Almanzo trudged slowly toward the hayfield with the heavy pail and a dipper. He thought to himself that the pail was too full, he might spill some of the egg-nog… He should do something to save it. So he set down the pail, he dipped the dipper full, and he drank. The cold egg-nog slid smoothly down his throat, and it made him cool inside… Father always maintained that a man would do more work in his twelve hours, if he had a rest and all the egg-nog he could drink, morning and afternoon.
—Farmer Boy
It is believed that eggnog developed from a drink in the Middle Ages and became popular in America in the late 1700s. Today, we can find the drink conveniently stocked in our supermarkets in cartons and in bottles fresh from the local dairy.
But when it is such an easy recipe, why not try making old-fashioned eggnog right in your own kitchen? Whip up a warm batch and open your favorite Little House on the Prairie book or tune in for your favorite “Little House on the Prairie” television episode.
Eggnog Recipe Ingredients
- 6 Eggs, separated
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 1 quart Whole Milk
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
How to Make Homemade Eggnog
To whip the egg whites you can use a mixer or whip by hand with a wire whisk. To use a whisk, make sure you first start with a clean bowl. Any grease in your bowl will keep the egg whites from thickening up correctly. Also, letting the egg whites reach room temperature will help in the whisking process.
For added flavor, you can add one teaspoon of vanilla or rum extract after adding the heavy cream to the egg yolk mixture.
Step One
Separate eggs carefully and put egg yolks and egg whites into two separate mixing bowls.
Step Two
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together with a whisk well until fluffy.
Step Three
Add the milk and then the cream to the egg yolk mixture (not the egg whites). Mix in any additional extracts and then set the bowl in the refrigerator to chill.
Step Four
Use your mixer or a whisk to beat the egg whites into soft peaks. Try to ensure that you do not overwhip the egg whites. They will still be usable but will not incorporate as nicely with the rest.
Step Five
Pour your egg yolk and milk mixture into your serving bowl. Carefully add the whipped egg whites to the top and then fold in.
Step Six
Spoon into individual mugs carefully. Sprinkle nutmeg on the top and serve. Enjoy!
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Printable Recipe
Eggnog Recipe Ingredients
- 6 Eggs, separated
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 1 quart Whole Milk
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
How to Make Homemade Eggnog
To whip the egg whites you can use a mixer or whip by hand with a wire whisk. To use a whisk, make sure you first start with a clean bowl. Any grease in your bowl will keep the egg whites from thickening up correctly. Also, letting the egg whites reach room temperature will help in the whisking process.
For added flavor, you can add one teaspoon of vanilla or rum extract after adding the heavy cream to the egg yolk mixture.
Step One
Separate eggs carefully and put egg yolks and egg whites into two separate mixing bowls.
Step Two
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together with a whisk well until fluffy.
Step Three
Add the milk and then the cream to the egg yolk mixture (not the egg whites). Mix in any additional extracts and then set the bowl in the refrigerator to chill.
Step Four
Use your mixer or a whisk to beat the egg whites into soft peaks. Try to ensure that you do not overwhip the egg whites. They will still be usable but will not incorporate as nicely with the rest.
Step Five
Pour your egg yolk and milk mixture into your serving bowl. Carefully add the whipped egg whites to the top and then fold in.
Step Six
Spoon into individual mugs carefully. Sprinkle nutmeg on the top and serve. Enjoy!
Writer of the food blog, Natural Chow, Margaret Anne is a green-thumbed Christian striving to live a healthy lifestyle and teach others about eating and living naturally. She understands the importance of inexpensive meals, family time, health, having fun, and making foods that are good for your body. See her contributions to Little House on the Prairie below.
How long should the milk and egg yolk mixture sit in the refrigerator? Thank you!
Can you use non-dairy milk?
Wow! Wonderful source to dig deeper into the Little House on the Prairie book set. Margaret really enhances the creativity and uniqueness that is easily forgotten and dedicated much of her time to an amazing resource for people like me. I have made the eggnog, and my mom who is into healthy food is NOT a fan of store-bought eggnog LOVED it, along with the rest of my family. We try to go non-dairy when it comes to milk, and we buy Trader Joe’s Oat Eggnog and the Chobani DF one. Those are basically gone and will pretty much never be bought again!!!! Thanks for the new alternative!!! It was a killer at Thanksgiving, and every one of my 15 cousins (yes, 15) LOVED it (not to mention the aunts, uncles, grandparents…)!
Ok, the one tip I have is DEFINITELY make it 1-2 days in advance and DO NOT forget to sprinkle nutmeg on the top to give it the real feel. The reason we make it in advance is because if you have it the day of, it feels “like you are eating partially melted whipped cream” in the words of many relatives. Making it in advance allows time for it to settle and give it the real eggnog flair.
Thanks again, and God bless you!!! I appreciate how you strive to be more like God and follow him, Margaret! Keep following him and stay true to His Word!
Honeybuns favorite his mommy made him all the time! Now it’s up to me to make him happy 😃 with eggnog! He even got chickens for very fresh eggs! Thank y’all for the terrific recipe and the memories of his mommy!
How would one bottle and give as a gift…??
I usually hate eggnog but my brother loves it and we could not find it at the store so I made it and I LOVE IT it’s so good.
Thank you so much for the homemade eggnog recipe!! I grew up watching little house and now we are reading all of the books to our three children which we also homeschool. My question is at the beginning of the article it talks about a warm cup of eggnog but in the recipe it’s not actually cooked correct? So what’s the best way to have it warm? Sorry I’ve never made it homemade and would love to try it. Also is it safe to drink it cold without it being cooked first?
Margaret Anne, thank you for sharing your recipe. We (husband and four (adult now) children have had egg nog during every hay season and summer since they were little. We loved egg nog and when we read about Alonzo, we thought what another fun idea/way for stewardship (always having a milk cow-looking for more things to make with it) and nutrition into our life. But, this year we couldn’t find our simple/old recipe. Since it had become a fun tradition, we were so disappointed, then found yours.
Not only was the recipe and your sharing it appreciated, but also, your brief bio. on you. It’s always a delight and encouragement to see young Christians ‘choosing’ to be a light and by your picture and short Bio. you can tell you are being be-YOU-tiful.
Thank you, littlehouseontheprairie, for keeping an older post.
I have always loved Little House since I was a little girl. I am 56 now and I still love to watch today. But I can’t enjoy eggnog bc I am lactose intolerant. I still enjoy reading your blog and learning new things about health and recipes to try. I love Jesus and I follow Him and His Word the best I can. ♥️
Very interesting. Love the recipe, but mostly love your attitude of healthy lifestyle, Christianity, inexpensive meals, etc.
I am so happy to see a non-boozy egg nog recipe. Thank you! It looks delicious!
Thank you. Im excited to try this.
This is how my mother made egg nog. She was born in 1927. She whipped the egg whites, then folded them in. Most recipes now days dont do this. This is the first recipe Ive seen that does.
“Old-Fashioned” is misleading as eggnog traditionally is very boozy.
“The word nog was an Old English term for ale, and a noggin was the cup from whence it was drunk.
Although most Americans think of eggnog as something they get out of a milk carton during the two-week period leading up to Christmas, eggnog descends from sack posset, a strong, thick English beverage built upon eggs, milk and either a fortified wine (like Madeira) or ale.”
I was able to easily get to the related post when I clicked the link. Were you not able to see the new recipe when you clicked it?
My son said that sounds delicious
I am 56 years old and never knew what eggnog was! Wow!
My mother made homemade eggnog it was delicious! I lost her recipe…thank you for publishing this one! Happy holidays!
I’m so happy to have discovered your beautiful blog – Little House on the Prairie has been one of my favorite books/shows since I was a little girl! 🙂 And eggnog…yum! It’s one of my favorite holiday treats and I don’t make it nearly often enough!