The carton of eggnog in the supermarket cooler is mostly sugar with a holiday sticker on it, and the holidays are exactly when it appears on every table. This sugar-free eggnog is the version worth making: unsweetened vanilla almond milk, three eggs cooked until thick, a little cream and a proper amount of nutmeg, and no rum anywhere in it.
It is also not a raw-egg drink, which is the part that matters when you are pouring it for a table full of people. The eggs are tempered, then cooked to 165ā170Ā°F, so what you end up with is a cooked custard rather than a dressed-up raw egg mixture. Each serving comes in at about 85 calories and 2g net carbs.
Why Youāll Love This Sugar-Free Eggnog
- Non-alcoholic by design. No rum is called for, so this sugar-free eggnog is a drink the whole table can be handed, including the people driving.
- Cooked, not raw. Tempered eggs and a thermometer take it to 165ā170Ā°F, so this is a cooked-egg base in every sense that matters.
- Real spice, not a flavoring. 3/4 tsp of nutmeg and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon are the entire flavor, and they are enough.
- One pot, about 25 minutes of work, then the refrigerator does the rest. Six servings, which is a pitcher for a small holiday gathering.
Ingredient Notes
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk (1,050ml) is the base, and the word unsweetened is the whole recipe. Four and three-eighths cups sounds like a lot of milk, but it cooks down with the eggs into something closer to a cream.
Three large eggs (150g) are what thicken it into a custard. Pure granulated allulose (64g) is the sweetener; allulose is a rare sugar that the FDA allows to be excluded from the total sugars and added sugars declarations on the Nutrition Facts label. If you want to check the per-100g figures behind any of this, USDA FoodData Central has almondmilk, heavy cream and nutmeg.
Three tablespoons of heavy whipping cream (45g) goes in at the very end, off the heat, and that is what turns the custard from thin into the pourable cream you want in sugar-free eggnog. Ground nutmeg (1.5g) and ground cinnamon (0.5g) finish it, stirred in after the heat is off so the spice stays aromatic.
How to Make Sugar-Free Eggnog
Whisk the eggs and the allulose in a mixing bowl until the mixture is smooth and slightly pale. In a separate 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, warm the almond milk over medium-low heat to 140ā150Ā°F (60ā66Ā°C), taking care not to boil it.
Slowly whisk 1 cup (240ml) of the warm almond milk into the eggs, a little at a time, and keep whisking as you go. This gradual tempering is what keeps the eggs from scrambling when they meet the hot milk.
Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and stir it continuously over low heat, scraping the bottom constantly, until it reaches 165ā170Ā°F (74ā77Ā°C). Do not let it boil. Use a kitchen thermometer rather than guessing, since this is the step that makes it a cooked eggnog and not a raw one.
Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the heavy cream, the nutmeg and the cinnamon. Strain the whole thing into a heatproof pitcher through a fine-mesh strainer, which catches any small cooked egg particles and leaves the texture genuinely smooth. That strain is the difference between sugar-free eggnog that feels like a drink and one that feels like a dessert.
Cool the pitcher promptly in an ice bath, then cover it and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours. Stir gently to redistribute the spices that settled, and the sugar-free eggnog is ready to pour. Divide it among six 8-fl-oz glasses, and finish with a dusting of nutmeg.
Success Tips
- Use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, not sweetened. This is the single thing that turns a good recipe into a sweet one, in the wrong direction.
- Temper the eggs gradually and stir constantly. Add the warm milk a little at a time into the eggs, and scrape the bottom of the pan the whole time you cook. Scrambling is a stirring problem before it is a temperature problem.
- Heat the egg mixture to at least 160Ā°F. The recipe goes to 165ā170Ā°F, which is what makes this a cooked eggnog. Do not boil, because that is where you get curdled egg instead of cream.
- Strain it. Even a well-tempered custard can leave a few small particles behind, and one pass through a fine-mesh strainer is the difference between silky sugar-free eggnog and slightly grainy eggnog.
Storage
Refrigerate the sugar-free eggnog covered for up to 2 days, and serve it chilled. Give it a gentle stir before pouring, because the spices settle while it is cold.
FAQ
Is this eggnog safe to serve, given the eggs?
Yes, and that is the reason for the thermometer. The eggs are tempered and then cooked to 165ā170Ā°F, which is well past the 160Ā°F minimum, so this is not raw-egg eggnog. It is safe to serve to pregnant guests, children and anyone else who avoids raw eggs, because this sugar-free eggnog is fully cooked.
Is there alcohol in it?
None. The rum is simply not in the recipe, and nothing in the ingredient list replaces it with another spirit. The flavor comes from nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla almond milk instead, which is also the approach taken in the sugar-free eggnog cheesecake.
How long does it take from start to serving?
About 10 minutes of prep and 12 to 18 minutes on the stove, then 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator to chill. Most of that is waiting, so you can start the sugar-free eggnog well before you plan to pour it.
How many net carbs are in a serving?
About 2g net carbs, from 2g total carbohydrates and 0g fiber, with 4g protein, 6g fat and about 85 calories. The recipe makes 6 servings.
Can I make it thicker?
The target is already a lightly thickened, pourable cream, which is what the straining and chilling are for. Push it much past that and you lose the drinkable texture that makes it eggnog rather than a pudding.
If you are putting together a holiday table, these usually get picked at before anything else. The sugar-free peppermint bark breaks into 12 pieces from one 8-inch pan, the sugar-free chocolate peanut butter fudge needs no cooking at all and cuts into 12 squares, and the sugar-free chocolate peanut butter balls are 12 no-bake cocoa-dusted balls.
Sugar-Free Eggnog (Homemade, Non-Alcoholic)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Whisk eggs and allulose in a mixing bowl until smooth and slightly pale.
- Warm almond milk in the saucepan over medium-low heat to 140-150F (60-66C). Do not boil.
- Slowly whisk 1 cup (240ml) warm almond milk into eggs, a little at a time.
- Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan, stirring continuously.
- Cook over low heat, scraping the bottom constantly, until 165-170F (74-77C). Do not boil.
- Remove from heat. Whisk in heavy cream, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
- Strain into a heatproof pitcher to remove any cooked egg particles.
- Cool promptly in an ice bath, then cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- Stir gently to redistribute spices. Divide evenly among six glasses and serve chilled.
Notes
- Use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, not sweetened.
- Temper eggs gradually and stir constantly to prevent scrambling.
- The finished eggnog should be smooth, creamy, lightly thickened, and pourable.
- Heat the egg mixture to at least 160F (71C).
- Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days.