Christmas starts in September in the Philippines. The radio flips over the first day of the -ber months, and even now, living in the US, my brain still reads September as holiday season.
Eggnog doesn't hit store shelves until November. That gap is the whole reason this recipe exists.
Instead of waiting on a carton, I cook the base myself: half-and-half, egg yolks, condensed milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a spoonful of bourbon vanilla bean paste. About ten minutes on the stove, then it goes straight into the Creami pint, freezes for 24 hours, and spins into thick, custardy scoops.
Making the base yourself also means you control it. More nutmeg if you like it forward. Less sugar if store-bought nog has always been too sweet for you. And you can make it in June if you want to.
If you're already stocking up on eggnog this year, my Eggnog Cream Cheese Flan uses the same warm spices in a completely different texture.
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Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Why Make the Eggnog Base From Scratch
- Ingredients
- Substitutions and Add-Ins
- How To Make Eggnog Ice Cream
- Toppings and Mix-ins
- Rose's Top Tips
- Variations
- Storing Eggnog Ice Cream
- Equipment Used
- Recipe FAQs
- More Holiday Ninja Creami Flavors
- Did you try this recipe?
- Ninja Creami Eggnog Ice Cream (From Scratch)
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No carton required. The base is half-and-half, egg yolks, condensed milk, and spices, all things you can buy in June. Store eggnog shows up around November and vanishes in January, which makes it a short window to work with.
- Cooked custard, not a shortcut base. Tempering the yolks gives you real body, so it spins thick and scoopable instead of icy. This is the same reason store eggnog spins well on its own, except here you built the custard yourself.
- You set the spice and the sweetness. Store-bought nog runs sweet and light on nutmeg. Making the base means you can push the nutmeg up or pull the condensed milk back without fighting what's already in the carton.
- Kids can eat it. There's no alcohol in the base. If you want a boozy version, drizzle bourbon over the scoops after spinning so it doesn't interfere with how the pint freezes.
- About 10 minutes of hands-on work. The stove step is short and the freezer does the rest overnight. One spin the next day and it's ready.
Why Make the Eggnog Base From Scratch
Eggnog is a spiced custard drink, and the Creami spins a carton of it beautifully. So why cook one?
Because the carton shows up around November and is gone by January. Cooking the base takes about ten minutes and works in June.
You also get to set the sweetness and the nutmeg level yourself instead of working with whatever the brand decided.
The result is a little richer, too. A cooked custard with yolks spins thicker than a carton does.
Ingredients
- Half-and-half – The base of the custard. It has enough fat to spin smooth but not so much that the pint turns waxy. I don't use heavy cream here. In the Creami it over-churns and goes buttery on the respin.
- Egg yolks – The whole reason this tastes like eggnog and not spiced milk. Yolks are what make it a custard, and they're what give the frozen pint enough body to spin thick instead of icy.
- Sweetened condensed milk – Doubles as the sweetener and the texture insurance. The sugar in it lowers the freezing point just enough that the pint doesn't freeze rock solid, which is what makes it scoopable straight out of the spin.
- Whole nutmeg or ground nutmeg – The signature eggnog spice. Freshly grated is noticeably warmer and less dusty than pre-ground if you have a whole nutmeg sitting in the cabinet.
- Cinnamon – Rounds out the nutmeg so the spice reads as holiday rather than one-note. A stick steeped in the warm base gives a softer flavor than powder, and you strain it out anyway.
- Pinch of salt – Sharpens everything. Without it the custard tastes flat and one-dimensionally sweet.
- Bourbon vanilla bean paste – Deeper and rounder than extract, and the flecks show up in the finished pint. Mine is the Trader Joe's one. Regular vanilla extract works, just use the same amount.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Add-Ins
- Whole milk for half-and-half: Lighter and a little icier. Still works, but you lose some of the custardy body, so expect to respin.
- Coconut condensed milk: Makes the base dairy-free when paired with full-fat coconut milk in place of the half-and-half. The coconut flavor comes through, so it reads as coconut eggnog rather than a straight swap.
- Vanilla extract for bean paste: Same amount, no other adjustment. You just won't get the flecks.
- Skip the egg yolks: Whisk in a teaspoon of cornstarch with the half-and-half instead and cook until it thickens slightly. It won't be a true custard, but it gives the base enough body to spin without going icy.
- One thing I'd skip: heavy cream. It sounds like the obvious upgrade, but in the Creami it over-churns on the respin and the pint turns waxy and butter-like. Half-and-half is the better fat here.
- Protein powder: A scoop of vanilla protein powder works, but add a tablespoon or two of extra half-and-half with it. Protein powder absorbs liquid and can leave the pint dry and crumbly.
How To Make Eggnog Ice Cream
- Combine the half-and-half, condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan. Heat gently until steaming, but do not boil. Temper the egg yolks by whisking the warm mixture into them a ladle at a time, then return everything to the pan and cook to 170°F. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and let it cool completely.
- Pour the mixture into your Ninja Creami pint container and freeze for 24 hours.
- Spin the frozen mixture in the Ninja Creami using the ice cream mode.
- Serve immediately and enjoy your creamy eggnog ice cream!
Toppings and Mix-ins
Add these after the first spin, then run the Mix-In cycle so they distribute without getting pulverized.
- Crushed gingerbread cookies: Crunch plus a second layer of warm spice that echoes the nutmeg.
- Candied pecans: The toasted, buttery edge plays against how sweet the condensed milk makes the base.
- Nutmeg, grated over the top: Costs nothing and makes the spice read stronger than it actually is, since you smell it before you taste it.
- Whipped cream: Softens each bite if you find the custard rich on its own.
- Bourbon, drizzled after spinning: Roughly a teaspoon per serving. Keep it out of the base. Alcohol lowers the freezing point, and enough of it will leave you with soft serve that never firms up.
Rose's Top Tips
- Pull the custard off the heat at 170°F. An instant-read thermometer is worth using here. Below that and the yolks haven't set enough to give you body. Much above it and they start to scramble, which you'll see as tiny curds in the finished pint.
- Temper slowly, one ladle at a time. Pour the warm mixture into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking, not all at once. Dumping hot liquid straight onto cold yolks is how you end up with sweet scrambled eggs.
- Strain the base before it goes in the pint. Even a well-tempered custard picks up a few bits, and a fine mesh strainer catches them in about five seconds. Skip this and you'll feel them later.
- Cool the base completely before freezing. A warm base sends a warm pint into the freezer, which slows everything down and gives you larger ice crystals. I put the covered container in the fridge until it's cold to the touch.
- Freeze the pint level and give it the full 24 hours. A tilted pint freezes with a slanted top and doesn't spin evenly. If the surface has a raised hump when you pull it out, scrape it flat with a spoon before it goes in the machine.
- Run warm water over the outside of the pint for about 30 seconds before spinning. This thaws the very outer layer so the blade can get through it cleanly. It's the difference between one spin and three.
- Skip the heavy cream. It seems like the obvious way to make it richer, but in the Creami it over-churns on the respin and the pint turns waxy. Half-and-half has the right fat level for this machine.
- Keep the bourbon out of the base. Alcohol lowers the freezing point, so enough of it leaves you with a pint that never firms up. Drizzle it over the scoops instead, about a teaspoon per serving.
Variations
- Chocolate Eggnog - Whisk two tablespoons of cocoa powder into the warm base before tempering the yolks. It dissolves cleanly while the mixture is hot and won't clump the way it does in cold liquid.
- Pumpkin Eggnog - Stir in a third of a cup of pumpkin puree with the condensed milk. Purees add water, so cut the half-and-half by about the same amount or the pint freezes harder than you want.
- Cookie Butter Swirl - Warm a few tablespoons of cookie butter until it's pourable, then swirl it in after the first spin and run the Mix-In cycle. Adding it to the base before freezing just disappears into the custard.
- Chai Eggnog - Steep two chai tea bags in the warm half-and-half for five minutes, then pull them out before adding anything else. The spices in chai and the nutmeg in eggnog land in the same family, so it reads as a deeper version rather than a different flavor.
- Dairy-Free Eggnog - Full-fat coconut milk in place of the half-and-half, coconut condensed milk in place of the regular. Keep the yolks if you eat eggs, since they're doing most of the texture work here. The coconut does come through.
Storing Eggnog Ice Cream
Keep it in the Creami pint with the lid on and it holds well for about two weeks. Past that it starts picking up freezer smells, since the lid isn't airtight.
It will freeze much harder the second time than it did straight out of the spin. That's expected and not a sign it went wrong. Respin it with a tablespoon of half-and-half and it comes right back.
Equipment Used
- Ninja CREAMi Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream & Frozen Treat Maker – What turns the frozen custard into ice cream. The original model works too, just with smaller pints and fewer spin modes.
- Ninja Creami Pint Containers – Worth having a few. The base needs a full 24 hours to freeze, so extra pints mean you can have the next flavor going while this one spins.
- Instant-read thermometer – The one piece of equipment that changes the outcome here. Pulling the custard at 170°F is the difference between silky and slightly scrambled, and it's hard to judge by eye.
- Fine mesh strainer – Catches any bits of cooked yolk on the way into the pint. Takes five seconds and saves the texture.
- Saucepan and whisk - – For the base. Nothing special required.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Pour it into the pint, freeze 24 hours, and spin. Eggnog is already a custard, so it works on its own. You'll be tied to whatever sweetness and spice level the carton came with, and you'll only be able to make it during the couple of months it's on shelves.
That's how almost every Creami pint looks after the first spin. Dig a small well in the center, add a tablespoon of half-and-half, and run the respin cycle. It usually smooths out on the second pass.
Yes, though it won't be a true custard. Whisk a teaspoon of cornstarch into the half-and-half and cook until it thickens slightly. You'll get enough body to spin without it going icy, just a lighter result than the yolk version.
About two weeks in the pint with the lid on. It freezes harder the second time around, so respin it with a tablespoon of half-and-half before serving.
Drizzle it over the scoops after spinning, roughly a teaspoon per serving. Keep it out of the base. Alcohol lowers the freezing point, and enough of it will leave you with a pint that never firms up.
More Holiday Ninja Creami Flavors
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Ninja Creami Chestnut Ice Cream – Roasted chestnut is about as Christmas as a flavor gets, and it spins into the same custardy texture as this one.
- Ninja Creami Sweet Potato Pie Ice Cream – Warm spice and a cooked base, so if you liked making the custard here, this one follows the same rhythm.
- Ninja Creami Spiced Chai Ice Cream – Cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger. The closest flavor cousin to eggnog in my whole Creami lineup.
- Ninja Creami Maple Coffee Ice Cream – Maple and coffee instead of nutmeg and vanilla, and it holds up as a dessert after a heavy holiday meal.
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Thank you!
Ninja Creami Eggnog Ice Cream (From Scratch)
Equipment
- 1 Ninja Creami Ice Cream Maker
- 1 small pot
- 1 Ninja Container
Ingredients
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup condensed mik
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoon Bourbon Vanilla bean paste
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine half and half, condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Heat the mixture on the stove, but do not boil. Temper the egg yolks by slowly adding the warm mixture while whisking, then blend until fully combined and let it cool.2 cups half and half, ½ cup condensed mik, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder, 2 teaspoon Bourbon Vanilla bean paste, pinch of salt, 2 egg yolks
- Pour the mixture into your Ninja Creami pint container and freeze for 24 hours.
- Spin the frozen mixture in the Ninja Creami using the ice cream mode.
- Serve immediately and enjoy your creamy eggnog ice cream!
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Notes
- Temperature matters more than time here. Pull the custard off the heat at 170°F. Below that the yolks haven't thickened enough to give the pint body. Above it they start to scramble. Strain the base before it goes in the pint. A fine mesh strainer catches any specks of cooked yolk. Takes five seconds and you'll notice if you skip it. Cool it completely before freezing. I chill the covered base in the fridge until it's cold to the touch. A warm base freezes slower and comes out icier. Freeze level for the full 24 hours. A tilted pint freezes with a slanted top and won't spin evenly. Crumbly after the first spin is normal. Dig a small well in the center, add a tablespoon of half-and-half, and respin. Running warm water over the outside of the pint for 30 seconds first helps a lot. No heavy cream. It over-churns in the Creami and turns the pint waxy. Half-and-half is the right fat level for this machine. Bourbon goes on top, not in the base. About a teaspoon per serving, drizzled after spinning. Alcohol lowers the freezing point and enough of it will keep the pint from setting. Make ahead: the base keeps covered in the fridge for up to two days before it goes into the pint. Storage: about two weeks in the pint with the lid on. It freezes harder the second time, so respin with a tablespoon of half-and-half.
Annette says
Thank for sharing your recipes 😊
Rose Sioson says
You’re welcome! If you want more Ninja Creami recipes, check out thecreameri.com. And if you’ve got a flavor idea you want me to test and turn into a blog recipe, feel free to email me at [email protected]
Rose Sioson says