Growing up, I never liked eggnog. My family would see cartons of eggnog take over entire refrigerators at the grocery stores, and other families filling their shopping carts with several cartons of this seasonal product. But every time we followed suit, we’d end up scrunching up our noses in disgust and I’d be left with the task of utilizing the remaining 7/8th of the carton.
But then vegan nog came and changed my world. For the better.
Bless the friend that brought two bottles of almond nog to the student council holiday potluck. Chew and I each took a sip and our eyes lit up in unison to signal “OMG, this is incredible!” to each other. We both never liked eggnog but loved the almond nog.
Potlucks with our faculty are always exciting. We are made up of a bunch of health- and environmentally-conscious beings so there are always plenty of vegan food to go around. Since it was our last meeting before Christmas, we did a White Elephant gift exchange with the thirty people in attendance. It was all polite and composed until we got to number 27, which was me. Up until my turn, laughter only erupted when Chew’s DIY gift was torn open: a punny spice jar with another council executive’s face plastered all over it. Quite the sight. The entire game was spent trying to convince the person whose face was used to ‘steal’ the spice jar. There was minimal stealing before I came along and shamelessly stole a box of chocolate (of course the food). For the next 3 rounds, the chain of stealing went on and on until certain gift’s got ‘locked’ and removed from the game. We ended the night with a bang as the last person to go slyly sat herself right next to the gift she intended to steal on her turn, but only revealing her motives when she was called to go. “Do you know why I am here?” It was worth a round of applause.
Back to the no-egg nog.
As a person who doesn’t enjoy traditional eggnog, I appreciate that the commercial vegan alternatives don’t exactly mimic the eggy OG. Instead, the mixture of spices are what make this drink taste like the holidays. BUT (there’s always a but) I cannot stand how sweet the commercial vegan ones are! Like I sipped a tablespoon and was like WHOAWHOA. This is coming from a person who has a very high sugar tolerance; throwback to that chocolate cave buffet I conquered last Valentine’s Day.
When none of the store-bought options fulfill your needs, it’s time to make your own! And it couldn’t be easier or more natural. It’s a very customizable recipe. Prefer it sweeter? Add some stevia. Love nutmeg? Use more! Like your nog thick? Use more chia seeds. Want a smooth white appearance? Try white chia seeds.
Unlike the sugar-laden vegan nogs from the store, this one is a healthy version you can drink with your breakfast without having a blood sugar crash within an hour. Cheers to a delicious Christmas!
- 2 to 3 tsp ground chia seeds*, depending on how thick you like your nog
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (only fresh will do!)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- A small pinch of salt
- 3 soft Medjool dates**, pitted
- 1⅔ cup unsweetened almond milk, divided
- In a blender, blend the ground chia seeds, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, dates, and ⅔ cup of almond milk until dates are broken down into the smallest bits possible; this will depend on the strength of your blender.
- Add the remaining almond milk and blend until smooth.
- Optional step 1: Pour nog through a fine sieve to get rid of any lumps. If you do this step however, some of the nutmeg bits may be removed from the final drink.
- Optional step 2: If you like your nog hot, transfer mixture into a small saucepan and warm on a stove top over medium heat.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you choose to let the nog sit in the fridge, you may want to shake the nog before serving.
**If your dates are not soft and gooey, soak them in hot water for 3 to 5 minutes to soften. Drain before using in the recipe.
I love your photos in this post! That nog looks so warm and comforting 🙂
Thank you for your kind comment Shareba!