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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This is an amazing flan. I did not do the caramelizing that she suggested. I wasn’t successful with adding the water. I used Cooks Illustrated. Calls for 1/4 cup of water to 1/2 cup of sugar. Put the water in pan 1st. Add sugar,but don’t let it touch the sides. Moisten sugar with spatula. Cook on med. high heat without stirring until a very pale golden hue. Cut down to medium low. Cook til a rich amber color,stirring occasionally. Worked perfectly. This flan wins accolades every time.
Hi Jenn!
Your recipe is really awesome! And the instructions are fantastic. I made this flan for Mother’s Day and while the caramel turned out to be on the blonde side(my first time making caramel), the flan was still sooo delicious- creamy and rich. I am currently trying my hand at it again without the bourbon. Sadly I burned my first batch of caramel- took it too far and my second one is a little too light. Oh well- hopefully I’ll get the caramel just right soon!
Thank you!!
Wow. WOW. This was my first flan and I thought it was superb! I used the bourbon and worried it would be too sweet per the reviews, but it wasn’t! The only issue I had was the carmelized sugar. For whatever reason, it took about 20 minutes to come up to color. I am making this for Mother’s Day!
Question…I made this recipe once before but tripled the ingredients and still baked it for the same amount of time. It came out perfect. I want to make it again for a pot luck at work but instead, I want to make it small, 4 oz foil cups. Do you think I would need to adjust the baking time at all? Thank you in advance
Hi Angelica, I do think you’d definitely need to reduce the baking time. I’ve never done it so I can’t say for sure how long they will take to cook; just keep an eye on them. I’d love to know how they turn out!
This recipe wasn’t successful for me. First, I probably didn’t cook the caramel long enough so it didn’t have the luscious golden color, instead mine was loose and blond. Not sure what else I did wrong, but my flan turned out too dense and the sweetness level was a lot sweeter than I thought it would be. Perhaps I need to look for a lighter creme brulee recipe.
So sorry this didn’t turn out well for you, Sue. Latin American-style flans are definitely dense and sweet.
The flan is in the oven and I just started reading the reviews. In your instructions it says to cover tightly with foil before putting in the oven, but in the reviews you say NOT to use foil. Should I take the foil off?
Sorry for the confusion Tina – keep the foil (although the recipe will work fine either way).
O…..M…..G…..! My wife said this is the best flan she’s ever had and this is coming from someone who’s favorite dessert is flan, so she’s tried quite a few. I followed the recipe except for the bourbon. I didn’t have any so I just added the extra vanilla. I cooked it for 75 minutes, checked it and then added an additional 7. You have to keep checking it to make sure it doesn’t over cook. Let’s just say that it didn’t make it overnight….my wife wanted to try it. But no problems at all with getting it to slide out of the pan, it was beautiful! It was perfectly creamy and I served it with fresh strawberries from our garden. My wife said she’s going to request this every day 🙂 Thanks Jenn! You are my chef hero; I’ve literally taught myself to cook by following your blog. I also bought the cookbook and it’s wonderful!
❤️
I would like to make this flan in small ramekin (individual serves) like creme caramels- how long to cook them?
It really depends on the size of the ramekins but I’d start checking around 25 to 30 minutes.
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. We followed the instructions as stated, only substituting extra vanilla for liquor, and the result was a creamy flawless flan. We used raw turbinado cane sugar for the caramel and had no issues with hardening or achieving the suggested amber color. We did bake for the full 90 mins and switched off the oven leaving flan with water bath inside for another 30 minutes or so as oven temp came down. As a part Cuban family we felt the recipe was authentic and if for someone reason it cannot be considered authentic then so be it…it can at least be considered delicious.
Thank you again!
I make my flan in a cazuela. When I invert the flan and end up with some hardened caramel in the bottom of the cazuela, I just add a little water, and heat in the microwave for a minute or two. It releases the remaining caramel sauce! And I love me some extra caramel goodness. Mmm hmm. Unfortunately, you can’t do that with a metal loaf pan. Maybe you can add water and heat over the stovetop? I don’t know.
I can’t rate this recipe, as the one I have is from a New Mexico cookbook from home. It doesn’t call for any evaporated milk, just the sweetened condensed milk, and 1 cup of whole milk along with 3 eggs, 3 yolks, and almond and vanilla extracts. The almond is traditional. No salt in our recipe. But anyway, thanks for this – looks as if it’s very similar in consistency. The reason most flan are rubbery is because of the egg whites, not the canned milks so much. The omission of half the egg whites reduces the protein and keeps the flan silky and less eggy tasting.