Instant Pot Homemade Eggnog

Instant Pot Homemade Eggnog is a creamy, delicious and flavorful recipe made with eggs, whole milk, cream, cinnamon and nutmeg.

» You might also like this Instant Pot Apple Cider and Instant Pot Hot Chocolate.

I’ve always enjoyed making Homemade Eggnog for the holidays because it’s just grown to be a customary drink for holiday parties and no one really makes it anymore. It turns out the perfect way to make it and serve it is in the Instant Pot.

You should definitely try preparing it in the Instant Pot. It’s the perfect serving vessel, especially if you want to chill or heat the eggnog. The inner pot can be put in the refrigerator and when you put it back into the Instant Pot, it will keep cold for quite a while.

Ingredients You Need

• Eggs – I use large free-range eggs.
• Sugar – The sugar is what adds sweetness to the eggnog, so it can be adjusted to taste. You can use regular granulated sugar, or use a sugar substitute like monk fruit or allulose.
• Whole Milk – This helps to make the eggnog creamy.  
• Heavy Cream – The cream adds richness to the recipe and gives it a creamy texture.
• Vanilla – To add a mild vanilla flavor.
• Ground Cinnamon – A light dusting of freshly grated cinnamon goes a long way. You can also add cinnamon sticks or use ground cinnamon.
• Nutmeg – Use freshly grated nutmeg if you can for the freshest flavor and aroma.

Equipment Needed

• Instant Pot – I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Plus to make all of my recipes. You can also use an 8-quart pot for this recipe with no adjustments.
• Blender – You need to blend the eggs and other ingredients together to make a smooth mixture. If you don’t have a blender, you can use an immersion blender or a food processor in a pinch.
• 1.75-quart Pyrex or Stainless steel bowl – You need to be able to fit this bowl into your Instant Pot, so be sure to measure whatever bowl you plan to use in advance.
• Trivet – You’ll need to place the trivet in the Instant Pot to keep the bowl off the bottom.
• Whisk – To keep the mixture from scorching, you’ll need to whisk it as it cooks.

How to Make Instant Pot Eggnog

Place the trivet in the Instant Pot and fill it up with 5 cups of hot water. Turn on sauté mode and bring the water to a boil. This can take quite a while, so be sure to start with hot water to cut down on prep time.

Crack the eggs and add them to a blender. Blend until the eggs are smooth, about 15 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend for 30 seconds, until full blended.

Pour the eggnog mixture into a 1.75 quart Pyrex or stainless steel bowl. Place the bowl on top of the trivet in the Instant Pot.

Whisk the eggnog continuously until the water returns to a boil and the mixture reaches 150° F. Then turn off sauté mode and leave the Instant Pot on the Keep Warm setting.

Continue to stir the eggnog until the temperature reaches 160° F. This is when the mixture is safe to drink, assuming you didn’t use pasteurized eggs. If you did, the mixture doesn’t necessarily need to reach this temp, but I always do it anyways.

Carefully lift the bowl out of the water and strain the eggnog through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into an airtight container. Chill overnight before serving. It needs at least 4 hours to chill, but can be served after that.

How to Serve Eggnog

The way I serve it is to pour it back into the Instant Pot inner pot (once I’ve cleaned and dried it), then I chill it in the refrigerator in the inner pot. It gets really cold. So when I place it back into the base of the Instant Pot, it stays cold for a long time.

If you want to serve it warm, you can just put it on sauté mode, stirring frequently until it warms up to your desired temperature, then put it on Keep Warm to serve.

For a party, you might want more than what this recipe makes. In that case, just make the recipe twice and pour it all back into the inner pot when you’re done.

Can I Add Alcohol?

You can add alcohol to eggnog to make it boozy, if you want. Just add your favorite spirit. I often serve two versions – one with and one without alcohol, so everyone can enjoy it.

If you do add alcohol, brandy, bourbon, or dark rum work best. For me, nothing feels more wintry and festive than a glass of spiked eggnog.

Aim for a ratio of 5 to 1. 5 parts eggnog and 1 part alcohol. That means for every 5 cups of eggnog, you would add 1 cup of alcohol. This recipe makes about 4 cups of eggnog, so you would aim to add 1/2 to 2/3 cup of alcohol.

Tips and Notes

• Before drinking or serving your Instant Homemade Eggnog, ensure it’s up to 160° F or 71° C, to make it safe to drink. Use an instant-read digital thermometer to check and test the temperature of the mixture.
• Bring your eggs to room temperature before using them. This will make it easier to bring the temp up to 160° F in a reasonable time.
• It’s best to cool the eggnog overnight. But it needs at least 4 hours to chill before serving.
• The Instant Homemade Eggnog is always thick and creamy when whole milk is used; you can make it lighter or thinner by using 1-2% milk instead. Or you can substitute the heavy cream for half and half.
• You can use soy, almond, and coconut milk to substitute the milk, but this will make your eggnog not as creamy and thick as when you use whole milk and heavy cream.

Why Use An Instant Pot?

The Instant Pot is one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can buy, because it drastically cuts down on the cooking time for developing flavors in soups and stews, getting tough cuts of meat tender, and even baking a cheesecake. If you don’t have one, check out our guide on which one to buy. Also see our guide to How to Use an Instant Pot and the many accessories you can buy for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to drink eggnog?

Many are concerned if it’s safe to drink eggnog because of the raw eggs used. The answer to the question is YES. First of all, most eggs sold in the United States are pasteurized. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers it safe to use in-shell raw eggs if they are pasteurized. If your eggs are not pasteurized or you are still worried about salmonella, be sure to heat the eggnog to 160 degrees F to kill any remaining bacteria.

How long can you store eggnog?

Instant Pot Homemade Eggnog can be stored for as long as three days in the refrigerator when stored properly. You can store it up to one week if you add alcohol to it. Before storing it in a refrigerator, place it in a container with a lid.

What does eggnog taste like?

Many think eggnog tastes like eggs, but that’s not really true. It actually tastes more like melted ice cream. Whenever I make ice cream, I use a custard base that is very similar to this eggnog recipe.

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