Eggnog Protein Shake (low carb)

This is the perfect time of the year to make a low carb eggnog protein shake. You can drink it as a healthy keto breakfast drink or with a few tweaks make it into a holiday keto cocktail! Either way it’s low carb and high protein but also tastes delicious and there are no raw eggs! One serving has only 2.5g net carbs and 14.3g of protein!

You might also like this energizing and filling keto peanut butter smoothie!

I had never had eggnog until a few years ago. My husband bought some for my son to try and since he loved it so I wanted to take those flavors and make it into a keto eggnog protein shake. I confess that I really did like that holiday flavor but was not a fan of raw eggs so there are no raw eggs in this keto eggnog drink.

It’s healthy and full of protein so it helps with my protein goals. However, it’s low carb and the taste is delicious! And while we drink this for breakfast you can also drink it as a Christmas cocktail (but not for breakfast). All you need to do is add a little rum or vodka. And if you don’t want to use protein powder I show you how to do that. In other words this is a very versatile holiday drink recipe!

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

The simple ingredients I used were almond milk, heavy cream, ground cinnamon, fresh nutmeg, vanilla extract, Swerve confectioners sweetener, Isopure Zero Carb Vanilla protein shake mix and glucomannan (optional). 

If you want make this into a keto holiday cocktail you just need to add ingredient rum, vodka or bourbon to the recipe. And you can make this without protein powder if you want. Just check out the recipe notes.

• Isopure Zero Carb Vanilla – I used vanilla protein powder in this smoothie because it adds flavor, thickness and of course protein as well as other nutrients. Isopure is my favorite because it has no carbs and I like the taste. You can of course use whatever your favorite vanilla protein powder for this recipe.
• unsweetened almond milk and heavy cream – I like almond milk because it doesn’t have many calories or carbs but you can substitute with other non dairy milk like oat or cashew milk. The heavy cream can be substituted with coconut milk or coconut cream which are thick and creamy like the heavy cream. You can also just use the almond milk in its place but it won’t be as rich and creamy.
• cinnamon and nutmeg – These are the main flavorings of this drink and you should not substitute them. If you have fresh nutmeg like those pictured below it will give the best taste. You just grate it with a microplane. But if you don’t have fresh you can use ground nutmeg.
• Swerve sweetener – I love Swerve products but you can use whatever sweetener you want. Just make sure it is 1:1 substitute for white sugar. If you don’t care about carbs you can use regular refined sugar.
• glucomannan – I use this to thicken the shake since we aren’t adding eggs and it adds fiber but if you don’t have it or don’t want to buy it, just eliminate it.

What is glucomannan?

Don’t worry, it’s an optional ingredient in this recipe! Glucomannan is considered a dietary fiber. It is made from the roots of a special yam and is also called konjac. It’s the main ingredient of shirataki noodles if you know about those. It can be added smoothies and drinks to thicken and to add fiber. Because the fiber and carbs are the same, the net effect is 0g so that’s why I like to use it in smoothies, gravies or sauces to thicken them.

How to make an eggnog protein shake.

This is a very simple recipe but here is how you make this keto eggnog shake.

1. First get out the blender and the ice. I like a high speed blender like my Vitamix for crushing ice.
2. Next add everything except the glucomannnan. Add the almond milk, heavy cream, spices, sweetener and protein powder.
3. Blend on high to crush the ice with the liquids.
4. Lastly turn the speed down to the lowest speed. Slowly add the glucomannon powder if using. When done you can place it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes and it will thicken more from the glucomannan powder.
5. If making a cocktail you can add it now or when you add the other liquids.
6. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or grated nutmeg. You can also use some whipped cream if drinking this as a keto eggnog drink. Maybe even add a cinnamon stick for garnish.

If you want to make this protein drink as a keto cocktail.

To make this into a keto eggnog cocktail instead of a protein drink all you have to do is add rum. This recipe makes 2 servings so you will want to use 2 shots of rum in the whole thing. You could also use vodka or bourbon and they also do not have any carbs. However they all have added calories. You can also try rum extract which will have very few calories.

You can also eliminate the protein powder, but if you do you will want to add another ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and additional sweetener.

Recipe Notes & Tips

• This recipe can be used as an eggnog flavored morning smoothie or cocktail.
• To make a cocktail just stir in 2 shots of rum, vodka or bourbon to the blender. This recipe makes 2 servings so one shot per serving.
• If you want to eliminate the protein powder add an additional ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and more sweetener to taste. The protein powder adds protein, flavor and sweetness so you make up for that.
• I used heavy cream to make this more decadent but if you are dairy free or want to shave some calories off, just use almond milk in place of the cream. You can also substitute with coconut milk or coconut cream if you like to us a milk alternative but they will probably change the flavor a bit.free but they will probably change the flavor a bit.
• I also used glucomannan to thicken the shake but it’s entirely optional. 
• You can use your favorite vanilla protein powder but I suggest IsoPure Zero Carb Vanilla. Just make sure the one you use is low carb and vanilla flavored. You could also use a ready to drink vanilla protein drink. I love FairLife protein drinks as far as flavor goes.

More keto holiday drinks to try.

I have a LOT of keto drink recipes on this site but here are a few of my favorite recipes if you re looking for some holiday cheer this holiday season. The recipes that use alcohol can easily be made as mocktails – just eliminate the alcohol.

• keto Christmas jello shots
• keto pumpkin pie cocktail
• keto candy cane martini
• low carb butter beer
• low carb frozen mudslide
• keto rumchata
• low carb raspberry mimosa or cranberry mimosa
• low carb spiked cocoa or pumpkin spice or peppermint hot chocolate
• keto lemon drop martini or cosmopolitan

Well this keto eggnog protein shake is our new favorite low carb smoothie. I’ve been trying to increase my protein intake and this is an easy and delicious way to do that. Plus it puts us all in the holiday spirit this time of year. I hope you like it too!

The nutrition information for 1 serving is: 286 calories / 23.9 fat / 3.7g carbs / 1.2g fiber / 14.3g protein = 2.5g net carbs