Homemade Eggnog is so incredibly easy to make and the flavor is AMAZING! 

Confession time! I don't really like eggnog. I never have. It's always too thick and just has a weird taste to me. My husband LOVES it and always picks up a container or two around the holidays. 

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This year, I decided to make it in the Ninja Foodi Hot Cold Blender and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is! My recipe is a little thinner (but not much) than most store-bought eggnogs and the flavor is simply amazing. I was such a fan of this homemade eggnog that I decided to do a double batch in the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper and WOW! 

It's super easy and you can make a huge batch by doubling or even tripling the recipe. This is a cooked version of eggnog, so no worries about using raw eggs! 

Do you have to Cook Homemade Eggnog? 

No, you don't have to cook it. You can throw the ingredients in a blender, blend them up and voilà... homemade eggnog. There are a couple of issues with this method that I wanted to quickly address. 

The first issue is the one that I think most people will be asking about. That pesky bacteria called Salmonella. Let me start off by saying, the risk of a store-bought egg carrying the salmonella bacteria is very small. The FDA reports that 1 in every 20,000 eggs is contaminated with salmonella. That is a small percentage, but it won't feel small if you happen to get that 20,000th egg! 

This is why I wanted to only create a recipe for an eggnog that is cooked to ensure safety or at lease take those chances of getting sick from salmonella way down. So, I set out to do some research. How can I cook the egg mixture, kill the salmonella and NOT end up with scrambled eggs! That was the question. 

Turns out, it's pretty easy to do. After reading multiple articles about egg temperatures and killing salmonella, I kept seeing that 150°F/66°C will, in fact, kill 99.99% of salmonella if the egg mixture is held at that temp for 5 minutes. 

You can also buy pasteurized eggs at the grocery stores and, if you are serving homemade eggnog to young children, older adults, or anyone with a weakened immune system, I would probably go this route and buy the eggs pasteurized AND cook the eggnog to 150°F/66°C for at least 5 minutes. 

The other reason I suggested cooking your homemade eggnog is to thicken it. I found that cooking egg mixture for 30 minutes really helped thicken the homemade eggnog to a perfect thickness. 

Can I make Boozy Homemade Eggnog? 

Yes, Yes, Yes! I left this recipe without alcohol for simplicity sake, but you can add any kind or amount of alcohol you want. Some common types of alcohol added are bourbon, brandy, cognac, whiskey, dark rum and I've even seen peppermint schnapps added to some! 

I had a bottle of pecan whiskey and thought I would give that a try. Oh my goodness, it was so good! I really recommend giving that a try if you want to make boozy homemade eggnog! 

The brand I used is Revel Stokes Roasted Pecan Whiskey. I'm not a huge fan of it straight, but mixed in this homemade eggnog it was perfection! I added 1 cup to a batch after the cooking process was complete. 

Another pecan bourbon that I absolutely love and is superb even straight, is William Wolfe Pecan Bourbon. It's a little harder to find and more expensive, but it is the BEST! 

What can I do if my eggs start to cook? 

If you notice that your eggs are starting to cook, remove the inner pot from the Ninja Foodi base and whisk constantly until the temp decreases. You will also want to strain your eggnog before serving to remove any pieces of cooked egg. 

How to make Homemade Eggnog in the Ninja Foodi

It really doesn't get any easier than this. Add your eggs to the inner pot with the sugar & half and half and whisk while heating on low sear/sauté. I used a (affiliate link)Silicone Whisk from Pampered Chef. If you don't have a silicone or nylon whisk that won't scratch the inner pot, simply whip up the eggs before pouring them into the inner pot. 

 

Then you can use a wooden spoon or any other utensil to stir that won't scratch the inner pot. You want to stir frequently to prevent any of the egg mixture from heating up too much on the bottom. This can cause the egg to set and you will end up with lumpy eggnog. Not good. 

Use a reliable thermometer to monitor the temp of the mixture frequently. You want to bring it up to 150°F/66°C, but not go over 160°F/71°C or your eggs could start to set. I recommend staying on low sear/sauté for 20 minutes and then if you still aren't up to the 150°F/66°C, go up on the heat to low-medium, but watch it carefully and stir continuously. The heat will rise very quickly. The thermometer I use is an inexpensive one from ThermoPro. You can find it (affiliate link)HERE. 

Once it reaches 150-155°F/66-68°C, turn the heat back to low and stir. Hold the temp of at least 150°F/66°C for 5 minutes. This will kill 99.99% of any salmonella that might be present. Turn the heat off and add the remaining ingredients. Whisk to combine and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. I have found that the eggnog really thickens up and has more flavor if it sits overnight in the fridge. I chill it right in the inner pot and put this handy (affiliate link)Silicone Lid on it. 

Serve & Enjoy! 

ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG

Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.

Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.

Ninja Foodi 101

Ninja Foodi Fresh & Healthy Meals

Simply Cooking with Louise

Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.

Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.

She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can.

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