Chai Eggnog

This homemade Chai Eggnog is made from scratch with warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and fresh ginger, blended into a creamy, custard-like base. Perfect for sipping during the holidays, it’s rich, flavorful, and can be served with or without a splash of brandy, bourbon, or rum.

Course Drinks

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword Chai Eggnog

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 430kcal

Equipment

measuring cups and spoons For accurate ingredient measurements.
mixing bowls For straining the eggnog.
mortar and pestle (or resealable bag and heavy object): For crushing spices to release their flavors.
Saucepan To simmer the spices and steep the tea and cook the eggnog mixture.
whisk to smooth the eggnog base.
Sieve To strain out the spices and tea for a smooth finish.

Instructions

Using a mortar and pestle, crush the whole cloves, fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean, cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, and fennel seeds until coarsely ground. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, place the ginger and spices in a resealable plastic bag and crush them with a meat mallet, the back of a heavy cast-iron pan, or a rolling pin.)
15 whole cloves, 4 quarter-sized pieces of fresh ginger (1/2" thick), 2 cinnamon sticks, 1/2 vanilla bean, 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds, 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns, 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
In a small saucepan, bring the crushed spice mixture and water to a simmer. Remove from heat, add the Darjeeling tea bags, and let steep for five minutes.
1 cup water, 4 Darjeeling tea bags
While the tea steeps, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt together in a saucepan. Gradually add the heavy cream and whole milk, whisking until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of heavy cream. (Be careful not to let it boil, or the eggnog may curdle into scrambled eggs.) Remove from heat and strain the tea into the eggnog.
4 egg yolks, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, pinch of table salt, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk
Serve warm in your favorite cup, or chill until cold. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground or freshly grated nutmeg.
freshly grated or ground nutmeg
For those adding liquor, a tablespoon (or more) of brandy, rum, or bourbon works well. If serving warm, add the liquor after straining the tea. For a chilled version, refrigerate the eggnog first, then stir in the liquor just before serving.
Brandy, rum, whisky, optional

Video

Notes

For optimal outcomes when preparing this chai eggnog, it's recommended to refer to the recipe details within the post. The recipe post commonly includes valuable notes, expert tips and frequently asked questions, that are not presented in the recipe card, often including how to make this recipe dairy-free, gluten free or vegan and ideas for healthy ingredient substitutions or variations.

The provided nutrition information is merely an approximation, as variations can arise depending on the specific ingredients/brands you select.

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