Eggnog Chiffon Pie

Ingredients

• 1 pre-baked 9-inch graham cracker crust
• 1 tbsp unflavored gelatin, softened in 1/4 cup cold water
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 cups eggnog
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 2 tbsp rum or 1/2 tsp rum extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

Method

1. Whisk the egg yolks, half the sugar, and the eggnog together in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the softened gelatin, nutmeg, and rum until dissolved; cool to room temperature.
3. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, gradually add the remaining sugar, and beat to stiff peaks; fold into the eggnog mixture along with the whipped cream.
4. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
5. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until fully set, before slicing.

The Tale of Eggnog Chiffon Pie

Story updated September 15, 2026

Eggnog chiffon pie merges two distinct American traditions: the eggnog itself, whose roots trace to the medieval English posset, a spiced, alcohol-curdled milk drink that colonists remade in America using rum from the Caribbean trade in place of pricier English spirits, and the chiffon pie technique invented in 1926 by Los Angeles baker Monroe Boston Strause. Strause popularized folding whipped egg whites into custard fillings to create a light, mousse-like texture set in a graham cracker crust, and the method spread rapidly to nearly every flavor imaginable over the following decades. Eggnog chiffon pie appears to be one of those later adaptations, seasonal cooks translating the rum-and-nutmeg flavor of the holiday drink into pie form sometime in the mid-twentieth century, though no single inventor or date is documented. It became a natural fit for Christmas and New Year's tables, offering the familiar flavor of eggnog in a make-ahead, chilled dessert rather than a drink, well suited to a season already crowded with rich baking.