Ok, this eggnog panna cotta is the easiest Christmas dessert EVER! I thought gingerbread cheesecake balls were quick but this boozy festive panna cotta takes the cake. It can’t be beaten for sheer speediness- to-deliciousness ratio. It’s just what you need when Christmas gets busy and you want to serve up a luxurious dessert full of Christmas flavour.
Love eggnog? Try this eggnog creme brulee too.
❤️ Why you’ll love it
- Super quick – like 10 minutes hands-on effort!
- Just 3-4 ingredients.
- Use store-bought or homemade eggnog.
- Make-ahead friendly – it can be made 1-2 days in advance.
- Serve straight from the fridge with your toppings of choice.
This recipe was first published here on December 21st, 2016 and has been updated with new photos and step by step images.
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Ingredients
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
You need 3 ingredients for this eggnog panna cotta. You heard me, a measly 3 ingredients. 1,2,3.
- Eggnog – you can use store bought or make eggnog from scratch
- Powdered gelatine
- Booze (I love to use Drambuie or Frangelico)
What I love most is, for it’s simplicity, it is brimming with sophistication. It’s pretty, feels totally luxurious and with that eggnog spice and hint of liqueur, it’s comforting all at the same time. Your guests will be so impressed and think you spent hours putting this together but I won’t tell if you won’t 🙂
Just keep in mind, this one is adults only. While there isn’t much, there is alcohol in these and the mixture just doesn’t cook long enough or hot enough for that alcohol to get cooked out. For the little ones, you could leave the alcohol out and they’ll love this creamy Christmas dessert.
Use the best eggnog!
This simple dessert starts with a store-bought carton of eggnog, but make sure it’s good quality. As there are only 3 ingredients in this recipe, it’s only going to taste as good as the ingredients you use. I’ve made this every year for the last 3 and the last batch I made was with a less creamy eggnog. For this reason, I suggest using full fat and the creamiest eggnog you can find.
I haven’t tried this with homemade so I can’t tell you what the result would be.
How to make panna cotta
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Bloom the gelatine
Combine eggnog, liqueur and nutmeg, if using, in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatine over the top (don’t stir it in).
Let it sit for 5-7 minutes until it softens and gets all wrinkly on top of the liquid.
2. Dissolve and stir in the gelatine
Turn the heat on low and stir for roughly 2 minutes until the gelatine has all dissolved. You can use the spatula to press it against the side and bottom of the pan if you need to. Do not let it boil or even simmer as this can effect the efficacy of the gelatine (aka lose it’s setting effectiveness).
3. Decant and set
Pour it into pretty glasses (I used a combination of crystal wine glasses and regular drinking glasses) and let it set in the fridge for 4 hours, until serving time. If you want to be able to turn your panna cotta out onto plates, use this vanilla panna cotta recipe for the steps and you can turn them out ahead of time and sit them on plates in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Once set, top your Eggnog Panna Cotta with Christmas cookies – that I know you have oodles of around the place – or anything else you like. I top mine with my these spiced shortbread cookies, whipped cream or double cream and nutmeg. Other great options are crumbled gingerbread cookies or brandy snaps.
Tips and Tricks
- Can you make panna cotta in advance? Yes, panna cotta can be made 1 to 2 days ahead for best results – another reason it’s a wonderful dessert.
- How to store it: Store panna cotta in the fridge, covered for up to 3 days. I find it best to sit the glasses in a baking tray or dish, then cover the whole thing with plastic wrap. This makes it easy to move the glasses around.
- Alcohol free version: Simply omit the alcohol to make an alcohol free eggnog panna cotta for the little ones.
Storage
Eggnog panna cotta can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days before serving, however it does tend to get a slightly firmer texture the longer it is stored. I find it best to make it the day before serving. Make sure the glasses or ramekins are covered tightly with plastic wrap.
Panna cotta does not freeze well.
Christmas dessert done!
Now that you have your easy Christmas dessert made, you can spend more time with your friends and family, celebrating.
More desserts you’ll love
- Baileys panna cotta – another Christmas-worth panna cotta
- Spiked Homemade Eggnog – easy to make and you can use it for this panna cotta
- Chai Panna Cotta with Pistachio Toffee – spice and perfect for the Christmas season
- Coffee Panna Cotta with Coffee Syrup – a delicious after-dinner pick me up
- Christmas Gingerbread Trifle – another easy Christmas dessert
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Did you try this eggnog panna cotta recipe?
Show it some love in the comments below.
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Ingredients
- 4 cups full fat eggnog
- ¼ cup liqueur (like Drambuie or Frangelico) (notes 4)
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg to taste, + more for topping, optional
- 3 ½ teaspoons powdered gelatine
- Topping of your choice (I used shortbread cookies, double cream and nutmeg)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Instructions
- Pour the eggnog into a saucepan, then add the liqueur and nutmeg (if using) and stir well. Sprinkle the gelatine evenly over the top and leave it for 5 minutes to bloom.
- Heat over low heat, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until the gelatine dissolves. Don’t let it simmer or boil.
- Pour the mixture into elegant glasses and allow to set in the fridge for 4 hours.
- Top with your toppings and serve
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- This recipe only tastes as good as the quality of the eggnog you use. Use a creamy and full fat, good quality eggnog.
- There is an endless list of liqueurs you could use for this panna cotta. Rum, brandy, pedro ximenez are all great substitutes.
- There are no special tools required for this recipe, just some elegant glasses and a saucepan.
- If you want to leave the liqueur out, just swap it for the same quantity of more eggnog.
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14 Comments on “Boozy Eggnog Panna Cotta Recipe”
Can you advise me. I have made many pana cotta with sucess not with alcohol. I followed your instructions to a t. At the end there was lumps so i strained them thru the seive. And 24 hours later it is liquid. Please help its for a holiday dinner
Hi Marianne. So the lumps that you’ve strained out are probably the gelatine that hasn’t dissolved which means there is no gelatine in the liquid mixture so it can’t set. You’d be best off starting from scratch unfortunately as there is no way of knowing how much gelatine is already in the liquid mixture and you might end up with rubbery panna cotta if you add too much. Make sure to keep the heat very low and keep stirring and pressing that gelatine against the pan until it has all dissolved.
What a perfect dessert for the holidays! I used Organic Valley reduced fat eggnog (labeled 33% less fat) and it worked well, very smooth and creamy. I did find that I needed more chill time, about 6 hours, to get a good set. Thank you!
I’m so happy you love it, Barbara. Truly appreciate you dropping back to leave a review.
Is this with 3 or 4 cups? It says both in the recipe?
Sorry for that error, Henk. The recipe section is correct with 4 cups. I’ve updated the post wording to match.
This turned out so delicious !! A new holiday favorite now!!!
I’m so happy to hear this, Erminda. Truly appreciate you trying my recipe.
Hi Marie – gonna try this recipe of yours.
I’ve purchased light eggnog, will this work on this recipe?
Hi Belinda, light milk does not work too well as it tends to separate into layers so it’s possible light eggnog will do the same thing. However, I haven’t tried it with light eggnog and even if it does separate it will still taste fine and creamy safe to eat. Let me know how you go ?
Hello Marie – so pleased to tell you that your panna cotta recipe turned out perfect. I used 2-1/2 c of light eggnog & the other 1/2 cup of whipping cream. It didn’t separate. Thank you for this recipe.
Seasons greetings.
That’s excellent news Belinda, good to know too 🙂
These look absolutely amazing! The photos are gorgeous too, they give me the white-Christmas feel!
Thank you so much Trang. Merry Christmas 🙂