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Eggnog Ice Cream

Eggnog ice cream made with a velvety, holiday-spiced custard—heated to 175°F, strained, chilled for at least 4 hours, then churned until creamy and firm. Warm nutmeg and cinnamon notes with optional rum deliver a rich Christmas ice cream texture in every cold scoop.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling + freezing 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 340
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Eggnog base
  • 2 cup store-bought eggnog
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp rum or bourbon (optional)
  • 0.25 tsp salt

Equipment

  • 1 ice cream maker
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Make the custard
  1. Heat the store-bought eggnog and heavy cream in a saucepan until steaming, then slowly whisk it into the egg yolks and granulated sugar.
  2. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 175°F, with a thickened, lightly coats-the-spoon texture.
  3. Strain the custard, then stir in the vanilla extract, nutmeg, cinnamon, rum or bourbon if using, and salt until fully combined and glossy.
Chill and churn
  1. Cool the custard completely, then refrigerate at least 4 hours until cold and set for easier churning, with no visible steam.
  2. Churn in an ice cream maker until thickened and creamy, then transfer to a container and freeze until firm.
  3. Grate fresh nutmeg over each serving for a visible warm spice finish and aromatic top note.

Notes

For the smoothest texture, cook the custard only until it hits 175°F and keep stirring so it doesn’t scramble. After churning, cover and freeze up to 2 weeks; for best scoopability, let it sit at room temperature 5 minutes. Freezing is recommended, but cooked leftovers are best kept only as ice cream. For a nut-free option, replace nutmeg with an equal amount of ground allspice or pumpkin pie spice (check that it’s nut-free).