An easy flan recipe made with only 5 simple ingredients! This creamy custard dessert is topped with rich caramel and is very popular in Mexico, Spain and Latin America. It’s a showstopper dessert that is sure to impress friends and family. Perfect for any occasion!
I need to shout it from the rooftops – I’m officially in love with flan! I must admit that I didn’t eat much flan growing up. Instead, my family was big on Tres Leches Cake, Conchas and Marranitos. Pretty much all the bread-y desserts found in Mexican bakeries. But flan wasn’t really on my radar until recently when my nephew kept mentioning how much he loved flan (a subtle hint he kept throwing my way). That’s when I knew I had to make it.
So I got to work, tested and tested, and finally created the richest, smoothest and creamiest flan recipe ever! Best of all, it’s so easy to make and it’s officially made me a flan lover!
What is flan?
Flan, or crème caramel, is a creamy custard dessert topped with caramel that’s popular in Mexico, Spain and many Latin American countries.
It’s known for its smooth and creamy consistency that’s achieved by cooking the custard in a water bath, or a bain-marie or baño-marÃa. Doing so creates steam in the oven which gently and evenly cooks the flan, keeping it moist and ensuring that the eggs aren’t overcooked and curdled or scrambled.
The flan is cooked with the caramel on the bottom of the pan and the custard mixture on top. After it’s cooked and sufficiently cooled, the flan is then inverted onto a plate to reveal a rich and golden caramel sauce that perfectly covers the top of the flan!
It truly is a magical dessert!
Ingredients in Flan
This flan is made with only 5 simple ingredients which is why I love it so much! Here’s what you need:
- eggs
- sweetened condensed milk
- whole milk
- vanilla extract
- sugar
You’ll also need a small 7-inch cake pan or a special pan called a flanera. I got my flanera here. It’s inexpensive and perfect! It has an easy locking lid so I don’t need to use foil to cover the top while baking.
How to make flan
Step 1: Make the caramel by pouring the sugar into a warm skillet over medium heat. Keep stirring the sugar while it heats up and begins to brown and clump together. Continue stirring until the sugar completely dissolves and melts into a beautiful golden-brown caramel!
Step 2: Carefully pour the caramel into the bottom of the flanera or cake pan as evenly as possible. Try to work quickly because the caramel will start to harden in a matter of seconds after it’s hit the bottom of the pan. Also be sure to use a towel or oven mitts as the bottom of the pan will be very hot. Try to distribute the caramel evenly into the pan. If it hardens too quickly and you aren’t to do so, you can carefully heat the pan up by placing it directly on the stove or on the skillet. That will loosen up the hardened caramel a bit so it can flow into the areas you need it to go.
Step 3: Set the caramel aside and let it cool so it hardens a bit. While it’s cooling, whisk together the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until everything is evenly incorporated but try not to over whisk so you don’t get too many air bubbles in the mixture.
Step 4: Pour the custard mixture into the hardened caramel-lined pan.
Step 5: Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, or secure it with a lid if you’re using a flanera like I do in the photo below.
Step 6: Place the pan in a large baking dish and fill the baking dish with water until it reaches halfway up the flan pan. Bake the flan for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 7: Carefully remove the flan pan from the water bath, remove the lid and let it cool to room temperature. Then place it in the refrigerator and chill for 4 hours or overnight.
Step 8: When you’re ready to eat it, remove the lid or aluminum foil from the pan and gently slide a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen it up a bit.
Step 9: Place a large plate or platter over the pan and quickly and carefully flip over the pan and the plate so that the flan is upside down. Pull up the flan pan – if the flan doesn’t slide out immediately, place the pan down and let it sit for a bit. It will slide out so don’t freak out! Give the sides of the pan a tap or some squeezes and see if that helps.
All that’s left to do is grab a slice and enjoy! I like serving it on its own with lots of the caramel sauce, but you could also serve it alongside some fresh fruit.
Variations
- For a citrusy twist, add 1 teaspoon of orange zest to the custard mixture.
- For a coffee twist, add 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder to the custard mixture.
I hope you love this recipe – be sure to give it a review below! To get more easy Mexican recipes delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for my email newsletter. You can also follow Isabel Eats on Facebook, Â Instagram and Pinterest!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pour the sugar into a skillet over medium heat. Stir the sugar continually until it begins to brown and clump together. Keep stirring until the sugar completely melts and dissolves into a golden-brown syrup. Remove the syrup from the heat as soon as it has dissolves as it can burn.
- Working quickly, carefully pour the caramel into a 7-inch round pan or a special flan pan (flanera) as shown in the photos in the blog post. Pour the caramel evenly into the bottom of the pan so the entire bottom is coated. If you need to, use an oven mitt or potholders to move the pan from side to side to get the caramel evenly distributed. If the caramel hardens too quickly, you can carefully reheat the pan by placing it directly on the stove or on the skillet for a few seconds.
- Set the caramel-coated pan aside to cool and harden.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk and vanilla extract. Whisk together until everything is fully combined, but try not to overwhisk so that there aren't too many air bubbles in the mixture.
- Pour the custard mixture into the caramel-coated pan. Cover the top of the pan with the lid (if using a flanera) or tightly with aluminum foil.
- Place the flan pan in a large baking dish and pour enough water in the dish until it reaches about halfway up the pan. Carefully place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove the dish from the oven, and then lift the flan pan out of the water bath. Remove the lid or aluminum foil and let it cool to room temperature. The flan may still be a little jiggly, but that's okay – it will continue to cook with the residual heat.
- Once it's cooled, cover with the lid or aluminum foil and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- To serve, remove the lid or aluminum foil and slide a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen it up. Place a plate or platter on top of the flan, grab a hold of both the plate and the pan and quickly and securely flip it over so that the flan is now upside down. Carefully lift off the flan pan. Your flan should be sitting in the caramel on the plate, ready to enjoy!
- Carefully lift the flan pan up. The flan should be on the plate – if it's not, place the pan back down and let it sit for a few minutes. Don't freak out! It will loosen up and slide out. You could try tapping the sides of the pan a bit or even giving the sides a squeeze.
- Slice the flan and serve with the rich caramel sauce!
Nutrition Information
Excellent recipe…came out Great my first time making flan!! So happy😉
Do you have a recipe for fried green tomato and bacon eggs Benedict? I made your 5 ingredients Flan and used the flanera pan you recommended and it was perfect on my first try. It was the creamiest, most delicious custard I’ve ever made.
Love 💕 it. Super easy. I would recommend doing this early morning or day before to let it set up. I put mine in an ice water pan to speed up cooling.watch your sugar carefully on medium heat in a heavy pan and stir constantly-
You can add a teaspoon. If rum or southern comfort to the custard. The alcohol cooks off and leaves a nice extra taste.
Ooohhh…Excellent idea…sum rum or Southern Comfort…Yea maybe even some Jack Daniels or some gingerbread brandy…😊😉
Love 💕 it. Super easy. I would recommend doing this early morning or day before to let it set up. I put mine in an ice water pan to speed up cooling.
You can add a teaspoon. If rum or southern comfort to the custard. The alcohol cooks off and leaves a nice extra taste.
I DONT HAVE A Fanerera Flanera, I use two disposal 7 inch aluminum cake pans and set them In a brownie dish.
I use 1 cup of sugar for the caramel and divide between the two. I sometimes add a fifth egg.
When I turn it out the sugar crust comes out on top. My family calls it broken glass pudding and they love it.
Great recipe. I have made about 10 flans after discovering it. My own modifications after trial and error: 1 less egg and cooked in my Ninja® Foodi® 5 qt. 7-in-1 Compact Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer for 30 minutes on high pressure in 8 oz of water, then quick pressure release. If you use the pan in the Ninja metal basket instead of a 3rd party silicon basket, wrap the pan on the sides with wet paper towels and wedge it into the Ninja basket, to make sure the flan pan does not make metal to metal contact on the sides….or the flan will overcook / spill out at the contact points, usually the pan latches. I also cook my sugar in a 10 inch Costco wok outside on Blackstone griddle side burner to minimize chances of a mess in my kitchen.
I have served Isabelles flan several time. It’s easy to prepare and always a hit!!!
This is the best flan recipe and I have made several others! Tastes just like the Mexican cafe that I frequent. I made it simple for myself and caramelized the sugar right in the pan. I do so love the caramelized sugar so much that I added a 1/4 cup more! Thanks for the great recipe! This is a keeper!
This is my first attempt at making flan. This is so easy and so delicious. I am taking it to my supper club Friday.
The Flan tasted just like my Dad used to make for us. My family asked me to make it again soon. Thanks for the easy recipe.
This turned out amazing last night and my husband now says it’s his new favorite dessert! I have never made flan before! I used some dark brown sugar (tapa dulce) as well as regular organic sugar to make the caramel, and ended up burning some on the bottom of the pot before pouring the paste into the dish to solidify. It tastes like creme brûlée!
Hi! So do I only coat bottom of flanera pan and save remaining of caramel sauce for when serving? Thank you!
Hi Taylor! Yes, you can do that. Enjoy!
I made this flan yesterday and it turned out great.
Was actually my daughter’s 15th birthday and that was what she wanted instead of a cake.
We live in Fiji and had taken a trip to Mexico 3y ago where we ate lots of flan… and loved it.
Your recipe is so simple and easy especially for a first timer.
Thank you.
Can I use 2% milk instead of whole milk?
Yes, you can!
Trying this recipe tonight, made homemade caramel for the first time and was so impressed with myself lol I can finally cross that off my bucket list. Flan is now in the oven, excited to see the results! i’m 5 months pregnant and crave this nonstop.
How about the condence milk is it one 14oz can?
Yes, that’s correct!
Super good.
Looking forward to making this! If I make it smaller (using 3 eggs instead of 4, and of course, decreasing the other ingredients proportionally), should I cook for a bit less time?
Yes, I’d probably leave it in for about 5-10 minutes less than originally recommended. Hope you enjoy!