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Think your dairy-free holiday drink can’t be creamy, rich, and packed to the gills with festive flavor, without being cloyingly sweet? This vegan eggnog recipe runs through lactose-intolerant Santa Claus’s veins, doesn’t come in non-biodegradable packaging, takes about as much effort as making a smoothie, and is downright great for you too!
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While I don’t drink alcohol, there’s been more than one year when my wife and older daughter slipped a bit of rum into the eggnog during Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner prep. And while she was prepping candied yams, cranberry relish, and our vegan green bean casserole, she was slowly sipping and getting weirder and more giggly. But since I never ever drink booze, I can tell you that this recipe slaps extra hard, without rum too!
Just blend, chill, and pour. Keep it kid-friendly, or take it to Old Man Winter's Yuletide Kegger (I'm guessing that's a thing) with a generous splash of whiskey or rum. Either way, this is going to be your go-to ring-ding-ding-a-ling yuletide banger! Grab your blender, m’deary, because your cozy cup of eggnog awaits!
Jump to:
🥰 Why you’ll adore this dairy-free eggnog recipe
🌰 Cashews = Creamy Soy-Free Heaven: Holiday food can make you feel a little bloated, but this recipe is all about rocking the creamiest, richest beverage without more and more soy going into your poor, tortured, caroling body.
⏱ Quick and Easy: With less than five minutes of actual prep time, you’ll have this eggnog ready to serve in under thirty minutes, with no overnight soaking required.
🛒 Simple Ingredients: Every ingredient in this recipe is super easy to find at your local grocery store, and you probably already have most of them in your pantry. If you are an elf who lives in a faraway Arctic tundra, you will be psyched that there’s no weird special-order crap needed.
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all of my vegan Christmas recipes, this nog is 100% made from plants. No raw eggs, no heavy cream, no cholesterol, or avoidable suffering for animals. Looking for gluten-free vegan recipes that no one’s gonna complain about? Fill yourself up a water-resistant stocking of this stuff, mommy, because this holiday season, you are gonna be col-guzzlin’ by the wood stove with great glee in your weird sock-drinking heart.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, this one’s been tried, tested, and loved by a massive team of over 400 recipe testers from all around the globe!
🥃 Vegan eggnog ingredients and substitutions
Cashews
My popular vegan nacho cheese recipe is evidence of how cashews are the greatest gift to humankind that Santa ever slid down the chimney with a sack full of. For this recipe, I recommend using raw cashew pieces because they will soak and hydrate more quickly than whole cashews. Whole ones can still be used, but make sure you let them soak for the full amount of time, and use a high-speed blender to make sure they become totally smooth.
Don’t use roasted or salted cashews for this nog, as they will be weird and you will make old Saint Nick collapse in despair, sobbing into the loving, comforting arms of Old Man Winter. That’s a real problem.
On the other hand, if you have pine nuts left over from making my blue corn pancakes, they are absolutely delicious in eggnog, and blend up smoothly, without needing straining too!
Optional Vegan Milk
You know what can make this even richer? Swapping the plain ol’ water in this recipe out with full-fat coconut milk, that’s what. It’s a great source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which can boost energy for long days of cooking and hosting.
What’s that? You hate coconut with all of your heart? Don’t fret. Unsweetened almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk work well in this recipe too, if you want something creamier than water.
Maple Syrup
I really love the caramel-like flavor that using maple syrup as the sweetener gives this vegan eggnog recipe. But coconut sugar, or palm sugar (which you can use in making Malaysian klepon, and Filipino tupig) both make fantastic alternatives.
Agave nectar can also work as a substitute, but it’s a bit sweeter, and not really so flavorful. I’d suggest cutting back slightly in the amount you use if you mess with agave for this. You can always stir in a little extra if it’s not sweet enough for you.
The Spices
Nutmeg is pretty darn crucial for eggnog. It’s not like the tiny, hardly-noticeable amount used in my vegan apple fritters either. Here, the stuff is one of the primary flavors. So either use a very fresh bottle of ground nutmeg, or get a fresh whole nutmeg and grate it using a microplane for the best flavor. In a pinch, allspice can achieve a similar, comforting spice vibe.
There’s a tiny optional pinch of turmeric in this recipe. If you have the fresh stuff on hand because you just made my nasi kunyit, or bumbu Bali, just use a paper-thin slice in this recipe. You want it to be nicely off-white and slightly eggy looking, not like the liquid lovechild of Bart Simpson and Big Bird.
The recipe also uses cinnamon. And while just about any cinnamon works, I particularly love the Vietnamese cinnamon that I always keep on hand to make everything from vegan apple muffins to festive vegan pumpkin flan.
Vanilla
There are two ways to go here, either use a good quality vanilla extract or use half the amount of vanilla powder. These already-husked, ground vanilla beans make everything from bomboloni to vegan panna cotta easier, while still keeping them speckled with little tiny bits of real vanilla.
You want to use artificial vanilla? Ew. For real, that’s gonna make your eggnog smell like an over-perfumed thirteen-year-old at her bat mitzvah. For Jolly Old Saint Nick's sake, please don’t do it. 🙏
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Mexican Vegan Rompope
This variation of the traditional Mexican eggnog uses soaked blanched almonds (the same style you would use to make vegan ricotta or vegan cotija cheese) in place of cashews or dairy milk. Because rompope is traditionally a little heavier in egg yolks, go just a tiny bit heavier with turmeric or add some saffron to the blender when you make it.
Vegan Coquito
Coquito is an even more coconut-forward style of eggnog served at Christmas time in Puerto Rico. Just use coconut cream in place of coconut milk. I am talking about the thicker, fattier stuff you would use for Vietnamese kem chuoi, not the nasty processed “cream of coconut” stuff used in trash-quality piña coladas at airport bars…
Quebec-Style Dairy-Free Eggnog (Lait de Poule)
Canadian eggnog typically has a little ground clove added (a nice touch in my opinion!), and gets simmered with a tiny amount of cornstarch slurry to thicken it even more. Since the land of Dudley Do-Right is frigid as heck, it’s typically served warm, with whiskey or bourbon, but it is just as delightful without alcohol.
Vegan Eggnog Latte
Before you add your hot or chilled eggnog, put some strong brewed coffee or espresso at the bottom of your mug. For a normal serving, a single shot of espresso is all you’ll need.
📖 How to make vegan eggnog
Traditional eggnog made with animal products? Steer clear of the pissed-off glare of Mrs. Santa Claus, and make her so proud of you by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Don’t Egg-nore the Holiday Cheer:
Place the cashews in a heat-safe bowl, and cover them in boiling water (or, if substituting, the same amount of canned coconut milk that’s been brought to a boil). Allow the cashews to rehydrate in the water for 15 minutes.
Step Two
Noggy by Nature:
Blend your soaked cashews, along with their soaking liquid, coconut oil, molasses, maple syrup, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric or saffron (if using), and salt. Blend at high speed for ninety seconds until completely smooth.
Step Three
The Nog of Eternal Stench:
You can 100% stop here and chill the drink if you are going to serve it chilled. But if you would like it warm, pour the cashew eggnog into a medium saucepan, and warm it over medium-low heat.
Stir occasionally for six minutes until the mixture thickens slightly and is steaming but not boiling. Keep an eye on it to avoid any curdling or lumps.
Step Four
Nogturnal Animals:
Whether you are serving it chilled over ice, or warm, pour into your favorite festive glasses or in a nice thick mug. Add some dark rum or whiskey if you like. Garnish your homemade eggnog with vegan whipped cream, a cinnamon stick, and an extra sprinkle of fresh nutmeg.
Serving it up with a warm slice of vegan chocolate babka, or vegan cinnamon babka might just be the yuletide sugarrush you didn't know you needed!
🍁 What to serve with vegan eggnog
Leaving a mug out for old man who has broken into your home through your chimney? You know he will leave you a heck of a lot of coal if you don't hook m'boy up with some vegan Christmas cookies, expertly decorated with vegan royal icing, right?
But, just imagine for a sec that you were old man Claus. Wouldn't you be pissed if you were served another darned cookie? I mean you aren't Cookie Monster, right?
What about some festive donuts to round out that jolly ol' food pyramid of yours? Obviously, vegan gingerbread donuts would be pretty dope. Maple glazed vegan pumpkin donuts (or heck, even these vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls) and classic vegan apple cider donuts sound considerable more fun than a plate of supermarket cookie right?
👉Top tips
- Sweetness Level: Regular eggnog from the store has so much sugar that you and your whole family can keep your dentist in business for the rest of their life. When making this festive drink at home, remember you can always add more sweetener, but never really take it away. I wrote this recipe to be lightly sweetened, but after blending, you can always stir in more maple syrup or coconut sugar, just like you would a holiday coffee drink.
- Soak It Good: The longer your cashews soak, the better texture you’ll achieve. Even just adding an extra five or ten minutes to the soak time can make a difference. If you can, prep your nuts early and give them a good soak before blending!
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! If you have a cashew allergy, you can swap the cashews with blanched almonds or macadamia nuts for a similar creamy texture. Alternatively, full-fat coconut milk or a thick oat milk could work if you’re looking for a nut-free option.
Yes! Warm vegan eggnog is totally a thing. Just gently heat it in a saucepan over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s warm but not boiling.
Sure thing! Add your favorite rum, whiskey, or bourbon for a spiked holiday treat. Start with one shot per cup and adjust to your taste. I recommend checking Barnivore to make sure the booze you use is actually vegan. A lot of it, sadly, is not.
Store vegan eggnog in an airtight container, or in mason jars in the refrigerator forgo more than 2 days if you just blended it. If you took the time to simmer it on the stove first, that has killed off some of the bacteria from the cashews, and you should be able to get 4 days out of it under refrigeration.
Nah. That get’s a little weird. Plus, it’s so friggin' easy to make, you ought to just whip it up fresh next time you want it, which will be wayyyyy less annoying than having to thaw and re-blend the stuff that’s been wasting your precious freezer space since last Christmas. Happy holidays. Don't consume any frostbitten nog, OK?
You can use coconut sugar, brown sugar, palm sugar, or agave nectar, or even boring ol’ granulated sugar if you can’t get maple syrup where you live. Just remember to adjust the quantity based on sweetness preference, because agave and white sugar are both quite a bit sweeter than maple syrup.
Yes, this vegan eggnog is naturally gluten-free. If you decide to use oat milk or some kind of alchohol in it though, make sure that it’s certified gluten-free, as not all are.
✌️ You'll probably love these vegan holiday recipes too
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Creamy Vegan Eggnog Recipe (That's Secretly Dairy-Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3 ¼ cups boiling water
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon molasses
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 6 threads saffron or ⅛ teaspoon turmeric (optional for color)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Optional for Serving:
- 1 ounce whiskey or rum per serving (100% optional)
- Coconut whipped cream
- Cinnamon sticks
- Additional nutmeg to garnish
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl. Add boiling water and Allow the cashews to rehydrate in the water for 15 minutes. Optionally, for a richer eggnog, you can soak the cashews in an equal amount of heated full-fat coconut milk.
- Once cool, add the cashew and their soaking water to a blender, along with the coconut oil, molasses, maple syrup, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric or saffron (if using), and salt.
- Blend on high speed for 90 seconds until it is creamy and completely smooth. If serving cold, chill the eggnog for at least 1 hour.
- If you would like to serve the eggnog warm, transfer the mixture to a saucepan. Warm gently over low heat, stirring occasionally with a whisk, until heated through. Do not boil.
- Whether serving hot or cold, pour into mugs and add whiskey or rum, and vegan whipped cream if using. Add a cinnamon stick and sprinkle with additional nutmeg before serving.
Notes
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Jade says
This is SOOOOO good and I'm going to keep some of this in my fridge all fall/winter from now on! Using it in chai tea lattes and coffee lattes and it's amazing.
Adam Sobel says
So glad you loved it, Jade ❤️
Peg Nemoff says
I have tried a few different recipes, but Chef Adam's was by far the best non-dairy eggnog I have ever made. Thank you for creating this delicious concoction!