Vegan and Gluten Free
Serendipity Jane
Original Recipe: Jane Fox
Christmas Vegan Eggnog is a delicious re-creation of the luscious creamy eggnog that we all grew up with. All of the traditional flavors of egg custard, vanilla and nutmeg come through in this Vegan and Gluten Free version!
My Inspiration
I remember watching Frosty the Snowman on TV, in a warm fluffy robe, with the wind howling outside, drinking cold store bought eggnog with a swirl of whipped cream from the can, and a sprinkling of nutmeg on top, out of a ceramic Santa mug.
Eggnog has become a favorite Christmas-time tradition and I refuse to let my vegan and gluten free diet hijack it. Christmas Vegan Eggnog is a re-creation of that thick sweet special Christmas treat. It is vegan and gluten free down to the dollop of Coco Whip on top!
The Ingredients
Base Mixture
A combination of almond milk and coconut milk make up the base of the drink and take the place of the whipping cream used in traditional eggnog. Make sure you purchase the coconut milk in the can. There are so many different brands with different consistencies that I use Thai Kitchen brand because it is a quality product with a consistent texture, and it is readily available in stores. When the can is cold, a thick layer of coconut cream will separate from the rest of the liquid. Make sure every bit of the thick cream is added in to the mixture to impart it’s richness!
Sweetener
In my first attempt to come up with a recipe, and with my goal to make the eggnog as natural an healthy as possible, I originally used a half of a cup of maple syrup as the only sweetener. My son, and head tester, Andrew, declared that is wasn’t sweet enough. I felt that the maple taste overpowered the drink. After a couple of tries, I came up with the final combination using a half cup of cane sugar and a quarter cup of maple syrup. The reduction of the maple syrup gives some flavor without overpowering the drink. The additional cane sugar brings the sweetness to a level that satisfied Andrew and that you would expect from eggnog!
Thickener
The store bought version of eggnog has a thick and creamy texture. To achieve that in this recipe, I used a small amount of cornstarch to thicken the base mixture, as if I was making a very thin custard. Make sure to buy a non-GMO cornstarch since corn is one of the major crops using GMO seed. It’s important to mix the cornstarch with cold liquid before adding it in. It will help to fully mix the two ingredients. If there are any lumps, they will cook and show up as a dough like clump in the finished eggnog. You don’t want that!
Flavor
The secret ingredients in Christmas Vegan Eggnog are the black salt and the turmeric. Black salt is actually a pink color and imparts an egg taste and smell. An important tip is to scoop out what you need from the container of black salt and close the lid quickly! I’ve made the mistake of leaving the lid off. Your kitchen will soon smell like sulfur, not in a good way either! If you can’t find black salt at your regular grocery store, try an Indian Market.
A little bit of the turmeric give a nice vanilla custard color to the nog that you would normally get from scads of egg yolks!
Nutmeg and vanilla add the traditional eggnog flavor but a small amount of cinnamon helps the Christmas flavor!
The Process:
To Begin:
In a large pot, combine the four cups of cold almond milk and the entire can of coconut milk together and give it a quick stir.
Prepare the Thickener
- Take about a quarter of cup of the cold liquid from the large pot and set aside. The liquid needs to be cold to properly incorporate the cornstarch. It won’t mix together well if the mixture is warm.
- Whisk the cold liquid, with a fork or small whisk, quickly, while slowly adding the cornstarch.
- Continue mixing until the cornstarch is completely incorporated with the cornstarch. There should not be any lumps of cornstarch.
- Set this mixture aside to be used later.
The Base Mixture:
- Add both the cane sugar and maple syrup to the mixture in the pot.
- Retrieve the cornstarch mixture and give it a quick stir.
- Slowly add the reserved cornstarch mixture to the pot. Continue stirring until the cornstarch mixture is completely incorporated into the nog mixture.
- Turn the burner on high and stir the mixture occasionally until it begins to come to a boil.
- Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat and continue stirring, making sure to stir a little more often, and to keep a closer eye on the nog. You don’t want it to boil over or scorch.
- Continue to stir the mixture as it thickens.
- When the back of your spoon has a very light coating of the thickened mixture, you can turn off the heat.
- The mixture will thicken as it cools.
- Add in the vanilla, black salt, turmeric, nutmeg and the cinnamon and mix together.
- Allow the mixture to cool while sitting on the stove for about 20 minutes.
- When the eggnog has cooled a bit, (it’s ok if it is still warm), pour the mixture into a container and put it in the refrigerator until it is cold.
- To serve, pour the cold eggnog into a mug.
- Adults may want to add an once of brandy to their eggnog.
- Top with a non-dairy whipped topping, like Coco Whip, and lightly sprinkle the top of the drink with nutmeg.
- Enjoy!
Printable Recipe
Christmas Vegan Eggnog
Ingredients
- 1 can coconut milk 13.66 once, I used Thai Kitchen brand
- 4 cups almond milk cold
- 1- 1/2 Tablespoon Cornstarch Non GMO
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Cane Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup Use real Maple syrup, not the kind made from corn syrup
- 1-1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black salt
- Coco Whip or other non dairy topping
- additional nutmeg for garnish
- brandy optional- add 1 once to your mug if desired.
Instructions
- Mix together the cold almond milk and the coconut milk in a pot.
- Set aside about a quarter cup of this liquid before you begin to heat it.
- Sprinkle the 1-1/2 Tablespoon of Cornstarch into the cold 1/4 cup of liquid that you have set aside, making sure to whisk it together until the cornstarch mixture is smooth. Set this mixture aside.
- Add the granulated cane sugar and the maple syrup to the pot and stir.
- Turn the burner on high and heat the pot with the almond milk and coconut mixture until it comes to a boil, then turn the heat down.
- Give the reserved cornstarch mixture another stir, and slowly begin to add it to the hot mixture, as you stir the mixture in the pot.
- Once the cornstarch is completely incorporated, continue to stir occasionally while the mixture thickens, making sure that the liquid does not boil over or scorch.
- Add the vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric, and black salt and stir to mix.
- Continue stirring over the heat until the mixture lightly coats the back of a metal spoon. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools. Turn off the heat.
- Let cool on the stove for about 20 minutes and then transfer to a container and place in the refrigerator until cold.
- Pour the cold eggnog into cups. If you prefer an adult kick to your eggnog, add an ounce of brandy to each serving. Add a dollop of non dairy whipped topping, like Coco Whip, and lightly sprinkle the top with nutmeg.
- Enjoy!
