Flan
intro
Silky, jiggly baked caramel custard with a rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture, topped with flowing bittersweet golden caramel sauce.
Ingredients
Steps
Cook the caramel
Place 150g granulated sugar and 60ml filtered water in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir gently only until sugar fully dissolves into a clear syrup, then stop stirring entirely. Swirl the pan occasionally as the syrup cooks, 8-10 minutes total, until it reaches a deep amber gold color and 175°C (350°F) on a candy thermometer. Immediately remove from heat to prevent burning, as caramel will darken quickly once it reaches temperature.
Coat ramekins with caramel
Immediately pour the hot caramel evenly between six 120ml (4oz) oven-safe ceramic ramekins. Tilt each ramekin quickly to coat the entire bottom and 1cm up the inner sides with a thin caramel layer; work quickly, as caramel will fully set in 1-2 minutes once off the heat. Arrange the coated ramekins inside a deep 23x33cm (9x13 inch) metal baking dish and set aside.
Mix the custard base
In a medium glass mixing bowl, gently whisk 3 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, 1g fine sea salt, and 5ml pure vanilla extract until just combined—do not whisk vigorously, as this creates air bubbles that will cause holes in the finished flan. Warm 375ml whole milk and 125ml heavy whipping cream in a small pot over low heat until it reaches 60°C (140°F, warm to the touch but not simmering), then slowly pour the warm dairy into the egg mixture while whisking constantly at a slow speed to avoid curdling.
Strain and fill ramekins
Pour the mixed custard base through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the caramel-lined ramekins, dividing the liquid evenly so each ramekin is 80% full. Use the tip of a spoon to skim any tiny remaining air bubbles off the surface of the custard in each ramekin to ensure a perfectly silky, smooth final texture.
Bake in water bath
Preheat your oven to 160°C (325°F). Carefully pour hot (not boiling) tap water into the 9x13 inch baking dish holding the ramekins until the water level reaches halfway up the outer sides of the ramekins to create a gentle, even-heat bain-marie. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the custard is fully set around the edges but has a soft, Jell-O-like jiggle in the very center when the pan is gently shaken.
Chill flan to set
Use kitchen tongs to carefully lift the hot ramekins out of the water bath, and transfer them to a wire rack to cool to room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover each ramekin tightly with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours (and up to 3 days for make-ahead prep) until the custard is fully firm and chilled through.
Unmold and serve
When ready to serve, remove ramekins from the fridge. Run a thin, sharp paring knife around the inner edge of each ramekin to loosen the custard from the sides. Place a small 15cm (6 inch) dessert plate upside down over the top of the ramekin, hold the plate and ramekin firmly together, and flip quickly in one smooth motion. Lift the ramekin straight up to release the flan, letting the melted golden caramel flow over the top and sides of the custard.
Tips
2.Do not overbake your flan to avoid a rubbery, curdled texture. The soft jiggle in the center of the custard when removed from the oven will set completely as the flan chills in the refrigerator.
3.Skip the urge to fill the water bath with boiling water, as this can cause the custard to cook too quickly and develop a porous, bubbly texture; hot tap water (around 60°C/140°F) works perfectly for even, gentle baking.
OMG this flan is SO good! I made it for my husband’s birthday dinner and everyone raved about it. The caramel was perfectly silky, no weird grainy bits like the last flan recipe I tried. Will absolutely be making this again for our next family gathering!
Turned out pretty great! I messed up the first caramel batch because I turned the heat up too high and burned it, but the second batch came out perfect. Chilled it overnight and the texture was chef’s kiss. Only knock is it took me a little longer than the stated cook time, but that’s probably just my janky old oven.
Help! I followed the recipe exactly but my flan came out with little tiny lumps in the custard? It still tasted okay but the texture wasn’t as smooth as I wanted. Did I do something wrong?
Game changer! I brought this to our office potluck last week and it was gone in 10 minutes flat. People were begging me for the recipe, I felt like a celebrity. So creamy, not too sweet, just the perfect amount of caramel.
Made this for our post-hike dinner party last weekend and it was the perfect light dessert after a big heavy meal of chili and cornbread. The caramel drips down the sides when you flip it out and it looks so fancy, but it was way easier to make than I expected. 10/10.
My kids loved it! I was worried the caramel would be too bitter for them but they ate every last bite. The only thing is I didn’t have enough ramekins so I made it in one big glass dish, added about 10 minutes to the bake time and it turned out fine.
I’ve been scared to make flan for years because I always thought it was super fancy restaurant-only food, but this recipe was so straightforward! I chilled mine for a full 6 hours and it slid right out of the ramekin no problem. The caramel had that perfect deep, nutty flavor, not that fake store-bought syrup taste.
Just pulled this out of the oven and it smells insane! The caramel looks perfect, I’m just forcing myself to wait the full 4 hours to chill it so it sets right. Already know it’s gonna slap, the batter tasted amazing when I licked the spoon.
This holds up so good in the fridge for meal prep! I made a batch on Sunday and had a little flan cup every night after dinner all week. Didn’t get soggy or weird at all, the texture stayed perfect. I added a tiny dash of cinnamon to the custard next time I think it’ll be even better.
Made this for a first date dinner and I swear my date almost proposed when they took the first bite. It looked so impressive when I flipped it out onto the plate, they thought I ordered it from a fancy Cuban restaurant down the street. Total win.
I’ve been making flan for over 50 years and this recipe is right up there with my mom’s old family version. The ratios are perfect—no cloyingly sweet custard, the caramel is the right consistency, it doesn’t crack when you unmold it. Excellent work on this recipe, it’s a keeper.
Tasted really good but I had a hard time getting the caramel to coat the bottom of my ramekins before it hardened? I poured it in and it set up like rock solid 2 seconds later, so when I flipped the flan out half the caramel was stuck to the bottom.
So happy this recipe worked with my dairy-free swap! I used full fat oat milk creamer instead of heavy cream and coconut condensed milk, and it came out so creamy no one could tell it was dairy free. My son with a milk allergy was over the moon to have flan again.
Made this after our big weekend BBQ spread and it was the perfect follow up to ribs, mac and cheese, and coleslaw. Everyone was so full but they all made room for flan. The cold, creamy texture is so good on a hot summer day. I’ll be making this all summer long for cookouts.
I burn every single baked good I make, y’all. I once turned chocolate chip cookies into charcoal. But this flan? It actually turned out! I was shocked. The directions were so clear step by step, I didn’t even mess up the caramel. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I forgot to grease my ramekins a little so a tiny bit stuck to the side.
Added this to our Easter dinner dessert lineup and it was a massive hit. I made a double batch and it was all gone by the end of the night, even with 3 other desserts on the table. My abuela asked for the recipe, which is the highest possible compliment I can get.
Pro tip: add a shot of cold espresso to the custard mix for a coffee flan twist. It is INSANE. Tastes like a caramel latte in flan form. I’ll still make the classic version too, but the coffee twist is my new go-to for weekend brunch.
Great recipe! I used dark brown sugar instead of white for the caramel because that’s what I had in the pantry, and it had this amazing deep, almost molasses flavor that paired so well with the vanilla custard. Will probably do that every time now, it was a happy accident.
Served this at our monthly girls’ brunch and everyone was obsessed. It’s not heavy like a lot of creamy desserts, so it works perfectly for brunch with mimosas and fruit. I topped each slice with a little fresh berry compote and it was chef’s kiss.
Wait, how do you know when the flan is done baking? Mine was jiggly in the middle when I took it out after the stated time, so I left it in 15 more minutes and it was a little rubbery around the edges. What did I do wrong?