The Store-Brand Eggnog That's Truly The Best Of The Best

We're in the middle of the holiday season, which means it's time to break out the eggnog. Eggnog is one of the quintessential drinks synonymous with Christmas festivities, which is why you'll see a plethora of different varieties in the grocery store aisles. But which store-brand eggnog is the best? Daily Meal ranked 13 store-bought eggnogs to answer this very question — and it was Trader Joe's Egg Nog that took the top spot.

We found Trader Joe's version to be just the right amount of creamy, resulting in an overall decadent drink. As for the taste, this version has the perfect combination of spices — including nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon — which are front and center when you take a sip. All in all, we found it to be the closest-tasting to homemade eggnog that you can get without, well, making eggnog at home yourself.

But don't just take our word for it — Trader Joe's fans on Reddit couldn't be more in agreement. One user noted that they bought two cartons of the eggnog as soon as the chain stocked it for the holiday season. Meanwhile, on Instagram, a Trader Joe's shopper commented, "My favorite!!" under a post about the return of the eggnog to shelves.

We can look at the ingredient list to understand why Trader Joe's eggnog stands out from the rest. Specifically, let's compare it to two other brands on the ranked list: Hood Golden Eggnog, which we ranked 10th, and Southern Comfort Traditional Egg Nog, which we ranked fairly high in 4th place. There are two key differences between Trader Joe's eggnog and these other two brands. First, both Hood and Southern Comfort contain high fructose corn syrup and sugar, while Trader Joe's has just sugar. Considering that we found TJ's eggnog to have the best taste, the high fructose corn syrup in the other two brands may be an unnecessary ingredient that detracts from the cream and spice flavors we want to taste. And speaking of spices, while Trader Joe's has actual spices included in the ingredient list — specifically nutmeg and turmeric — the other two only list "spice." So, it makes sense why the spice flavor in TJ's eggnog is much more pronounced than the other eggnogs on the list. 

In short, it's probably best to go with Trader Joe's eggnog for any of your eggnog adventures this year. Drink it straight, make an eggnog milkshake, or whip up an eggnog latte. You can also spike the eggnog to turn it into a boozy drink. While Trader Joe's also offers an eggnog liqueur that you can buy, spiking it yourself gives you much more control — you can choose which liquor to add and, more importantly, how strong to make it.