This Flawless Flan Only Requires 5 Ingredients—It's So Creamy and Easy (2024)

Mexican Desserts
Cakes
Spanish Desserts

All You Need Is 5-Ingredients

Chelsie Kenyon

Chelsie Kenyon, author of "Knack Mexican Cooking," is a former freelance writer and recipe developer with more than 10 years' experience in Mexican cuisine.

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Updated on 02/8/24

Tested by

Danielle Centoni

Tested byDanielle Centoni

Danielle is a James Beard Award-winning food writer and editor based in Portland, Oregon.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 75 mins

Cool and Chill Time: 90 mins

Total: 3 hrs 5 mins

Servings: 12 servings

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What's the Difference Between Spanish and Mexican Flan?

With origins going back to Roman times when egg surpluses were turned into sweet and savory custards, flan was cherished for centuries among Spaniards, who then brought it to America. Mexicans take pride in their flans, as the dessert evolved there and became the sweet staple it is today thanks to the heavy influence this cuisine had on the recipe. Mexican flans typically call for using whole eggs (as this recipe does), while the Spanish ones use just the yolks.

Tools for Making Caramel Flan

Before you start, be sure to have at hand 12 (4-ounce) ramekins or other similar cookware for individual servings. Alternatively, use a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish, cake pan, or loaf pan to make just one big flan. Regardless of the size you choose, the dishes must comfortably fit into larger baking pans for a bain-marie, the key for a successful creamy and wobbly flan.

The Keys to a Flawless Flan

Here are a few tips to make a creamy flan every time:

While you need to be careful about burning thecaramel, keep in mind that the darker the caramel, the more complex the flan will taste. It adds toasty notes beyond just sweetness.
Have the eggs at room temperature and don't crack them until it's time tobeat them. Excess exposure to the air can cause a thin film to harden on the yolks so the eggs won't be as silky as needed.
Mix all of the ingredients well. If you want to be sure your custard is very silky, you can always pass it through a sieve to ensure no small particles get into your flan.
Don't skip the water bath. The steady and steamy temperature is what makes flans silky and soft. Always bake at the suggested temperature; steaming the flans at a higher temperature will make them flat, bubbly with holes all over, or have a rubbery texture.
Chill the flans. By doing so, ideally, for over an hour, the texture will harden further.

How to Serve Flan

Run a knife before inverting the flan to help them come out more easily. Serve with berries, toasted coconut, or nuts for decoration and crunch.

This Flawless Flan Only Requires 5 Ingredients—It's So Creamy and Easy (2)

What You'll Need To Make This Caramel Flan Recipe

A Kettle

A Set of Ramekins

A Hand Mixer

"This flan is silky, rich, and decadent. The trickiest part is the caramel. Keep a watchful eye and pull it off the heat when it's dark amber and just starting to smell like burnt sugar. I froze several in ramekins and defrosted them overnight in the fridge. They turned out perfectly. A great make-ahead dessert." —Danielle Centoni

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk
2 (13-ounce) cans evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Heat a kettle or pot of water for the water bath. Pour 1 cup of the sugar into a warm pan over medium heat.
Constantly stir the sugar while it heats until it browns and turns into caramel. Do not overcook since the caramel will burn and have a sour taste.
Immediately, and working fast but carefully, pour approximately 2 to 3 tablespoons of caramel into each one of the 12 individual ramekins, tilting them so the caramel swirls around on the inside. As the caramel cools off, it will harden, so speed is essential for this step. If working with a big pan, add the caramel and cover the bottom and sides. Reheat the caramel in the pan if it thickens before you're done filling the ramekins.
Using a hand whisk or an electric mixer, whisk all of the eggs. Add the condensed milk and evaporated milk, and mix well to incorporate.
Slowly mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, beating well. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly to make a silky mixture.
Pour the custard mixture into the caramel-lined dishes, distributing it equally. Place the individual dishes in a large ceramic or metal baking pan with tall sides. Carefully pour hot water from the kettle into the baking pan around the custard dishes to a depth of about 2 inches.
Cover the pan with foil and bake the flan from 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. After 1 hour, check with a knife inserted just off-center into one of the servings: If the knife comes out clean, theflan is ready. If not, leave it in the oven for 15 more minutes. If baking a whole flan, thump the side of the dish after 1 hour, and if it wobbles as one, the flan is ready. If it's wavy, it's not done yet and needs another 20 minutes. If done, carefully take the flan dish or dishes out of the hot water.
Let the flans cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Leave flan in the dishes they were baked in until it's time to serve. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the dish and invert each individual dish onto a small plate, allowing the flan to drop out and the caramel sauce to flow over the custard.
Enjoy.

How to Store

Refrigerate leftovers for up to four days, but don't freeze because the texture will get clumpy once defrosted.

Different Flavors of Spanish Flans

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
359	Calories
11g	Fat
56g	Carbs
11g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	359
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g	14%
Saturated Fat 6g	30%
Cholesterol 126mg	42%
Sodium 158mg	7%
Total Carbohydrate 56g	20%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 56g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 2mg	12%
Calcium 301mg	23%
Iron 1mg	4%
Potassium 387mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

Cake
caramel flan
dessert
mexican

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