This Homemade Flan recipe is easy to make with only 5 simple ingredients! Creamy custard with caramel topping, this traditional Mexican dessert is so impressive and incredibly delicious.
What’s in this Flan Recipe?
With a recipe this simple and easy, you’re going to be shocked at how velvety and decadent this dessert turns out to be! This is my all-time favorite flan recipe, and it’s soon to be yours, too.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar. This is what we’re caramelizing to create that deliciously sweet, syrupy topping.
- Eggs: 4 large eggs is the perfect amount! This creates the base of the custard.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This creates a sweeter, richer flavor.
- Evaporated Milk: This is unsweetened condensed milk, so it has the same density but balances out the sweetness in the custard.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds just a hint of vanilla flavor to the custard.
Between the creamy custard and the sweet caramel topping, I don’t know what part of this flan is the most delicious!
Variations on Leche Flan
Flan (aka: creme caramel, caramel pudding, or caramel custard) is a truly classic dessert. You can take it up a notch by changing the flavor. Here are just a few suggestions:
- To make chocolate flan, melt 3-4 ounces of chopped chocolate and 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into the pudding.
- For coconut flan, swap the vanilla extract for coconut extract and add some sweetened shredded coconut flakes to the caramel.
- For pumpkin flan, add 1 can of 100% pure pumpkin puree, an extra egg, and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice.
Flan is a creamy custard dessert topped with a layer of delicious caramel. The texture is soft, creamy, and smooth–almost like silk when it touches your tongue! It’s made up mainly of eggs, milk, and sugar. It tastes richly sweet from the caramel, with a little bit of egginess from the custard.
It originated in Europe, was popular in Spain, and made its way over to Mexico, where it’s now a beloved traditional dessert!
Flan has a similar texture to cheesecake, and is often compared to creme brûlée. However, while creme brûlée has a hardened (broiled or torched) caramel topping, flan has as softer topping that is more like a syrup.
This dessert is naturally gluten free, thanks to its simple mix of dairy ingredients and sugar.
Your flan should be slightly jiggly when you pull it out of the oven. It will set fully when it cools. Fully cooked flan should also be lightly colored and not as pale as it was when first placed in the oven. If you’re still not sure, try using the knife method to check for doneness. It’s just like using a toothpick with cake! If you remove the blade of a knife from the center of the flan and it comes out clean, the flan is ready to be removed from the oven.
Either one! Serve it chilled straight from the fridge, or let it sit on the counter to warm to room temp before serving.
How to Store
Store leftover flan in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy cold or at room temperature.
How to Freeze
To make your homemade flan last even longer, you can freeze it!
Once it’s baked and fully cooled, wrap it well with plastic wrap before placing it in the freezer. It freezes better in pieces, so consider cutting slices (or just smaller portions) before wrapping and freezing. It will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
Serving Suggestions
This flan is perfect all on its own or served with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or fresh fruit.
Homemade Flan Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 grams
- 4 large eggs 200 grams
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 397 grams (1 can)
- 12 ounces evaporated milk 341 grams (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 12 grams
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- High Powered Blender (click for my favorite) (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Have an 8-inch round pan ready for the hot syrup.
- Heat sugar in a pan set over medium heat. Using a rubber spatula, stir the sugar until melted and a golden brown. Remove from heat immediately so it won’t burn. Pour into the pan and tilt to cover the entire bottom of the pan with the syrup. Let cool completely before adding the custard.1 cup granulated sugar
- Add the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla to a blender and blend for 10 seconds. Or, place in a bowl and whisk gently.4 large eggs, 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, 12 ounces evaporated milk, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- When the sugar has cooled, pour the custard through a sieve over the sugar.
- Cover with aluminum foil and place in a large oven-safe pan. Pour water halfway up the sides.
- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 75 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and carefully remove the pan from the water bath. It will be slightly jiggly, but will set up when cooled. Allow to cool on the counter for 1 hour.
- Place in the refrigerator for 3 hour or overnight for best results. The longer it sits, the more the sugar dissolves creating a delicious sauce.
- When the flan has cooled for the recommended time, go around the edge with a knife to separate the flan from the pan. Place a large plate upside down over the flan. Carefully flip the plate and flan over. The flan will slide out of the pan and the juice will cover the flan.
- Slice the flan and serve with a large spoon of the syrup.
- Store leftover flan in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Be sure to strain the custard mixture through a sieve when pouring it on top of the sugar. This will help ensure the custard has the perfect texture when it bakes!
- Do NOT cook at a higher heat than 350°F! The key to a perfectly baked flan is to cook it at a low temperature for about 75 minutes.
- Burning the caramel is very easy to do. Avoid this by stirring it constantly and removing it from the heat as soon as it’s melted and golden brown.
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