Flan
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This rich, creamy vanilla flan looks fancy but couldn’t be easier—and since it’s made ahead, it’s perfect for stress-free entertaining.
One of the most popular Latin desserts, flan is a rich, sweet custard topped with caramel sauce. It looks fancy, but it’s way easier than you’d think—and even better, you can make it up to four days ahead, which makes it perfect for hosting with ease.
This vanilla flan recipe, adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, is baked in a loaf pan instead of the usual round cake pan, so it’s much easier to unmold without breaking apart (a common flan pitfall!).
Flan is gently baked in a water bath, which helps it cook evenly. It may sound a little fussy, but it’s actually easy—and totally worth it for that silky texture. If you’re a fan of custard desserts, be sure to try my classic crème brûlée and Italian panna cotta too!
“Restaurant quality flan without the fuss (and fear)…A definite keeper.”
Caramel Flan Recipe Ingredients
- Sugar: Forms the caramel sauce that coats the flan, adding a rich sweetness and glossy finish.
- Eggs and Egg Yolks: Provide structure and richness to the custard. You will have plenty of leftover egg whites—a great excuse to whip up the best macarons ever, chocolate chip meringue cookies, pavlova, or coconut macaroons!
- Sweetened Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk: Add creaminess and sweetness to the custard base.
- Whole Milk: Contributes to the creamy texture of the flan. If you don’t have whole milk, you can substitute 2% milk or half-and-half, but I don’t recommend skim milk.
- Vanilla Extract & Bourbon: Both infuse the flan with a warm, aromatic flavor, though the bourbon also brings some depth and complexity. You can use another type of liquor like rum or brandy, if you prefer. If you’d like to omit the alcohol, just increase the vanilla to 1 tablespoon.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Flan
Step 1: Start the caramel sauce. Stir the sugar and ¼ cup water together in a medium saucepan until the sugar is completely moistened. Bring the mixture to a boil on the stove over medium-high heat, without stirring.
Step 2: Continue cooking. Continue cooking until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to turn golden. Continue to cook until sugar is a pale honey color, gently swirling the pan.
Step 3: Remove from heat. Remove from the heat and swirl the pan until the sugar is a reddish-amber color and fragrant. This will take 15 to 20 seconds.
Step 4: Finish the caramel. Add 2 tablespoons of warm tap water, while swirling the pan until it’s mixed. Be careful as the mixture will bubble and steam. The water helps thin the caramel, so it doesn’t all stick to the pan after the flan bakes in the oven.
Step 5: Add to the pan. Pour the caramelized sugar into 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan and set aside. The caramel will harden in the pan as it cools.
Step 6: Whisk the custard: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks to break them up. Then whisk in the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, vanilla, bourbon, and salt until evenly combined.
Step 7: Strain. Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the egg mixture into a larger bowl. The strainer will catch little bits of egg—you don’t want those in your flan!
Step 8: Transfer to pan. Pour the strained custard into the loaf pan over the caramel, then cover it tightly with foil. Set the loaf pan in the center of a 9×13-inch baking dish and pour in hot water until it comes about halfway up the sides.
Step 9: Bake. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, until set at the edges but slightly jiggly in the center. Let the flan cool in the water bath at room temperature for one hour.
Step 10: Chill and unmold the flan. Take the loaf pan out of the water bath, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill it overnight—or for up to several days if you’re planning ahead. When you’re ready to serve, unmold the flan, spoon the caramel over the top, slice it up, and enjoy!
Jenn’s Pro tips
- Cook Just Right: The flan is ready when it looks mostly set with a slight jiggle in the center. Don’t worry—that little wobble will firm up as it cools.
- Make a Day Ahead: Flan is delicate when it’s warm, so it needs plenty of time to cool and chill before you try to unmold it. It’s best to make it the day before and let it rest overnight in the fridge so it holds its shape perfectly.
- Removing From the Pan. When you’re ready to serve, run a knife around the edge of the flan to loosen it. Invert it onto your serving platter and give it a moment—it should release on its own. If it doesn’t, just run the knife around the edge again and try once more.
- Avoid Freezing. The texture of the flan will not be the same when it’s thawed out.
- Don’t Skip the Water Bath. Similar to a cheesecake, the water bath is key. It keeps the temperature even and prevents the custard from curdling or cracking, so you end up with a smooth, creamy flan every time.
Video Tutorial
MOre Latin-Inspired Desserts to Try
Flan
Rich, creamy, and topped with caramel, this flan is simple to make and guaranteed to impress.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 5 yolks
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
- ½ cup whole milk (half-and-half or 2% milk may be substituted)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon bourbon (see note)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- (This recipe should be made at least one day before serving.) Adjust a rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Stir together the sugar and ¼ cup water in a small heavy saucepan until the sugar is completely moistened. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until the mixture begins to turn golden. Gently swirling the pan, continue to cook until sugar is a honey color. Remove from the heat and swirl the pan until the sugar is reddish-amber and fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Carefully swirl in 2 tablespoons of warm tap water until incorporated – be careful as the mixture will bubble and steam. This whole process should take less than 10 minutes.
- Pour the caramel into an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan; do not scrape out the saucepan. (Note: The caramel will solidify when you pour it into the loaf pan. That's ok -- it will soften up again as it bakes.) Set the loaf pan aside. (To clean the hardened caramel from the saucepan, fill the pan with water and bring it to a boil.)
- Whisk the eggs and yolks in large bowl until combined. Add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, vanilla, bourbon, and salt and whisk until incorporated. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl to remove any bits of egg; then pour the strained custard into the loaf pan over the caramel. Cover the loaf pan tightly with aluminum foil.
- Place the loaf pan in the center of a 9x13-inch baking or roasting pan (preferably with high sides) to make a water bath. Place the nested pans in the oven; then, using a tea kettle or pitcher, pour hot water around the loaf pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes. Very carefully pull back the foil (there will be steam that has accumulated under it) to ensure the custard is set around the edges but still a bit jiggly in the center. (Don’t worry that it seems undercooked. The custard will continue to cook as it cools, and the center will set completely -- I promise!) Carefully remove the pans from the oven. Remove the foil and leave the flan in the water bath for 1 hour to cool.
- Remove the loaf pan from the water bath and wipe the pan dry. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight or up to 4 days.
- To unmold the flan, carefully slide a sharp knife around the edges of the pan. Invert a platter with a raised rim (to contain the liquid caramel) on top of the flan and turn the pan and platter over. If the flan doesn’t release immediately, let it sit inverted for a minute and it should slide out. If it still doesn't come out, try running the knife around the edges again. When the flan is released, remove the loaf pan. Using rubber spatula, scrape the residual caramel onto the platter. You won’t be able to release all of the caramel – that’s okay. Slice the flan and spoon the sauce over individual portions. (Leftover flan may be covered loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 4 days.)
- Note: If you'd like to omit the alcohol, increase the vanilla to 1 tablespoon.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 249
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Sugar: 39 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 224 mg
- Cholesterol: 61 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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First – Jenn…… I love all your recipes, you are my go to chef for a few years. Second – I keep laughing at myself because this is my first flan – Amazed at how easy the recipe is and how easily I can mess up an easy recipe. I just made it earlier today – and my caramel was rock hard after hitting my pan, and that just didn’t sit so well with me. I start reading all the comments….I am not alone and I am guessing when I turn it over tomorrow night it won’t look like the picture above :-). ALL OK though – hubby running back to store to get me more ingredients. Otherwise it looks stunning so far! I will have 2 or more tomorrow night lol! Will let you know how it (they all) come out.
Good luck, Laura – I think it’ll be fine. Please LMK how they turn out!
I did this recipe three times and every time, it comes out great, everyone loves it.
Just waiting on my flan to get ready, although I’m sure it will be great!
Question: I love the loaf pan but what if I want to make more, for a party of 20. I could double the recipe and cook it in a square pan that’s almost as deep right? Would I have to double the cooking time as well?
Hi Rosh, To be honest, I’m not sure how well that would work without testing it first. I’d use two loaf pans to be safe. Either way, you’d need to increase the cooking time a bit.
I made this recipe last weekend and the kids loved it. I thought the flan had a great taste, but came out quite evenly dense. Cooking time was 75 mins and I didn’t think of checking since that was on the lower end. Doh! If I cooked for a shorter time, will be be softer? Should I substitute any ingredients?
Hi Lee, Yes, if you remove it just a few minutes earlier, it should be a bit softer (and not substitutions would be necessary).
just getting used to my new convection oven, which considerably shortens baking times. thoughts about the temperature setting and baking time? thanks!
Hi Deb, When using the convection setting, the rule of thumb is to reduce temp by 25°F. Hope that helps!
Hi Jen, I am planning to make the Latin flan for a party on Saturday evening. You mentioned the flan can be made ahead of time. Do you think making it Thursday night and keeping it in the refrigerator is too early? Thanks!
Should be perfectly fine for Saturday, Marianne. Enjoy!
Do the eggs need to be room temperature or can they be right out of the fridge or does it matter?
They can be right out of the fridge. Enjoy!
Just two whole eggs needed besides the yolks?
Yes that’s correct, Maria. 🙂
This flan is excellent!!!
I was looking for a real traditional flan recipe because it was my first time making Flan. Using this recipe, I can say that my boyfriend and I absolutely loved it!!! I mixed in a tablespoon extra of vanilla and bourbon, for a stronger taste. I also put it in the oven at 325 degrees.
I’m going to make more for Thanksgiving!
Thank you
Scrumptious flan!
As a Spanish woman, I grew up seeing my mom make flan all the time. Unfortunately I never had an interest in the kitchen and never stopped to ask how she was making it. I also never liked flan, so I suppose that would make me doubly uninterested.
Anyhow, as a “grown-up” I’ve learned to appreciate the kitchen seeing as I’m in it everyday, most of the day.
A friend asked me if I could bring a flan to a dinner party and I immediately said “uhhh… I’ve never made one, but I’m sure I can come up with something” – as soon as I said that, I came to where I always go first, Once upon a Chef and looked up “flan” in the search. I’ve always viewed flan as a very difficult latin dessert to tackle. Boy was I relieved to find that you had a flan recipe Jenn!
So my first flan (yes, I made a “tester” flan) came out delicious… except… I made the mistake of not adding the 2 tablespoons of water to the caramelized sugar and although the whole flan came out beautiful there was no delicious caramel top. All the sugar hardened on the bottom as soon as I poured it in. When I initially poured the sugar in my pan I realized what was going to happen so I made a little more of the caramelized sugar and dumped it on top of the hardened one (half hoping it would melt it a bit and maybe mix in) and at least that created a little bit of the “sauce” for the flan. But it was obviously a big boo boo.
My second flan is in the fridge waiting for our dinner party tomorrow and I am just hoping that once I invert it it will have that caramel top.
Regardless, I already know it will taste delicious, which is what matters in the end.
I did share a piece of my “tester” flan with my very much Puerto Rican mom in law (who happens to be one of the best cooks I know) and she liked it! So it’s a winner!
Thanks Jenn for another winner!
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Some subs or differences in my process of making the flan were these:
-I used an 8×8 glass pan (it’s what I had)
-I baked in the water bath at 300 for 45 minutes and then I raised the temp to 350 for another 35-40 minutes. I felt like this created a bit more of the yellow color flans are known for instead of just light cream color, which was how my first one came out. My oven is a convection oven.
-I tried using organic cane sugar to make the caramel the first time around, it did not work for me. Stick to white sugar if you’re wondering.
-DO NOT MISS THE 2 TBSP of water for the caramel! Can’t stress it enough.
-I strained my mixture twice, never realized how much “chunky” stuff eggs have until making a flan 😯.
-I used rum instead of Bourbon.
-I used all natural vanilla extract by Spice Island which is pricey (for me anyways) but worth it. It gives a very natural vanilla flavor to everything.
Hope those points can help someone! Don’t be scared of making this flan, it’s super easy and delicious!