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Even if youโre not hosting a party, you can still have two mugs of eggnog on the couch! This Small Batch Eggnog is fully cooked to avoid any raw eggs, unless you want to stir in the beaten egg whites at the endโyour choice! It tastes like melted eggnog ice cream, and I know youโre going to love it this holiday season.
You might assume that my brain instantly scales down everything to serve two. However, there are certain things I would never scale down. Like: chicken soup, chai flavored anything (except these pumpkinย cupcakes), and most cocktail recipes.
However, all eggnog recipes serve a crowd, requiring you to host a party to enjoy it. I want to make you a small batch of eggnog that you could whip up just as easily as hot chocolate. Eggnog should not be out of reach for couch sitting and Christmas movie binging!
This small batch eggnog is quick, easy, and appropriately portioned for a household not currently hosting a party. I love the way it tastes just like melted ice cream.
Important Tips:
When I make eggnog, I go the cooked route. So, this version is cooked all the way to a safe temperature. This avoids any potential food born illness from raw eggs. Also, it also thickens the eggnog instantly. If you want to be traditional, you can fold in the (raw) beaten egg whites before serving, but itโs entirely up to you. See the photos below for reference.
Ingredients
- Eggs. Of course we need eggs for eggnog; you knew this, right? Two large eggs, which we will separate and have the egg yolks and egg whites separate.
- Sugar. Itโs just 3 tablespoons of white granulated sugar to sweeten two mugs of eggnog.
- Whole Milk. One cup of whole milk.
- Heavy Cream. You need either 1/2 or 3/4 cup of heavy cream, depending on your plan for the egg whites. If folding the leftover egg whites into the final mixture, use 1/2 cup of cream. If not, use 3/4 cup of cream.
- Nutmeg. This is the essential flavor of small batch eggnog, and I implore you to use a whole nutmeg berry that you grate fresh on a microplane because it creates the best flavor.
- Bourbon. Adding alcohol to this small batch of eggnog is entirely optional, but itโs also very traditional. We add one shot of Bourbon whiskey to each mug just before serving, but you do you.
How to Make Small Batch Eggnog
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks only with the granulated sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow and triples in size. I do this by hand with a big balloon whisk, and it takes about 1 minute.
Meanwhile, in a 1-quart saucepan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup (or 3/4 cup of creamโsee note) and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat.
Very, very slowly stream the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking continuously. Go slowly to avoid cooking the eggs. You can strain the mixture afterwards if youโre worried about lumps.
Next, pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan, and place over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, heat the mixture to 160-degrees F. Finally, itโs optional to beat the leftover egg whites until fluffy and stir them in. Itโs your choice entirely.
Just before serving, we add one shot of Bourbon whiskey, but you can use Brandy or rum!
Make Ahead/ Storage
You can make this cooked eggnog and store it in the fridge to reheat 1-2 days later. However, do not add the alcohol to it or it might curdle. And do not do this if youโre folding in the raw egg whites either. Only the fully cooked portion of this eggnog can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for 1-2 days. Any egg whites or alcohol must be added fresh, just before serving.
If you love the flavors of eggnog, donโt miss my eggnog bread pudding!
Small Batch Eggnog
This classic eggnog is so simple and easy to make, plus it's fully cooked!
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 to 3/4 cups cream* (see notes below)
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 shots Bourbon whiskey (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and tripled in size. I do this by hand with a big balloon whisk, and it takes about 1 minute. Whip vigorously.
- Meanwhile, in a 1-quart saucepan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup of cream and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg to boiling. Remove from the heat.
- Very slowly stream the milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking continuously. Go slowly to avoid cooking the eggs.
- Next, pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan, and place over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, heat the mixture to 160-degrees F.
- Optional: If you want to be traditional and fold egg whites into your egg nog, go ahead and whip the two remaining egg whites to stiff peaks. When the egg nog reaches 160-degrees, remove it from the heat and gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
- Chill the mixture thoroughly if you want to serve it cold. Before serving, divide it between two mugs, add Bourbon to taste, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.
Notes
*If folding the leftover egg whites into the mixture, use 1/2 cup of cream. If not, use 3/4 cup of cream.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 472Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 249mgSodium: 136mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 0gSugar: 26gProtein: 11g
This was AWESOME!!! I am th eonly one in my family that likes egg nog โ and I simply LOVE it. But it has never made sense to make any as the recipes are all for large quantities. THANK U SO MCH! I made this โ loved it โ drank all of it โ and will be making more for myself again this weekend. Love your site and every time I try a recipe, it is a household keeper. Thrilled to be following you!
That is SO great to hear, Sherri! That is exactly why I do this :) <3
I have to admit Iโm not a huge fan of eggnog but wanted a smaller quantity than a quart. I just finished making it and licked the spoon to get an idea of how it will tasteโit is really, really good! Canโt wait to have one mug with Christmas morning breakfast and another with a shot of bourbon.
Oh thank you for posting a small batch recipe. My mother was stressed and wanted โegg nog now!โ. this was perfect for her with a dash of spiced rum. :)
Yay!
Iโm trying this recipe but the eggnog curdled before reaching 160 degrees. I tried this recipe several times and always ends up curdling when itโs not even boiling. Why? What am I doing wrong?
What kind of pan are you using? Is it very thin?
Just made this for the first time and it turned out wonderfully! Iโm the only one who likes eggnog, so the amount is perfect :) I saved half for later in the fridgeโฆwondering how the folded in egg whites will hold once it cools. Delicious. Thank you for this recipe!
This is perfect! If you want a welcome cinammony twist use Rum Chattanooga!
I donโt drink egg nog but my son loves it. Since Christmas is over and egg nog is no longer available I thought I would make him some to try. He loved it . He kept saying it over and over again. I found the recipe easy to make so that was just an extra bonus. Thanks for a great recipe.
Perfect. I halved the recipe and it came out great. I wanted it for an iced shaken espresso and it did not disappoint. Will make again before the year is over! Thank you โบ๏ธ
Perfect!! Since Horizon stopped making its organic eggnog I have been searching (and searching) for something that tastes as good. Found it! A little more work than buying eggnog at the store, but SO much better tasting [and no guar gum or carregenean (sic)]. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I donโt use the bourbon since I donโt like the taste of most liquors and I think next time I might use a little more milk and a little less cream but your recipes are totally worth a little tinkering.
This sounds delicious and will be very nice for the hubs and me because egg nog should really be a rare treat, so we donโt need a quart of the stuff! One funny thing, though, when I read this: โNutmeg. This is the essential flavor of small batch eggnog, and I implore you to use a whole nutmeg berry that you grate fresh on a microplane because it creates the best flavor.โ I thought, โwow, thatโs a lot of nutmeg!โ (a whole berry!). Anyway, it made more sense when I read it again. I really appreciate the โfor twoโ recipes you develop; it makes life a little sweeter for both of us!