Eggnog Ice Cream – About as easy (and delicious) as it gets!
I’ve never met a doughy spatula, messy mixing bowl or sauce-covered whisk I didn’t like. My insistence on quality control requires sampling the seasoning, monitoring the mix and rating the ratatouille. I’m drawn to butter batter like sprinkles to a Christmas cookie.
So it came as no surprise after sampling my first sip of eggnog for the year that I had a delicious epiphany. The flavor, consistency and color of eggnog are spot-on with the same characteristics of ice cream custard. Taste buds never lie, and the culinary distance from a cup of Creme Anglaise to a sup of the old ‘nog is a short one.
Because gadgets are my friends, I wondered what would happen if I poured eggnog straight out of the carton into my ice cream maker (a revered gadget deluxe). The answer was simple and quick: delicious eggnog ice cream in about 20 minutes.
While many holiday recipes are often as complex as the blueprints to Chartres Cathedral, this is not one of them. It’s as delicious as it is easy.
RECIPE: World’s Easiest Eggnog Ice Cream
Ingredients
- Quart of eggnog
- 1 T of bourbon or brandy or rum (optional, though recommended)
Equipment: Counter-top ice cream maker
- Forget all other ice cream makers; this small convenient version (in the link above) sports an insert you place in the freezer and remove when it’s ice-cream-making time. While everyone loves the idea of a hand-crank model, this one doesn’t require ice cubes, rock salt or convincing kids that it’s a fun activity.
Preparation (pour, turn on and eat)
- Remove ice-cream-making insert from freezer
- Place on machine, add paddle insert
- Pour in eggnog, leave 2 inches from the top for expansion
- Add 1 T of preferred libation (the alcohol adds a smoothness to the ice cream)
- Add clear cover, turn on machine
- Ice cream is ready when the eggnog is rich, thick and creamy (about 15-20 minutes)
I challenge you to find an easier and more delicious ice cream recipe. Enjoy!
Now THIS is a great recipe 🙂
You’ve made my day, Tom! This looks delicious, and your presentation beautiful. I worry about having an ice cream maker in my kitchen–lack and will power and all–but I might have to look into this one. Meanwhile, sipping the nog works, too!
Got to try this!
WOW…and I don’t even like eggnog (too much)
thanks for sharing
Copious amounts of salivation happening here. I’ll be making this PDQ except I’ll have to use rock salt and an old ice cream maker that sounds like a 747. If I double the booze will it make it less painful?
Yes, June — double the booze the rumblings will be more like mechanical melodies, if not at least the ice cream will come out of the freezer with a soft-serve consistency.
i agree with you this seems very easy !!
and yes that’s ruight the Chartres cathedral is a beauty !!
cheers de paris
pierre
Darn it, now I’m going to have to make this. This just proves that ice cream is a seasonless food.
Err, perhaps I should have said ‘an any-weather food’ because eggnog certainly has plenty of seasoning…
What a wonderful, easy idea! This brings back memories of a cooking class I took years ago at the Ecole Escoffier Ritz. The chef made a little dense chocolate cake for dessert and poured a bottle of spring wine — nothing more, into an ice cream maker. Voilà, that was it; an easy and tasty sorbet.
You’re killing me! Looks too good not to make. I’m going to try it in the Cuisinart soft serve maker we got last year.. will let you know results
Oh, that’s what I need this holiday season, an easy, sinful, artery-hardening dessert. I knew something was missing 😛 Yikes though, sounds scrumptious…I think I’ll make mine with bourbon!
Waw!! Your easy to make eggnogg ice cream looks lucious!
Tom, I forwarded this recipe to my daughter in law, Courtney Jones House, small world, she says hi! Worked with you at Expedia, now she’s a manager with Sales Force. States you are just the nicest guy ever!
Small world indeed Sandi, what a hoot! Give my best to Courtney too and a big hug for those kind words. Glad to hear she’s doing well!
This looks really good, but I don’t have any Bourbon on hand. Do think I can substitute something, so it’s not to thick?
Hi Nicole, sure you can add vanilla extract or anything with a little alcohol in it as the alcohol lowers the freezing temp. and makes it a little creamier. I bet you could even try a mild vinegar like Sherry vinegar, or even some port or white white.
You should get a cut off the sales from ice cream makers! (gg) I read your post and proceeded to buy one for my girls, they LOVE ice cream and I can’t wait to give this a try after Christmas! (It’s a gift for them… they will adore it!)
Thanks for such a great motivator to give this a try! Love your blog!
Made this ice cream yesterday in my 747 and took it to a pot luck party. It is incredibly delicious! Thanks to your inspiration, there’s a Cuisinart ice cream maker on the way as we “speak”.
Ah June, that warms my heart, knowing I was partly responsible for you getting a new kitchen gadget. And oooo-wee can that thing makes amazing sorbet as well! Merry Merry!
this works great with Lactaid Eggnog too!!!
This looks so yummy!!!!
I was asking myself the same thing today and I’m glad you could answer that question positively :3 My nogcream is now in the freezer waiting for me.
I actually had this very same idea. My girl bought me an ice cream maker as a gift, and upon looking over various ice cream recipes it occurred to me that many of them involved making a creamy base that pretty much sounded like egg nog (minus spices). So I grabbed a carton of egg nog, poured it into my ice cream maker to see what would happen, and found out what you found out — it works. So I had to Google it to see if anyone else had this idea, and found this site.
Just need some flat, soft gingerbread cookies to use as the “bread” in an eggnog ice cream sandwich. Make a bunch of those, stash ’em in the freezer, and save them for the off-season (so I can enjoy Christmas in my mouth even in spring or summer).
Ah you brilliant man, I like the gingerbread idea a lot. Here’s to ice cream everyday.
Hey Tom – making your Eggnog Ice Cream to go after some Beef Pot Pies for dinner tonight. Wish you were here!
Yum, plus a nice shortbread cookie, perfect.
I made your recipe last year using regular eggnog and I couldn’t stop eating it…..YUMMY This year I tried it with pumpkin eggnog and used rum instead of brandy…..I turned out fabulous. I love eggnog and pumpkin and this combined the two. I love my Cuisinart ice cream maker…I leave the bowl in the freezer at all times so I can just make some ice cream when I feel like it..
thanks for this fabulous EASY recipe…..
Thanks Peggi! I’d make some myself but a friend borrowed my ice cream machine around Thanksgiving and seems to need a reminder it’s eggnog ice cream season at my house.
Loved the concept – simple recipe. Bought a half-gallon of eggnog and followed your recipe. For me, the ice cream had an ice milk consistency and taste. As I still had a quart left, I tried again. This time I used 2 cups of eggnog and added 2 cups of cream, 1 T bourbon, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg – perfect. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Nice culinary detective work, Maryanna. I’ve found the quality and texture does depend on the brand of eggnog I’m using, so you are absolutely right. I think your conjuring of a better eggnog ice cream is brilliant. I will try your recipe very shortly, that is once my forgetful friend brings back my ice cream maker she borrowed at Thanksgiving. I believe a reminder is in order. Cheers!
IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ICE CREAM MAKER …OR just want a product closer to premium ice cream……………….3 cups prepared Eggnog (commercial or homemade COOKED custard based eggnog no egg whites.) 1 cup heavy cream..tblspoon corn syrup (will keep ice crystals small) 3 tblspoon bourbon (will also keep mixture from freezing so solid you can not get it out of container. HERE IS THE NEW TRICK….as my ice cream maker (cuisinart) does not get enough air into the mixture put your mixture into the bowl of your kitchen aid with whisk attachment and beat 3 to 5 minutes or until it resembles a chiffon (or melted ice cream…light and airy…) Put in air tight container and freeze… you will have a perfect hard eggnog ice cream…with a scoopable texture due to the bourbon and air you have beaten into the mixture.
Can also beat the air into mixture and put it in ice cream maker if you want to speed the process along.
Thanks Chipg, sounds pretty darn delicious!
Here is another egg nog trick. French toast! Use challah bread and regular egg nog. Soak the breadslices thoroughly with egg nog and sautée in a frying pan or on a griddle. Great with real maple syrup. So easy. I wish I could take credit for this but the recipe is from the first Silver Palate cookbook
I will be trying the ice cream tomorrow for Christmas dinner. Can’t wait!
I’ve done this before with grocery store eggnog. And I have a similar, perhaps exact, model freezer as pictured. But I have found that I need to have the mixer running first, empty, and then pour the mixture in. If I pour the mixture in first then try to start the motor, the mixture immediately next to the chamber wall freezes and prevent the mechanism from turning properly. Second try months later with pouring in the hole after motor turned on worked perfectly.
Thanks Ted, that is a really good tip. I did have some freezing up like you mentioned, so I’ll have to add your tip of pouring in while running to the recipe. Thanks! Tom