Keto Eggnog
Keto Eggnog is a rich and creamy low carb version of a classic holiday cocktail (with alcohol or non-alcoholic) that is what Christmas dreams are made of.
This classic holiday drink is one of my favorite things to sip on during the season. It’s a rich and creamy classic Christmas drink that is perfect for parties or just drinking with a few low carb cookies.
The holidays can be a major bummer for those of us who love all of the sweet treats and warm and cozy comfort food but you don’t have to miss out on all of your favorites. With a few smart substitutions and modifications, you can enjoy treats that fit your lifestyle and taste just like the original version.
Most holiday cocktail recipes are loaded with sugar. Sugar means extra carbs that you don’t want or need if you are keeping keto.
Our version of eggnog takes out the sugar and gives you a delicious cocktail you can sip on all season long with some Keto Pistachio and Cranberry Cookies and Keto Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips.
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What is Eggnog?
Eggnog is a classic holiday drink that is served around Christmas and New Years. You typically make it with milk, cream, sugar, and eggs. You then sprinkle the top with cinnamon and/or nutmeg. For the adults, you often add brandy or rum.
For this recipe, we are making a keto version, which means we make some minor substitutions with the milk and sugar. Check below for details.
Ingredients You’ll Need
When you make this keto recipe, you’ll need to have the following on hand.
- Egg yolks – We only use the egg yolks in this recipe. You can save the whites to make fried eggs or just toss them.
- Erythritol – We love using erythritol, but you can use your preferred sugar substitute
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream is keto friendly and delicious. It adds great richness to the eggnog too.
- Almond milk – You can also use coconut milk or an almond coconut blend, but beware the blend will give it a slightly different flavor.
- Spices – You only need a little bit of ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon. The cinnamon is used as a garnish on top.
- Flavoring – For added flavor, you’ll need vanilla extract. If you want the taste of rum without the alcohol, then you can add rum extract. Otherwise, you can skip the rum extract.
- Salt – You will need just a pinch to help the flavors pop.
- Alcohol – Dark Rum or Bourbon are used to make it an adult beverage, but both are optional if you want to make it virgin. Also, feel free to add more or less alcohol based on your tolerance and taste.
We get a lot of our keto holiday inspiration from great cookbooks like the Keto Holiday Recipes Cookbook and Keto Celebrations: Low Carb Dishes for Holidays and Special Occasions
Instructions
Traditionally, eggnog is made with raw eggs which you mix with alcohol. You then let it rest for a while. That can sound scary, but the alcohol is a proven bactericide that will kill any germs in the eggs. You just need enough alcohol and time to kill off the bacteria.
Since we don’t like overly boozy eggnog, and sometimes not boozy at all, we choose to cook our version. We follow a process similar to the way you cook a custard to make homemade ice cream.
Some eggnog recipes also include whipping egg whites until they are light and fluffy. You then fold them into the eggnog. To avoid using raw eggs, we don’t do that in this recipe.
Here’s what you need to do to make keto eggnog.
1. Whisk the egg yolks. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks with sugar substitute until they turn a lighter yellow and are well combined.
2. Heat the cream. Add the heavy cream, almond milk, and nutmeg to a medium saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until it just barely begins to simmer. You should look for one or two bubbles that rise to the surface and pop every few minutes. When it does this, it is ready.
3. Temper the eggs. Remove the milk from the heat. Slowly drizzle the hot milk onto the eggs a tablespoon at a time. Whisk them as you add the milk to avoid scrambling the eggs. Repeat the step until you’ve added 3 to 4 tablespoons.
4. Heat the eggnog. Once the eggs are tempered, slowly pour them into the heated milk while stirring continuously.
Set your burner to medium low heat and place the pot back on the heat.
Stir for 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. If you have an instant read thermometer (which we highly recommend), you can use it to check the temperature. When it reaches 160 degrees F, it is done.
5. Finish and cool the eggnog. Remove the eggnog from the heat and stir in the vanilla and the alcohol, if you are using it. You could also add the rum extract if making this virgin.
Pour the eggnog into a pitcher and cover with plastic wrap. You could also pour it into a sealable container and store in the refrigerator until completely cooled. This will take about 1 to 2 hours.
The eggnog will thicken as it cools. If it is too thick, when you are ready to serve, you can stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. Add additional cream as you need to in 2 to 3 tablespoon amounts until you reach the desired consistency.
If you love warm, cozy drinks give our delicious Cinnamon Coffee a try too!
What to Use in Place of Milk
Eggnog calls for heavy cream or heavy whipping cream and milk. Heavy whipping cream is keto approved and delicious, but we have to replace the milk with a keto alternative. Milk is loaded with sugar and high in carbs.
In this version, we replace the regular milk with almond milk. You can also try replacing it with an almond milk or coconut milk blend, coconut milk, or cashew milk. The coconut milk will add a slightly different flavor but I love it!
Keto-Friendly Sugar Substitutes
Erythritol is our preferred granulated sugar substitute. It is not an exact sugar replacement. It has about 70% of the sweetness as sugar. This means that a 1/2 cup of sugar is equal to 2/3 cup of erythritol.
If you use something other than erythritol, you’ll need to check to see what the ratio of sweetener to sugar. You can use that ratio to add the correct amount. You’ll need to add the equivalent of 1/2 cup of sugar.
Is Dark Rum Keto?
Actually, yes! Dark rum has 0 carbs per serving. You can also use brandy in place of rum if you prefer. Brandy also has 0 carbs.
Alcohol-Free Eggnog Options
If you want to make this eggnog virgin, you definitely can. We use rum extract to give the flavor of rum without the alcohol content.
You could also skip the alcohol flavor completely. It is still delicious, but it will have a slightly different flavor.
Looking for More Easy Cocktails?
- Winter Red Wine Sangria
- Mulled Wine for the Holidays
- Citrus Moscow Mule
- Apple Cider Moscow Mule
- Champagne Moscow Mule
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Martini
- Orange Pomegranate Crush
- More drink recipes…
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Keto Eggnog
Ingredients
- 6 large Egg yolks
- 2/3 cup Erythritol, or preferred sugar substitute
- 1.5 cups Heavy cream
- 1.5 cup Almond milk , can also use coconut milk or an almond coconut blend if you want to give it a slightly different flavor.
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt, just a pinch!
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Dark Rum or Bourbon, optional
- 2-3 teaspoons Rum extract, optional, add a little at a time until you get it to the flavor you like
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar substitute until they turn a lighter yellow and are well combined.
- Add the heavy cream, almond milk, nutmeg, and salt to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring often, until it just barely begins to simmer (one or two bubbles will rise the surface and pop every few minutes).
- Remove the almond milk mixture from the heat and begin to temper your eggs by slowly drizzling hot milk into the eggs 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking them as you do so they don’t scramble. Repeat this until you’ve added 3-4 tablespoons.
- Now that the eggs are tempered slowly pour them into the heated milk, stirring continuously.
- Set the stovetop to medium low and place the pot back on the heat. Stir for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. If you have an instant read thermometer you can use it to check the temperature. When it reaches 160 degrees F it is done.
- Remove the eggnog from the heat and stir in the vanilla, and if you’re using it add the dark rum, bourbon, or rum extract.
- Pour the eggnog into a pitcher and cover with plastic wrap or into a sealable container and store in the refrigerator until completely cooled. Approximately 1-2 hours.
- The eggnog will thicken as it cools. If it is too thick for your taste when you are ready to serve you can stir in 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream or almond milk (or however much it takes to get to the consistency you want).
Notes
Nutrition
