Homemade Holiday Eggnog Recipe (Ray Peat Inspired)

Ingredients Stovetop Raw yolk Serving Storage Is it Peat approved? FAQ

Ray Peat said his custard was "just eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla," and he suggested eggnog made from the same short list.^[1][2] This holiday eggnog adds cream and fresh nutmeg to those ingredients and can be made two ways: cooked on the stovetop to 160°F (71°C), or uncooked with raw egg yolks. The recipe comes first, and after it I check each ingredient against what Peat said and wrote.

Key takeaways

• Both versions use 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk, 1/2 cup (120 ml) cream, 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, vanilla, salt and fresh nutmeg, and each makes about 3 cups (720 ml).
• Stovetop version: 3 whole eggs cooked with the milk to 160°F (71°C), then chilled for 4 hours. Egg and milk mixtures curdle near 180°F (82°C).
• Raw yolk version: 4 raw egg yolks whisked with cold milk and cream, with no cooking. The cautions on record for raw eggs are listed with that recipe.
• Heat lowers some nutrients in eggs: a USDA table puts the loss at 15 percent for thiamin and vitamin B12 in hard-cooked eggs, and lab studies measured losses of 17 to 20 percent for vitamin A and 19 percent for lutein.
• Neither version contains alcohol.
• Eggs, whole milk, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt match Ray Peat's food positions. Cream matches when the label lists no carrageenan. I found no comment from him on nutmeg.

This recipe is for education and home cooking. I am a certified clinical herbalist, not a physician, and nothing here is a diagnosis or treatment for any condition. The Ray Peat section reports what he said and wrote. It is not medical advice, and his positions have not been tested in clinical trials. Do not start, stop or change a medication or a prescribed diet based on this article. The raw yolk version contains uncooked egg, and the cautions on record for raw eggs are listed with that recipe. Tolerance to foods varies from person to person, and anyone with a food allergy, including an egg or milk allergy, should check every ingredient.

Holiday eggnog ingredients

Evidence: kitchen practice. Standard custard ratios; adjust the sugar to taste.

• 3 large eggs for the stovetop version, or 4 large egg yolks for the raw yolk version, from pasture-raised hens if you can get them
• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, with no carrageenan or gums on the label
• 1/4 cup (50 g) organic cane sugar, or 3 tablespoons (63 g) honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• A pinch of sea salt (I use Maldon or Crucial Four)
• Whole nutmeg, grated over each glass (whole nutmeg from Mountain Rose Herbs, affiliate link)

Either version makes about 3 cups (720 ml), which is 4 small glasses.

Federal rules for store-bought eggnog set the minimum at 1 percent egg yolk solids by weight, and they allow flavoring ingredients, color additives and stabilizers.^[3] This recipe uses 3 whole eggs or 4 yolks in about 3 cups (720 ml) and no thickeners.

How to make eggnog on the stovetop

Evidence: kitchen practice. The 160°F (71°C) target comes from FDA egg guidance.

1. Whisk the 3 whole eggs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. If you are using honey, leave it out until step 5.
2. Warm the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming, without letting it boil.
3. Pour about half of the hot milk into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking the whole time, so the eggs warm up slowly and do not scramble.
4. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook on low, stirring constantly with a spatula and scraping the bottom of the pan, until a thermometer reads 160°F (71°C). This takes about 5 minutes.
5. Take the pan off the heat right away. Pour the eggnog through a fine mesh strainer into a glass jar or pitcher, then stir in the vanilla, and the honey if you are using it.
6. Cover and chill for 4 hours. The eggnog thickens as it cools.
7. Stir, pour, and grate nutmeg over each glass.

FDA egg guidance gives 160°F (71°C) as the temperature for dishes containing eggs.^[4] Egg and milk mixtures curdle near 180°F (82°C), so keep the heat low and pull the pan as soon as the thermometer reads 160°F (71°C). If a few small lumps form, the strainer catches them.

Without a thermometer, the eggnog is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through the coating leaves a clean line.

How to make eggnog with raw egg yolks (no cooking)

Evidence: kitchen practice. Nutrient figures come from lab studies of cooked eggs and a USDA retention table. The cautions come from a USDA risk model and FDA egg guidance.

This version uses the same ingredients with 4 egg yolks in place of the 3 whole eggs, and nothing is heated.

1. Start with fresh, clean eggs that have uncracked shells and have been kept in the fridge.
2. Separate 4 eggs and put the yolks in a medium bowl. Save the whites for another recipe.
3. Whisk the yolks with the sugar or honey and the salt for 2 minutes, until the mixture is pale and thick.
4. Whisk in the cold milk a little at a time, then the cream and the vanilla.
5. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
6. Stir, pour, and grate nutmeg over each glass.

A blender also works: blend everything except the nutmeg for 20 seconds.

What heat does to the nutrients in eggs

Raw yolks skip the losses that lab studies have measured in cooked eggs. For the B vitamins, the USDA nutrient retention table assigns hard-cooked eggs 85 percent of their thiamin and vitamin B12 and 75 percent of their folate, with 95 percent for riboflavin, niacin and vitamin B6.^[5] A Polish university study measured smaller folate losses, under 15 percent in most hard-boiled eggs.^[6]

The fat-soluble nutrients in the yolk are affected too. In a Brazilian study, cooking lowered the retinol (vitamin A) in egg yolk by 17 percent in free-range eggs and 20 percent in caged eggs.^[7] A German study found that boiling lowered lutein by 19 percent.^[8] In a Danish study, boiled eggs kept 86 to 88 percent of their vitamin D and fried eggs kept 82 to 84 percent, but eggs baked in an oven for 40 minutes kept 39 to 45 percent.^[9] A University of Alberta study found that boiling and frying also raised malondialdehyde, a marker of fat oxidation, in eggs.^[10]

These studies tested boiled, fried and baked eggs, which are heated hotter and longer than eggnog taken to 160°F (71°C), and I found no study that measured a custard cooked that gently. The raw yolk version uses no heat at all.

Cautions on record for raw eggs

Raw eggs can carry Salmonella: a 2000 risk model from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service estimated that about 1 in 20,000 eggs produced in the United States each year is contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis.^[11] FDA egg guidance lists children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems as the groups more likely to become severely ill, and for recipes served raw it names eggs pasteurized in the shell.^[4] The stovetop version above is the cooked option.

How to serve holiday eggnog

Evidence: kitchen practice.

Serve either version cold with nutmeg grated over the top. The stovetop eggnog can also be served warm straight from the pan, though it is thin while warm and thickens as it chills.

Neither version contains alcohol. For a spiked eggnog, the usual amount is 1 oz (30 ml) of rum, bourbon or brandy per glass, stirred in after chilling.

Orange juice variation

Peat's own formula was "egg, milk, sugar, orange juice or vanilla," which he called "sort of an Orange Julius formula."^[2] For a different take, leave the vanilla out of the batch and stir 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of cold orange juice into each glass right before drinking. Orange juice curdles milk as it sits, so it goes into the glass and not the jar.

For more desserts made with milk or eggs and no flour, see my honey panna cotta, my homemade gelatin marshmallows and my glycine pancakes.

Cooling and storage

Evidence: standard food-handling practice.

Refrigerate the stovetop eggnog within 2 hours and drink it within 3 days.^[4] Keep it in a sealed glass jar and stir it before pouring. The raw yolk eggnog should stay in the fridge until it is served and be finished the day it is made.

Handmade in Montana

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Is this eggnog Ray Peat approved?

Evidence: Ray Peat's articles and recorded interviews. No trial has tested this recipe.

Eggs

Asked in 2020 for a favorite quick recipe, Peat said he made "a lot of custards" and described his as "just eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla."^[1] The eggnog he suggested to people used the same ingredients, and he added that "having an Orange Julius once in a while is very good for your health."^[2]

How many eggs he ate depended on what the hens were fed. For typical American eggs he said, "I advocate only one or two eggs a day because of the polyunsaturated fats," because most hens are fed corn and soy.^[12] In Mexico, where he knew the hens ate tortillas, vegetables and bugs, he said, "I'll eat four or five eggs a day."^[2] This recipe divides 3 eggs or 4 yolks among 4 glasses.

He also said the amino acids in eggs stimulate insulin and can lower blood sugar when eggs are eaten without carbohydrate, and that he avoided "a dinner of scrambled eggs at bedtime unless I have a lot of ice cream at the same time."^[13] Eggnog puts the egg, the sugar and the milk in one glass.

Raw or cooked eggs

The eggnog Peat described used raw eggs, and he said, "In moderate amounts, even raw eggs are fine, very digestible, and they're antiseptic in the raw state."^[14] He also said cooking loses little: "you get almost all the benefit from a cooked egg," and "it's better to cook it as little as possible so that the yolk is still runny," because heat oxidizes the polyunsaturated fat in the yolk.^[2] In 2011 he said of eggs, "you're less likely to catch some fairly uncommon infection if they're cooked, but they should be lightly cooked."^[15]

Lab studies of cooked eggs are listed with the raw yolk recipe under what heat does to the nutrients in eggs, and one of them measured more fat oxidation in boiled and fried eggs than in raw ones.^[10]

The stovetop method heats the eggs to 160°F (71°C) and stops there, so they stay liquid. The raw yolk version uses no heat, and the cautions on record for raw eggs are listed with that recipe.

Milk and cream

Peat wrote that "Milk with reduced fat content is required by US law to have vitamins D and A added," and that the carriers used in those vitamin preparations are possible allergens, "so whole milk is the most likely to be free of allergens."^[16] On raw milk he said, "it's okay to pasteurize it, but it's slightly better in the raw state."^[14] The stovetop method heats the milk, and when he was asked about boiling milk he answered, "the damage, nutritionally, is very small."^[17]

Cream needs a label check: Peat wrote that he had put cream in his coffee every day until, "Last week, I noticed that my cream listed carrageenan in its ingredients," and he avoided foods that contain it, so cream with one ingredient on the label is the kind that fits.^[18]

Sugar, honey and maple syrup

Sugar is in Peat's custard and in his eggnog formula, and when he was asked whether "sugar" could mean beet sugar, maple syrup, honey, orange juice or fruit, he said, "Honey and orange juice are very good." Of maple syrup he said "the brown stuff is a fairly inflammatory material in itself," and explained that long boiling browns the sugar together with amino acids. His advice was to "find a light one that's the least processed," and he made the same point about cane juice cooked down to black molasses.^[19] A light-colored cane sugar or honey fits those comments, but dark maple syrup and molasses do not.

Vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon

Vanilla is in Peat's custard and in his eggnog formula.^[1][2] I found no comment from him on nutmeg, but when he was asked about safe spices in 2019, he said "they all have their toxic levels," named clove as "a pretty safe spice," and listed cinnamon and black pepper after it.^[20] Asked that same year about adding cinnamon and cardamom to boiled milk, he said, "each has its medical uses. I haven't been a big fan of them."^[17] The nutmeg in this recipe is a light grating over each glass, and the eggnog works without it.

Alcohol

Neither version contains alcohol, and I found no comment from Peat on rum, bourbon or brandy in eggnog. In his caffeine article he listed alcohol with liver toxins: "Caffeine protects the liver from alcohol and acetaminophen (Tylenol) and other toxins."^[21]

Start here The Ray Peat Diet Guide Every food he mentioned, his hormone framework in order, and links to his interview audio transcripts, and articles. Open the guide →

Frequently asked questions

Evidence: kitchen practice unless a source is cited.

What is in Ray Peat's eggnog?

He listed "egg, milk, sugar, orange juice or vanilla" and gave no quantities.^[2] This recipe uses the vanilla version and adds cream and fresh nutmeg for a holiday eggnog.

Are the eggs in homemade eggnog cooked?

In the stovetop version, yes. The eggs are heated with the milk to 160°F (71°C), the temperature FDA egg guidance gives for dishes containing eggs.^[4] The raw yolk version is not cooked.

Can you get sick from raw eggs in eggnog?

Raw eggs can carry Salmonella: a USDA risk model estimated that about 1 in 20,000 eggs produced in the United States is contaminated, and FDA egg guidance lists children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems as the groups more likely to become severely ill.^[11][4] For recipes served raw, the same guidance names eggs pasteurized in the shell. The stovetop version in this recipe is cooked.

Are raw egg yolks more nutritious than cooked eggs?

Heat lowers some nutrients in eggs: the USDA nutrient retention table assigns hard-cooked eggs 85 percent of their thiamin and vitamin B12 and 75 percent of their folate, and lab studies measured losses of 17 to 20 percent for vitamin A and 19 percent for lutein in cooked eggs.^[5][7][8] Those figures come from boiled, fried and baked eggs, and I found no study of eggnog heated to 160°F (71°C).

Can I make eggnog without alcohol?

Yes. Neither version in this recipe contains alcohol.

How long does homemade eggnog last in the fridge?

The stovetop eggnog keeps for 3 days in a sealed jar in the fridge. The raw yolk eggnog should be finished the day it is made.

Why did my eggnog curdle?

The pan got too hot: egg and milk mixtures curdle near 180°F (82°C). Strain out the lumps, or blend the eggnog for 20 seconds to smooth it, and next time use lower heat and stop at 160°F (71°C).

Can I use honey instead of sugar in eggnog?

Yes. Use 3 tablespoons (63 g) of honey in place of 1/4 cup (50 g) of sugar. In the stovetop version, stir it in after cooking, along with the vanilla.

Can I drink eggnog warm?

Yes. Pour the stovetop eggnog straight from the pan after straining, and expect it to be thinner warm than it is cold.

Did Ray Peat recommend eggnog?

Yes. In a 2019 interview he described suggesting an eggnog made from "egg, milk, sugar, orange juice or vanilla," and in 2020 he said he made custards from eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla.^[2][1] My Ray Peat diet guide lists the other foods he discussed.

Sources

Interview quotes come from the transcripts in the Ray Peat Archive, which are machine-generated from the audio. Ray Peat was an independent physiologist; his articles and interviews are not peer-reviewed studies.

1. Peat R. Interview with Jodelle Fitzwater, "Insulin Resistance, Vegans, Low Cortisol." Get Fit with Jodelle. January 16, 2020.
2. Peat R. Interview with Patrick Timpone. One Radio Network. April 29, 2019.
3. US Food and Drug Administration. "Eggnog." Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Section 131.170. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-131/subpart-B/section-131.170
4. US Food and Drug Administration. "What You Need to Know About Egg Safety." https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/what-you-need-know-about-egg-safety. Government agency guidance, not an independent source.
5. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Nutrient Data Laboratory. "USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6." December 2007. https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/retn/retn06.pdf. Government agency table of retention factors used to calculate cooked food values, not an independent source.
6. Czarnowska-Kujawska M, Draszanowska A, Gujska E, Klepacka J, Kasińska M. "Folate Content and Yolk Color of Hen Eggs from Different Farming Systems." Molecules. 2021;26(4):1034. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26041034. Authors are at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland. Funded by the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education and university funds; the authors declare no conflict of interest.
7. Ramalho HMM, Santos VVA, Medeiros VPQ, Silva KHD, Dimenstein R. "Effect of thermal processing on retinol levels of free-range and caged hen eggs." International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 2006;57(3-4):244-248. PubMed ID 17127475. https://doi.org/10.1080/02656730600836469. Authors are at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Funding is not listed in the PubMed record.
8. Schlatterer J, Breithaupt DE. "Xanthophylls in commercial egg yolks: quantification and identification by HPLC and LC-(APCI)MS using a C30 phase." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2006;54(6):2267-2273. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf053204d. Authors are at the University of Hohenheim, Germany. Funding is not listed in the PubMed record.
9. Jakobsen J, Knuthsen P. "Stability of vitamin D in foodstuffs during cooking." Food Chemistry. 2014;148:170-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.10.043. Authors are at the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark. Funding is not listed in the PubMed record.
10. Nimalaratne C, Schieber A, Wu J. "Effects of storage and cooking on the antioxidant capacity of laying hen eggs." Food Chemistry. 2016;194:111-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.07.116. Authors are at the University of Alberta and the University of Bonn. Funding is not listed in the PubMed record.
11. Ebel E, Schlosser W. "Estimating the annual fraction of eggs contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis in the United States." International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2000;61(1):51-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0168-1605(00)00375-5. The lead author worked at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, the agency that regulates egg products. The figure is a model estimate with a 90% certainty interval of 1 in 30,000 to 1 in 12,000 eggs, not a direct survey.
12. Peat R. Interview with Andrew Murray and Sarah Johannesen Murray, "Thyroid and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids." Ask Your Herb Doctor, KMUD. July 2008.
13. Peat R. Interview with Patrick Timpone. One Radio Network. August 15, 2022.
14. Peat R. Interview with Andrew Murray and Sarah Johannesen Murray, "Learned Helplessness, Nervous System and Thyroid Questionnaire." Ask Your Herb Doctor, KMUD. September 20, 2013.
15. Peat R. Interview with Josh Rubin, "Q and A 1." East West Healing radio. July 12, 2011.
16. Peat R. "Milk in context: allergies, ecology, and some myths." raypeat.com. https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/milk.shtml
17. Peat R. Interview with Patrick Timpone. One Radio Network. September 17, 2019.
18. Peat R. "Food-junk and some mystery ailments: Fatigue, Alzheimer's, Colitis, Immunodeficiency." raypeat.com. https://raypeat.com/articles/nutrition/carrageenan.shtml
19. Peat R. Interview with Patrick Timpone. One Radio Network. January 17, 2022.
20. Peat R. Interview with Patrick Timpone. One Radio Network. December 17, 2019.
21. Peat R. "Caffeine: A vitamin-like nutrient, or adaptogen." raypeat.com. https://raypeat.com/articles/articles/caffeine.shtml