If gluten is all you are concerned about, you can drink most brands of egg nog. There is a fool somewhere who got gluten into the egg nog but in general it is not a huge problem. However if you are like me and cannot have dairy, or if you have a child who cannot have eggs, then join me in an exploration of the best of the vegan egg-nogs.

When I was a child Christmas meant egg nog. We had egg nog cake with egg nog ice cream and of course, actual egg nog in front of the tree. I am not sure how my mother survived all that egg nog, without having a heart attack but somehow she did and we lived to tell the tale.

I was sad not to be able to share this tradition, however strange, with my child, but having consumed a Starbucks egg nog latte made with soymilk last year and then been ill for two days, I knew that my days of dairy egg nog were indeed over.

I tried some of the imitation egg nogs last year. I found that they varied from “undrinkable” all the way up to “not worth the calories”.

Fortunately, things can change a lot in a year. So here is my rundown on the vegan nogs available in my local Whole Foods. These reviews reflect only the opinions of me and my six year old son.

Rice Nog – If you are allergic to coconut and soy and dairy then this is your nog. Otherwise we vote that you find an alternative. I personally do not like rice milk. I find it far too sweet and too watery. I don’t use rice milk in my recipes for that very reason. So if you like regular rice milk then you might like this stuff better than some of the others. But we who are spoiled and can drink soy and coconut rated it least favorable of the nogs.

So Delicious Egg Nog – If you need to be soy free, but can handle coconut, then this is your nog. It does not have a strong flavor nor is it as thick as real egg nog with actual eggs, but it is the thickest and best textured of the options. This was my favorite. I am so glad this product exists. My only complaint was that I found the flavor a bit weak That said, I have been using it in my coffee for several days now to make egg-nog latte, and it has been quite good.

Earth Balance Nog – The clear winner for flavor and the only one my son finished. The texture was less rich than So Delicious (about the texture of whole milk) but the flavor was more authentic. Definitely worth the calories. Just be aware that it does not whiten coffee well and that the strongest flavor still does not mean that it has that amazing melted ice cream flavor of real egg nog.

That said for an egg nog without any eggs, both products are a gift. Both Earth Balance and So Delicious avoid GMOs as well as animal products.

I was able to find all of these eggless egg nogs at Whole Foods Market. If they do not have them in your store find an employee and ask that they order them.

I have not seen Silk Nog this year. If I find any I will review that as well.

Happy Holidays!