Eggnog Pudding 

By Dan Pelosi

Published Dec. 17, 2024

Eggnog Pudding 
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
4¼ hours
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ chilling
Rating
4(84)
Comments
Read comments

When it comes to luxurious holiday beverages, eggnog really takes the cake. Or in this case, the pudding. It’s no surprise that thick, creamy eggnog makes an equally thick and creamy pudding with hardly any effort. Store-bought eggnog is mixed with whole milk to balance out its richness  and nutmeg is added for an extra hit of nostalgic spice. Rum or rum extract can be added at the very end to lift spirits even higher. This is a perfect recipe to place on your holiday dessert table for guests, or to use up any lingering eggnog in the fridge after the party has ended. It can be topped with any accessories you desire, such as crushed gingersnaps, cinnamon whipped cream or simply an extra dash of nutmeg. 

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • ½ cup/100 grams sugar
  • ¼ cup/32 grams cornstarch
  • 1teaspoon ground nutmeg 
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 2cups/480 milliliters eggnog
  • 2cups/480 milliliters whole milk
  • 4tablespoons/57 grams unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  •  1 teaspoon rum or ¼ teaspoon rum extract, optional
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

212 calories; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 298 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg and salt. Add the eggnog and milk and whisk until combined. Set the saucepan over medium heat.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk constantly as the mixture heats up and thickens. When thick and bubbling all over, about 12 minutes, remove from the heat. Immediately add the butter and rum, if using, and whisk until butter is fully melted.

  3. Step 3

    Pour pudding into a heat-proof serving bowl and cover the top of the pudding with plastic wrap, gently pressing it directly onto the surface so that it does not form a skin. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Tip
  • To create pre-portioned desserts for guests, pour pudding into smaller bowls. Cover the top of each with plastic wrap and set them on a sheet tray and place in the fridge to chill.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
84 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Elizabeth

This would be better with homemade egg nog; you can’t hide the taste with this recipe. I think the idea is good but gelatin might be better than cornstarch, it wasn’t a very solid pudding. Overall it has potential…

Mary Ann

Easy to make and fabulous-tasting! I made it exactly as specified, including the optional rum. For serving, I placed a ring of fresh raspberries on top around the edge of each dessert dish. Easy, fabulous-tasting, and gorgeous!

Rose

Any thoughts on how far ahead you can meant this recipe? I’d love to make a couple days in advance but would be sad if it split or separated with time.

Lina

My family loves Evan Williams boozy eggnog which is sold shelf stable in season. Hmmm… wonder if it would work as the base. I think I’m about to find out. #christmasinjuly

Tammy

Eggnog already had more nutmeg than I realized and so adding more nutmeg made it unpleasantly bitter. Sadly I have an electric range and I didn't think to bring the milk and eggnog to room temperature so it took 30 minutes of constant whisking for it to thicken. Lastly, cornstarch created a pasty mouth feel. Thumbs down on this recipe.

Allegra

I used almond milk eggnog. Yuck. Won’t do that again.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.