Rich, creamy, and made without any eggs or dairy, this luscious vegan eggnog is super easy to whip-up and perfect for holiday gatherings!
A few weeks ago I was in a festive mood. I start developing Christmas and New Year's recipes once November starts, so sometimes those holiday vibes hit me early!
Anyway, I was in my festive mood and food shopping, and I spotted some vegan nog at the supermarket. So I decided to grab it and give it a try. Sadly, it was kind of disappointing! The nog flavor that I remember was there for sure, but it was pretty watery. A far cry from the rich and creamy nog I drank when I was a kid.
So I decided to make my own. 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. Stay with me while I explain how my vegan eggnog came together.
I started with raw cashews and water. Added them both to a blender and blended away, until the mixture was super smooth.
Next, I added coconut milk (the canned, full-fat kind), vanilla, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt, thinking that would be all that would go into my nog.
I blended everything up and was very happy with the flavor, and pretty pleased with the creaminess as well. But then I got hit with last-minute inspiration when I spotted my ever-present stash of overripe bananas. Bananas are great for making super creamy vegan drinks, and they add a touch of sweetness too. I promptly threw one into the blender.
It turned out to be the richest, creamiest nog I've ever tasted, and that includes nogs both vegan and traditional.
FAQ & Tips for Making Perfect Vegan Eggnog
- This eggnog will keep 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.
- I hate the taste of bananas. Can I leave them out? Yup! It'll still be rich and creamy, just a bit less so.
- I'm allergic to cashews. Is there a substitute? 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!
- Is there any way to reduce the fat/calories/sugar content? 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.
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Vegan Eggnog
Rich, creamy, and made without any eggs or dairy, this luscious vegan eggnog is super easy to whip-up and perfect for holiday gatherings!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup water, divided
- 1 cup 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
- ⅓ cup whiskey or rum (optional)
- Whipped coconut cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
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Place the cashews and ½ cup of water into a blender and blend to a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the pitcher as needed.
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Add the remaining water and blend until smooth.
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Add the coconut milk, banana, maple syrup, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and whiskey, if using. Blend until completely smooth.
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Pour into glasses and stir in whiskey or rum, if using.
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Optionally, top with whipped coconut cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information does not include whiskey, rum, or coconut whipped cream.
Definitely making this for my Christmas gathering! I, too, have been disappointed with the store bought vegan nog. Thanks for the recipe!
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.