Vegan eggnog with cinnamon & vanilla

Homemade vegan eggnog is unbelievably creamy. With a base of store-bought non-dairy milk plus a healthy portion of raw cashews, the end result is luxuriously indulgent and full-bodied.

It’s the perfect non-alcoholic holiday drink for Christmas and other winter get-togethers. Spike it with hard alcohol for those who prefer their drinks on the boozy side. Plus, it’s ready in 5 minutes!

You know the holiday season is in full swing when eggnog starts appearing on store shelves. But did you know you can also make vegan eggnog at home?

By using both store-bought non-dairy milk and raw cashews, this easy vegan eggnog recipe is thick, rich, and perfectly spiced. It gets sweetness from pitted dates. And it’s finished with a splash of vanilla.

You can make just the amount you need.

Halve the recipe and enjoy a glass or two while roasting chestnuts. Or make a double batch if you’re having a house full of guests for a holiday party.

I also offer unique ways to use eggnog at the end of this post!

What kind of milk should I use?

You can use any kind of plain, store-bought non-dairy milk that you prefer as the base for this drink.

Silk plain unsweetened cashew milk is the kind I keep on hand for day-to-day use. And that’s what I used here.

If you use sweetened milk, you’ll want to use fewer dates, or else it will be too sweet. If you use a vanilla flavored milk, you can use less vanilla extract.

Black salt adds a hint of egginess

This recipe calls for an optional pinch of kala namak, also known as black salt.

Kala namak is a sulfurous salt that is popular in Indian cuisine. It’s also beloved in the vegan sphere, because it adds an eggy quality to dishes.

I can’t get enough of it in eggy tofu, tofu scramble, vegan frittata, or even sprinkled on avocado as an eggy addition to a chef salad.

It has a strong sulfurous scent. So a little bit goes a long way. Add a pinch to give a bit of egginess to your nog.

If you don’t have kala namak or don’t like it, you can absolutely skip it. It’s pretty subtle in the drink.

You can replace it with a pinch of sea salt to balance the sweetness of the drink. Or skip the salt altogether.

How to make vegan eggnog

Combine the following in a high-speed blender:

• Non-dairy milk
• Raw cashews
• Pitted Medjool dates
• Vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground nutmeg
• Cardamom
• Kala namak or sea salt

Blend until everything is fully combined & there are no crunching sounds in the blender.

You can drink it right away. But I recommend transferring it to a covered container & popping it in the refrigerator for a few hours. It gets even thicker, richer, and creamier as it chills and condenses.

To serve, pour the vegan eggnog into glasses. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon and/or a cinnamon stick.

What if I don’t have a high-speed blender?

If you don’t have a high-speed blender, your standard blender will probably need a little bit of help with the raw cashews and dates.

You have three options with the cashews.

1. Grind dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder. Then add the flour-like cashews to your standard blender.
2. Soak raw cashews in water for several hours. Then drain & blend with the other ingredients.
3. Cover the raw cashews in hot water. (Even a microwave works here!) Let them soak for 10 to 30 minutes, drain, and blend with the other ingredients.

To soften the dates, soak pitted cashews in warm water for about 30 minutes. Drain & add them to the blender with the remaining ingredients.

Or you can replace the dates with your favorite liquid sweetener like agave syrup or maple syrup. Add whatever amount suits your tastes.

Can I add alcohol to it?

Of course!

This is really delicious as a non-alcoholic drink. In fact, traditional eggnog originally had alcohol added to it as a way to cure the raw eggs in it! Of course, since this is a vegan recipe, that’s unnecessary.

That being said, you can certainly spike this festive holiday beverage with your preferred hard liquor. I recommend about 1 Tablespoon of hard liquor for a one cup serving. If you want to get boozier, add more.

Simply add the liquor to each glass, pour in the vegan eggnog, and stir to combine. Then finish with a dash of cinnamon.

Although it isn’t the most classic option, I like using vodka because of its neutral flavor. You can still taste the specific spices & flavorings of the nog without getting overpowered from the alcohol.

Brandy is the most traditional alcohol for eggnog. Or you could use dark rum, Cognac, whiskey, or bourbon.

How long does it keep?

This dairy free nog will last in the refrigerator five days or more.

Usually when I’m making nut milks (like strawberry milk or almond milk), I try to finish it within about 3 days because it starts to separate. However, since this vegan eggnog also uses store-bought non-dairy milk, the stabilizers in the milk help the eggnog to last longer than nut milk alone.

More ways to use it

In addition to drinking this delicious vegan eggnog by the glassful, you can use it in other drinks & dishes!

Use it as dipping liquid for French toast

Leftover vegan nog makes for easy & decadent vegan French toast!

Add it to coffee instead of creamer

Use about ¼ to ½ cup of vegan eggnog in a standard coffee cup to really get a hit of nog flavor.

Make an eggnog latte

Have an espresso machine? Steam the nog for a vegan eggnog latte.

Upgrade your hot cocoa

Make hot cocoa with vegan eggnog instead of non-dairy milk.

Make eggnog overnight oats

Cover ½ cup of old fashioned rolled oats in ½ cup of vegan eggnog. Then stir & pop it in the refrigerator overnight (or for at least a couple of hours).

In the morning, you can enjoy it cold or warmed in the microwave. Top it with candied pecans, and sliced bananas.