Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase.
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 Beef Birria, Garlic Chicken Wings or Ropa Vieja.
My history with this dish hasn’t always been a love affair. I grew up eating it, reluctantly. When we’d go to restaurants there was always someone in our family ordering and LOVING it. It just was never for me. I’d always try it over and over hoping to fall in love and it never happened. What can I say? I grew up. My tastes 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. 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
For More Latin Recipes You’ll Love
Desserts
Alfajores (Peruvian Style)
Desserts
Conchas (Mexican Pan Dulce)
Holiday
Coquito
Desserts
Tres Leches Cake
If you tried this Flan Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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.Â
- The water added to the sugar to make the caramel may take longer but it makes the caramel step fool- proof!Â
- Be sure to run a knife around the inside edge of the pan before inverting the flan onto a plate.Â
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.
I love this so far, and I love your site! I’m making the flan right now, but I’m having trouble getting it to set in the oven—it seems to be cooking pretty slowly and is still really liquidy. Any advice?
hi danielle – sorry i missed this comment. did it end up being ok?
Can you use regular whole milk instead of evaporated?
yes that should work!
Quarantine flan! It was amazing everyone in my house loved it. Making again next week!
love hearing this! stay safe. xo
I had it a few years ago, I still remember the taste of it. Surely, I’ll try this recipe!
Made this yesterday with my girls. Chilled it over night and flipped it onto a plate with no problems!! Easy to make and incredibly delicious!
love hearing this!
You’re right, I tried and one of them was swimming in water halfway through cooking. Thank you though!!:)
I’m trying this tonight but I’m just wondering if I can use my 3 tier steamer instead and if so for how long. This looks really good!
Are you saying you’re going to try and cook it over the stove with the steamer?
Yes
I would not recommend that. It might work but I imagine it’d impart way too much moisture into the flan. I mean, you can try it but I can’t guarantee it’ll work! 🙂
Greetings from Florida! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to check out your site on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the info you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m amazed at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, wonderful site!
Ok, promise not to kill me? Can I use store bought caramel for this (I’m thinking the jarred caramel sauce from Trader Joe’s)? I’m planning a menu for a Cinco de Mayo party this weekend and I really would like to take some shortcuts so I’m not in the kitchen all day long. I’ve used store bought caramel to make flan before, and it’s been fine. But I’m not sure if its recipe specific? Let me know if you think it wouldn’t turn out the same. Thanks Adrianna! You rock!
Sandra! HOW DARE YOU! JK, I think it’ll work just fine. This caramel was super thin so the only possible problem I can think of is TJ’s consistency. But I say give it a go! xo
Hmmm…. I think I’m just going to make it instead of buying it. I dont want to sacrfice the awesome consistency that homemade caramel has! I just have such a hard time with it…the sugar always seems to turn granular on me before it browns and then it just turns into a sticky mess. It usually takes me 2 or 3 tries and an hour cursing over the stove to get it just right. Any tips? 🙂
Hmm…caramel is a tricky beast. I actually think it’s ok if the sugar gets a little clumpy and granular, it usually does that right before it starts to turn brown. I usually turn the heat off right at the sight of browning and then swirl the sugar (it’ll usually cook more) and then if it needs more heat I place it back over low heat for a 30 seconds or so. And then repeat this process. Hope this helps!
So I made it and it WORKED like a charm and came out AMAZINGLY. Soooo many comments on how smooth and silky it was. Making it again for Mothers Day this weekend. THANK YOU!
Greetings! I’ve been following your web site for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from
Kingwood Texas! Just wanted to say
keep up the great work!