Do you like the flavor of eggnog, but not the consistency? You're going to love adding this homemade Eggnog Syrup to all of your holiday recipes! It lets you add delicious eggnog flavor to everything from coffee and tea to pancakes and oatmeal and so much more!
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There are two types of people in this world: people who love eggnog and people who despise it.
I'm in the camp that loves it, but I also have to say that I totally get why you may not like it. I believe a lot of it has to do with the consistency of the drink. It's very thick and creamy and can feel far too heavy to sip.
But the flavor is pretty fabulous, right? And now I have the best solution: eggnog syrup.
In syrup form, this has ALL the flavor of eggnog, but none of the heaviness. It can be used to flavor all sorts of holiday treats, but without that "ick" you may get from a glass of eggnog.
This eggnog syrup contains NO eggnog whatsoever, but the flavor is spot on!
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
You'll love this recipe if you enjoy the flavor of eggnog, but not the heaviness. Or if you want to make cocktails and other drinks that are flavored with eggnog, but don't have dairy in them.
This syrup is so easy to make and perfect for so many holiday treats. Plus, it makes a great holiday gift for all the eggnog lovers in your life!
🗒 Ingredients
Like I said, there isn't any eggnog in this syrup. The ingredients are very simple, but when they all come together, the flavor is just like the classic Christmas drink.
Here's what you need (be sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Butter extract
- Rum extract
- Vanilla extract
- Ground nutmeg
👩🍳 How to make eggnog syrup
I experimented quite a bit with these flavors and knew I had it perfect when my husband walked in the house and said, "it smells like eggnog in here!" I had him try the syrup and he couldn't believe it.
Of course, you can adjust the flavorings as you desire, but to me, this is the perfect combination to get that real eggnog flavor in a syrup.
To start, put water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring mixture to a boil.
Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture has thickened a bit.
Remove saucepan from heat stir in your flavorings.
I use ½ teaspoon of butter extract.
And ½ teaspoon of rum extract.
Plus, I stir in ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and just a little ground nutmeg; I use ⅛ teaspoon as eggnog needs nutmeg, but I didn't want it to be too overpowering.
Make sure you stir the mixture really well. You can taste it at this point to see how you like it and make any adjustments if needed.
And then pour the eggnog syrup into a mason jar or bowl and place in fridge to cool completely before using.
The syrup will continue to thicken as it cools.
Just taking the cover off the jar and smelling it, you'll instantly know it's officially eggnog season!
And suddenly your morning coffee can perfectly match your morning eggnog overnight oats. How perfect.
If you love the idea of this syrup, but still crave a actual glass of creamy eggnog, try this delicious homemade eggnog recipe!
👩🍳 How to use
This syrup has so many uses for adding eggnog flavor to food and drinks without that consistency you may not like. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- In coffee and lattes: This is a totally dairy-free way to add eggnog flavor to your coffee! It adds a little sweetness and flavor, but without cream or milk. And it's delicious! I think it's especially fabulous in iced coffee.
- Tea sweetener: You can also use it to sweeten tea. I especially like it in black tea, but it's also amazing in chai tea lattes!
- Homemade eggnog soda: Yes, you can make your own super delicious eggnog soda by just adding a little of the syrup to some plain seltzer water.
- Cocktail addition: Want to instantly add holiday flavor to any cocktail? Just add a little bit of this syrup. I think it's especially delicious in a plain vodka soda, but it also elevates an espresso martini and is delicious in most cream-based drinks with Bailey's or Kahlua.
- Drizzled over pancakes, waffles, and French toast: Ditch the maple syrup for the holiday season and bring out the eggnog syrup! You can make your regular pancakes, waffles, and french toast, but give it holiday flavor with a drizzle of this.
- Oatmeal and yogurt topping: You can also drizzle is over your healthy breakfasts for a little extra holiday cheer.
- Drizzled over ice cream: Add a little eggnog flavor to any flavor of ice cream.
- Buttercream flavoring: You can add the syrup to a plain, vanilla, or chocolate buttercream frosting for a little extra fun flavor.
- Whipped cream flavoring: Similarly to with buttercream, you can use the syrup to make eggnog whipped cream.
- Cake moistener: A lot of bakers brush their homemade cakes with simple syrup to keep them moist and add sweetness and flavor. Eggnog flavor would be delicious on vanilla cake, but also works with chocolate.
- Meat marinade: It may sound a bit strange to want eggnog flavor in your meat marinade, but I promise this eggnog syrup works so well with both ham (eggnog baked instead of honey baked!) and pork.
The options are pretty much endless and something tells me you'll be wanting to add this eggnog syrup to everything all holiday season long!
⏲️ How to store
I recommend storing this eggnog syrup in an airtight container in the fridge. When stored properly, it should keep fresh for about a month.
I like storing all of my simple syrups in small mason jars, but you can really use any airtight container.
🧈 Can I use real butter instead of extract?
I've tried making my sugar cookie syrup with real butter instead of extract and while it does offer the same flavor, the consistency isn't the best.
The problem is that once the syrup cools, the butter will separate from the mixture and harden a bit.
When you remove it from the fridge, you can whisk it really well to reconstitute the mixture for the most part, but if you're adding it to anything cold (like an iced drink), it will start to separate again and be a bit grainy.
So yes, you can use real butter, but the consistency will be more grainy and less smooth.
🛍 Where to buy
This eggnog syrup is so easy to make at home and I highly recommend trying it out! However, if you want the syrup now and don't want to wait, you can purchase a bottle of eggnog syrup from many different brands. Here are some options:
- DaVinci Eggnog Syrup
- Amoretti Eggnog Syrup
- 1883 Maison Routin Eggnog Syrup
- DaVinci Sugar-Free Eggnog Syrup
🎄 More holiday syrup flavors
I make homemade simple syrups all year round and have a big collection of syrup recipes here. But I especially love making them for the holiday season... Here are some of my favorite holiday-flavored simple syrups!
I also have SO many awesome eggnog recipes that you can check out.
I'm thrilled that I can add eggnog flavor to anything my heart can dream of this December!
In fact, I might even start sneaking some eggnog-flavored treats well into January... Shhh nobody has to know!
📖 Recipe
Eggnog Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp butter extract
- ½ tsp rum extract
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Put water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture has thickened a bit.
- Remove saucepan from heat and stir in butter extract, rum extract, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg.
- Pour syrup into a mason jar or bowl and place in fridge to cool completely before using. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools.
Jen says
As soon as I saw this on Instagram, I ran to my kitchen to make it! It was so easy, and it brings that delicious eggnog flavor so well to any coffee drink! I used butter emulsion instead of extract, and it worked just fine. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!