This chai spiced eggnog is creamy, festive, and just perfect for the holiday season! Use my expert tips to make the best spiced eggnog with just a few simple ingredients and easy cleanup.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my southern spiced milk punch recipe, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple Ingredients - Making chai with eggnog calls for a handful of common kitchen staples. Check out my tips for substitute suggestions, if needed.
Make Ahead Magic - Chai tea and eggnog gets better with time so you can make this a few days ahead of your Christmas party.
Family Friendly - This is an eggnog with chai spices that everyone can enjoy whether you drink alcohol or not. The lower caffeine content of chai with eggnog is gentler than a dirty chai eggnog with espresso or drip coffee. You can make it into a cocktail for the adults.
Festive holiday drinks are one of my favorite things to serve this time of year, like my Merry Christmas mocktail, peppermint hot chocolate, and pomegranate mimosas!
What does it taste like?
Think about a Starbucks iced chai eggnog latte but better! Warming masala chai spices like ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and black pepper combine with the sweet creaminess of eggnog.
We love chai flavor here so you can keep the vibes going with my apple butter chai latte or this easy honey pumpkin chai latte! And this spiced eggnog is perfect with buttery chai microwave popcorn for a holiday movie night but I personally love indulgently pairing it with a slice of my sweet potato cheesecake.
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Chai Latte Powder adds warming and complex chai spices and tea to the eggnog in one easy step so this is technically an iced tea latte with eggnog. Alternatively, you can use chai tea bags or chai syrup.
Milk and Heavy Cream makes the eggnog creamy but not too thick. I like to make eggnog with almond milk or coconut milk for coquito vibes but you can use any dairy or plant-based milk you prefer.
Eggs add richness to eggnog. Cook the yolks with the rest of the ingredients and whip up the egg whites for nice frothy texture!
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Alcoholic - This is an alcohol free eggnog recipe but you can easily get it poppin by stirring in a shot of whiskey, rum or brandy. Chai eggnog with vodka is a popular choice for grownup parties. And my chai martini with gin is always a hit!
Sweetener - You can customize this holiday drink with the sweetener of your choice, including maple syrup, sugar, ginger honey or even homemade date honey.
Vegan or Vegetarian - Make vegan eggnog by using full fat coconut milk in place of heavy cream and your favorite vegan egg substitute.
How to Make a Chai Eggnog Latte (Cold)
Step One: Add milk, cream, chai powder, egg yolks, sweetener, sea salt, and vanilla extract to a small saucepan over medium low heat.
Step Two: Vigorously mix all the ingredients until uniform so that the egg yolks don't separate and cook into solids.
Pro Tip #1: If you're making chai eggnog with liquor, you can add it during the cooking stage for lower alcohol content or stir in just before serving for a stronger taste and effect.
Step Three: Heat mixture until simmering but not boiling and allow it to reach 160 degrees farenheit.
Step Four: Transfer to a heat safe container and chill.
Pro Tip #2: Use a cooking thermometer to check the doneness of the eggnog to make sure the egg is cooked to a safe temperature for consumption but not overcooked.
Step Five: Beat the egg whites into soft peaks (about four minutes).
Step Six: Fold the egg whites into the chilled eggnog mixture until uniform and frothy.
Pro Tip #3: You can beat the egg whites by hand, using a stand mixer, or in a blender or food processor.
Pro Tip #4: Make quick work of combining the whipped egg whites and eggnog by pulsing the mixture in a blender for just a few seconds. Even though adding egg whites to eggnog is optional, this step is what gives that rich eggnog texture and running everything through the blender ensures the spices are blended throughout the drink for consistent sips.
Step Seven: Pour into glasses, garnish and serve.
Pro Tip #5: Cinnamon sticks, star anise, and fresh grated nutmeg make great garnishes for homemade eggnog because they not only look festive but also greet the nose with fragrance with each sip!
Chai is not just for drinking. Try my chai pumpkin cookies or chai banana bread with honey butter. And these salted peanut butter chai cookies absolutely slap!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chai eggnog has (optional) raw egg whites in it but the egg yolks are cooked.
This chai spiced eggnog recipe is virgin and made without alcohol but you can add the liquor or liqueur of your choice either during the cooking stage or after chilling it.
You can make eggnog up to three days before serving. Be sure to either consume or freeze by the third days.
Store this eggnog in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to three days without alcohol. If you add alcohol to the eggnog, it will keep for up to one month. Keep in mind that eggnog thickens as it ages and will need to be stirred.
You can technically freeze eggnog. Place it in an airtight, freezer-safe container with about one inch of space for expansion. Eggnog will keep for up to six months in the freezer, however, because there are eggs in it, separation is almost certain. Run thawed eggnog through a blender or food processor to ensure smoother texture but keep in mind that there may still be lumps.
More Favorite Holiday Drink Recipes
I hope you'll enjoy this delicious chai with eggnog soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this nonalcoholic eggnog chai recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Chai Spiced Eggnog
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 eggs separated
- 2 cups milk
- 15 ounces full fat coconut milk or heavy cream
- ½ cup maple syrup or sweetener of your choice
- 2 tablespoons instant chai powder or 4 chai tea bags
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add egg yolks, milk, coconut milk, maple syrup, instant chai, vanilla extract, and sea salt to a small saucepan over medium low heat.
- Whisk vigorously until uniform.
- Heat mixture until lightly simmering, stirring regularly, until mixture reaches 160 degrees farenheit (about 10 minutes).
- Remove from heat and transfer eggnog to a heat-safe container. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Meanwhile, beat egg whites into soft peaks by hand or with a mixer, blender or food processor.
- Mix egg whites into eggnog mixture until frothy and combined.
Jen Sim says
I made this egg nog variation on Christmas Day and my family absolutely loved it! It was rich, creamy and filled with festive flavor
Marta says
I made this chai-spiced eggnog as written, but added some aged rum to it for the adults. Everyone loved it, even self-professed eggnog haters.
Marcus Avery Christon says
Eggnog is something I anxiously wait to make during the Christmas holiday, and this chai-spiced version will make me even more impatient! It was so delicious that I drank much of it without rum....and that's saying a lot for me as a rum lover!
Krysten says
I'm a huge fan of egg nog, but after trying this Chai-flavored version, I never want to have "regular" egg nog again haha. So delicious! And I'm the only one in my house that drinks egg nog so I seriously can have it all to myself. Oh, and I used heavy cream. Next time I might try it with coconut.