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Vegan Eggnog

by:
November 18, 2021
5
4 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • makes 6 cups
Author Notes

This dairy-free version of eggnog will blow your mind. It's rich, creamy, and it's just the right amount of sweet. Serve it spiked, or simply warm up a cup for a perfect, wintery afternoon treat. —Gena Hamshaw

Test Kitchen Notes

Believe it or not, creamy eggnog can be vegan and dairy-free. This recipe shows you how. Whip up a batch for your holiday party, or make one for yourself whenever you feel like a luxurious drink before dinner for happy hour or at the end of dinner for "dessert." Either way, you can't go wrong with this recipe, and your guests' minds will be blown that it's vegan. You have to plan a little bit ahead to make this, as the cashews and Medjool dates have to soak overnight. Otherwise, this recipe requires some coconut milk, spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, maple syrup for a touch of sweetness, and of course some bourbon or rum as the cherry on top. And all you have to do is blend all the ingredients together until it becomes nice and creamy—seriously doesn't get much easier than that, and cleanup is super-minimal. If you want to make it alcohol-free, you can add a little bit of rum extract, then spike the drink for whoever may want it.

You may have to blend longer than you expect to get that perfect texture. Also, you can make it ahead of time and store in the fridge overnight, which also may help with the creaminess. But of course you can also drink it warm right out of the blender, it's entirely up to you. But here you have it—a delicious eggnog recipe without any eggs! Give it a try and let us know how it goes for you. —The Editors

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Vegan Eggnog
Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup dry cashews, soaked overnight and drained (they'll plump up to about 1 cup as they soak)
  • 2 Medjool dates, pitted, soaked overnight and drained
  • 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cups bourbon or rum (optional)
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/3 teaspoon (or ¼ heaping teaspoon) kosher salt
Directions
  1. In a blender, blend the cashews, dates, coconut milk, water, bourbon, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt on high speed until. It may take a few minutes for the mixture to become creamy and uniform; be patient. Serve warm or cold.
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23 Reviews

Write a Review
KKD October 14, 2021
Outstanding. Thank you.
Taylor S. December 29, 2017
Made this in a food processor since I don't have a blender. Exquisite! It's rich without being rich, and at the same time is very mild and not too sweet. But it's still reminiscent of eggnog through and through!
Georgeann F. December 25, 2017
Just made this recipe
And it's amazing can't believe how good it is
Thank you !!
Cicciabella December 30, 2016
Used a 1/2-1 teaspoon of rum extract in the batch since we have some no alcohol vegan guests. Will spike the others' with the real thing....
cheyenne August 19, 2015
Just made this in the middle of a rather hot Arizona summer, and It was lovely! Has me dreaming of fall...:p
Stephanie January 5, 2015
Big success! We made it "virgin" and added rum to taste. (I would've gone with bourbon, but not available at our friends' place.) A good, but non-vitamix blender and a lot of patience made it relatively smooth. Based on the comments, I added the spices and coconut milk right after draining the water--a good number of hours before we were blending. The flavors were really nice.
Lucien December 27, 2014
Excellent recipe! I recommend making this nog the day before you plan to serve it.

When it first came out of the blender, the texture seemed a little thin, the spice blend a bit raw, and the bourbon seemed overly assertive (I did use a full half cup). All it took was a night in the refrigerator for the flavors to mellow and blend, and the texture to thicken. Served chilled, it was as creamy and thick as traditional eggnog.

SO delicious, I'm counting the days 'til next Christmas! Many, many thanks, Ms. Hamshaw!
Amy L. December 23, 2014
Hi Gena, any thoughts on on how long you can safely store this in th fridge? Canned coconut milk usually has a use in two days disclaimer, and it's not exactly being cooked here.
AnnaChris December 19, 2014
This was heaven. I drank it warm and spiked with bourbon. I used almonds instead of cashews, because that's what I had. I don't have a high power blender, and I thought the texture if the drink was greatly improved after I strained it through a fine mesh colander to get rid of all the almond pieces. The resulting almond meal was sweet and spiced like the drink - I kept it in the fridge for a couple of days and ate it spread on toast in the morning, mixed into yogurt for a snack, and even by the spoonful. This recipe is a keeper!
nycnomad December 18, 2014
I was a skeptic, but holy cow it REALLY does taste like eggnog! My Christmas is saved from my dairy and egg yolk allergy!!! Thank you.
Amelia M. December 17, 2014
I just made this. Wow! It's amazing!
RaquelG December 16, 2014
For soaking, I'd stir the raw cashews and dates into the liquids and spices (basically, whisk together all the ingredients except for the liquor). Cover and refrigerate overnight. Blend together the next day and add the liquor to taste.
IronMeghan December 16, 2014
No nut bag? (Still can't say that without giggling like a 12 year old boy).
Taylor D. December 15, 2014
What do u soak the cashews and dates in?
The mixture?
Gena H. December 17, 2014
Taylor, soak them in water.
freeredis December 24, 2022
Have you made the recipe by soaking the dates and nuts in the coconut milk ❓
Stephanie December 15, 2014
I shall try this! Last year, I made a dairy-free, low sugar, but egg-full version by using the Joy of Cooking recipe. I used canned coconut milk and a little bit of Califia Farms almond/coconut to thin it out a bit. Coconut sugar, and not as much as called for. It tasted wonderful, but looked really disgusting after a couple hours. This looks lovely and will probably stand up better.
BTW: Leftovers went into the freezer for phenomenal ice cream.
Joyce December 14, 2014
Gena, Are dry cashews the same as raw cashews or are you suggesting dry roasted cashews?
Stacy D. December 15, 2014
I'm not the author but I can guarantee roasted cashews would make this taste salty and weird. Raw cashews are required to get that creamy texture.
Gena H. December 17, 2014
Hi Joyce -- roasted cashews will add too much of their own distinctive flavor. I'd suggest raw here!
Joyce December 19, 2014
Thanks Gena, I am going to try it as soon as I get a new blender. My old one just died. Any brand suggestions for a sturdy one?
Jennifer H. December 11, 2014
What size can of coconut milk? We have two sizes here (I assume a larger can, but probably better to specify...)
Gena H. December 14, 2014
Hey Jennifer! What sizes do you have?