The Best And Worst Eggnog: Our Taste Test Results

Eggnog -- most people either love it or hate it. If you're an eggnog lover, December strolls down the dairy aisle can be tempting -- those quarts filled with the creamy stuff are just so much easier to buy than making your own nog from scratch. Just add a little booze to the store-bought variety, and you're in heaven.

That is, unless, you buy the wrong brand.

That's where we come in. We've tasted 17 types of eggnog for you, from commercial brands that are available nation-wide to highly-touted local brands that we just had to try -- we even tried some soy and lactose-free versions, with pretty surprising results (warning: avoid soy-milk eggnog!). Ranging in price from about $2 to $9 per quart, the difference between these nogs was remarkable. Some tasted of classic vanilla and cinnamon, while others tasted like banana and, yes, bubblegum.

So which brands should you try? And which should you steer clear of? Read our taste test results below!

What's your favorite eggnog? Vote in the slideshow, or leave a comment below.

As always, our taste test is in no way sponsored or influenced by any of the brands featured here.

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Comments

[Hlynn]

10:07 PM on 12/26/2011

Whoops! That should have been "indulgence". Saw the typo right after hitting post.

[Hlynn]

10:06 PM on 12/26/2011

We had Hood eggnog this year, but Vanilla Spice and Pumpkin--not Cinnamon. Both were good, but we cut them with rice milk because it's so thick. Dreyer's Pumpkin ice cream with gingersnap cookies was another holiday indugence.

[Trevor Herdman]

10:10 PM on 12/24/2011

I am disappointed about the comment to avoid soy based nogs. I completely disagree. We have loved our alternative milk eggnogs for years.

[joanw1059]

07:34 PM on 12/24/2011

i find the best eggnog out there is the Guernsey Dairy Eggnog and Kemps Golden Eggnog. Actually the best one in the world was made by Meadowmoor Dairy but they do not exist anymore in Chicago. The two mentioned are the best ones to drink in front of the Christmas Tree or at any other holiday

[wuzzlebear5]

06:34 PM on 12/24/2011

if you read the reviews, the reviewers seem to have an issue with anything soy as a whole. i think that is one of the problems. they werent open-minded in the first place.. that sort of ruins a review..

[wuzzlebear5]

06:28 PM on 12/24/2011

soy nog and so delicious coconut nog are awesome!!! i know tons of regular nog drinkers who like it, too. the reviewers have no clue.

[floodberg]

01:08 PM on 12/24/2011

Whatever you buy or make...the only true eggnog has bourbon, not rum.

[trumbull desi]

01:10 PM on 12/24/2011

Hubby and I had adult cookies and milk last night. Homemade eggnog (yes, with bourbon) and soft gingerbread cookies. That was some good dunkin'!

[floodberg]

02:19 PM on 12/24/2011

TrumbullDesi, that sounds like a great evening!  Did you make your own gingerbread?  I used to love homemade, but I'm too lazy to make it.  I got my eggnog recipe from a Boston paper years ago...uses ice cream (I have a donvier, so none of those cooked eggs for me!) and is delectable!  I threw an orphan's Christmas a few years after I was widowed because I just couldn't deal with my family's matchmaking. 

Invited 25 'orphaned' lawyers, motorcycle instructors (knew a lot of them, I got my license and lots of new friends), friends from all over, with invites to bring orphans they knew.  Cooked for days (I have a big freezer and refridgerator, and all the copper servers with sterno), made my eggnog with bourbon and stocked the bar.  Folks called with other orphans, handled 125 without a hitch...but no one went after the eggnog.  I looked at one big burly instructor and hinted he should try it (Jack Daniels that year) ~ he took a sip quite gingerly, then laughed and clued the whole party in to it...and it was a major hit! 

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

[loadie]

01:30 AM on 12/19/2011

In Chicago it's Oberweis Dairy. Hands down winner. Nothing like ice cold nog out of a glass bottle. It's more like an egg nog shake.

[jonnyfrog]

07:52 PM on 12/17/2011

Alpenrose! I have had my share of nogg, and this one is rich, creamy, and has a touch of nutmeg already. Pretty much only in Oregon & Washington. Add as much rum as you want, it won't thin out or seperate!

[benji85]

05:11 PM on 12/12/2011

Nothing beats homemade eggnog, it's not hard to make and tastes 100 times better than what you'll buy in a store.

[LitDr2B]

10:33 PM on 12/24/2011

Agreed. I made some homemade for the first time two years ago, and it was delicious. A big hit with everyone, except a couple of people who were wiggy about raw eggs. They were super fresh raw eggs from a cage-free purveyor.

[Randi Grogan]

02:33 PM on 12/10/2011

Trader Joe's Egg Nog is fantastic, but then again I love Trader Joes. I've tried Shamrock brand when we lived in Arizona it was good but just ok. Having the taste of nutmeg in our egg nog is a must, grant it we don't drink a lot due to the fact content but if your going to have it have the best.

[acellist1]

04:50 AM on 12/09/2011

I like Earth Balance soy nog! The thing about alternative milks like soy and almond milk is you really have to get used to them and acquire the taste. Milk is a very primal drink that most of us have drunk since we were born. When you first try soy milk or almond milk it is very off-putting, because the texture and flavor is so different than cow's milk. But I found that after a couple months of having it in the fridge I began to enjoy the taste, and to appreciate the other milks for their own unique qualities. I suppose nothing can beat the flavor of good old fashioned milk, fresh and local, but the other milks have their place too, they just occupy a very different place than cow's milk.

[wuzzlebear5]

06:30 PM on 12/24/2011

i think the alternative nogs are awesome! ive never found any of them to be weird tasting, even when i first started drinking them. they get a bad rep for no reason, in my opinion... not only are the alternative nogs great, but they dont contain any pus like regular milk does. the usda allows a certain percentage of this in all milk.

[stingyhollow]

04:41 PM on 12/06/2011

The best eggnog that I have had is Land of Lakes, it is all pure with no high frutrose. Most of the eggnog has the high frutrose, which I will not buy.

[lovinlife3]

04:07 PM on 12/06/2011

If I am going to indulge in egg nog, I am gonna do it right...none of this soy, lactose-free, lite, yadda yadda crud. Why bother then?

[lovinlife3]

04:04 PM on 12/06/2011

First thought before reading - OMG! Can't imagine taste testing this many. If I allowed myself that luxury, I'd be closing in on about 500 lbs!