Rich, creamy, and it's totally egg-free and non-dairy! This luscious vegan eggnog is super easy to whip-up and the perfect drink for holiday gatherings!
Well, the holiday season must be here, because the other day I spotted a carton of vegan nog at the supermarket. I decided to grab it and give it a try, but sadly, it was kind of disappointing! The nog flavor that I remember was there for sure, but it was pretty watery — far cry from the rich and creamy holiday drink I drank when I was a kid.
So I decided to try my hand at some homemade vegan eggnog. How hard could it be?
Cashews and coconut milk are great for making all kinds of rich and creamy vegan stuff, so I decided to combine the two. Awesome right? Well, it gets better. I added in a banana to add some sweetness and make my dairy-free eggnog extra creamy. Well, it worked! This was seriously the best vegan eggnog.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Cashews. We'll be using raw cashews (not roasted!), and we'll be soaking them in some water to soften them up before we blend them into our nog.
- Water.
- Coconut milk. Use full-fat coconut milk from a can. If you use anything else your nog won't be nearly as rich and creamy.
- Overripe banana.
- Maple syrup. Feel free to substitute with another liquid sweetener (like agave). You could also use a granulated sugar (such as organic white sugar or coconut sugar), but make sure it gets completely dissolved when you blend your eggnog.
- Vanilla extract.
- Nutmeg. Nutmeg is the flavor I most associate with eggnog. Having said that, if you prefer other spices like cinnamon or cloves, feel free to use them!
- Salt.
- Rum or whiskey. Totally optional, but if you prefer an alcoholic vegan eggnog, these liquors are the way to go.
- Whipped topping. This is also optional. The nog shown in the photos it topped with dairy-free Reddi-Wip.
How It's Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd prefer to skip right to the recipe!
- Drain and rinse your soaked cashews, then add them to a blender with water, coconut milk, banana, maple syrup, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until smooth. Taste-test and make adjustments as needed. Easy!
Tip: If you don't have a high-powered blender, try blending your cashews and about a half cup of water before adding everything else. You may need to stop the machine every so often and scrape down the sides, but eventually (with some patience!) you should be able to get a relatively smooth paste..
- If you're using rum or whiskey, add it now and pulse the machine briefly to combine.
- Pour your vegan eggnog into glasses. Top your vegan 'nog with some non-dairy whipped cream and nutmeg, if you'd like. I like to garnish each glass with a cinnamon stick as well.
Leftovers & Storage
Homemade vegan eggnog will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days once blended. It may separate a bit, but just shake or stir it up to mix everything back up.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is!
It can! Your nog will be a bit less creamy and not quite as sweet.
If you can have macadamia nuts, they'd probably be your best bet. Otherwise, you can experiment with silken tofu or extra bananas. I haven't tested any of these substitutions though, so no guarantees!
You could try using light coconut milk or another non-dairy milk and/or cutting back on the amount of maple syrup. Again, I haven't tried any of these variations, so do so at your own risk.
Most liquors are vegan, but I always like to check with Barnivore before buying a particular brand.
More Vegan Holiday Treat Recipes
Looking for even more vegan holiday recipes? Check out my massive vegan holiday recipes round-up, including everything from vegan holiday appetizers to main dishes to desserts!
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Ultra Creamy Vegan Eggnog
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (from a can)
- 1 small overripe banana
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg plus more for serving
- Pinch salt
- â…“ cup whiskey or rum (optional)
- Dairy-free whipped cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place the cashews, water, coconut milk, banana, maple syrup, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt into a blender and blend until smooth (Note 1).1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup water, 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, 1 small overripe banana, ½ cup maple syrup, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, Pinch salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Taste-test and make any adjustments as needed. Add the rum or whiskey if using, and pulse the machine again to combine.â…“ cup whiskey or rum
- Optionally, top with vegan whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.Dairy-free whipped cream
Notes
- If your blender isn't high-powered (like a Vitamix or Blendtec), start by blending the cashews with ½ cup of water, until relatively smooth, then add the remaining ingredients and blend again.
- Nutrition information does not include whiskey, rum, or whipped cream.
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This was a big hit at a party! Even my friends who drink regular eggnog liked it.
Your "nutrition facts" list the recipe as 310 calories for 6 oz of eggnog. For a drink, even eggnog, that's a lot of calories! Are you sure you didn't make a mistake in your calorie count? For comparison, store bought Silk Nog is only 120 calories per 6 oz
No, it's correct. (I wish it were lower - lol!) Coconut milk and cashews are both very fatty, and this is quite a bit richer than Silk's nog. If you want to reduce the calorie count a bit you can use light coconut milk or even dilute it with a lower calorie milk like almond or rice.
Why the banana?I may try ot without.
The banana makes it extra creamy, but the recipe will certainly work without it. Enjoy!
Definitely making this for my Christmas gathering! I, too, have been disappointed with the store bought vegan nog. Thanks for the recipe!
As a follow-up, I made this and it was absolutely incredible! I don’t mind the extra calories because I only drink a small amount at a time and it is Christmas after all!
So glad you enjoyed it!