This recipe for Vegan Turmeric Eggnog has all of the nostalgic flavor of traditional eggnog without refined sugar! It's filled with warmth from cinnamon, nutmeg, and turmeric and sweetened with Medjool dates. It's also a creamy nog thanks to a coconut milk-cashew base. You can add a splash of liquor for an adult beverage or keep it family friendly; both options are delicious!
In full honesty, I haven't always been an eggnog person! I only recently got curious about a vegan nog for the holiday season. This Vegan Turmeric Eggnog is the wintertime drink I didn't know I was missing in my life! It's thick and creamy along with being totally nostalgic. The turmeric is an unexpected touch that boosts the nutritional profile, adds color, and enhances the flavor in a really delightful way. Don't be nervous about adding turmeric into your nog. I promise you won't regret it!
As usual when tackling a new cooking project, I headed to Sprouts. They have the best selection of vegan ingredients, so I'm always able to find exactly what I'm looking for! I used cashews in this recipe, which I always buy in the bulk ingredient bins. You can also buy spices in bulk! This recipe uses cinnamon, turmeric, and nutmeg for delicious warmth and flavor. Sprouts is for sure my go-to grocery store!
Health Benefits of Turmeric
As one who is passionate about health and wellness (I have a Master of Public Health degree (MPH) and am a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) as well), I like to understand the health benefits of the ingredients I am using.
Turmeric has been shown to enhance antibody responses and help modulate the immune system. Turmeric is rich in antioxidants and has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activity.
There are a lot of claims about the health benefits of turmeric. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), preliminary studies found that curcuminoids (found in turmeric) may:
- Reduce the number of heart attacks bypass patients had after surgery
- Control knee pain from osteoarthritis as well as ibuprofen did
- Reduce the skin irritation that often occurs after radiation treatments for breast cancer.
Pro Tip: black pepper and a fat increases the bioavailability of turmeric’s healing compounds as our bodies have difficulty absorbing it on its own. You can add a dash of ground black pepper and ½ teaspoon of coconut oil to this recipe if desired.
To learn more about turmeric as traditional and modern medicine check out this article published by the National Institute of Health.
Using Coconut Milk
The main liquid in this eggnog comes from canned coconut milk. Make sure you grab a can of full-fat coconut milk, not lite, so it's as creamy as possible! This recipe uses an entire 13.5-ounce can, which you can usually find in the Asian foods section of your grocery store. I used Sprouts brand in this Vegan Turmeric Eggnog recipe. It added the perfect, slightly-sweet coconut milk taste and creamy texture! I also added cashews for a thicker, creamier texture. Learn more about How (and Why!) to Soak Cashews in this post.
Sweetening with Medjool Dates
Instead of sugar I sweetened this eggnog with Medjool dates. Dates offer dietary fiber, potassium, zinc, copper, magnesium, manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, calcium, iron, and vitamin K. That's so many health benefits! They add such amazing sweetness and flavor in addition to doing so much good for your body. I use dates in so many of my favorite recipes!
This Turmeric Eggnog recipe is gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, and made without any refined sugars. I love that it's a nostalgic winter drink that everyone can enjoy!
More Vegan Holiday Recipes
All of these recipes are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, egg-free and dairy-free:
Creamy Vegan Cranberry Smoothie
The Best Vegan and Refined Sugar-Free Hot Chocolate
Soft-Baked Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Vegan Turmeric Eggnog
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 40 ounces (5 cups) 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This recipe for Vegan Turmeric Eggnog has all of the nostalgic flavor of traditional eggnog without refined sugar! It's filled with warmth from cinnamon, nutmeg, and turmeric and sweetened with Medjool dates. It's also a creamy nog thanks to a coconut milk-cashew base. You can add a splash of liquor for an adult beverage or keep it family friendly; both options are delicious!
Ingredients
- 1, 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1.5 cups filtered water
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 8 hours, drained and rinsed well. Learn more about How (and Why!) to Soak Cashews in this post.
- 10 soft pitted Medjool dates
- 1.5 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 pinches of fine salt
- 2 cups ice (at the end)
Optional Add-Ins/Garnishes
- 5 ounces whisky, rum or bourbon
- homemade coconut whipped cream
- dusting of ground cinnamon, nutmeg or turmeric
Instructions
- Place coconut milk, water, cashews, dates, turmeric, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a high speed blender and blend on the highest speed until completely smooth.
- Add ice and blend briefly until smooth. Taste and adjust flavors as needed.
- Add more ice to make it colder or chill the eggnog in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving. It will thicken slightly as it chills so you may want to re-blend after refrigerating. You may also want to add more water after chilling if it is too thick.
- Add 1 ounce of whisky, rum or bourbon per cup/serving if desired. Garnish with whipped cream and a dusting of spices if desired. Serve cold. Cheers!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
You can also serve this warm, room temperature or hot if desired. Cold is my preferred way.
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Blender
This post is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. All writing and opinions are my own. I honestly do shop at Sprouts weekly (I use InstaCart) and absolutely love this grocery store. It carries unique speciality and allergy-friendly products that work well for my diet. And their prices and sales make it a huge savings for someone who buys groceries the way I do!
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