Imagine sipping a meringue-topped custard with whiskey flavoring through a thin layer of meringue. This eggnog, which is based on Alton Brown’s well-known recipe, is far superior to the product you can buy at the supermarket.
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 45 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 fluid ounces bourbon whiskey, or more to taste
- 4 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Place egg yolks in a saucepan. Whisk in sugar until well blended and creamy. Add milk and cream; whisk until blended. Place pan over medium heat; whisk frequently until mixture reaches a temperature of between 170 to 180 degrees F (75 to 80 degrees C) using an instant-read thermometer. Remove from heat. Stir in nutmeg and whiskey.
- Chill pan in cold water until cool. Transfer mixture to a container (a large pitcher is ideal). Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, 2 to 3 hours.
- Place egg whites in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue whisking until egg whites hold a firmer peak. Whisk egg whites into custard base until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
- Whisk eggnog again just before serving and between each pour to ensure even distribution of the egg whites which tend to float to the top. Serve with a dusting of nutmeg.
- Be sure to use the freshest ingredients (eggs, milk, and cream) and freshly grate the nutmeg.
- This recipe contains raw egg. We recommend that young children, older adults, and people who are pregnant or immunocompromised do not consume raw egg. Learn more about egg safety from our article,
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 463 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 28 g |
| Cholesterol | 299 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Sodium | 135 mg |
| Sugars | 26 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I didn’t use all the fat. I used 2% milk and 1/2 & 1/2. It’s the best eggnog I’ve ever had.
It was delicious and very creamy, we added bourbon for that extra kick.
Amazing recipe – our go to recipe every year
This recipe is very much like what my grandmother made for the family every Christmas evening. My suggestions: 1. Add more bourbon, certainly to taste. 😉 2. We served our chilled eggnog in lovely glasses, with a generous scoop of the most wonderful vanilla ice cream added. I refer to our recipe as “A cardiologist’s nightmare,” but it surely is good once every year or two… Happy Holidays!
no changes !!!!!! IT WAS YUMMY IN THE TUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!! TOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! GREAT ALSO!!!!!!!! LOVED IT TOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! INSTEAD OF THE WISKEY I PUT RUM FLAVOR IN IT !!!!! ONE TEASPOON OF RUM FLAVOR IN IT !!!!!! IT WAS STILL YUMMY TOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!!
do not make this it seperats and makes bad eggnog
Best recipe I’ve found. I must be made at least the day before to allow flavors to blend. I did add a little vanilla to the meringue by request.
Best eggnog I’ve ever had. My wife and I drank the entire batch in 30 mins
This is the greatest Chef John recipe ever– and I have tried many of them. The custard base tastes like God’s nectar. This review is only for the “custard base” as the egg whites were a pain to whisk up everytime and didn’t really add a “positive” to the drink so I don’t use them. Without the egg whites part, my eggnog is not frothy, but it is delicious! Save the egg whites for an egg white omelet instead to eat for breakfast to make up for this awesome, but unhealthy drink. Yes, you can probably add more nutmeg to make it shine through a little more than it does, but you can add to your own taste. To confirm- the “custard base” is amazing. Easy to double the recipe for the custard base (and I do each time).
okay I have neve been lead astray by chef john before so I’m assuming this one was my fault, but it just tasted so eggy. I really didnt get much flavor other than egg and nutmeg. It might not have been chilled enough, but still seems like there was probably another issue. please help.
Delicious, but I would double the nutmeg the recipe calls for. You can barely taste the nutmeg.
I found my new eggnog recipe. I did add more liquor than the recipe called for, but the nutmeg hid the whiskey taste well. I have made this recipe a few more times and Left out the beaten egg whites. My family are not big on the foam
I forgot to add that we left out the alcohol since we’re not used to that in our eggnog anyway, and used about 1/2 tsp. rum flavoring which was perfect.
I forgot to add that we left out the alcohol since we’re not used to that in our eggnog anyway, and used about 1/2 tsp. rum flavoring which was perfect.
very good and very easy to make. The kids love it and tastes sooo good. I made a batch with bourbon and with out. It was good either way.
Perfect, classic eggnog. Everything eggnog should be.
I tried a number of different eggnog recipes a few years ago, and this was hands down our favorite. We adore it! Thank you so much.
The BEST EVER! I don’t really like eggnog (or thought i didn’t) and this is awesome. Yummmmmm
I have never been fond of eggnog, nor yet made it from scratch, but I had watched CJ’s video of the recipe on YouTube in the cooking video binge leading up to Thanksgiving, had time while I was waiting for the last thing to bake Wednesday night, and all the ingredients. It is amazing. Fairly simple, rich, delicious, and a far nicer texture than the store bought stuff (ymmv, ofc). Splashed up with a generous measure of good whiskey, and some fresh nutmeg it is divine.
This is great. Make sure you wait until it is properly chilled before sampling. It is amazing the taste difference once chilled. One real plus for me is that it makes just the right amount.
It was like flavored milk. Lacked consistency. Added commercial eggnog and was much better. Of course more booze.