Product Review: Rice Dream - Rice Nog...

As much as it pains me to say this, not all Nogs are created equal. It sounds like blasphemy I know, but as much as I love Rice Dream their nog just doesn’t stand up in my opinion. It’s not that it isn’t delicious - because it is - but to me it tastes almost exactly like their Horchata. Now I love me some Horchata, not going to lie about that, but Horchata is not Nog. Am I right?

I think this was actually one of the first non-dairy nogs around, and it shows. This is more of a primer for the greatness that would come, rather then a grand finale. You can taste hints of Cinnamon and Nutmeg and other winter spices but the consistency is pretty thin - like a regular rice milk - and the richness just isn’t there. This nog also has a strange and somewhat off-putting pink hue, I’m not sure why but annatto is listed under the ingredients so I’m assuming that’s the cause. Why there is annatto in Nog, I have no idea - but I’ll be honest - the slight pink tinge disturbed me.

So some practical information for those curious minds. A half cup is roughly about 80 calories so it’s rather calorie dense considering it isn’t all that rich - go figure - and it has about 11g of sugar per serving so not quite as much as a few other brands. It also isn’t organic which may be a concern for you considering canola is an ingredient, and it also contains carrageenan which I know concerns some people.

All and all I’d say that as a drink this tastes just fine, but as a Nog it has some explaining to do. If you really want a great Nog to make your Christmas celebrations extra festive I would highly recommend either the So Delicious Coconut Milk Nog or the Silk Nog - (review to come.) Or Califa Farms Holiday Nog if you can find it!

But whichever brand or flavor you choose drink Nog and be Merry!