Dreaming of eggnog this holiday season? Try this easy, healthier homemade eggnog ice cream with no refined sugar. You don't need an ice cream maker!
Eggnog floods our home during the holidays.
As soon as you can purchase it at the stores (usually the day after Halloween, in case you’re curious), Dustin and the kids basically become zombies for it.
They want it with breakfast, snacks, dinner, and as a dessert.
To be honest, it’s a little insane.
So, after I saw all the ingredients on the back of a store-bought eggnog carton a few years back, I decided I would make it from scratch so we could control what we were consuming.
Turns out: Homemade eggnog is AMAZING. It’s delicious, thick, creamy, and even better than store-bought if you can believe it.
With your own homemade eggnog recipe in hand, you can make anything from eggnog lattes to eggnog ice cream. The creamy holiday cheer is endless!
Better yet: It just requires 6 simple ingredients that you probably already have!
What Is Eggnog
If you’ve never tried - or never heard - of eggnog before, you might wonder what exactly it is. And why do we love it so much? So let's discuss. Eggnog is a drink often enjoyed during the holidays, especially Christmas, in Canada and the United States.
It’s very thick, sweet, and dense, and has spices from cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sounds amazing, right?
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE EGGNOG ICE CREAM
Instead of the tedious task of tempering the egg yolks that is often required to make eggnog, I’ve realized there’s a MUCH EASIER way for how to make eggnog from scratch ---> cook the eggs to be safe to consume by just blending it all together and heat through!
As for the eggnog ice cream recipe, turning eggnog into ice cream seriously couldn’t be any easier. There are a few ways you can do this, which I’ve listed below:
- pouring the chilled eggnog directly into a 9×5 loaf pan and freezing (this is how this recipe is made);
- using an ice cream maker to churn the eggnog into ice cream;
- using a popsicle mold to make eggnog ice cream popsicles.
Each way of turning eggnog into ice cream makes for a slightly different texture. All delicious.
I like to use whole milk for the eggnog because it makes it deliciously creamy and rich, plus you get all the benefits of using whole milk (but you can use whichever milk you prefer).
IS EGGNOG GOOD FOR YOU?
No Winter holidays without eggnog. That seems to be the rule in my house and I think some of you can relate. But… is eggnog good for you?
Typically, eggnog is made with...
- whole milk
- sugar
- heavy cream
- eggs
- and some type of liquor – usually brandy, rum or bourbon.
Because it’s made with milk, eggnog is rich in calcium and other minerals including magnesium and phosphorus but also vitamin D and vitamin A. Still, eggnog is not that good for you.
The silver lining is – you can make healthy eggnog if you want.
How to make eggnog healthy:
- replace full-fat milk with skimmed milk or try my dairy-free eggnog recipe;
- add more milk and skip the heavy cream or condensed milk;
- substitute maple syrup or raw honey for sugar.
MAKING NON-ALCOHOLIC EGGNOG
Typically, eggnog is made by combining egg, milk, sugar, and spices, heating it together, and then chilling it. Oftentimes, rum, bourbon, or brandy are added to eggnog to make it an alcoholic beverage, though this recipe is non-alcoholic.
While many people like to add alcohol to their eggnog, that’s not a big favorite in our house, since Dustin doesn’t drink alcohol and we often share it with the kiddos.
If you’re wanting to keep the liquor out and make non-alcoholic eggnog, the good news is you don’t have to do a thing different with this recipe. You can just make this recipe as written and it will be non-alcoholic eggnog ice cream.
If you’re wanting to add in some alcohol, wait until it’s fully chilled to add it in.
HOW TO MAKE ICE CREAM WITHOUT AN ICE CREAM MAKER
You don’t need an ice cream maker to make eggnog ice cream. In fact, you can make any type of homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker if you want.
Here’s how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker:
- you can use a loaf pan or an airtight container to freeze the eggnog ice cream until it’s creamy and thick like I did for this homemade eggnog ice cream;
- you can freeze the ice cream in a popsicle mold to make eggnog popsicles.
Simple, easy, no stress, and delicious results.
However, if you want your homemade ice cream to have the same smooth texture as an ice cream made with an ice cream maker, you can use the freeze & stir method:
- freeze the homemade ice cream for 45 minutes in an airtight container or a freezer-safe container covered with plastic wrap;
- remove from the freezer and stir with a spatula;
- return to the freezer for another 30 minutes;
- repeat the process of stirring and freezing for approximately 3 hours or until the homemade ice cream is completely frozen.
WHAT TO REPLACE SUGAR WITH IN ICE CREAM
To make delicious but healthy eggnog, you have to find a sugar substitute that works well in eggnog and eggnog ice cream. You can replace sugar with:
- pure maple syrup, like I did in this eggnog ice cream;
- if you’re not a big fan of maple syrup or you don’t like the taste, you can use raw honey to replace sugar.
HOW LONG DOES HOMEMADE ICE CREAM LAST?
When it comes to ice cream, I’d say the fresher it is, the better it tastes. But you can definitely store ice cream in the freezer if you want. I mean...it IS frozen, after all.
How long does homemade ice cream last for in the freezer? For approximately 2 weeks. If and only if you can make it last that long without eating it, of course. While it won't spoil after that point, it will start to harden and lose its flavor.
3 MORE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM RECIPES
You learned how to make eggnog ice cream and I think it’s only fair if I show you how to make ice cream from scratch with other flavors. Are you on board? I have 3 ice cream recipes that cannot wait to be in your freezer. All of these ice cream recipes are rich and creamy, and quick and easy to make. And totally delicious, of course!
Enjoy a dish tonight!
Eggnog Ice Cream
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk (or milk of choice)
- 6 egg yolks
- ⅔ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- In a blender, add milk, egg yolks, pure maple syrup, ground nutmeg, and ground cinnamon, and then blend together for a minute until smooth.
- Cook the eggnog for about 8-10 minutes until it starts to thicken and slowly cook the eggs. It will be frothy at first. (We want the mixture to get hot, but not to simmer or boil. If it gets close to boiling, you can temporarily remove from the heat.)
- Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer to remove the cloves and any other bits. You can stir in the optional vanilla extract at this time.
- Pour the strained mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan, and freeze until thick and creamy, like soft-serve ice cream, about 6-8 hours.
- When ready to serve, remove from freezer and let soften for about 10 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.
Griff Neilson
Been making this for the holidays for my kids (and myself) and this is amazing! Thank you for this little treat that takes me back to my childhood!
Jen Moderator
Wonderful - So glad you and your family are enjoying this recipe!
Laurie
Can you make this with non dairy milk?
Lacey Baier
Yes, ma'am! It works with whatever milk you prefer.
Jaelle
Can you make this ahead and freeze it?
Lacey Baier
Yep! It stores great in the freezer, then I just remove it for about 10 minutes to thaw before servings and mix it all together as it thaws to get more of a creamy texture.