EGG NOGS - CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE®

Information updated November 2024

Another annual favorite for millions, Egg Nog is a sign the holidays are here!

Egg Nog is relatively simple to make with only a few ingredients: Eggs, Dairy, Sugar + Spices.

Unfortunately, most commercial Egg Nogs have multiple ingredients Not In Kitchen™ >> ingredients we would never use at home to make Egg Nog from scratch.

Let’s see what’s in some of the most popular brands of Egg Nog . . . note: sometimes it is spelled as two words and sometimes as one word >> you will see both Egg Nog and Eggnog in this review, as per the brand’s spelling.

CATAMOUNT DAIRY HOLDINGS HOOD EGGNOGS ARE ALL BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS: All of these Hood Eggnogs contain High Fructose Corn Syrup which Whole Foods cites as “Unacceptable in food.” (Source for Hood ingredients: Catamount Dairy Holdings Hood Web site 11/24: Source: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 11/24) In addition, these Hood products all have Thickening Agents and Emulsifiers. three of them have Artificial Flavors and two have Artificial Color >> there are three Artificial Colors in the Golden Eggnog and one Artificial Color in the Pumpkin-flavored version.

Catamount Dairy Holdings Hood Golden Eggnog — below left — contains nine ingredients Not In Kitchen >> 3 Artificial Colors, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Artificial Flavors, Carrageenan, Guar Gum, Diglycerides and Monoglycerides.

Shown below, EGGNOG COMPARISON:. Below left, Borden Egg Nog has three ingredients Not In Kitchen. Below right, Straus Family Creamery Organic Eggnog is Closest To Homemade with only the type of ingredients we would use at home.

Following is a snapshot of which ingredients are Not In Kitchen in some other manufactured Nogs: Target Favorite Day Egg Nog contains multiple ingredients we would never use at home to make Egg Nog; Crystal Creamery Egg Nog is Far From Homemade™ with five ingredients Not In Kitchen. Garelick Farms Egg Nog contains Artificial Flavor, Natural Flavor, Annatto, Carrageenan, Guar Gum and Whey. (Sources: Brand Web sites and Target and Whole Foods Web sites 11/24)

Shown below, MORE NON-DAIRY NOGS: These non-Dairy Nogs below all contain multiple ingredients Not In Kitchen: Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Nog made with Almond Milk contains six ingredients Not In Kitchen including Potassium Citrate which is a Preservative, commercial Natural Flavors, three Thickening Agents and Sunflower Lecithin as an Emulsifying Agent; So Delicious Coconutmilk Holiday Nog contains Natural Flavor, two Gums and Annatto Extract for Color; and Califia Farms Holiday Nog made with Almond Milk which has five ingredients Not In Kitchen including the Preservative Potassium Citrate, added commercial Natural Flavors, two Thickening Agents and an Emulsifier. (Sources for ingredients: Brand Web sites 11/24)

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE EGG NOGS: Shown below, these Egg Nogs have no Corn Syrups, Artificial Flavors, Natural Flavors, Chemical Preservatives, Artificial Colors, Gums, Lecithin or Carrageenan. They all contain Organic Dairy, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Eggs and Organic Nutmeg. (Sources for ingredients: Brand Web sites 11/24)

Closest To Homemade Egg Nogs include Local, yay! Look for Local like Rogers Farmstand — below left — which is certified Organic, Organic Alexandre Family Farm — center — made with Certified Humane Pasture-Raised Eggs and Grass-Fed Dairy, and Organic Straus Family Creamery — below right — certified Kosher and Non-GMO Project certified. Taste the real thing!

*Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list*

Here’s a Dairy-Free Organic Almond Milk Egg Nog from MALK which is Closest To Homemade:

Discover more food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

Closest To Homemade® Master List

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