Gluten-Free Eggnog : Organic Valley Brand

This organic gluten-free eggnog is fantastic!

Every year around the Christmas holiday season, I get the urge to have some eggnog, but I usually do not get any further than looking at a few brands and giving up without ever buying any.  The first thing that I want to make sure of is that whatever egg nog I find is safe for me gluten-free diet, and I need to find information to support that either: 1) on the carton directly, or 2) on a company's website or such.  Next, I totally avoid all the "eggnogs" that are nothing more than artificial flavors and thickeners -- those are not true egg nog (in my opinion) and just will not do...

I want REAL EGGNOG (made with the same ingredients I would make homemade eggnog with).

Organic Valley Eggnog: High-Quality Ingredients, Great Taste, and GF
This year I was lucky and found this Organic Valley Family of Farms organic eggnog at the local store, and was able to quickly locate the gluten-free status of this nog at the Organic Valley website GF page.  And, their ingredient list is essentially what you would expect to put in your own homemade gluten-free eggnog (and, all organic items in this case):

• Milk
• Cane Sugar
• Cream
• Eggs
• Egg Yolks
• Nonfat Milk
• Vanilla
• Nutmeg
• Carrageenan (I wish they left that out, but it is a simple seaweed-based thickener and last on the list of ingredients - should not be much of it in there if lower than Nutmeg on the list)

These ingredients add up to one thing: DELICIOUS EGG NOG!

This has to be the best eggnog I have ever purchased. It had an authentic taste and was rich and creamy and not overly sweet. The subtle nutmeg and vanilla flavors were just right.  

And, to make things better, I happened to find the quart containers on a clearance sale (since best-by date was approaching in a week) for $2.00, which was roughly 50% off.  So, I have had my quart of gluten-free eggnog for the year, and I feel quite satisfied after not having any eggnog for at least 5 years now.  I look forward to purchasing this same brand for all of my upcoming Christmas seasons as long as it remains available, gluten-free, and the same awesome quality formula.  yummy!

Now, the only down-side is that real eggnog has quite a bit of saturated fats in it, but such is... it is a once/year thing and it is worth enjoying regardless :)

By the way, does eggnog qualify as a gluten-free DESSERT or DRINK?  As rich as it tastes, I placed it in the former category. Got me.