This Flan recipe is a classic Spanish dessert with a sweet and creamy custard base with a golden crown of caramel that pours over the cake as you slide it out of the pan. It’s also easy to make with only 6 ingredients. You’ll love this make-ahead dessert that’s perfect for parties and holidays.
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Helpful Reader Review
“I was a little hesitant having never tried a flan recipe with this combination of ingredients.
Needless to say, I’ll never use another flan recipe again because it was such a hit! Creamy and sweet and literally the best flan recipe ever tasted in all my life. Thank you!“ – Elizabeth ★★★★★
Flan Video Tutorial
Here’s a video tutorial on how to make flan using my tried-and-true Mexican flan recipe. Watch to learn everything you need to know.
Flan
My first introduction to Flan was at a Mexican restaurant years ago and I’ll admit I didn’t love it the first time I tried it because it was more gelatinous than creamy. With inspiration from Epicurious and Cooks Illustrated, I created a simple but classic version that I love and have been making for years. I’ve compared this to authentic homemade flan that I enjoyed on a trip to Mexico, and I can confidently say this Flan Recipe is a treasure!
Flan is a popular Spanish custard dessert, made by combining eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla, and it is baked in a water bath similar to the way a cheesecake is baked.
There are several desserts that compare–like French Crème Caramel and Panna Cotta. But Flan is still unique and special in flavor and texture. It’s sort of a cross between a Cheesecake, jello, and a Creme Brûlée, and it has that creamy milk flavor similar to Tres Leches (it even uses the same 3 milks).
Mexican Flan vs Spanish Flan?
The two flan styles are so similar, but this is closer to a Mexican flan. Mexican flan is traditionally made with whole eggs (sturdier texture) and sweetened condensed milk, while Spanish flan often uses granulated sugar and omits the egg white for a creamier flan.
Ingredients for Flan
Since Flan is made with a short list of ingredients, I suggest you avoid substitutions since it needs the right balance of eggs to dairy for the custard to set.
- Sugar and water – These two simple ingredients make the decadent and sweet caramel topping.
- Sweetened condensed milk – adds sweetness to the flan. For a more authentic dessert, we recommend using La Lechera brand, but any brand will work.
- Evaporated milk – adds richness to the custard
- Heavy whipping cream – creates a creamy and indulgent custard. Be sure to buy heavy cream or heavy whipping cream for the right milk-to-fat ratio.
- Vanilla extract – I used my homemade Vanilla extract, but a Mexican vanilla can be substituted for a more authentic flan.
- Eggs – (at room temperature) Allow the custard to thicken and set properly.
Variations
Flan is prepared differently in various regions and can come in different flavorings:
- Cinnamon – Blend 2 teaspoons of cinnamon to the cream mixture
- Dulce de leche – A reader, Tina, suggested swapping the sweetened condensed milk for Dulce De Leche.
- Mangos – top the flan with sliced mangos like my Mango Cake. Mangos are a popular variation in the Philippines.
- Coffee – blend 1 tsp of espresso powder into the custard
- Citrus – try swapping the vanilla extract with orange or lemon extract and zest
How to Make Caramel for Flan
- Prep – Because the caramel sets quickly, you want to have a 9″ x 2″ round cake pan out and ready for use. Also, preheat the oven to 350˚F and bring a kettle of water to boil.
- Make the caramel – In a heavy saucepan (a heavy saucepan will prevent burning), combine water and sugar and stir to dissolve. Bring it to a boil over medium heat without stirring for 3-5 minutes. As soon as you see it start to turn golden, start swirling the pan for 1-2 minutes or until it turns the color of cinnamon, then take it off the heat and swirl it for another 30 seconds. *Swirl, don’t stir, since this can cause the caramel to crystallize and harden, and don’t walk away from this pan since it can quickly burn.
- Pour caramel into your cake pan and immediately tilt the pan to coat the bottom. The sugar will harden quickly.
Important Safety Tip:
Be careful not to get any melted sugar on your skin to avoid burns, do not put your finger in it to taste it, and NEVER lick the spatula. Also, keep in mind the cake pan gets quite hot when you pour the caramel in.
How to Make Flan
- Make the Custard – Combine the rest of the flan ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed for 1 minute. Strain through a sieve lined with cheesecloth (to reduce the bubbles) and pour over your caramel layer.
- Cover the cake pan with foil and be sure it isn’t touching the custard. This helps keep the moisture from escaping and prevents cracks in the dessert
- Make the Water Bath – Set the pan inside of a large roasting pan and transfer to your reheated oven. Pour hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan, at least halfway up the sides of the cake pan for even cooking.
- Bake at 350°F for 70-80 minutes or until there is just a slight jiggle in the center. You don’t want to overcook the custard, and it will continue cooking as it cools. Remove from oven, uncover, and place pan on a rack to cool to room temperature. Then, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- To Serve – Run a knife around the edges of the cake pan. Set the cake on a rimmed platter and invert the cake onto the platter. Tap the cake pan until you feel it dislodging then lift the cake pan off the cake.
How to Know the Flan is Done Cooking?
When you jolt the pan, you should see a slight jiggle in the center – It should be mostly set with a slight jiggle in the center, about the size of a quarter. It will set more as it cools. Do not overbake, or it can cause cracking.
How do I prevent my flan from cracking?
There are several ways to prevent cracks in flan. Here are our best tips for beautiful results every time:
- Water bath – this is the most important, as cooking in a water bath allows for gentle and even cooking.
- Don’t over-bake – Overcooked flan can turn rubbery and will be more likely to crack.
- Cool gradually – After cooking, remove the foil cover and gently transfer the whole pan to a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature before covering and refrigerating.
- Loosen the edges – run a knife around the edges before unmolding the flan to reduce tension as it slides out of the pan.
Make-Ahead and Storage
You will love that Flan is a make-ahead dessert, which is so convenient for gatherings and entertaining.
- Make-Ahead: You can keep the flan covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days before serving. It’s best to flip onto a platter just before serving.
- To Refrigerate: cover leftovers with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days
- Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing flan since the texture can change when thawing.
My family loves Mexican-inspired desserts such as Churros and Tres Leches Cake. If you are a fan of Latin desserts, this Flan recipe doesn’t disappoint. It’s such a fun and rewarding dessert to make. It’s just 5 ingredients and easy to make. The custard is so decadent, and the caramel sauce makes it perfectly sweet. Make this your go-to dessert for every occasion–especially Cinco de Mayo or whenever the craving strikes.
Flan Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, preferably la lechera brand
- 12 oz can evaporated milk, preferably Carnation brand
- 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract, Homemade Vanilla extract or Mexican Vanilla Extract
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- Berries to serve, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, Optional for garnish
Instructions
- Prep – Preheat the oven to 350˚F with a rack in the middle of the oven and bring a kettle of water to boil which you will need for the water bath. Take out a 9-inch by 2-inch round, non-stick cake pan* so it’s ready when the caramel is ready to pour.
- Make the Caramel – In a medium heavy saucepan, stir together sugar and water until dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat without stirring, about 3-5 minutes. Once you see it start to turn golden then start swirling the pan frequently over the heat until it’s the color of cinnamon, about 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat and continue swirling constantly for another 30 seconds as it turns amber-colored.
- Immediately pour melted sugar into your round cake pan and quickly tilt your baking dish to spread the caramel over the bottom of the pan before it sets (be careful, that bottom of the pan will turn hot!). Set the pan aside and prepare the custard.
- Make the custard – In a blender add condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, vanilla, eggs, and salt. Blend for 1 minute on low speed (to avoid too much foam/bubbles). Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth (cheesecloth is optional but helps break up foam) and pour it into the cake pan over the caramel layer.
- Cover the cake pan with a sheet of foil, making sure the foil isn’t touching the top of the custard (you don’t want to bake your foil into your flan).
- Make the Water Bath – Set the cake pan inside of a large roasting pan then set the roasting pan in your oven (it’s hard to carry the roasting pan after the water is in there). Pour hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan, at least halfway up the sides of the cake pan, making sure it doesn’t reach the top of your baking pan or get inside your cake pan.
- Bake at 350 for 70-80 minutes. When it's done, jolt the pan and you should see a stiff jiggle in the center. If it seems too liquid/wobbly, bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover, transfer to a rack, and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight to fully set the custard.
- To Serve – Run a knife around the edges of the pan (clean your knife periodically). Set a rimmed platter over the cake pan and holding the top and bottom with both hands, invert the cake onto the platter. If the cake doesn’t slide out easily, tap the cake pan until you feel it dislodging then lift the cake pan gently off the cake. Garnish with berries if desired and serve spooning extra caramel sauce over each slice.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Mexican Recipes
- Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
- Carne Asada
- Fish Tacos
- Easy Tostada Recipe
- Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
- Soft Flour Tortillas
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
Hi Natasha,
I tried making this for the first time today. I’m not sure what I did wrong but my caramel hardly changed color at all. I followed your instructions and even made the sauce twice but it did not change to a cinnamon color.
Can you please tell me what I may have done wrong.
Harbinder x
Hi! I would check to see if its possibly the type of sugar used, Were the ingredients altered at all by chance? Its hard to say without being there.
Hello. I have an 11×4″ Flan specific pan. Do you think I could double this? How long would you recommend cooking it for? Thank you if you can help in any way!
I haven’t tried this recipe in that size pan, but I recommend usingThis helpful guide.
Do I need to prep the cake pan with anything?
Hi Mercy! No, there is no pan prep for this style of dessert.
I love your flan. Can I double or triple the recipe? How long do I bake for double and triple?
Hi Margie! I’m sure you could, but I haven’t tested it to provide those instructions.
You’ll have to experiment with the size of the dish and the baking time as it will take longer.
I’m glad you love this recipe!
I’ve made this probably a dozen times. The first time I made it I had to use half and half in place of the heavy cream because it’s what I had on hand. All the other times I’ve used the heavy cream. But Today my store was completely out of heavy cream, So I’m glad this recipe turns out beautifully with either, because I had to substitute for the cream, once again. I agree with Natasha that Mexican vanilla is the best! But right now I only have Costco vanilla, so I decided to add in 1/4 tsp of vanilla bean paste in addition to the 1 1/2 Tbs of vanilla, just to enhance the vanilla flavor a bit more. This recipe turns out so perfectly every time. Serving it tomorrow, for our Sunday dessert, since I’m making a Mexican menu. We’ve got a big family and everyone loves this flan!!
you did not give any specific measurements and I did not know how much to put. If you did please reach out to me and tell me where the measurements are located.
Hi Olive! If you click on “jump to recipe”
at the top of the page, it’s a shortcut to that recipe card. Or you can scroll down to the very bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
How can you turn this into a pumpkin flan ?
I haven’t tested a pumpkin version of this.
I wonder how many mini this recipe can make?
Hi Vanessa, that would depend on which size you are making them. If you want to make them in individual ramekins, I do address this in the recipe under the “Can I make this in individual ramekins?” I hope that helps & I hope you love this recipe.
This flan came out amazing as per my customer…..they were looking for more.
That’s wonderful, Maddy!
Before I try this recipe, I need to know if I should make additional caramel sauce to serve with it. The pictures all look like it.
Thanks !
Hi Donna, I didn’t add more than what is written in the recipe.
Outstanding. Easy to make and great flavor. Pouring the batter through the sieve to eliminate air bubbles works great. I tried a different recipe that was not so good, but this one turned out perfect. Didn’t have a 9″ x 2″ pan, so I used a bundt cake pan. I’m making it again tomorrow for some friends. I’ll be going to this one a lot. Thanks
This has become my go-to recipe. The 1st time I made it I missed the ‘do not stir’ step on the caramel – that doesn’t work! Haha! It comes out beautiful every time. My friends request it and say its the best they’ve ever had. Sometimes I add a little cinnamon.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Mine was a bit grainy like. Maybe overcooked but I only had it in the oven for about 10 extra minutes I think. It was jiggly all over so I put it back in. The caramel was a little stronger then it should have been. And the top of the flan did not have that smooth look because there were dark pieces floating. I’m assuming that had to do with the caramel. I still ate two pieces though. LOL..
Hi, common reasons for grainy texture are: overcooking can cause a custard to curdle, leading a trainy texture (The flan should seem firm at the edges but still jiggly in the center). Also mixing the custard vigorously can incorporate too much air and negatively affect texture. Did you make sure to cook in a water bath? That helps to stabilize the temperature to bake evenly. Regarding the dark caramel – cooking the caramel for too long can make it dark, bitter and overly strong. It sounds like that might be the culprit if you’re seeing dark bits.
Thanks for an easy delicious desert that looks and tastes like I spent hours preparing! I followed the recipe to a t and the Flan came out perfectly!
You’re so welcome, Christine! Great to hear that it was a huge success!
Followed the instructions meticulously and the result was pure perfection! Thanks for an easy delicious desert that looks and tastes like you spent hours preparing!
Yay that’s awesome! Thank you for sharing that with us, Im happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
For some reason it took significantly longer (cooking) for my flan to not to be overall jiggly BUT it made no difference in the final result. Amazing flan – beautiful, picture perfect, delicious, perfect in texture and taste. Thank you!
Hi Kim! I’m so glad it worked out for you. There might be some fluctuations in baking times since not every oven bakes the same. Be sure to fully preheat your oven before hand and I like to use an internal oven thermometer (Amazon affiliate link) to ensure my oven is heating correctly.
Thank you so much for making me look like a true professional baker. This flan was not difficult and turned out absolutely delicious. It cooked 20 minutes longer but every oven is different. The tip for a plate with higher sides definity helped keeping the caramel in place. Thanks so much.
You’re so very welcome, Donna! I’m glad it worked out for you.
I just posted a comment about how delicious this flan was i would just like to add that it took longer to bake than stated and i had to keep adding water to the bath. Mine took approximately about 1 hour 45 min to cook
This was an excellent Flann, a softer more custard than most flans.. i find that most flans are more fence. This was a perfect balance.
Thank you for your good comments and feedback,n Judi!
Instead of making one big flan, Can I instead prepare and bake these in individual ramekins?
Hi Steven. Here is what one of my viewers said, “I baked another batch using 8oz ramekins, and they turned out perfect at 45 minutes.”