Holiday Eggnog Dip

Ingredients

• 8 oz / 226 g Cream cheese, softened
• 1 box (3.4 oz / 96 g) Instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup Plain eggnog, cold
• 8 oz / 226 g Frozen whipped topping, thawed
• ½ tsp, plus a pinch for the top Ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Method

1. Let the cream cheese sit out until a finger leaves a dent. Beat it on its own until you see no lumps. A cold block stays grainy no matter how long you mix.
2. Add the pudding mix and the cold eggnog. Beat again until the bowl looks even and has thickened. Stir in the vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
3. Fold in the whipped topping with a spatula. Stop when the white streaks are gone. Do not keep beating or you will knock the air out.
4. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. The pudding keeps setting in the cold. Dust the top with a little more nutmeg. Serve with gingersnaps, apple slices, or plain cookies. Use eggnog that is not spiked unless everyone at the table is fine with alcohol.

Nutrition

Kitchen estimate only, not lab-verified. A sweet dip. Eggnog, pudding mix, and whipped topping are the sugar and the sodium.

Guest diet / allergy swaps

Short kitchen notes for guests. A fuller gluten-free or dairy-free ingredient list, when we have one, is in the panels below.

• Low-sodium friendly

  Do not add salt. Cream cheese and some pudding mixes still contain sodium. This dip does not get much lower than the packages you buy.

• Gluten-free style

  Many instant pudding mixes contain wheat. Use a pudding mix labeled gluten-free, and check the cookies you serve beside it. The eggnog and cream cheese are usually the easier part.

  • United States: Pudding mix labeled gluten-free, and apples or gluten-free cookies beside the bowl.
  • United Kingdom: Read the pudding mix. Wheat is the usual extra in instant mixes.

• Dairy-free

  Use a dairy-free cream cheese, a plant-based nog, and a coconut whipped topping. The set will be softer. Read every label. This is not a promise about a dairy allergy.

• No eggs

  Standard eggnog is made with eggs. Use a carton labeled egg-free if that is what you need, and expect a thinner nog flavor.

• Soy-free

  Whipped topping and pudding often contain soy. Whip your own cream and use a soy-free pudding, or skip the topping and accept a denser dip.

• No pork

  There is no meat in the bowl. Check cookie labels if the dip is going out with a holiday tin.

• More nog flavor

  Stir in ½ tsp rum extract with the vanilla. That extract is alcohol-based. Leave it out for a table that is skipping alcohol.