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This classic Flan recipe is a silky smooth, classic version of this traditional Latin American dessert. This caramel-topped custard is gently cooked in the oven until it’s firm to the touch. Made in a blender with a fool-proof method for the caramel! Serve it as dessert alongside a bowl of Birria Tacos, Ropa Vieja or Ground Beef Tacos.
My history with this dish hasn’t always been a love affair. I grew up eating it, reluctantly. When we’d go to Cuban restaurants there was always someone in our family ordering and LOVING it. I was more of a Tres Leches person, to be honest.
But I grew up. My tastes have changed and now I can’t get enough. I think it’s one of the most magical desserts ever so I couldn’t be more excited for us to be discussing this Latin-American favorite!
What Is Flan?
Let’s talk about basics! Flan is a gently cooked custard with a clear glaze of caramel on its top. I like it when the caramel has been cooked until it’s an auburn brown, the texture of the custard is silky smooth and when I can really taste a hint of vanilla.
If you’re looking for a fun twist, look no further than my Milk Tea Flan topped with chewy boba. It’s so good!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Flan
- Granulated sugar. The cup of sugar transforms into a thin layer of caramel that will live on the top.
- Large whole eggs. Whole eggs thicken this entire mixture. The egg proteins unwind, and trap in the milks into a soft gel.
- Egg yolks. They contribute to giving this custard a lovely rich quality.
- Kosher salt. You cannot make sweet things without salt. It adds so much balance, even if it doesn’t taste “salty.”
- Sweetened condensed milk. This acts as our sweetener for the custard as well as giving it a luscious texture.
- Evaporated milk. This type of milk is super popular in Latin American desserts because it gives a very strong flavored milk flavor. I love it!
- Vanilla. Who doesn’t love vanilla. It truly makes all desserts a little bit better. Use a store-bought version or you can use my homemade vanilla extract.
How to Make Caramel for Flan
- Make the caramel top. My favorite way to make caramel is the fool-proof way, which is with water. I’ve had success of just cooking sugar all by itself but other times it gives me trouble. I like that doing it with water makes it SO easy. Yes, it takes longer. But eventually it’s nice and even and smooth. It requires a cup sugar and 1/4 cup of water. That’s it!
How to Make Flan
- Pour the caramel into the baking dish or pan. This process goes FAST! So be diligent. Have everything prepped before hand. Working quickly, pour it in the baking pan and move it around until it’s a nice even layer. It will quickly harden and be room temperature. As a result, you’ll have a lovely smooth layer of caramel on top.
- Make the milk mixture. I do this in a blender and it could not be simpler. Add everything to the blender and pulse it up!
3. Pour the filling over the hardened caramel. If there are any bubbles on top, you can get rid of them with a blow torch. Or just leave them–no biggie!
4. Transfer it to the water bath. The water bath is essential to baking it evenly (see below for more of an explanation).
5. Bake it. I like to bake the custard at 350F.
6. Cool completely. This is a really important part because it really sets the dish and big note: flan tastes better when it’s cold.
7. Remove it. This can be a nerve-wrecking part, but I believe in you! I like to run a paring knife along the outside of the custard, place a plate over it and invert it. I like to give the bottom side of the cake pan a few smacks. And then, I say a prayer, and lift up the cake pan, hoping it’s all in one piece. Bonus: it always is.
Flan Tips!
- The Blender is Your Friend – Use your blender to combine the ingredients super quickly. But it will create some bubbles if you do it for too long. Let it settle before pouring it onto the caramel. If it’s super bubbly when you pour it onto the caramel, you can always use a kitchen torch to burn off the bubbles.
- Add the Roasting Pan to the Oven First – Fill up the roasting pan with water when it’s on the rack in the oven to avoid spilling the water.
- To Release the Flan – Be sure to run a knife around the inside edge of the pan before inverting the flan onto a plate. You might need to lightly bang the top of the pan too.
Flan Recipe FAQs
A water bath (also known as a bain marie), provides an even temperature as it bakes in the oven. Usually how things bake, they cook from the outside in. With flan (or any other type of custards), we want to cook things slowly and evenly. Cooking them in a water bath really helps with achieving this.
The biggest challenge is not eating the stuff warm, straight out of the oven. It’s imperative that they have time to chill on the counter. And super important that they have time to chill in the fridge overnight.
The caramel topping will be hard when you pour in the custard mixture. When you bake it, the heat from the oven will re-melt the caramel and it will be soft and runny when you invert the flan.
Well, for me, a dream Latin dinner would look like this: Queso Fundido as an appetizer; Picadillo for Dinner, Strawberry Margaritas to drink…and this flan for dessert.
Where is it from? Well, its origins begin in Spain and through colonization, has traveled to South America, Central America, Mexico and the Philippines. In the Philippines it’s often referred to as crème caramel.
For More Latin Recipes You’ll Love
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Flan
Equipment
- 1 medium sauce pan
- 1 9-inch round cake pan (you can also use a 8-inch cake pan)
- 1 blender
Ingredients
Custard Base:
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1/2 of a vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Caramel Topping:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- Pinch kosher salt
Instructions
To Prep:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare a water bath of some kind. You can make this flan in a variety of vessels. You can use a 8-inch cake pan, 9-inch cake pan or (six) 3-inch ramekins. I used a 9-inch cake pan and a turkey roasting pan.
To Make the Custard Base:
- In a blender, add the eggs, egg yolks, salt, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and/or vanilla. Blend until very smooth, about 30 seconds. You don’t want to get it too frothy so try to avoid over blending. If you do over blend it, let it settle a bit so the bubbles can disappear. Set aside.
To Make the Caramel Topping:
- In a medium saucepan, set over medium-low heat, add the sugar and water. Cook on medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved into the water completely.
- Then, turn the heat to high and allow to cook for about 5 full minutes, until the cooked sugar goes from clear to light golden brown. During this process, it should be boiling; this will help cook out the water.
- Once it starts to turn a light golden brown, immediately lower the heat to medium-low and keep cooking until it turns a golden brown.
- Immediately pour the caramel into the baking pan and twist it around until it’s in an even layer on the bottom. It hardens quickly so move as fast as you can.
- The baking pan will get very hot so be sure to have a dry cloth or oven mitt around to handle the pan. Allow the caramel to harden a bit, about 5 minutes.
- Give the custard base a stir, just to make sure it’s still all combined. Pour it on top of the solid caramel. Cover with foil tightly. Transfer the flan to the water bath and fill up the water bath with water from a kettle.
To Bake:
- Cook for 40 to 45 minutes, until slightly jiggly but still firm. Carefully remove it (it'll be hot!) from the oven and set aside.
- Allow to cool on the counter for about 30 minutes and then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To Serve:
- When ready to serve, run a knife around the edge and then invert onto a large plate. Smack the top of the pan to loosen the flan and then lift up the cake pan. Slice it up and serve.
Notes
- Use your blender to combine the ingredients super quickly. But it will create some bubbles if you do it for too long. Let it settle before pouring it onto the caramel. If it’s super bubbly when you pour it onto the caramel, you can always use a kitchen torch to burn off the bubbles.
- The water added to the sugar to make the caramel may take longer but it makes the caramel step fool- proof!
- Be sure to run a knife around the inside edge of the pan before inverting the flan onto a plate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
*This post was originally published November 23rd, 2019. It has since been updated with new photos and copy.
Excellent instruction thank you
Delicious! Thanks!
I tried this recipe and it worked beautifully and was so delicious! I did it with vanilla extract the first round and the second time I made it, I used 2/3 tablespoon of Fiori di Sicilia and that was excellent as well! I live at high altitude so the cook time was about 10 minutes shorter for me.
Your instructions should say DO NOT TO STIR the caramel while it is cooking. Only mix the water and sugar before heating, then leave it alone. Stirring while heating will crystalize the sugar. Been there, done that! After putting it in the oven, it took about 60 minutes to reach the jiggly, but not liquid, state. Even then, it’s quite jiggly, so hopefully it will solidify more as it cools. Will find out tomorrow if it tastes as good as it smells.
Other than the topping, caramel vs torched sugar, what’s the difference between flan and crème’s brûlée?
Creme brulee doesn’t hold together as well. I would say flan has more structure. I also think the creme brulee has more of an egg forward flavor where flan doesn’t.
Hi, I made flan for the first time using your recipe and I did have to cook it longer but I wasn’t in a rush. Everything was going good until I flipped it on to the plate and had a piece. It was extremely salty. I actually add less salt that what your recipe recommends. Has this every happened before?
It was good until I had to make the caramel. To my knowledge, water never goes in it nor is it necessary and today I see exactly why. The caramel turned a grainy and crystallized texture, I unfortunately had to scrap it and start over with just sugar in my pan.
Hi Gabi, Sorry it gave you trouble. The water is meant to evenly cook the sugar/water. Whenever I try it with just sugar it always seizes on me. But the water method always works for me!
Spectacular. This was such a hit at a dinner party that some people had 2 pieces! I did bake it 10 minutes longer.
AMAZING. I love to hear this, Sharon. 🙂
Hi! I tried to make this and after 45min it is completely liquid. Should I add something like egg yolk or put it in longer?
I say cook it longer! What size pan are you using.
I followed the caramel directions and it came out like hard granulated chucks of sugar. What did I do wrong? Other recipes call for no sugar, just heat?
Hi Amelia! Did you add the water?
I previously made caeamel without water just fine in the past. However, I followed this recipe, but twice it turned into my arch nemesis rock solid sugar crystal. Not ready to give up, the third batch, I waited longer beforw turning up the heat. This time, it worked. The sugar crystals need to FULLY melt before you turn up the heat. It will look clear rather than cloudy.
This is exactly the instruction tbh, but what constitutes “dissolved” means different things to different people.