Don’t we all absolutely love eggnog in this holiday season? Eggnog is traditionally considered a holiday celebratory drink and as the Christmas / winter holidays approach a lot of you might want to start preparing. I like to plan ahead of time, so when the celebrations begin and family and friends come together I will not be overwhelmed and overburdened. So, I questioned whether I can freeze eggnog or not?
I found a lot about eggnog and I thought I should share my findings with you. So, let’s get into this!
Yes, you can freeze it for up to six months. Whether it is store-bought or homemade, it will last for six months in a freezer. If not frozen, eggnog does not have a long shelf life especially the homemade one which essentially lasts just a day.
Expert’s way to freeze eggnog!
If you wish to freeze your homemade eggnog, allow it to cool down to room temperature and then put it in an airtight jar that is freezer friendly. Do not fill it to the brink to leave room for expansion. Label this container with the date of freezing and put it in the freezer.
If it is store-bought eggnog, put the unopened container in the freezer. Try to avoid putting a half-used, opened store-bought eggnog in the freezer.
The eggnog must be frozen carefully following the above directions as it contains egg, milk, and cream, ingredients which normally do not have a long shelf-life. Eggnog should be frozen below zero degrees Fahrenheit in an upright position. This way you can potentially increase the shelf-life of eggnog by freezing it properly.
Is eggnog better warm or cold?
Warm eggnog has traditionally been consumed in the winters. As the drink is available and associated mostly with the festive season it is usually consumed warm. However, it can be consumed cold as well. Leave the rest, drink it as you please!
What’s the best way to defrost eggnog?
To defrost eggnog, simply take it out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator and leave it to thaw for some hours or leave it in overnight till it is completely defrosted. Once it is thaw, take it out and you can reheat it to enjoy warm eggnog on those chilly winter nights.
Be careful while defrosting. Do not leave it on the counter to thaw as it will ruin the eggnog and make it inconsumable. Also, once defrosted, you cannot refreeze it as it will be spoiled while reheating. You can freeze eggnog only once!
How do I reheat eggnog?
To reheat it, you can put it in a pot and heat it on the stove or a microwave for a few minutes. Once it is reheated you will have to stir the eggnog to make it smooth as defrosting it might change the texture. You can also blend it in a blender to get frothier eggnog.
How long will eggnog keep in the refrigerator?
Homemade eggnog lasts three days and store-bought lasts six days in the refrigerator if kept in proper conditions.
You can add alcohol in the eggnog to increase its shelf-life or if you want to keep the alcohol limited, you can age it as well with the booze.
Tip: Store-bought eggnog, usually does not contain alcohol. So, you must add it to increase it’s shelf life!
What happens to eggnog when it goes bad?
You can tell if your eggnog has gone bad by its color, texture, and smell. To tell if your eggnog has gone bad use the following ways:
- Look at your eggnog and see if there is any discoloration. Ideally, your eggnog should be beige-yellowish. If it has changed that means it has gone bad.
- The eggnog should be smooth. If it has become lumpy, then consider discarding it.
- If there is mold growing in it, you must discard the eggnog immediately!
- Smell the eggnog, if a visual examination of the eggnog does not confirm whether it has gone bad or not. If it smells anything other than an omelet-like smell, discard it. You might be able to smell a sour odor coming from the eggnog.
- Because there is dairy in it, when eggnog goes bad it turns sour.
Tip: Never taste the eggnog to confirm if eggnog has gone bad.
Does it ruin eggs if they freeze?
Raw eggs in the shell cannot be frozen. Because the liquid starts to expand and due to the expansion the shell breaks, exposing your egg to contamination. It also ruins the texture of your egg and might even bring about structural changes in the egg.
Eggs in their carton can last two to three weeks in the refrigerator which is a lot of time. So ideally you should not try freezing the eggs in their shells as they have an adequate shelf-life. However, you might only want to use the whites and you do not want to waste the egg yolks or vice versa. In this case, you can freeze egg yolks by adding sugar or salt to them. However, I will suggest that you whisk it and then freeze it. You can freeze the whole egg if you have whisked it.
Does alcoholic eggnog need to be refrigerated?
Unopened, bottled eggnog that contains alcohol can last for more than sixteen months without a refrigerator. Once opened, it needs to be refrigerated and will last for more than a week if the alcohol content is more than six percent.
Can eggnog be used as coffee creamer?
Yes, you can use eggnog as a coffee creamer. It gives a wonderful holiday twist to your average everyday coffee. If you are tired of the boring coffee, try doing this. Eggnog will make your coffee even creamier.
You can use it to sweeten your coffee as well. Eggnog will give your coffee a Christmas touch and who wouldn’t like that, right? One thing you should keep in mind is that, if your eggnog is alcoholic, it might curdle.
Our article on freezing Oreos might also catch your interest!
Does store-bought eggnog have raw eggs?
Usually, store-bought eggnog contains slightly cooked eggs. By slightly I mean they are not fried or anything but are pasteurized. Using pasteurized eggs increases the shelf-life of the eggnog as the heating process kills the potentially harmful elements in the egg such as salmonella.
Why isn’t eggnog sold year-round?
Eggnog has long been associated with the holiday season. Christmas festivities are not complete without eggnog. Made mostly of dairy products it should not be a seasonal drink. It can essentially be made all year round because the ingredients are not seasonal but the drink is.
One reason why it is not sold all year round is that warm eggnog is ideally only enjoyable in the winter season.
Another reason is that it is not cost-efficient because people mostly buy it in the winter or the holiday season it is only popular around that time. After that, the demand falls. And as the shelf-life of alcohol-free eggnog is not very long, once it is stopped being produced, you do not see it in the market.
Do you drink eggnog before or after dinner?
Eggnog is rich in calories and fat. It is also very sweet. This makes it very heavy. Therefore, you should not be serving or drinking it yourself before dinner as that will ruin your appetite and you will not be able to enjoy your dinner.
Find out about the amazing health benefits of eggnog in this article!
Wrapping up my research regarding whether you can freeze eggnog!
Do you also love eggnog and wish to enjoy it the whole year and not just in the holiday season? I used to wait for the holiday season just for the eggnog. But now you can freeze it as well. Hoard up some store-bought eggnog or make a batch at home and put it in the freezer. This way you can enjoy this delicious rich drink whenever you like and feel like it is Thanksgiving or Christmas again.