Skip the drive-thru line. No expensive espresso machine needed. Make your own creamy, dreamy Easiest Eggnog Latte.

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Now…onto today’s featured Healthy Kitchen Hack:

The Easiest Eggnog Latte (VIDEO)

This story started out about saving $5 a day by skipping drive-thru lattes and making your own… but, it’s ended up being about the magical qualities of skim milk.

Yup. Skim milk.

I’ll be honest, skim milk hasn’t been in this dietitian’s refrigerator for over 5 years. My milk of choice is 2%. My kids need the milk fat for brain development, for staying power in their tummies, and for diabetes prevention. And so do I.

And we all love the taste of 2% milk.

So I started making these Eggnog Lattes with 2% milk. But then I did a bit of research. And a few sources claimed skim milk made fluffier foam. So I tested it out by placing 2% milk, 1% milk and skim milk in Mason jars, shaking for 30 seconds and measuring the results. (See below.)

(L-R) Skim (fat-free) milk, 1% milk, 2% milk

I had no idea that the amount of foam AND the strength of skim milk foam would surpass 2% milk and even far exceed 1% milk. According to the folks over at thekichen, this is because of the increased stabilizing properties of protein molecules in skim milk. (Skim milk has more protein molecules than 1%, 2% and whole milk, because the fat in fat-containing-milks displaces some of the protein molecules.) So, you might be wondering: why do all milks list the same amount of protein grams on the nutrition label? On the Nutrition Facts labels, the protein content of most milk is at 8 grams per 8-ounce cup. According to the USDA, the actual amount is 7.69 grams of protein in 1 cup of whole milk and 8.26 grams of protein for 1 cup of skim milk. On the nutrition label, both round to 8 grams. Skip the drive-thru - and expensive espresso makers. Make your own: Easiest Eggnog Latte via @TspCurry Click To Tweet

Ok, after that little nutrition lesson, let’s make lattes.

Start with strong, hot coffee, or espresso. Add low-fat eggnog. Or add regular eggnog. Surprisingly, the only difference is actually the fat content. (While many low-fat products also lower the amount of sugar, that’s not the case with light eggnog.) The good thing is, both types below contain fat, so your latte won’t be watery, as it might be with skim milk and coffee only.

Check the Nutrition Facts labels carefully. At my store, there was a wide range of eggnogs and sometimes the number of sugar grams was higher in low-fat nog, than regular.

(L-R) 20 g sugar, 23 g sugar, 23 g sugar, 15 g sugar

My ‘Dietitian’s Pick for the lowest-sugar dairy eggnog’ is surprisingly regular Lactaid nog (with 20 g sugar). Remember, a 1/2-cup serving of plain milk would have about 6 grams of natural sugars.

Now back to that Easiest Eggnog Latte recipe…

For the final two steps, shake, shake, shake the skim milk in a jar. Then, microwave it for 30 seconds.

I tried microwaving it first, then shaking. But the foam deflates faster. If you shake first, then microwave, the microwave foams the milk up even more as it heats!

You could skip the grated nutmeg step, but since you’re already saving time by skipping the drive-thru, please add freshly grated nutmeg. You will love how a Microplane grater produces super light flakes of nutmeg that float on top of the foam. And if you don’t have a Microplane (affiliate link), it won’t take long to save up enough cash by making your own Easiest Eggnog Lattes, to get a grater! (:

Homemade Eggnog Latte

Author: Serena Ball
Yield: 1 serving 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Skip the drive-thru line AND the expensive espresso machine. Make your own creamy, dreamy Eggnog Latte.

Ingredients

Scale

Strong, hot coffee (I started with about 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup low-fat eggnog
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup skim milk
Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Pour hot coffee into your drinking mug of choice. Add eggnog and vanilla.

Place skim milk in microwavable jar with lid. Shake for 30 seconds. Remove lid and microwave for 30-40 seconds, until milk foams up even more.

Using a spoon, hold back the foam and let the warm milk pour into your mug. Spoon the foam on top. Top with grated nutmeg.