Vegan Eggnog (Egg-Free, Dairy-Free)

• Perfect festive drink

• Creamy, naturally sweet and gently spiced with all the flavours of Christmas

• Healthy alternative to traditional eggnog

• You can have it as a mocktail or a cocktail

• Super easy to make

• All you need is immersion (stick) blender

• It can be made in advance and chilled until needed

• Loved by kids and adults alike

• Egg & dairy-free and easily made nut-free

• Gluten-Free

Almond Milk - I like to use it for its natural creaminess, especially as we are not using any other nuts here (most other vegan eggnog recipes tend to use cashews). However, if you need to make it nut-free feel free to substitute it with any other plant milk of your choice.

Ripe Banana - As you can imagine, it is the source of natural sweetness as well as extra creaminess. I would say the riper the better.

If you don't like bananas, you can leave it out but you will need some extra maple syrup or some dried dates to make up the sweetness eggnog is known for. Also, your eggnog won't be as creamy.

To remedy that, you might want to add some cream from the can of coconut milk (the solid bit that sits on top). Couple of chunks of that would be a good substitution.

Tahini - Subtle flavour and again extra creaminess. I adore tahini and think it works really well here. It's subtler in flavour than nut butters yet as lovely and nutritious. You could substitute it with your favourite nut butter instead.

Shelled Hemp Seeds - These are just gorgeous, super nutritious and subtly sweet and creamy. You could leave them out but in my opinion they really make this drink.

Vanilla Extract - A must for that hint of vanilla.

Spices (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mixed Spice) - The flavour of Christmas right here!

Maple Syrup - Sweetener. I prefer using liquid sweetener instead of dried dates for the smoothest possible result (especially if all you're using is a stick blender). You could, however, use dates instead of maple syrup with high speed blender. You could also substitute it with agave nectar or date syrup.

Great thing about my vegan eggnog is that you don't really need high speed blender to make it as there is nothing that would require super powerful motor.

You can easily make it by blending everything with cheap and cheerful immersion (stick) blender.

I have used my Ninja Foodi Power Nutri Blender (not sponsored I just love it) but only because I've got one (not essential here).

I would highly recommend it if you are on the market for small yet powerful machine for blending and pureeing all sort of things (including nuts).

I got mine few months back and use it almost every day for everything from smoothies to pesto, dressings, hummus etc.

I love the fact that it's nice and compact yet super powerful at the same time. It's also nice and easy to clean which is a huge thing for me.

Anyway, back to our vegan eggnog now!

• For best results, I would highly recommend sticking to the recipe without any substitutions.

• Try adding frozen banana instead of fresh one for instant chilled version of eggnog or simply prepare it in advance and chill in the fridge until you're ready to serve it.

• Vegan eggnog is delicious both warm or cold.

• If serving it as a cocktail, make sure to warm it up gently before adding the alcohol.

• When heating it up, don't make it too hot! Slightly warm eggnog is the best!

• Make sure to adjust the amount of maple syrup or other sweetener according to your preference. If using really ripe banana I would start without any sweetener at all, blend, taste and then sweeten accordingly.

Vegan eggnog will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If it separates a bit, simply give it a good stir and it will be as good as when you made it.

I wouldn't recommend freezing it.

Vegan eggnog is perfect served as is, either gently warmed up or cold and perhaps with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon or spice of your choice and a cinnamon stick on top of the glass for effect.

As such it is perfect for anyone including kids especially if you top it with coconut whipped cream!

If you'd like to serve it as a cocktail, feel free to add shot of your favourite whiskey, rum or brandy.

In case you're not aware vegan eggnog goes really well with a mince pie or two!

Put all ingredients (with the exception of maple syrup) to a blender and blend until smooth and frothy.

If using immersion (stick) blender, put all ingredients in a tall jug and blend accordingly.

Taste and sweeten with maple syrup (1 tablespoon at a time) giving the eggnog quick blend to incorporate. Repeat until you're happy with the sweetness of your drink.

Heat it up gently on the hob/stove if desired or serve cold.

Pour into glasses, add alcohol of your choice if desired or serve as a mocktail.

Garnish with extra sprinkle of ground cinnamon, nutmeg or mixed spice. 

Serve and enjoy!