Homemade Flan

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French, Mexican

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1 30

Resting and chilling time: 2 45

Total Time: 4 30

Servings:

Calories: 435kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Homemade Flan is much easier to make than you might think, and the results are spectacular. Follow this recipe as written and you'll have success. Finding just the right amount of pressure to apply to help the flan free itself from the ramekin takes a little practice, but you'll figure it out quickly. And flan can be prepared days in advance of serving!

Print Recipe

Equipment

4 8-oz ramekins or 6 6-oz ramekins
Roasting or baking pan large enough to hold the ramekins with about 1-inch distance between each.
1 medium-sized saucepan with handle
Large mixing bowl
Fine-mesh sieve
Large measuring cup or heat-proof pitcher

Ingredients

For the Light Caramel Sauce

¾ cup sugar
⅓ cup water

For the Custard

3 cups whole milk
4 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
hot tap water enough to fill about ⅓ of the roasting pan.

Instructions

Prepare the Light Caramel Sauce

In a medium-sized saucepan, add the sugar (over no heat). Sprinkle the water (⅓ cup) all over the sugar. Turn the heat to medium-high and gently bring the sugar/water mixture to a strong simmer. Don't stir the mixture.
¾ cup sugar, ⅓ cup water
Continue to allow the mixture to simmer strongly, swirling the pan occasionally until it starts to turn slightly brownish. Lower the heat to low and continue to occasionally swirl the pan. Once the mixture is a light amber, turn off the heat.
Lift the pan from the heat and continue swirling until golden amber color. Immediately pour the sauce evenly into each of the ramekins. Set aside (it's okay if the sauce hardens). (Clean the saucepan by filling it with hot water, or regular tap water and place it over medium heat, this will dissolve the hardened caramel).

Prepare the Custard and Finish the Flan

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Place the milk in a medium saucepan and heat until warm and just starting to bubble on the sides of the pan.
3 cups whole milk
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Pour about half of the hot milk into the mixture, whisking continuously. Whisk in the remaining hot milk and whisk/stir until fully combined.
4 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, ¾ cup sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strain the milk/egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or a heatproof pitcher. (If you don't have either of these, you can carefully ladle the mixture evenly into the ramekins.)
Place the ramekins in the roasting pan, about 1 inch apart from each other. Pour the custard (in equal portions) into the ramekins (fill from two-thirds up or up to nearly to the very top of each ramekin). Carefully place the pan on the middle rack in the oven. Pour the hot tap water (from a pitcher) into the pan until the water reaches about ⅓ to ½ way up each ramekin. SEE NOTES.
hot tap water
Bake for 55 to 70 minutes, or until the custard has set and is lightly browned on the edges.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the flan to cool in the water for about 1 hour. Next, place the ramekins in the refrigerator to cool for 1 hour, or overnight.
To serve, run a sharp knife along the top of each flan, only about ½-inch down. Next, place a flat dessert plate over the top of the ramekin. Invert the plate and ramekin and give a couple of good thrusts until you hear a slight thud and see that the caramel sauce is beginning to seep from the inverted ramekin.
Gently remove the ramekin and drizzle any remaining caramel sauce onto the flan. Repeat with remaining ramekins and serve at once.

Video

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Feel free to fill the ramekins to nearly the tops. You may have a little leftover custard after you have filled your ramekins.

NOTE: If you do fill the ramekins to the top, it may be easier to place the roasting pan on the oven rack, and then place the ramekins in the pan, pour in the custard into each ramekin, and then pour in the hot water into the pan. This will prevent you from spilling any of the custard when transferring the pan from the counter to the oven.

Flan can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Although, we've eaten flan up to a week after we prepared it and it was still delicious.

Nutrition