I agreed with him up until early adulthood, when I discovered the beauty of a perfectly poached egg. Holy-what-have-I-been-missing-ness!

But the idea of straight-up raw eggs in something? Yeah, still skeeved me out a bit. So even though I enjoyed my fair share of eggnog lattes as a young adult- I guess I was far enough removed from the egg to be okay with them – a cold glassful of simply eggnog just really didn’t appeal to me.

And then. And then! Last year, I came across this vegan eggnog recipe and I had to try it. Laaaaaaaaaaaaaa! (That is the sound of angels singing.)

So so so SO good.

I made and tweaked and made and tweaked that recipe more my fair share of times last December, and for the past four months, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t looked forward to vegan eggnog season almost daily. Because seriously, this is a case in which plant-based beats the plants – er, the pants – off of the original dairy-and-egg version.

My favorite iteration of the recipe is this Chai-Spiced Vegan Eggnog, flavored not only with must-have nutmeg, but also some ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and spicy peppercorns. And a star anise for good measure.

The inspiration recipe started with cashews, which I love. But I thought I’d try to make an easier version, one that starts with Silk Almondmilk and doesn’t need the lead time that soaked cashews call for. (I also like that using almond milk instead of cashews lightens up the recipe a bit).

First, we simmer the almond milk and coconut milk with the spices to infuse in all of that chai-spiced goodness. Then, we add a goodly bit of vanilla and blend it all up with several medjool dates. I find that dates are key to this recipe – they add a richness, thickness, and caramelly flavor. YUM.

Chill and serve it up with a generous dusting of more nutmeg and maybe even some rum if you’re so inclined. It tastes decadent as an evening cocktail, but this vegan eggnog recipe also makes a most excellent coffee creamer the next morning too.

You can bet I’ll be enjoying it both ways right up until Christmas. And, to be honest, well beyond as well. And Dad would approve, so, bonus!

More Dairy Free Christmas Recipes

• This 6-Ingredient Vegan and Dairy Free Eggnog pares down the ingredient list but also perfects vegan eggnog. We love it so much!
• Warm mulled wine is perfect for cozying up with. This Gluhwein hits the spot. 
• Here are some dairy free Christmas cookie ideas – love both of these! PB&J Thumbprints or Chocolate Crinkle Cookies?!
• This chai eggnog makes coffee super creamy! This  Vegan Mocha Peppermint Creamer does too. So festive!

Money-Saving Tip

Grab your spices in the bulk section of your grocery store. You’ll be amazed by how much you save!

Print

Chai-Spiced Vegan Eggnog

Thick, rich, and vegan! Eggnog x chai spices = a perfect combination. I love this eggnog straight up or as a coffee creamer – and I sip it all December long.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 cups – about 6 6-ounce servings

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 2 cups Silk Unsweetened Almondmilk
• 1 15-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg + more for serving
• 3 5-inch cinnamon sticks
• 1 pinky-sized hunk of ginger sliced thin (can substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 15 black peppercorns
• 6 pods cardamom smashed
• 1 star anise optional
• 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric optional; for a bit of color only
• 6-7 medjool dates pitted
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

• Place a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the almondmilk, coconut milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns, cardamom, star anise, and turmeric if using. Bring to just a simmer, then remove from heat. Stir and cover. Let steep for 20 minutes.
• Set a fine-mesh sieve over the pitcher of a high-speed blender. Pour milk mixture through the strainer and discard the solids. Add 6 dates, vanilla, and salt. Blend until completely smooth, 1-2 minutes. Taste and add the remaining date if you’d like it a little sweeter.
• Pour into a container with airtight lid and refrigerate until ready to serve. The nog will thicken as it cools. Stir before serving. Serve plain either warm or chilled (your preference), with or without a splash of rum, or use in eggnog lattes or as a coffee creamer (delicious)! Be sure to grate a bit of extra nutmeg over the top. Keeps refrigerated for 3-4 days.

Find Silk in stores and sign up for Silk’s email newsletter for great coupons and giveaways. This is a sponsored post that I created in partnership with Silk. I only work with brands I love! Thank you for supporting the brands who support Kitchen Treaty.

The post Chai-Spiced Vegan Eggnog appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I mean, when the sun goes down at 4:30 in the evening, what else can you do but cradle a warming winter cocktail and wholeheartedly embrace the season?

Alcohol helps. Just sayin’. (Just kidding. Mostly. It is very warming!)

This warm vanilla cinnamon Bailey’s drink is another throw-together recipe that, with a few tweaks, has become a fast winter favorite. We wanted a warm cocktail; I didn’t want to go to the store. So we made do with what we had in our cupboards. And we adored the outcome.

Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Drink Ingredients

• Milk – dairy or plant-based work! My fave is 2% if using dairy or oat milk.
• Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise. But you can totally just do cinnamon if you prefer!
• Vanilla – Best if you can include the bean but totally fine with extract instead.
• Irish cream (Bailey’s) and bourbon – for the lushy part of the equation – wonderfully warming and just darn tasty.
• Cinnamon and sugar – for the rims. Optional but wonderful!

We love the cinnamon and vanilla in this drink, but thought we’d add some star anise and a sprinkle of nutmeg. That lends a bit of a chai latte air to this Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Warmer.

The rim though. That cinnamon-sugared rim. It’s a keeper. It reminds me of cinnamon toast. Except no bread. Or toaster. Just cinnamon sugary goodness.

We may not be seeing the sun right now, but things like this can definitely still brighten our days (and nights).

More Warming Winter Cocktails

• Gluhwein – hot mulled red wine. YUM.
• Hot Spiced Cider – so good with a splash of rum!
• Slow Cooker Cranberry Orange Mulled Wine – so cozy and perfect for the holidays.

Print

Warm Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Drink

Cinnamon, vanilla, Irish cream, and bourbon make for a cozy hot cocktail that'll warm up the coldest of winter nights. Perfect with the newer Vanilla Cinnamon Baileys!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 427kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 4 cups milk I use 2%, but whole would also be good. I also love full-fat oat milk in these drinks.
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 5-inch cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 star anise
• 1 vanilla bean optional
• 2/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream or another Irish cream liqueur, or Bailey's Vanilla Cinnamon
• 1/3 cup bourbon like Maker’s Mark
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the rims:

• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• To a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the milk, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and star anise. If using a vanilla bean, split it open and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and remainder of vanilla bean to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and steaming. Reduce to low and heat for 5 minutes, being careful not to ever let it come to a full boil. Remove from heat. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large heat-proof bowl and carefully pour the liquid over the sieve. Discard the solids. Add the liquid back to the saucepan. Stir in the Irish cream, bourbon, and vanilla extract.
• To garnish the mug rims, pour the 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup into a small saucer. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon, then pour it onto another small saucer. Dip the rims of the glasses into the maple syrup, then dip into the cinnamon and sugar mix, pressing to coat evenly. Flip over and fill glasses with the hot cocktail. Serve.

Notes

Vegan option:

Use a plant-based milk like oat milk, and use vegan Bailey’s. 

Nutrition

Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 440mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 401IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 345mg | Iron: 0.3mg

The post Warm Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Drink appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.