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.
Hey Paola! Do you think I could use this as a baked custard base and pour into ramekins and then bake in a water bath?
Did you end up trying Annie? I would probably leave out the almond milk and it might just be custardy enough with just the hwc.
I can’t use nut milk, even coconut. Can I make it just with the heavy whipping cream? I absolutely love eggnog, but after looking at the carton in the store thought I will never be able to have it again.
Yes Kathy! Just sub for water instead of the almond milk (you’d be surprised thats its essentially 99% water)
Made this over the holiday. So easy. Really yummy. A little too sweet for me but that’s an easy fix for next time. I went very slowly and had no issue with curdling. I was sure I was going to (because…..me) so I added egg mixture to cream one at a tablespoon at a time. I also only used a small amount of bourbon and it gave a nice kick. Thank you!
I have made this recipe in the past and it is EXCELLENT! Now just wondering if you think this would be okay on an egg fast (without the alcohol, of course).
Yay!! And tbh I’m not sure what your goals are, but it’s the holidays so please indulge a little 😉
10/10!!! LOVE this recipe. I didn’t have a cinnamon stick so I added 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon. At the end, I added 1.5 tsp of rum extract — DIVINE!!
My husband has diabetes and he is not allowed on any liquor can i skip the rum or bourbon? Is there any othe substitute for this?
Either skip Gina or buy an extract! I’ve never tried an extract here personally, but have used a bourbon one in a pecan pie (and was impressed!). Maybe worth a shot?
Hope this helped xo!
Can I use maple sugar or syrup for the sweetener?
Yes!
How many days in advance would you recommend making this recipe? (the coconut version)
I’d also recommend using the double-boiler method when working with eggs. Just helps prevent curdling the eggs in my opinion.
I would really like to make this. My wife and I both love eggnog, but she is allergic to tree nuts. Is there an alternative to the almond/macadamia milk?
Because of an almond allergy, I have tried unsweetened coconut milk (the refrigerated variety) with great success in other recipes, not this one yet, but based on previous good results, I think it would work well. The other substitute I’ve had success with is oat milk.
Watch out as coconut in my experience can make the whole thing more prone to curdling… water really is a better sub as almond milk is effectively well, water (you’re getting most of the oomph here from the hwc!)
First time, I ruined it. I let it get to boil. It curdled. I wasn’t going to give up on this recipe because it has great ratings. I made it again. . This time I made sure I removed from heat at 160 deg. I added the vanilla as instructed and 1/2 dark run and 1/2 bourbon. I let it sit in refrig overnight . It’s amazing! Only change I made was I originally used 1c of erythritol , decided to add an extra 2 tbsp slowly towards end because I wanted it a little sweeter. I whisked quickly and had no issues. Thank you for sharing this recipe
Absolutely delish keto treat for the holidays! I added a pinch of salt at the end when I added the flavor. I think this enhanced the flavors a bit. YUM!
*flavor, I meant vanilla 🙂
Great tip Darcy!! I’m so glad you enjoyed 🙂
I made this successfully last night! I’m thinking about a couple of tweaks and wanted your opinion – what will happen if I substitute the heavy cream for half and half? Also I used Allulose (1/4 cup for a half batch.) Next time I would like to try a 50-50 mix of the Allulose with date syrup. I know this will raise the sugar content but date syrup is a low glycemic sweetener and I think the deep brown color will enrich the color of my nog. The batch I made last night (Allulose only) did not have a yellow-ish color – it was more of a cream color. I guess that was due to the color of the eggs. I did use organic free range eggs.
Yes you can for sure do half and half! Did you find that the eggnog ended up too thick? This has happened to me a couple times and I just dilute it a bit.
As regards to the color, that actually comes from the yolks themselves (and I think you’ll find that a lot of the commercial varieties add artificial colorings to get that deep yellow…!). Tbh I haven’t experimented with date syrup, but I have a feeling it will make it more brown than yellow?
I have been trying eggnog recipes fit a couple of years with no success. This worked perfectly and tasted great. I will be making another batch tomorrow. Simple and delicious. Thank you!
Ahhh music to my ears Laurie! Thanks so much for reporting back 🙂
Maybe it’s just me, All your videos lately only play for around 20 sec, then skip to the next one. I use iPad, but this doesn’t happen with any other videos I watch. Do you post to YouTube?
It seems to be an issue depending on your browser (I’m so sorry, we’re working to fix it!). Are you able to see the brand new video story above the recipe card?
Here’s a link to it just in case!
https://www.gnom-gnom.com/web-stories/keto-eggnog/
Yes, this one is works
Please tell me where you got those amazing cocktail glasses.
They’re Pottery Barn (but I got them four years ago… wow time flies!)
I want to make this for the holidays but Several of my friends are in recovery. Can I use rum emulsion or extract?
Great idea Barb! You know, I’ve never tried rum extract (this is what I’ve seen used as a replacement), so I can’t give you exact measurement. Otherwise if you want to skip the extract, using vanilla bean would be lovely too! xo!
Okay a little help 😂. I’ve made this twice now and it is totally delicious. But, it curdles after I’ve poured the tempered mixture back into the pot and cooked it for the 8 to 10 minutes. I tempered it beautifully and it was smooth until then. What am I doing wrong?
Oh no! Can you give me a little more info? What ingredients are you using?
Could your heat be too high? Custards curdle when you overcook them (either temp or too long).
Have you tried blending it together? It won’t get as thick, but I saved a batch that way and used it as coffee creamer 😉
I only like southern comfort vanilla spice egg nogg, would there be extra cinnamon or vanilla extract that I should use? I don’t like traditional egg nogg.
Mine did the same, but I wasn’t watching closely enough. I think I had it too hot. … I will still find a way to use it. My other mistake, I put too much other spices because I thought it would be good. Should have followed the recipe more closely. But it’s still rich and yummy.
Yes! It’s really important to ensure to reheat over low heat, and as soon as it begins to simmer (checking temperature is even better!), remove from heat and sieve.
If you blend it it’ll be a bit less thick, but honestly people will be hard pressed to notice unless it seriously curdled.
(And yes on the spices, less is more here as you really want the taste of the egg custard to shine through… and nutmeg is super pungent!)
This is fantastic. I added a bit of sugar free Irish cream syrup from Torani, and to me it tasted like store bought eggnog!
I’ve just made my second batch of this. Perfection. Thank you.
🙂
Made a small batch to test. Well, that’s all gone and now making a double batch. Fantastic eggnog! Really easy to prepare as well. Best eggnog I have ever made!
I’m curious if there is a crystallizing effect with the eggnog from the Erythritol. I’ve had problems using granular monk fruit-Erythritol blends with crystallization when it cools down. I have Powdered swerve too but haven’t used it ask much as the monk fruit.
You know, good question Rozina. Like you said, erythritol has a tendency to crystallize in unwanted scenarios (but I think I would have heard repeatedly from you guys already over the years). Still, I recommend allulose more than anything nowadays xo!
Creamy + delish! So glad I found this recipe!❤🎄
Can I use egg whites and cut back on the number of yokes? I am watching fat and cholesterol…..
OMG, I made this. Super easy to make. I made half the recipe bc I thought I might not like it. NOWAY!!! I love this!!! It is better than store bought eggnog. I used Crown Royal instead of a regular bourbon. It was super easy to make but I did use an electric mixer.
I going to make a batch to take to Christmas Dinner at my daughter’s house!!!!
Tastes delicious! I made the coconut milk version with ground cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, macadamia milk, and 3/4 cup allulose. I followed the directions exactly and tempered the milk mixture into the egg mixture extremely slowly using a container with a spout and with the electric mixer running the whole time. It got extremely frothy, but otherwise looked fine – no scrambling of eggs. However, when I reheated the whole thing in the pot over medium-low, stirring the whole time and never allowing it to simmer, it never got thick enough to coat a spoon, even after 15 minutes. I took it off the heat anyway, and the texture looked kinda grainy. What went wrong? It tastes great, but I’m not sure how to fix it for next time. I’ll try the heavy cream version, and see if that comes out better. Either way, I’m not that disturbed by the texture, but would still like to get it right.
Kathy I’m sorry I’m getting to your comment a year later… it definitely sounds like it curled in the end (like I said, the coconut version can be more finicky). I hope the hwc turned out to be a success!
When mine curdled I added it to pumpkin puree to make a Keto pumpkin porridge … FYI worked out
Easily the most creative solution I’ve read, good one Ellen 🤌🏼
Can stevia be used as the sweetener?
Not really Nicci, you need the sugar alcohols (or allulose) to get the texture right. xo!