Holiday Pistachio Eggnog with Real Ingredients
There’s something so calming about slow December evenings — the soft winter light, the quietness of the kitchen, and the comfort of familiar and cozy spices warming on the stove. This pistachio eggnog fits right into that feeling. It’s creamy and gently sweet, with a natural nutty flavor from real pistachios and just enough spice to make it feel wintry without overpowering anything. The color stays a soft and pale green, and the texture turns silky after a long blend and a good chill. It’s the kind of holiday drink you can pour into small decorative glasses, serve warm or cold, and keep in the fridge for those in-between moments when you want something cozy, simple and nostalgic.
Why This Pistachio Eggnog Feels Extra Cozy
Naturally flavored (no extracts needed)
Real pistachios give the eggnog its gentle nuttiness without any artificial flavors.
A soft, natural green color
The color stays muted and wintery — nothing too bright or forced.
Warm spices, but still delicate
Just enough ground nutmeg to bring it into the season.
A blender method that keeps things smooth
Blending the pistachios with warm milk creates a silky base that tastes luxurious and decadent with very little work.
Ingredients You’ll Need for This Cozy Nog Recipe:
Pistachios, raw, shelled and unsalted.
Milk + heavy cream; to create that classic eggnog richness.
Eggs; help build a silky custard base.
Powdered sugar; keeps the sweetness soft and balanced.
Winter spice; nutmeg, to add a touch of warmth.
Optional spirits; Bourbon, dark rum, or brandy all work well if you want this more festive.
How to Make Pistachio Eggnog:
Whip egg yolks, before adding powdered sugar.
Whip the egg yolks to a light lemon color before slowly adding the powdered sugar to create a lite custard base.
Warm the custard base slowly, do not bring to a boil!
Add milk and heavy cream to a small saucepan and heat slowly over medium heat, taking care not to bring the mixture to a boil.
Blend the pistachios with milk
This pulls out their flavor and gives you that pale pistachio color.
Combine, strain, and chill
Blend pistachio nuts into the milk base and strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove an nut particles for a smooth eggnog.
Add spirits (optional) and Garnish
Add bourbon, rum or brandy for a festive holiday cocktail with a holiday kick!
Garnish with ground nutmeg for an extra layer of spice.
Serve this Eggnog with:
Keep it sweet and seasonal. This pistachio eggnog is delicious with cookies.
Try these buttery, chocolate dipped cookies; made with ground pistachio’s.
A glass full of this nog is pure nostalgia, when served classically with sugar cookies. This sugar cookie recipe is loaded with vanilla, mixing well with the nutmeg sprinkled into the eggnog.
Make-Ahead and Storage Notes
Make it up to 3 days ahead
The flavors soften and round out with time.
Store in the coldest part of your fridge
A jar or sealed bottle works best.
Pistachio Eggnog
Equipment
- immersion blender
- Fine Sieve
- hand blender/stand mixer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup shelled, unsalted pistachio's
- 6 eggs yolks separated from egg whites
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg, plus more for sprinkling as garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, with hand mixer( or in stand mixer) whip egg yolks until frothy and lemon yellow.
- Slowly add powdered sugar to yolks, mixing until completely incorporated into egg yolks. Set yolks into fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
- While the yolks rest, combine milk and heavy cream in a small saucepan, over medium heat.
- Add pistachios and simmer for 7 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from heat and let cool slightly.
- Using immersion blender, puree pistachios into milk/cream until all nuts are broken down, and mixture is thick and smooth ( about 3 minutes).
- Let milk/pistachio mixture cool completely.
- While pistachio puree cools, whip egg whites in a small bowl until white and frothy, (don't over mix to hard peak stage).
- Remove egg yolks from fridge and place a fine sieve over the bowl.
- Using a wooden spoon, slowly pour the pistachio puree through sieve, stirring with the spoon to sift the mixture through the sieve faster.
- After you have passed all of the liquid out of the puree and left any pieces of nut behind, remove the sieve and save the nut pulp for another use.
- Slowly mix the egg whites into the yolk/pistachio mix, stirring carefully.
- Add the nutmeg and stir to incorporate.
- Serve this pistachio eggnog with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top for a festive garnish!
Nutrition
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