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Flan is a rich, bold, creamy custard-style Spanish dessert covered in a delicious and beautifully flavored golden caramel sauce. It is a very fancy-looking yet easy dessert to make.

For me, Flan is that rich, creamy, decadent dessert that you cannot stop at just one bite. Taking a bite of flan is like being hit with the rich, bold flavors of cream, vanilla, and caramel in one bite. You need to savor it slowly and let the flavors grow on you. Swirl it around on your tongue and enjoy the silky texture. Because some desserts are to be enjoyed slowly, making the experience special.

When I first made flan, I was under the impression that I was just making another variation of custard. But, oh boy! That first bite threw me a complete curveball. I was fascinated by the flavors, richness, and creaminess of the flan with that perfect hint of caramel. That is when I realized it was not just another custard. It is a different ballgame altogether.

If you are wondering, that flan is such a beautiful dessert and it would be difficult to cook. Then my dear friends you are in for a surprise, believe me, this is one of the easiest desserts you will ever make.

It is one of those simple easy desserts that doesn't require any fancy equipment or any special cooking skills. If you are looking for something that your kids can make and feel proud of their achievements then this recipe is just perfect for them. As I said earlier this is a very easy dessert to make.

What is a flan?

Flan is a Latin or more popularly known as Spanish dessert made with a few simple ingredients like eggs, milk, condensed milk, and vanilla. Flan, the creamy custard dessert topped with rich caramel is very popular in Spain, Mexico, and Latin America.

Flan is cooked in a water bath for the best texture and result and chilled in the refrigerator overnight before inverting onto a plate and serving.

Over the years this traditional flan has been made in many different versions. Infused with fruits or some other flavors are also used to make flan, making it more trendy and delicious. Though I have tried some variations of this creamy dessert I am still in love with this original traditional one.

Flan is also very similar to the French dessert creme caramel. It is also similar to the other French dessert creme brulee however it is a little denser and has a caramel syrup or sauce instead of the brittle caramel top.

How to make Flan

Ingredients for Flan

Eggs - You will need a couple of full eggs and some just egg yolks for this recipe. For the leftover egg whites, you can try this Meringue Cookies recipe.

Sweetened Condensed Milk - Sweetened condensed milk is the only sweetening agent in this recipe and hence it is essential that you do not use the unsweetened one.

Evaporated milk - Evaporated milk is heated and reduced milk which imparts a nice rich creamy flavor to the recipe.

Whole Milk - Do not replace whole milk with lesser fat content milk. However, you can always replace it with half and half.

Vanilla extract - Use original good quality extract. Since we will be using quite a few eggs in this recipe and vanilla is a much-needed addition to balance the flavors.

Salt

Sugar - You will need granulated white sugar for the caramel.

Step by Step instructions for Flan

Firstly, preheat the oven to 300F.

Take a small saucepan and set it on medium heat. Add water and sugar to it and stir it together till the sugar is well mixed and not dry anymore.

Bring the sugar to a boil and keep cooking without stirring. Keep cooking till the mixture turns golden. Now that it has reached this consistency gently swirl the pan and keep cooking till the sugar turns liquid and of honey color.

Once the liquid is honey colored switch off the heat and keep swirling the liquid till it is an amber-reddish color.

Now add a couple of tablespoons of warm water to the caramel and swirl and mix it till well incorporated. Be careful when you add water to the hot sugar liquid as when you do that the mixture will bubble up and create steam and you need to be careful not to burn yourself.

Pour the caramel into a pan in which you intend to cook the flan. Spread the caramel evenly on the bottom of the pan without using any tool. Once you pour the caramel into the baking dish the caramel will solidify and will melt when you bake the flan.

Set the pan aside for later.

Place a saucepan on medium-high wheat with at least 4 to 5 cups of water and let it gradually come to a boil till we make the mixture for flan. This is the water we need for a water bath later on while baking.

Take a large bowl and whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks in it. Whisk it till all eggs blend and are well incorporated.

To the eggs add the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk it all together till it all combines.

Strain the mixture using a sieve in order to remove any bits of eggs.

Pour the strained mixture into the baking pan with caramel. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Place the pan into a bigger pan or roasting pan or any pan with higher sides. place the nestled pans into the oven. Pour the water you had set to boil earlier into the bigger pan. Pour it till it reaches half the level of the pan with the mixture.

Bake for 75 to 90 minutes and once you get the pan out, slowly remove the aluminum foil and check if the flan has set around the edges but is still jiggly in the center. Let the pan rest in the water bath for at least an hour to cool.

It might seem under-cooked at that time but the flan is still cooking with the residual heat and will set completely once it's cooled down.

Remove the pan from the water bath and cover it tightly with cling wrap or plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

To unmold the flan place the pan in a warm water bath for 4 to 5 minutes. Then take a sharp knife and run it around the edges carefully separating the edges from the pan.

Invert the pan over a deep dish or tray that can hold both the flan as well as caramel sauce that will ooze out. If the flan doesn't unmold immediately then let it sit for a couple of minutes or again put it in a warm water bath for a few minutes.

Even after the flan is released and transferred onto the plate some caramel will be sticking to the bottom of the pan. You can either leave it since you have sufficient caramel sauce already on the plate or you could heat up the bottom of the pan to release it. I usually let the excess be as I have sufficient sauce to go along with my flan already.

Your flan is ready to serve. slice it and serve with a drizzle of the yummy caramel sauce. Enjoy it chilled for the best flavors.

Keep the leftover flan either covered with plastic wrap or in a sealed container. It will stay good for about a week in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why do we need so many egg yolks for the flan?

Egg yolk is a combination of fat, protein, and about 50% of water. For any custard kind of recipe, it is important to have a nice rich creamy texture. The fats in the yolk bring out the smooth creamy texture that makes the flan so rich and delicious.

Yolks also give a richer taste, velvety custard, and a deeper yellow color which looks beautiful.

Can you replace only yolks with whole eggs?

Yolks give the flan its rich taste and beautiful velvety texture. If you replace the yolks with whole egg then you will end up with a jelly-like consistency and the flan will be more light and airy. As whites add lightness and fluffiness to any dessert recipe.

Also, check out some other easy desserts

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