Eggnog has been a part of peoples holiday repertoires for many years. Traditionally it is made very thick with whole eggs, lots of cream, and cups and cup of sugar. This holiday grog nog is a healthier twist on that. It is GF, and 100% plant based.

Sometimes if I don’t have my go to cashew milk, I will to use unsweetened soy milk. Its rich, creamy and has a decent amount of protein per serving. If you have problems with soy I would obviously avoid using it in this recipe.

For the coconut milk you have two options. 1. Shake the can to fully mix the milk before measuring it. 2. To make your nog extra creamy, open an undisturbed can of coconut milk or coconut cream and scoop out the solidified cream on the top of the can. Save any extra canned coconut milk for baking or smoothies.

I prefer to use medjool dates because the are soft, delicious and the are now readily available in most grocery stores. If you are using dates that are dryer in texture, make sure to soak them in warm water prior to blending. This will allow the dates to incorporate better and it will be easier on your blender.

If you don’t have coconut butter feel free to omit it from this recipe. Do not substitute it with coconut oil. It will not mix well in a chilled drink and it will leave an aftertaste.

The 1 tsp of nutmeg sounds like a lot, but trust me, it makes this recipe. If you do however want to use less it is totally up to you. After all, you are the creator of your magical nog, have some fun with it!

The freshly grated nutmeg on top of the nog is one of my absolute favorite parts of this recipe. It just smells and tastes like Christmas! Fresh nutmeg is very affordable and lasts a long time so I like to always have it on hand. Usually storing it in the freezer. However, if you cant locate any fresh, feel free to use the pre ground nutmeg, its still super flavorful!

Last but not least, this recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, and so on. Accommodating your growing crowd of holiday guests has never been easier🥂.

Ingredients:

2 cups of unsweetened homemade nut mylk (recipe below) or store bought

½ cup of coconut milk or coconut cream (preferably from a can)

½ cup cashews soaked (drained)

5-7 pitted medjool dates

1-2 tbsp of coconut butter (optional, but a nice touch)

½-1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg

¼ tsp of cinnamon

Pinch of cloves

¼ tsp of sea salt

½ tsp of ginger powder

Pinch of turmeric powder

Pinch of black pepper

**optional**Your choice of booze at the amount you choose (It’s the holidays, so….no judgment)

Procedure:

Soak cashews in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain cashews (discarding soaking water) and place all ingredients into a blender except for the booze (if using).

Blend until creamy. This takes about 1 minute in my high powered blender. If using a standard blender, blend for at least one and a half minutes. Sometimes the nog will get a bit warm after blending for this long. In this case, if you prefer it cold I would put it in the fridge or freezer to cool it down. You could also just add ice but this will dilute the nog.

If adding festive spirits, stir in after blended.  Pour into mugs of choice and sprinkle with nutmeg. Freshly grated nutmeg is a real treat if you have some!

*Homemade nut mylk:

1 cup of cashews or nuts of choice, soaked for 1 hour in warm water

3-4 cups of filtered water depending on how thick you like your plant milk

Pinch of salt

Pinch of vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Strain cashews or whatever nuts you’re using. Discard soaking water. To a blender add cashews, water, and salt. Blend for about 1 minute or up to 2 minutes if you are using a regular blender. If using cashews you don’t have to strain the mylk. If you used any other kind of nut you will have to strain the mylk. Strain through nut mylk bag, cheesecloth, or a fine strainer. Stir in vanilla and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.