Flan
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Flan is a rich, sweet custard topped with caramel sauce. It looks fancy, but it’s actually quite simple to make.
One of the most popular Latin desserts, flan is a rich, sweet custard topped with caramel sauce. It’s made with a mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and other flavorings, and then baked gently in a water bath until it is set but still creamy. The custard is then inverted onto a plate, revealing a layer of saucy caramel on top. Flan is almost identical to the French custard dessert crème caramel; it’s also similar to crème brûlée, only it’s a bit denser and, instead of the brittle caramel top, the caramel is liquid.
Though it looks impressive, flan is actually quite simple to make. This classic version adapted from Cook’s Illustrated is my go-to recipe. It’s prepared in a loaf pan rather than a wide cake pan, so it’s easy to unmold without breaking—and since it’s made up to four days ahead of time, it’s a wonderful dessert for company.
“Restaurant quality flan without the fuss (and fear)…A definite keeper.”
What You’ll Need To Make Flan
- 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, giving the flan its creamy texture.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk: Add creaminess and sweetness to the custard base, ensuring a decadent flavor.
- Whole Milk: Contributes to the velvety texture of the flan, enhancing its richness without overwhelming the other flavors.
- Vanilla Extract: Infuses the flan with a warm, aromatic flavor, complementing the richness of the custard.
- Bourbon: Adds depth, complexity, and a subtle hint of warmth to the flan’s flavor profile.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Caramel
Stir the sugar and 1/4 cup water together in a medium saucepan until the sugar is completely moistened. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, without stirring. Continue cooking until the mixture begins to turn golden.
Gently swirling the pan, continue to cook until sugar is a pale honey color.
Remove from the heat and swirl the pan until the sugar is a reddish-amber color 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. The water helps thin the caramel, so it doesn’t all stick to the pan after the flan bakes in the oven.
Pour the caramel into 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan and set aside. The caramel will harden in the pan.
Step 2: Make the Custard
Whisk together the eggs and egg yolks in large bowl.
Add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, vanilla, Bourbon, and salt and whisk until incorporated.
Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a larger bowl. The strainer will catch little bits of egg that you don’t want in your flan.
Pour the strained custard into the loaf pan over the caramel. Cover the loaf pan tightly with aluminum foil.
Step 3: Bake
Place the loaf pan in the center of a 9×13-inch baking or roasting pan (preferably with high sides) to make a water bath. Place the nested pans in the oven; 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. The purpose of the water bath is to moderate the heat and ensure that the mixture cooks evenly into a smooth and creamy custard. (Cheesecake uses the same technique.)
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. The custard should not be completely set when it is removed from the oven; it will continue to cook as it cools. Remove the pans from the oven. Remove the foil and leave the flan in the water bath for about one hour to cool.
Step 4: Chill and Unmold the Flan
Remove the loaf pan from water bath, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill overnight or up to 4 days. To unmold the flan, carefully slide a knife around the edges of the pan.
Invert a platter with a raised rim on top of the flan and turn the pan and platter over. If it doesn’t release immediately, let it sit inverted for a minute and it should eventually slide out. Remove the loaf pan and, using a rubber spatula, scrape the residual caramel over the flan. You won’t be able to release all of it – that’s okay. Slice the flan and spoon the sauce over the individual servings. Serve with berries, if you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Good question! Some options are my macarons, chocolate chip meringue cookies, and coconut macaroons.
Sure, it will last nicely in the fridge, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 4 days.
If you don’t have whole milk, you can substitute 2% milk or half-and-half, but I don’t recommend skim milk.
Yep, the bourbon can be substituted based on preference. You can use another type of liquor like rum or brandy to add a different flavor profile. If you prefer not to use any alcohol, just increase the vanilla by 2 teaspoons.
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Video Tutorial
Flan
Flan is a rich, sweet custard topped with caramel sauce. It looks fancy, but it’s actually quite simple to make.
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 but do not use skim milk)
- 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.)
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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Thank you so much! This turned out creamy and dreamy! I used half and half instead of evaborated milk as I didn’t have any.
What final temperature should the be when it is done?
Hi Lanny, I’ve never used a thermometer to test this for doneness, but I read a recipe online that indicates it should come in at about 180 degrees. Hope that helps!
I made this last night. It was in the oven from 9:00 to 10:30 pm and then I took it out to cool until 11:30 pm. Finally I placed it in the fridge overnight. I took it out this morning and carefully inverted it onto a dish. It was not fully set; i tried to slam back the pan over it but I couldn’t contain the liquid on the sides. Edges were nice and flan like but middle was more like pudding. After 10 minutes I had a tray with some solid pieces and even more pudding and syrup floating about. As an emergency measure we stuck it in the freezer hoping it would solidify more. Instead the pudding sections just got colder and spread out even more. My husband just laughed and said he won’t eat it. My nephew (age 20) picked out some solid chunks and said “dont worry it’s ugly but the taste is good”. As for me I was hoping to get a nice presentable dish. I am not sure what went wrong. I did not change any aspect of the recipe other than using vanilla liqueur instead of bourbon.
Hi Sidra, I’m so sorry you had trouble with the flan. I’ve never had a problem with this recipe setting. I don’t think the vanilla liqueur would have an impact – is it possible your oven temperature is off?
Hi, I think I realize the source of my error now. I used small eggs, not large, so probably there was not enough egg in the flan to help it set. Thank you for keeping my comment up though. I go to many blogs and sometimes the blogger deletes my comment when I don’t rate the recipe 5 stars. . I like that you keep all the comments; it actually makes me trust your site more. 🙂
Ahh, the small eggs make sense. Glad you got to the bottom of it!
Hello Sidra, I have made many flans in the past and never came out good until I tried this recipe. I cooked this for thanksgiving and everyone wanted more. I think the secret is to never give up. 😉
Sidra, I live in Texas (originally from NM), and I have to cook my flan longer. I cook at 325 for 1 hour, but usually have to cook longer than that to get the flan to set. When you’re time is up, don’t pull the flan out! Pull the rack out a bit and wiggle the pan with the flan. If the flan is still jiggly, just give it more time. Another 10 minutes or so. Test again. Continue until your flan is not jiggly, and then do the toothpick test – insert a toothpick in the center of the flan, and if it comes out clean, it’s done. If not, give it another 5 to 10 minutes. Once it’s set, and only once it’s set, you take it out of the oven. Every oven cooks differently! I’m surprised Jenn didn’t note this.
Great advice, thanks for sharing!
Hello! I’m planning on trying this recipe out myself (even though I’m a fairly new baker). I wanted to make the flan for a party in the evening and was planning to make the flan earlier in the day to bring later. I’ve read a few other recipes and many don’t even mention letting the flan refrigerate overnight. Is this necessary? Or will a few hours (most likely around 4-5) be enough to serve?
Hi Isabel, I’d give it at least 6 hours in the fridge to set up. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn, I made this flan yesterday. I don’t why took more than 2 hours to cook- maybe because my oven is convection.
Hi Fanny, It shouldn’t take over 2 hours to bake, particularly if you are using the convection setting on your oven. How did it turn out?
I just made 2 of these to bring to a Spanish dinner and everyone said it was the best flan they have ever had. I used half/half instead of the milk, delicious. Thank you for this recipe. ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟🌟
This recipe (as are ALL your recipes) is awesome! With your help I’m more than just a cute apron in the kitchen.😁Thank you and rest assured I always give credit where credit is due. Question: Could you use a fruity or citrus liqueur such as Cointreau instead of the bourbon?
Hi Laurie, so glad you enjoyed this (and like the others you’ve tried too)! Yes, it would be fine to swap the bourbon with another liqueur.
Thanks so much for your recipes, Jen! I’ve made several from your site, and they always turn out beautifully. I just pulled my flan out of the oven and suspect it will be wonderful, but I really struggled to make the caramel. I tried three times only to have it seize up when I added the water at the end. I wound up using another method. Any idea what I was doing wrong?
Hi Jaclyn, Are you by chance adding cold water? If not, it sounds like you might be taking the caramel too far before adding the water. I’d try cooking it for less time. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your reply! I did use hot water, but it’s certainly possible the caramel was too “done” before I added it. The flan came out delicious, though–I’m making it again today, in fact. Thanks again for the great recipe!
Tasted amazing. I made this for a large crowd. Those who eat flan loved it.
I want to amend a part of my review.
1. On making the sugar for the caramel sauce. I do not use any water. I put on low flame . For kicks I put in some fresh lemon drops.
2. I don’t use the bourbon.
Most of my family come from India and Pakistan. They have there own recipe. But when I made this flan everyone who ate it raves about it.
Great easy recipe to follow. I have made it a few times now and it came out deliciously perfect every time. I didn’t use the bourbon though. Thank you.