How Can I Make Lactose-Free Eggnog? Good Questions

Q: My family was thinking ahead to Christmas and my cousin brought up the subject of eggnog and how much he loved my homemade version. But the problem is that he is lactose-intolerant and could only drink so much.

I know there is not lactose in goat and sheep milk and was looking for recipes that use that. But they are few and far between.

They also suggest that you use cream in it as well as the milk. Is this needed? Is there any ways I can really make it completely lactose free? Goat milk AND goat cream??

Sent by Jake

Editor: Jake, there is actually lactose in goat and sheep milk; it's just that it doesn't bother some lactose-intolerant people as much as the lactose in cow's milk.

Our suggestion would be to look up a good soy or rice milk recipe for eggnog! Does anyone have one?

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Related: Recipe Review: Homemade Eggnog

(Image: Nora Maynard for The Kitchn)

Comments (11)

One idea would be to use coconut milk. I know this is a fairly popular substitution in dairy-free bread baking.
I think it would contribute a fair amount of flavor which, depending on how you feel about the flavor of coconut, could be good or bad. Seems like the texture and consistency would be just about right for recipes that call for cream.

Lactose is in all animal milk, it's the natural milk sugar. One way to make eggnog, or any milk based product, and still avoid lactose is to use Lactose-free milk. "Lactaid" is one national brand and Organic Valley Dairy makes a lactose-free version too. The milk tastes identical to regular milk and no one will notice the difference. Good luck.

I've heard of using coconut milk in eggnog. I haven't tried this, but it sounds delicious. Here's a recipe I found via google: http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/main/cocktails/coconut-eggnog-recipe.asp
I like silk's eggnog also... not homemade, but a decent substitute.

Lactose-free milk! Available in your dairy isle - Lactaid brand. It doesn't have an after-taste or anything, and it doesn't thicken as well as 'real' milk, but I've added soy creamer to it and it's thickened well. Soy products WILL add an aftertaste, so flavor/spice accordingly! Submit your recipe if it turns out well

Lactose free milk will work but I don't know if they have Lactaid cream. Come to think of it, cream might not even have lactose in it -- check the nutrition label to see how much sugar is in is; all the sugar in dairy is lactose.

I also fully support the coconut milk idea. There's a new milk alternative available called So Delicious. It has a great thick, rich consistency like whole milk. http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/Coconut_Bev_Unsweetened.html

The taste is to die for too. I think that's better than using dairy, but then again, I think dairy is evil so I am biased.

Cheers!

The easy way is to grab the Silk soy nog. I've drank both, and the only way I can tell them apart is that the soy nog is slightly lighter.
So Delicious also makes a lot of great soy stuff, as does Purely Decadent, though both of those are more along the lines of soy ice cream type... But the vanilla soy ice cream substitutes WONDERFULLY in sweet things you'd normally use creamer, just cut back the sugar, or use regular Silk Creamer, that works too, though a bit lighter again.

Wow, my experience with Lactaid milk is completely different from other people's here! I'm lactose intolerant but I avoid Lactaid because it tastes sweeter than regular milk. Normal, lactose-ful milk has the right neutral creaminess that Lactaid (too sweet) and Silk (either too sweet or too thick) have. The new coconut milk products (So Delicious) have waaay too much fat in them.

This is why I love lactose-intolerance pills.

Anyone know why lactose-free milk would be sweeter, when it's a sugar enzyme that's being removed? Or maybe my taste-buds are just strange.

Ditto on the lactose intolerance pills. I am looking at a giant jar of 250 right now and they are extremely necessary because I love cheese!

lactose is a group of two sugar rings linked together; people who are lactose intolerant lack the enzyme that breaks the two sugar rings apart. your body cannot absorb double rings of sugar (also the mechanism why splenda, which is two sugar molecules linked by a chlorine, cannot be absorbed). Since the sugar is not absorbed, it's sitting in your intestines, fermenting (why you get gas) and pulling out water (why you may get the runs).

I think that the reason lactose-free milk tastes sweeter is parallel to the reason why regular sugar tastes sweeter than splenda. it's already partially broken down when you're eating it.

Also, if you're getting milk from Braums, they basically dehydrate it to give it a better mouth feel, so it has more lactose (milk sugar) in it. And more calories.

The medium-chain fatty acids found in coconut products like So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverages are actually good for you! That's why I've been making delicious dairy-free holiday nogs this year with them. So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer is another option, has very little fat, and makes a mean cup of chai tea, too!

I think the reason why goat and sheep milk don't bother 'lactose intolerant' folk is because they more closely resemble human breast milk (which apparently has more lactose than cow's milk according to wikipedia). If your cousin is REALLY sensitive, it might be good to stick to plant based milks.

If there was a way of doing it with almond milk, I'd try that. The flavor seems like it would be the best. Otherwise you'll have some pretty strong coconut influence. If you need heavy cream, there is soy whipped cream sold in boxes at Whole Foods which might work, or just soy creamer. I actually want to try making it with soy! The Soy Nog is good, but I want to see if homemade is better.