Homemade Eggnog For One

You won't believe how easy and delicious homemade eggnog is! If you're a fan of eggnog, you will love this wonderful eggnog recipe! It's rich, creamy, and so much better than store-bought versions. 

It's eggnog season and I couldn't resist creating a single serving version of the eggnog recipe I use for parties. This homemade "eggnog for one" can be made quickly and tastes so much better than any store-bought version.

Eggnog is usually served after Thanksgiving in the United States and is often served up until New Year's Day. It is sometimes referred to as milk punch and is made with eggs, milk, cream, and spices.

You can enjoy eggnog in the morning or add a splash of rum, brandy, or whisky for a bedtime treat.

Why This Recipe Works

• This is a traditional eggnog recipe: This wonderful milk based, nutmeg infused drink is synonymous with Christmas. To me, drinking eggnog is as traditional as building gingerbread houses and decorating our tree.

• It's rich, creamy, and delicious: Most people either love eggnog or they loathe it. To be honest, I'm not a fan of of the eggnog you find at the grocery. Those sugary concoctions are extremely thick and they usually have a spice flavor that tends to be overpowering. Homemade eggnog is different. The recipe I'm sharing today is the very best eggnog recipe. It's so easy to make. Plus, our version doesn't have all the fillers found in store brands.

• Single serving eggnog recipe: This small batch of eggnog yields the perfect amount for one person. If you'd like make more, just double the ingredients in the recipe.

• Enjoy it spiked or without alcohol: Add whiskey, bourbon, rum, brandy or a combination of them all. If you like to make an alcohol-free eggnog, go right ahead. Eggnog is absolutely delicious with or without alcohol.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.

• Milk: Use whole, skim, 1% or 2% milk. Keep in mind that the higher the milkfat, the richer the eggnog will be.
• Heavy cream: Makes the eggnog extra-creamy.
• Egg yolk: It's called eggnog because, traditionally, it contains eggs. In the case of this single eggnog recipe, we only use one egg yolk. See below for ways to use the leftover egg white.
• Sugar: You can reduce the sugar slightly or use maple syrup instead.
• Spices: We use ground nutmeg. You can use more of less of this ingredient, as desired to achieve the perfect taste. You can also add in a pinch of cinnamon, if desired.
• Vanilla extract: For wonderful flavor.
• Rum, whiskey, or bourbon (optional): Choose your favorite! Any of these are great. You can mix a little of them together or stick to a single one.
• Whipped cream (optional)

How To Make This Recipe

See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

1. Combine the milk and the cream in a 1-quart saucepan on medium heat.

2. While the milk and cream are heating, combine the egg yolk, sugar, and nutmeg in a small bowl.

3. When the milk mixture begins to simmer, remove from the heat and whisk 1 tablespoon of the milk mixture into the egg/sugar mixture. Continue to add and whisk 1 tablespoon at a time of the milk mixture to the egg mixture until you have added about half of the milk mixture to the egg.

What you are doing here is tempering the egg. If you add the egg into the milk/cream mixture right away, the egg will cook and we don't want curdles in the eggnog. By tempering, you are slowly heating the egg to match the temperature of the milk.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan.

5. Return the pan back to the stove and reduce the heat to low. Stir or whisk constantly for about 10 minutes or until the mixture reaches the temperature of 160 degrees F on a candy thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, cook the eggnog until it begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of a spoon.

Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle.

6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

7. Pour into a mug, add whisky, rum, bourbon, or brandy to taste, if desired. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Expert Tips

• If you'd like to make a richer eggnog, feel free to play around with the proportions of milk and cream, keeping 1 cup total of dairy used. More cream will make your eggnog thicker and creamier. Adding alcohol will also continue to thicken the eggnog in the fridge as it ages.
• This recipe can easily be doubled.

Frequently Asked Questions

RELATED: Cooking For One: Tips To Eat Healthy and Save Money

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this easy eggnog recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

• Milk: Strawberry Milkshake, Mini Spice Cake, Panna Cotta, Hot Chocolate
• Heavy cream: Pizza Crustless Quiche, Banana Cream Pie, Two Ingredient Chocolate Mousse, Clotted Cream
• Egg white: 2 Chocolate Cupcakes, 2 Vanilla Cupcakes, Meringues, Mini Texas Sheet Cake
• Sugar: Peanut Butter Cookies, Cranberry Jam, Mini Pound Cake, Mini Dutch Apple Pie
• Nutmeg: Apple Butter, Apple Galette, Alfredo Sauce, Quiche Lorraine
• Vanilla: Chocolate Chip Muffin, Vanilla Ice Cream, Honey Lemon Custard, Shortbread Cookies
• Bourbon or rum: Tiramisu, Mint Julep

I use a 1-quart saucepan in this eggnog for one recipe. For best results, use a pot of similar size.

If you would like additional information about the cooking and baking dishes I use, please visit our FAQ page.

For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.

RELATED: How To Cook Large Meals In A Small Slow Cooker

If you’ve tried this small batch eggnog recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

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