This easy recipe for Vegan Turmeric Eggnog reinvents a holiday classic with functional healthy ingredients and a special anti-inflammatory spice twist.
One of my all time favorite holiday treats is eggnog. I absolutely adore it and have been known to drink entirely too much in one sitting. It's that rich creamy thing, gets me every time! (Don't ever leave me alone with a cheese tray). I only drink the non-alcoholic eggnog, adding booze to it totally ruins the creamy goodness that I crave. Also, I save my alcohol consumption for red wine, almost exclusively 😉
Eggnog has been a holiday treat since I can remember. Growing up our holiday eggnog was purchased from a local farm in northeastern Pennsylvania, it was the perfect blend of spice and sweet cream and I remember the feeling of pure excitement when that small eggnog jug would first appear in our refrigerator around mid-December. I have not had a better eggnog in my life. Sadly, due to some kind of law about cows and farms and who-knows-what, the farm is no longer allowed to use their own milk, from their own cows. Cows who used to happily graze in the farm fields and munch on sweet northeastern Pennsylvania grass. Ugh, farm bureaucracy is the worst! The farm still makes eggnog, but they use conventional milk from big farms and it is nowhere near as good. That divine eggnog is now a mere memory.
On my eternal eggnog quest to quench the craving of that farm fresh eggnog from childhood I set out to create my own this year, but I wanted to play around and see if I could make a non-dairy version. For someone that consumes very little dairy, chugging back a gallon of eggnog is not a good idea. I know this from experience. I am not a fan of the non-dairy eggnogs in the market, they are a good attempt, but I find them all way too sweet and not quite creamy enough.
Vegan turmeric eggnog was born and OMG I am hooked! It is a different thing than what I grew up with, I found that coconut milk gave me the creaminess that I craved, but it also produced a unique eggnog flavor. As I was playing around with spices I loved the idea of adding turmeric, it has a similar warming quality to nutmeg and cinnamon but adds an incredible dose of functional power. I steamed some almond milk to add a little dollop of almond milk froth on top (side note: I am in LOVE with my Nespresso milk frother) and of course grated fresh nutmeg on top for the ultimate eggnog-y cheer.
I have been curled up on my sofa with a mug of vegan turmeric eggnog staring at my (WAY TOO BIG) Christmas tree, Christmas movies on repeat, and a Christmas dog snuggled up with me for days now. It is my favorite part of the season, twinkly lights, warm eggnog, cheesy Christmas movies, and a snuggle bug doggie.
N0w if I could put down this eggnog and wrap some presents I will totally be winning at this season. Maybe tomorrow.
Thanks for reading Abra's Kitchen! To see what goodness I'm whipping up be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. If you make this recipe tag #abraskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation 🙂
Vegan Turmeric Eggnog
Ingredients
- 1 can light coconut milk (13.5 ounces/398ml)
- 1.5 cups water
- 3 pitted dates
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Optional
- additional 1tbsp maple syrup or honey if you like it sweeter
- fresh nutmeg for garnish
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes, until well incorporated and hot. If you don't have a blender that will heat your beverage after blending warm on stovetop in a small pot over medium heat.
- Garnish with fresh nutmeg. I also garnished with a dollop of almond milk foam.
Notes
- You can easily sub any kind of milk for the coconut milk
- If you don't have a high-speed blender that will heat your eggnog, after blending heat lightly in a saucepan on the stove
