EspañolThis traditional Mexican flan recipe has been in my family for over 60 years. It is a classic, smooth, creamy dessert that is never missing from our family's special occasions. With our step-by-step recipe, learn how to make it at home easily. Try it out!
I could eat this flan every day!
My maternal great-grandmother had a market stall in Mexico where she used to sell milk. Some days, they ended up with milk left, so they started making cheese and gelatinas. A few years later, the business passed into the hands of one of my uncles and his wife, who added other products such as pay de queso (Mexican cheesecake) and vanilla flan.
Since then, it has become a favorite. I love preparing it because it is an ideal dessert to share. Wherever I take it, it always makes me look good. It is incredibly creamy, decadent, and, above all, a very easy recipe to make. I really could eat it every day. Most flan recipes have five ingredients, but my family adds one more, making it even creamier. I hope you like it.
What is Crème Caramel?
Crème caramel or flan is a French custard dessert with whole eggs, egg yolks, milk, and sugar. It's baked in a bain-marie or water bath to obtain a smooth and creamy texture. Its most distinctive feature is its caramel sauce coating.
This creamy flan has gained popularity in many countries around the world, especially in Latin America, and depending on where you live, the name may be different.
In Venezuela, it is known as “quesillo,” in Ecuador, “queso de leche,” in Puerto Rico, “natilla de huevo or egg custard,” and in Peru, “crema volteada,” to just name a few.
In Mexico, this traditional caramel custard recipe is called “flan,” but if you add cream cheese, we know it as “Flan Napolitano (Neapolitan flan),” which is also a delight.
Variations
I believe this Mexican Flan Crème Caramel is one of the pastry recipes we should all learn. This vanilla crème caramel is the basic recipe from which many other flavors can be derived, such as:
- Blueberry-lemon flan
- Strawberry flan
- Coconut flan
- Coffee flan
- Passion fruit flan
- And any other flavor you can think of.
Storage
If you want to leave it on the plate where you served it, create a “tent” with aluminum foil. But if you only want to save the leftovers, put them in a container with a lid.
Whatever the option, please keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week. However, it may not last that long. Let's make it.
Mexican Flan Recipe (Crème Caramel)
12 servings
Prep 10 min – Total time 1 hr and 30 min + 5 hours of refrigeration
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar (granulated sugar)
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- ¼ cup half & half, or heavy cream (optional)
- 6 whole eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or one vanilla bean
Utensils
- 1 large pot
- 1 small saucepan or skillet with a thick bottom to make the flan caramel
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 baking dish, cake pan, bundt pan, or flanera (if you have one)
- 1 larger baking pan or roasting pan that fits the baking dish inside
- 1 strainer
- Aluminum foil
- Serving tray that has walls.
Process
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (approx.180 degrees C.).
Bring 4-6 cups of water to a boil in the large pot. The exact amount will depend on the size of the pan you use for double-boiler baking.
Place the baking dish you are using near where you will make the caramel. I used a 9.5-inch (24 cm) diameter glass pie pan for this recipe.
Prepare the Caramel
Pour the sugar into the pan or skillet and place on the stove over medium-high heat. When you see that the sugar begins to look a little liquid on the edges, reduce the temperature to medium heat and start stirring with the wooden spoon.
At first, the sugar will look like little rocks, but as you continue stirring, it will start melting.
Adjust the heat to medium-low and continue stirring until the sugar becomes liquid and turns golden or amber in color. The entire process will take approximately 5 minutes; however, once the sugar is in a liquid state, it burns easily, so keep an eye on it.
Caution: Hot sugar is very dangerous; please ensure no children or pets are nearby during this step. Please resist the temptation to touch it with your fingers or any part of your body.
Pour the sugar into the baking dish and move it carefully so that the sugar covers the entire bottom. Set aside.
Prepare the Custard Mixture
Pour the evaporated milk, condensed milk, half and half or heavy cream (this ingredient is optional, but the flan is creamier with it), whole eggs, and vanilla into a blender pitcher.
Blend the ingredients at the lowest speed of your blender for a few seconds until everything is well combined.
If you use a low speed, the mixture won't form a lot of foam or air bubbles; we are looking for a velvety texture. But don't worry if you see air bubbles; the flavor will be the same.
Bake the Flan in a Bain Marie
Place the baking dish inside the large roasting pan.
I use a disposable aluminum foil pan because it's large, and since I'm just adding water to it, I can reuse it every time I prepare this dessert. Mine has a flexible bottom, so I put it on a baking sheet to give it stability and to make it easier to move the flan from the table to the oven.
Pour in the custard base, passing it through the strainer into the baking dish. Cover it with foil.
Recommendation: Cut the aluminum foil as close to the size of the baking dish as possible. This will help ensure that, when you fold the foil at the edges, there is no aluminum foil too far down touching the water because that could cause water to enter the custard. See step 3 in the photo.
Transport to the oven. Carefully pour the hot water into the larger roasting pan, making sure the water level reaches at least halfway up the side of the baking dish.
Bake for 50-60 minutes. The time may vary depending on the size of the mold you used and your oven.
To know when the flan is ready, lift the aluminum foil and carefully shake the baking dish. If the flan gives a slight jiggle in the center (like gelatine) or if when you insert a toothpick in the center, it comes out clean, it's ready.
Take the flan out of the oven, but leave it in the water bath and wait until the water is lukewarm to the touch. At that moment, you will see the flan is firmer, but when you shake it, you will notice an almost imperceptible movement in the center.
If, on the contrary, when you shake it in the oven, you notice that the center moves a lot, cover it with the aluminum foil again and bake it for another 5 minutes. Check again. Please resist the temptation to continue baking until it is completely firm; otherwise, it will overcook and be harder and less creamy when you serve it.
Let it cool
Remove the flan from the water and let it cool completely on the kitchen counter. Then, put it in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours, although it is best to leave it overnight, which makes it a great make-ahead recipe.
Unmold the Flan
Take the flan out of the refrigerator and run a knife along the entire edge of the baking dish to loosen it.
Place the tray or plate where you are going to serve it, face down on the baking dish. Turn it over and place it on a smooth surface in one quick motion.
The flan will gradually come down until it falls completely into the tray. Pour the caramel on top of the flan and enjoy.
Sometimes, part of the caramel will stick to the bottom of the dish; this is normal, and the amount that falls on the flan is enough. But if you want more, once you have unmolded the flan, leave the dish at room temperature on your counter; over time, the caramel will melt more, and you can pour it over the flan.
You can decorate it with edible flowers, berries, fresh fruit, or simply with a sprig of mint, as I did.
Other Mexican Desserts
- Mexican cheesecake (Pay de Queso)
- Three Milk Cake (Pastel de Tres Leches)
- Milk Gelatin
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake the flan in individual ramekins?
Of course. In this case, divide the hot caramel equally between them. Remember to do it quickly because the caramel solidifies in the bottom of the ramekin in seconds, and adjust the baking time. Start checking them half an hour into baking to determine when they are ready.
Is crème brûlée the same as flan?
Even though both are custard desserts, they are different. The flan or French crème caramel is firmer, and the caramel on top is liquid. Conversely, the creme brûlée is served with a hard caramel top made of sugar, and it has a looser texture. Both are delicious, though.
Print the Mexican Flan Recipe
Mexican Flan Recipe (Crème Caramel)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar granulated sugar
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
- 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
- ¼ cup half & half or heavy cream (optional)
- 6 whole eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or one vanilla bean
Utensilios
- 1 large pot
- 1 small saucepan or skillet with a thick bottom to make the flan caramel
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 baking dish, cake pan, bundt pan, or flanera (if you have one)
- 1 larger baking pan or roasting pan that fits the baking dish inside
- 1 strainer
- Aluminum foil
- Serving tray that has walls.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (approx.180 degrees C.).
- Bring 4-6 cups of water to a boil in the large pot. The exact amount will depend on the size of the pan you use for double-boiler baking.
- Place the baking dish you are using near where you will make the caramel. I used a 9.5-inch (24 cm) diameter glass pie pan for this recipe.
Prepare the Caramel
- Pour the sugar into the pan or skillet and place on the stove over medium-high heat. When you see that the sugar begins to look a little liquid on the edges, reduce the temperature to medium heat and start stirring with the wooden spoon.
- At first, the sugar will look like little rocks, but as you continue stirring, it will start melting.
- Adjust the heat to medium-low and continue stirring until the sugar becomes liquid and turns golden or amber in color. The entire process will take approximately 5 minutes; however, once the sugar is in a liquid state, it burns easily, so keep an eye on it.
- Pour the sugar into the baking dish and move it carefully so that the sugar covers the entire bottom. Set aside.
Prepare the Custard Mixture
- Pour the evaporated milk, condensed milk, half and half or heavy cream (this ingredient is optional, but the flan is creamier with it), whole eggs, and vanilla into a blender pitcher.
- Blend the ingredients at the lowest speed of your blender for a few seconds until everything is well combined.
- If you use a low speed, the mixture won't form a lot of foam or air bubbles; we are looking for a velvety texture. But don't worry if you see air bubbles; the flavor will be the same.
Bake the Flan in a Bain Marie
- Place the baking dish inside the large roasting pan.
- Pour in the custard base, passing it through the strainer into the baking dish. Cover it with foil.
- Transport to the oven. Carefully pour the hot water into the larger roasting pan, making sure the water level reaches at least halfway up the side of the baking dish.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes. The time may vary depending on the size of the mold you used and your oven.
- To know when the flan is ready, lift the aluminum foil and carefully shake the baking dish. If the flan gives a slight jiggle in the center (like gelatine) or if when you insert a toothpick in the center, it comes out clean, it's ready.
- Take the flan out of the oven, but leave it in the water bath and wait until the water is lukewarm to the touch. At that moment, you will see the flan is firmer, but when you shake it, you will notice an almost imperceptible movement in the center.
- If, on the contrary, when you shake it in the oven, you notice that the center moves a lot, cover it with the aluminum foil again and bake it for another 5 minutes. Check again. Please resist the temptation to continue baking until it is completely firm; otherwise, it will overcook and be harder and less creamy when you serve it.
Let it cool
- Remove the flan from the water and let it cool completely on the kitchen counter. Then, put it in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours, although it is best to leave it overnight, which makes it a great make-ahead recipe.
Unmold the Flan
- Take the flan out of the refrigerator and run a knife along the entire edge of the baking dish to loosen it.
- Place the tray or plate where you are going to serve it, face down on the baking dish. Turn it over and place it on a smooth surface in one quick motion.
- The flan will gradually come down until it falls completely into the tray. Pour the caramel on top of the flan and enjoy.
Nutrition
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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