Easy Sous Vide Eggnog Recipe – Christmas Favorite

This sous vide eggnog recipe is a easy way to make this classic Christmas drink! Using a sous vide cooker is the easiest way to get perfect eggnog without worrying about raw eggs. Get in the holiday spirit with this simple recipe!

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The creamy, frothy taste of eggnog is distinctive and delicious. It is an interesting combination of a dessert and drink, and if you add some alcohol it is a cocktail too!

This recipe is also perfect as an adult alternative to milk and cookies. Maybe leave some eggnog out for Santa along with some cookies on Christmas Eve, I’m sure he’d appreciate it!

Why Make Sous Vide Eggnog?

Eggnog, at its most basic, is a mixture of milk, eggs and sugar. Traditionally the eggs included in the beverage are raw, which opens you up to a small risk of food poisoning.

When you buy eggnog from the store it is pasteurized, so this risk is eliminated. But store bought eggnog doesn’t taste nearly as rich and creamy.

There are ways to get the risk of raw eggs in making homemade eggnog, but they involve heating the milk to precise temperatures and tempering the eggs. This is time consuming and takes a lot of stirring.

With a sous vide cooker you don’t have to do any of that. Just combine the ingredients, throw them in a water bath and walk away. It is fuss free!

Why is Sous Vide Eggnog Recipe Safe?

Sous vide cooking uses a water bath that is heated to a precise temperature and held at that temperature. This allows you to essentially pasteurize your eggs at home.

In making this sous vide eggnog recipe the water is set at 144 F and the beverage is cooked there for an hour. This is a high enough temperature for a long enough time kill any salmonella bacteria that might be present in the eggs.

However it also low enough that the eggs and cream are not overcooked and still give the beverage is creamy distinctive eggy flavor. So this recipe gives you the best of both worlds!

Advantages of Sous Vide Eggnog

• Rich, creamy and delicious
• Cooked to avoid salmonella risk
• Simple to make

Key Ingredients

• Eggs – The recipe uses a combination of whole eggs and yolks.
• Sugar – Use white granulated sugar.
• Milk – Whole milk is necessary for this recipe. Eggnog is not a low calorie or low fat beverage!
• Heavy cream
• Flavoring – I used nutmeg, vanilla extract, a cinnamon stick and some cloves in my recipe.

Spiked Eggnog vs Non Alcoholic Eggnog

Eggnog can be made with or without alcohol, depending on your preference. This is a spiked eggnog recipe so I include rum in the beverage.

But you can easily leave the rum out and make nonalcoholic eggnog. You won’t have to change anything else about the recipe.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preparations

Set up your sous vide circulator in a water bath and set the temperature to 144F. Decide what container you are going to use for the eggnog.

I chose to make this recipe in a plastic bag, but mason jars with a lid will also work. This recipe makes a little bit more than a quart of eggnog, so a large 32 ounce mason jar won’t quite hold the recipe.

2. Blend the Eggnog

Put the egg yolks and whole eggs into a blender. Turn it on and mix the eggs for a 1-2 minutes until they are mixed and frothy.

Add the sugar, grated nutmeg and a pinch of salt to the blender. Mix again to combine the ingredients.

Next add the milk and heavy cream and mix again. At this point the blender will be very full of the eggnog base and you can pour the contents in a bowl and quickly whisk them by hand if necessary.

Finally add the vanilla and rum to the blender (or bowl) and stir to mix.

3. Sous Vide the Eggnog

Put one or two cinnamon sticks and some cloves in the bottom of the plastic bag before adding the eggnog. The spices will infuse flavor into the beverage as it cooks.

Then pour the eggnog into the bag. Close the bag almost completely, squeezing most of the air out of the bag and leaving one small portion open at the top.

Carefully lower the bag into the water. As you lower it any remaining air in the bag should be forced out by the water pressure.

Submerge the bag until the air is forced out and only the small part you left open is out of the water. Completely seal the bag and push it under the water.

The bag should sink, but if it doesn’t you can always set a plate or other heavy object on it to keep it under the water. Let the eggnog cook for 1 hour.

4. Chill the Eggnog

Once the eggnog finished its time in the sous vide take it out and put the bag directly in a bowl of ice water. This chills the eggnog quickly.

Using an ice bath to cool the eggnog helps ensure stays at a food safe temperature. After 10 minutes in the ice bath pour the eggnog into a pitcher or carafe and put it in the refrigerator.

How to Serve

You can serve the eggnog right away, although I think it tastes a little smoother after resting overnight. Pour it into a serving glass and sprinkle it with grated nutmeg.

You can also add whipped cream, although it is rich enough it doesn’t need it. A little bit of extra rum goes well in the mug too!

How Long will Sous Vide Eggnog Keep?

Homemade eggnog keeps well refrigerated for 3 days if it is nonalcoholic or a week if you add the alcohol.

Variations and Tips

Thicker Eggnog

If you want to make your eggnog thicker you can use more yolks and less eggs. You can use four yolks and two whole eggs or even 6 yolks and no whole eggs.

Other Types of Alcohol

While I used rum other types of alcohol are also excellent in eggnog. Brandy or bourbon whiskey are also traditional to use for spiking eggnog.

Find More

• Sous Vide Beef Tenderloin
• Sous Vide Turkey Breast
• Sous Vide Lamb Chops