Non-Dairy Nogs

I’ve always liked egg nog. I’ve spent many a Christmas Eve with my mom’s side of the family drinking some quite strongly spiked egg nog. When I worked at a coffee shop, we made a holiday egg nog latte. One of my favorite things was to pull a double shot of espresso and pour a splash of egg nog into it. Yum. Since becoming vegan, I like to try a nondairy nog around the holidays. The vegan versions are especially appealing, well, because they’re vegan and they don’t have cholesterol and the high fat content of dairy egg nog. This year, we’ve tried two of the vegan brands and I thought I would post my thoughts on  them–So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog and Silk Soymilk Nog. Boy, the more I write the word ‘nog’ the more bizarre it sounds! Apparently, it may come from the Middle English word ‘noggin’ which was a small round wooden mug used to serve alcohol and in England, it was a drink mainly consumed by the aristocracy because of the high price of milk and eggs. Once it was introduced to early colonial America, it because more widely consumed as milk and dairy became more widely avaiable. Interesting historical note! (thanks, Wikipedia!). Anyway, here goes:

So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog: The coconut milk nog is definitely thicker and creamier–more like a super-rich dairy nog. It has a coconutty flavor, though, so that is definitely a little different than a traditional nog. It is soy-free and gluten-free, so for those with allergies, this might be the way to go.

Silk Soymilk Nog:  The Silk is thinner and less creamy, with a good balance of flavor. Soymilk, naturally, has protein, which is an added bonus to this one. I find that I can actually drink a serving of this nog, whereas the other is too rich to do so.

Nutrition Fact Comparison: The two nogs have the same number of calories (90 per 1/2 cup). The coconut nog has slightly more sugar, slightly more fat (saturated), more sodium, and no protein. The soymilk nog has 3g of protein per 1/2 cup and is lower in fat, sodium and sugar.

The Verdict: I actually like both for different uses. If I am going to drink a teacup full of nog, plain or with a splash of rum, I like the soymilk nog. As an additive to coffee, or for baking, I like the coconut milk nog.

I’ve also seen a Rice Dream Rice Nog out there, but when I went to the store to buy the nogs, they were out of that one. Has anyone tried the Rice Nog? What’s your favorite nondairy nog?

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