Eggnog Rice Pudding Recipe (Dairy Free & Vegan)

This creamy rice pudding recipe is a perfect holiday treat. It is creamy and satisfying, and is incredibly easy to make and store in the fridge or freezer.

I have always loved rice pudding, and I used to buy a lot of the premade packaged ones from the grocery store when I was younger. Ever since cutting out dairy, I hadn’t eaten it for probably 10+ years. 

Not sure where it came from but one day I got the brilliant idea to make rice pudding with vegan EGGNOG!! Turns out it’s not that brilliant because there are many eggnog rice pudding recipes on Google, but… this one might be the best  and is a great way to use up leftover eggnog (like that’s a thing 😆). 

Recipe ingredient substitutions 

Eggnog substitutions

For this rice pudding, I used one of the premade vegan eggnogs. So Delicious Holiday Nog (made with a coconut milk base) is quite easy to find in most grocery stores! If for some reason you can’t find it, you can also use Califia Farms Holiday Nog (made with an almond milk base). They also make nog with oat milk these days! If you are not intolerant or allergic to dairy, you can also use regular whole milk eggnog however I’ve never tested it out so I’m not totally sure if this recipe would turn out the same as it did with dairy free milk. If you try it though, let me know in the comments below!

Rice substitutions

The best rice to use for this recipe is white jasmine rice, but you can swap this out for white rice, brown rice, arborio rice, or basmati rice. Basically any kind of rice you have in your cupboard will work. It’s also a great way to use up leftover rice in your fridge that you’ve cooked on the stove or in your rice cooker. It doesn’t matter if it’s short grain rice or long grain. There are so many different rice varieties!

Coconut oil substitutions

If you don’t have coconut oil, you can also feel free to use a vegan butter substitute instead. If you are not intolerant or allergic to dairy, you can also use regular butter.

Flavor substitutions

If you want to add more of those eggnog flavors, feel free to add more ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and vanilla extract.  I think they even sell holiday spices as a premade mix now at the store.  If you want to go a bit outside the box, you can add things like lemon zest, or candy canes to give it some holiday spirit.

Dietary variations

Make this recipe lower carb: Healthy eggnog rice pudding is the goal and we already don’t add extra sugar because the eggnog is sweet enough. The only improvements I can think of is to make sure you’re buying eggnog with the smallest amount of sugar and using a brown rice variety that has the most fiber.  If you use something like cauliflower rice, it won’t thicken up so I think that’s about the best we can do here.  

Recipe Pairings

Holiday dessert: Make it for dessert during the holiday season instead of something like eggnog cheesecake. Start a new decadent holiday tradition with festive rice pudding!

Eat it for Christmas breakfast: It might be the perfect way to wake up on Christmas morning. Pair with the strongest coffee you can find. You’ll need it today!

Top it with ice cream and/or maple syrup: Why the heck not?!

Recipe FAQs

What is vegan eggnog made of?

The vegan eggnog I use for this recipe (SO Delicious Holiday Nog) uses coconut milk as the base and then also includes cane sugar, sea salt, guar gum, nutmeg, natural flavor, xanthan gum, and annatto extract for colour.

How do you thicken rice pudding without eggs?

Dairy free eggnog is already quite thick because of its coconut milk base, but also uses additional thickeners such as guar gum and xanthan gum to produce a thick, creamy eggnog.  The rice pudding is also thickened naturally the longer you cook it as the rice kernels get softer and start breaking down.

Why does my rice pudding look watery?

The liquids in this dish will naturally start separating from the rice, so it’s best to stir the pudding thoroughly before serving.

Can you make this recipe with cooked rice?

Yes, you can make this rice pudding with pre-cooked rice, however you will need far less eggnog/liquids otherwise the recipe might turn out quite thin. If you do use precooked rice, start with only half the amount of eggnog in the recipe and add more if needed as you are cooking it.

Can I make this using an instant pot?

Yes!  You can make instant pot rice pudding.  Pressure cook everything on high for 10 minutes, then slow release for 15 minutes. Save some time when making this creamy eggnog rice pudding recipe!

Tried the recipe?

Please leave me a rating and review below, and post a picture of the dish to Instagram and tag me at @foodsnfeels 🙌

Looking for more holiday recipes? 

Check out my AIP ginger molasses cookie dough bites, dairy free baileys and dairy free eggnog cheesecake recipes.

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