Vegan Eggnog Protein Shake (Gluten Free)

Celebrate the holidays with a protein-packed version of your favorite drink! This Eggnog Protein Shake is date-sweetened, gluten free, and vegan

Hey friends! The holiday season is in full swing and I’m so excited for Christmas! Christmas is by far one of my favorite holidays of the entire year, especially now that my kids are getting a bit older and they can now fully appreciate everything the season has to offer, like designing their own gingerbread houses and helping bake cookies. It’s so much fun!

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the eggnog. Yep, eggnog! It’s that once a year treat that is just too yummy to pass up. Since we have food allergies in my house, we find non-dairy eggnog to drink, but sometimes it’s fun to make it yourself (sans eggs of course!).

A few years back I posted a recipe for some homemade eggnog, and this Eggnog Protein Shake is a variation of that recipe with a protein boost.

This recipe is a creamy, homemade and healthier version of your favorite eggnog that also happens to be allergy-friendly. My kids and I can’t have eggs or dairy so we get creative when we are craving something yummy in a pinch. The protein powder and dates thicken this shake so you won’t even miss the eggs!

For my kids, we use rice or coconut milk in this recipe since they have nut allergies. Since my kids don’t get a lot of protein at breakfast (dairy and eggs are off the menu), we enjoy shaking up the breakfast or snack time routine a bit with a fun protein shake. They love it!

And if you’re looking for a little variety with your dairy-free milk options, check out the new line of almondmilk from Almond Breeze: Almond Breeze Almondmilk Cashewmilk! They have 4 flavors: Original, Original Unsweetened, Vanilla, and Vanilla Unsweetened.

I used the Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Unsweetned in this recipe, but feel free to use the new Almond Breeze Almondmilk Cashewmilk for a little change of pace!

If you’re an eggnog connoisseur (is that even a thing?), then you will know that true eggnog has bourbon and not rum. I didn’t see any bourbon-flavored extract in my local stores, and rum extract is pretty easy to come by, so I used that instead. It still tastes great and no one knows the difference 😉

If you really feel that you must have bourbon flavoring rather than rum flavor, you can certainly use bourbon extract instead.

The imitation butter extract just adds a little buttery flavor that I think tastes good in the shake (the one I used is non-dairy), but that is completely optional.