Mexican flan is one of those desserts that looks much more difficult than it is! All you need to do is make caramel with sugar and water, blend up the custard ingredients, and bake. The hardened caramel turns into a syrupy, sweet sauce as the custard bakes that coats the flan when removed from the pan. You will love the creamy, indulgent custard and golden caramel.
Before you get started, here’s a quick tip: When making the caramel, don’t step away from the stove. In a matter of moments, caramel can go from perfectly sweet and amber-hued to bitter and burned! It’s an easy process, though, and I give you all of the tips for making sure it turns out perfectly. For more Mexican dessert recipes, try my Mexican wedding cookies, pan dulce, and bunuelos.
Ingredients for Flan
Sugar — you need regular granulated sugar, also called white sugar, to make a perfect caramel sauce. Coarser sugar, like turbinado, doesn’t work as well for this recipe.
Eggs — the key ingredient to a dense but smooth and creamy custard. Be sure to buy large eggs.
Condensed milk — sweetened condensed milk adds just the right amount of sweetness to the custard.
Evaporated milk — you’ll find evaporated milk in cans near the condensed milk and it shouldn’t be swapped with regular whole milk. The moisture content in evaporated milk is different and helps produce the proper flan texture.
Vanilla — since you’re making a vanilla custard, use good quality store-bought or homemade vanilla extract for the best flavor.
How To Make Flan
1. Add sugar and ¼ cup of water to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Increase to medium-high heat and cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture is golden or amber in color.
2. Immediately pour the hot caramel into an 8-inch round cake pan. Be careful as it will be very hot. Tilt and turn the pan to spread the caramel out to the edges so the caramel coats the bottom of the pan. Set the pan aside so the caramel can cool and harden while you make the custard.
3. You can combine the eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract in a blender or a large mixing bowl. If blending, blend on low just until combined, and set aside for a few minutes to let any bubbles on the surface settle. If using a mixing bowl, whisk it together until well combined. If the milk mixture if too bubbly in either method, pour it through a fine mesh sieve into to the pan to remove the air bubbles.
4. Place the cake pan with the caramel in a roasting pan. Pour the milk mixture into the pan over the hardened caramel.
5. Fill the roasting pan with 1 inch of hot water to make a water bath. Bake the flan at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes until the center is just set. (It will wobble slightly when you jiggle the cake pan but continue to set as it cools.) Carefully remove the cake pan from the roasting pan and place the cake pan on a wire rack and allow the dessert to cool to room temperature before serving. You can also refrigerate it if you prefer it chilled.
6. To serve, run a small sharp knife around the sides of the pan to release it from the pan. Place a serving dish upside down on top of the cake pan. Flip over and remove the pan. (If you chilled it, dip the pan halfway into a bowl of hot water to warm the caramel before inverting onto a plate.) Slice and enjoy.
What is Flan
Flan is a popular dessert in Spain and throughout Latin America composed of a firm, silky vanilla custard topped with a sweet caramel glaze. It is actually an ancient dessert, dating back to the Roman Empire. It became popular in the region we now know as Spain, and it was actually the Spaniards who first poured caramel onto the baked custard.
Mexicans were introduced to this dessert when the Spanish colonized the country, and the recipe was tweaked and modified. Spanish and Mexican flan are very similar in taste and texture, but the ingredients are slightly different.
Spanish flan is typically made of sugar, whole milk (and sometimes heavy cream), whole eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Mexican flan (this recipe) is made of whole eggs, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and vanilla. There are also regional variations, like ones that include cream cheese, which will taste slightly different but are all delicious.
Can I Make Flan in Individual Ramekins?
You can make it in individual ramekins, but I recommend enlisting someone in your household (an adult or older teen who’s comfortable working with very hot sugar) to help.
The caramel hardens very quickly once you pull it off the stove so pouring it and swirling it so each ramekin has a proper coating on the bottom can be tricky. Having a second pair of hands will make this easier.
Use 8-ounce ramekins and divide the caramel between each. You will likely use 6. Then, divide the custard between each one and place it in the roasting pan, adding hot water. Smaller servings will cook faster, so start to check for doneness around the 25-minute mark using the jiggle test. Cool and remove them from the ramekins as directed in the recipe.
Variations
This recipe will give you a classic flan: vanilla custard topped with caramel sauce. But there are many variations you can try!
- Coconut flan: Swap the evaporated milk for coconut milk. Use canned sweetened condensed coconut milk and evaporated coconut milk. A sprinkle of toasted coconut at the very end, after you invert the flan, is a great finishing touch.
- Coffee flan: Dissolve 2 teaspoons of instant coffee in about 1 teaspoon of warm water and add the mixture to the custard after blending (and straining, if you decide to go that route).
- Flan de Queso: I love making this version! Start by whipping 8 ounces of room-temperature cream cheese until very soft and smooth. Then, slowly whisk in the two milks, followed by 6 eggs and the vanilla. Bake as directed (it should take around 50 minutes!)
- Dulce de leche: Swap out the sweetened condensed milk for a can of dulce de leche for an incredibly decadent and delicious caramel flan.
- Add spices: Heat the two milks in a small saucepan until steaming and add a couple of cinnamon sticks or a tablespoon of other whole spices like star anise, cloves, or cardamom. A strip or two of lemon or orange zest is also delicious! Let the milk steep with the spices in the fridge overnight, then strain and follow the recipe as directed.
How to Store Flan
Cover leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dessert as the custard’s consistency may change when it thaws.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- When making the caramel: If sugar crystals form on the side of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to push them down the sides.
- Keep an eye on the caramel. It can burn very quickly, so watch it closely. Use a light-colored pot as well to help determine how dark the caramel is. You want it to be a deep golden brown. Lighter caramel will lend less flavor to the baked flan.
- For a perfectly smooth flan: After blending, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer directly over top of the hardened caramel in the cake pan. This is an easy way to remove any remaining bubbles as well!
- To remove air bubbles in the custard: Gently tap the cake pan on your counter to help any air bubbles inside the custard escape.
- For neat slices: Use a sharp knife and wipe it off between each slice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you need a water bath when making this vanilla flan so it cooks evenly. Luckily, this is very easy to do. And since the flan itself cooks in a regular cake pan, there is no concern about any of the water seeping into the cake pan from the bottom. If you are worried about water sloshing into the pan while you move it from the counter to the oven, you can add the water once the pans are in the oven.
Flan and crème caramel are very similar, and their names are often used interchangeably. But there are small differences. A classic French creme caramel is more similar to a Spanish flan, as the custard is made with whole milk and sugar instead of evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk.
Yes, when you invert the custard dessert onto a serving platter, the caramel sauce should be runny. As the dessert bakes in the oven, the hardened caramel warms and mixes with moisture from the custard to produce a syrupy caramel perfect for coating the flan.
Yes, a baked flan will last up to 4 days in the fridge, so it is a great dessert to make ahead of time. Once cooled, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Wait to invert it from the pan until you are ready to serve.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this flan recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Flan Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan
- Fine mesh strainer, optional
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 5 large eggs
- 1 (14-ounce, 396g) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12-ounce, 354g) can evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To a medium saucepan, add the sugar and ¼ cup of water. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, swirling occasionally, for about 5 minutes until golden or amber in color. (If sugar crystals form on the side of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to push them down the sides.)
- Immediately pour the caramel into an 8-inch round cake pan. Tilt and turn the pan to spread the caramel out to the edges, then set the pan aside to cool and harden while you make the custard. (Be careful- the bottom of the pan will be very hot!)
- Combine the eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract in a blender or a large mixing bowl. If blending, blend on low just until combined, and set aside for a few minutes to let any bubbles on the surface settle. If using a mixing bowl, whisk it together until well combined. If the milk mixture if too bubbly in either method, pour it through a fine mesh sieve into to the pan to remove the air bubbles.
- Place the pan with the caramel in a roasting pan. Pour the milk mixture directly into the pan over the hardened caramel. Fill the roasting pan with 1 inch of hot water.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the center is just set. (It will wobble slightly when you jiggle the pan but continue to set as it cools.)
- Remove the cake pan from the roasting pan. Transfer it to a wire rack and allow it to cool to room temperature before serving. (You can refrigerate the flan if you prefer as well.)
- To serve, run a small sharp knife around the edge of the pan then place a serving dish upside down on top. Flip and remove the pan. (If you chilled the flan, dip the pan halfway into a bowl of hot water to warm the caramel before inverting onto a plate.) Slice and serve.
Notes
- When making the caramel: If sugar crystals form on the side of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to push them down the sides.
- Keep an eye on the caramel. It can burn very quickly, so watch it closely. Use a light-colored pot as well to help determine how dark the caramel is. You want it to be a deep golden brown. Lighter caramel will lend less flavor to the baked flan.
- For a perfectly smooth flan: After blending, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer directly over top of the hardened caramel in the cake pan. This is an easy way to remove any remaining bubbles as well!
- To remove air bubbles in the custard: Gently tap the cake pan on your counter to help any air bubbles inside the custard escape.
- For neat slices: Use a sharp knife and wipe it off between each slice.
