it’s strong.
I’m still new enough to veganism to know what real eggnog tastes like. This is a pretty darn good substitute, and I honestly like it even better than the real thing!
This has 30gms of sugar, why is it healthier than trader joe’s who has 16gms?
Hi, the serving size is much bigger so it’s not an even comparison. This one also allows you to use whatever sweetener you wish, meaning it does not need to be 30g (which is for the entire recipe in any case- more than 1 cup). Hope that answers your question.
This tasted like real eggnog 😍
Wow, this recipe is great! I was getting so bummed out during the Christmas season, and smelling my husbands store-bought eggnog. I can’t have it anymore, 2 years ago I was diagnosed with MS and my whole lifestyle changed.
I’ll be checking this website out for more recipes!