Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (2024)

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Mexican Flan recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano)! It is made using whole eggs along with condensed and evaporated milk and covered with a simple light sugar syrup. It can also be made using cream cheese or coconut milk for a different taste and texture.

Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (1)

Who doesn’t like to have a creamy dessert after dinner? And what about one that is easy to make ahead of time and your family will love?

If you do, this flan recipe is an easy dessert to prepare, as easy as opening some cans and cracking some eggs! I love to prepare this dessert to serve after a delicious family meal, like these seasoned pork chops with Mexican rice and charro beans.

In This Post
  • Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Flan
  • Easy Mexican Flan Recipe
  • How To Make Mexican Flan Recipe: Step By Step Tutorial
  • More Dessert Recipes To Enjoy
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

This recipe is not the traditional way of making a Mexican Flan, prepared as a custard where milk, vanilla, and sugar are slowly simmered. But this is how we make it nowadays, and this flan recipe has been well-known in México for using canned milk for years.

Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Flan

Before I share my Mexican flan recipe, here are a few questions about homemade flan.

What is flan?

Flan, also known as Flan Napolitano, is a popular dessert in several countries like Spain and Latin America (like Puerto Rico and Venezuela) and the Caribbean.

This dessert is similar to the French crème caramel or egg custard dessert. It is typically made with eggs, sweetened or condensed milk, and sometimes whole milk.

Is flan Spanish or Mexican

The origin of the flan goes back to ancient Rome, then Spain. Finally, the Spaniards brought the recipe to Mexico and other countries in Latin America. The texture and ingredients change from place to place, like using egg yolks versus the whole egg or adding coconut, whole milk, or even chocolate.

Is it easy to make Mexican flan recipe at home?

It can be! This past time when we had flan, it was my teenage son’s first time making this dessert. He had been asking me how to make it for a couple of days at that point- since I first told him how easy it was to make it.

Let me tell you- He was so proud of himself! He couldn’t believe how quickly the flan was already in the oven a few minutes later and with just a few simple ingredients.

Can I make different flavors of flan recipe?

Yes, you can. I usually stick with the traditional Mexican flan recipe, but I have also seen many different styles. A simple change to your flan is adding 8oz of creme cheese to your recipe to make it even creamier, or what we call flan de queso (cheese flan).

I've seen flan recipes that highlighted different flavors, such as:

  • Vanilla
  • Orange
  • Coconut
  • Coffee

I've even seen one with chocolate!

What if I don't have an oven to make the flan recipe?

For those of you that do not have an oven to make your Mexican flan recipe, you can make this flan by cooking it inside a large pot at medium heat in a water bath.

You can also cook it using your Instant Pot by placing it on top of the insert rack and cook it for 15 minutes.

How to store your Mexican flan recipe

Store your flan in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not leave your Flan unrefrigerated for more than a few hours. The Flan can spoil when left out of the fridge because of the milk and eggs.

In Mexico, many cooks use a Flan mold that has a locking lid to cook the flan, and then it is placed on a wire rack inside a large pot, and cooked in a water bath, also known as "bain-marie" or "baño maría".

Easy Mexican Flan Recipe

Here is a list of ingredients you will need:

  • Condensed milk
  • Evaporated milk
  • Eggs
  • Cream cheese (optional)
  • Vanilla extract
  • Sugar
  • Water

Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post!

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Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (3)

How To Make Mexican Flan Recipe: Step By Step Tutorial

To make things easier for you, I will break down the directions for this recipe into sections.

Before you start collecting your ingredients, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Make The Caramel Sauce for flan

  • Add the sugar and water to a medium-sized saucepan.
  • Bring the sugar mixture to a boil on medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves.
  • When the sugar dissolves, reduce the heat, keep simmering, and whisk with a spoon until the syrup becomes light brown caramel. The caramel will continue to cook even if you remove the saucepan from the heat. This step will take about 10 minutes.
  • Pour the caramel on the bottom of your oven-proof pan or baking dish, swirling the caramel to cover the bottom of the pan evenly.
  • Let it cool.
Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (4)

Mix The Rest Of The Ingredients

  • Place the rest of the ingredients (the eggs and milk) in a blender and process until you have a smooth mixture.
Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (5)

Add The Custard

  • Slowly pour the egg custard mixture into the pan with the cooled caramel for the water bath and cover with aluminum foil.
Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (6)

How To Make A Water Bath For Mexican Flan Recipe

  • Place the pan inside a large baking pan.
  • Add warm water to the pan until it reaches about ¾ inch.
Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (7)

Bake The Flan

  • Bake your flan for about 50 minutes or until the flan looks firm, as in the picture below. Flan will keep cooking while it cools, so do not let it longer in the oven.
  • Let it cool.

Remove The Cooked Flan From Pan

  • Let the flan chill, and run a knife between the flan and the edges of the pan.
  • Place a platter or rimmed serving plate on top of the pan and flip everything smoothly to prevent liquid caramel from spilling.
  • Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (8)

Cooking Tip:

  • You can use cream cheese in the mixture for an even creamier flan.

What To Serve With Mexican Flan

When I serve this Mexican flan recipe, I like to make some cafe de olla to go with it. The coffee pairs well with the flan. You can also serve it with sliced strawberries or a scoop of dulce de leche.

Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (9)

More Dessert Recipes To Enjoy

If you enjoyed this Mexican flan recipe, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:

  • Chimbo Sweet Bread
  • Buñuelos de Viento
  • Homemade Churros
  • Chocolate Tamales
  • Carlota De Limon

For more recipes, follow Us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. in español Visit Us at Mexico en mi cocina

I hope you make this Mexican flan recipe! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!

¡Buen provecho!
Mely

📖 Recipe

Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (10)

Flan Recipe

Mely Martínez

Learn how to make an easy Mexican Flan recipe at home with only a few simple ingredients. The result is fantastic; you can add extra ingredients like cream cheese to make it even creamier.

4.90 from 218 votes

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Caramel preparation 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 467 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 can of condensed milk*
  • 1 can of evaporated milk**
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 8oz pkg. of cream cheese (optional, see note)***
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons of water Optinal
  • 1 cup of sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Make the Caramel Sauce

  • In a medium-sized saucepan, place sugar and water, and boil at high heat until the sugar dissolves. NOTE: Some people have had trouble with their caramel taking longer to cook when adding water. To avoid any issues, it's recommended to omit the water and only use sugar when making caramel.

  • When the sugar dissolves, reduce the heat and keep boiling until the syrup becomes light brown caramel. This step will take about 10 minutes. Next, pour the caramel into your oven-proof pan, swirling the caramel to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Let cool.

Mix The Rest Of The Ingredients

  • Place the rest of the ingredients in a blender and process until you have a smooth mixture.

Add The Custard

  • Pour the mixture slowly into the prepared pan and cover it with aluminum foil.

How To Make A Water Bath For Flan Recipe

  • Place the pan inside a large baking pan. Add warm water to the pan until it reaches about ¾ inch.

Bake The Flan

  • Place your flan in the oven for 50 minutes or until it looks firm. The flan will keep cooking while it cools, so do not let it longer in the oven. Let it cool.4. Once the flan has cooled, run a knife between it and the baking pan.

Remove The Cooked Flan From Pan

  • Place a large serving plate on top of the pan and invert with a quick move to avoid any liquid caramel from spilling from the pan. Slice, serve, and enjoy.

Video

Notes

* Sweetened condensed milk according to the can is measured by weight at 14 OZ/397grams, about 300 ml., this will be about 1 ¼ cup.

** The Evaporated milk has 12 fluid ounces that equal 1 ½ cups. (354ml)

*** I do not always have the cream cheese at home and prepare the recipe just omitting the cheese. The flan still come out delicious.

Nutrition

Serving: 1PortionCalories: 467kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 13gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 200mgSodium: 255mgPotassium: 410mgSugar: 57gVitamin A: 821IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 305mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Mexican Flan Recipe (Receta de Flan Mexicano) (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Mexican flan and Leche Flan? ›

Mexican flan is sometimes known as flan Napolitino that often includes cream cheese as an ingredient, whereas leche flan adds egg yolks, condensed milk, and evaporated milk.

What is the difference between Mexican flan and creme caramel? ›

Though crème caramel and flan are similar recipes, flan can be richer in taste and is an older recipe than crème caramel. Flan's beginnings can be traced back to Roman culture, and the dish has been served as both a main course and a dessert.

Why is my flan rubbery? ›

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.

Why is flan unhealthy? ›

Flan does contain high amount of calcium but the cholesterol and amount of sugar over powers the calcium benefits. One serving (3.5 oz / 100g) of flan has close to 36 grams sugar. It is and seem quite high until you compare it with a can of soda which contains about 44g of sugar.

What is the difference between Mexican flan and Vietnamese flan? ›

Flavor: While both desserts have a caramel layer on top, Mexican flan has a more pronounced caramel flavor due to the use of sweetened condensed milk, which is caramelized during the cooking process. Vietnamese flan has a milder caramel flavor due to using just sugar to make the caramel sauce.

Is Mexican flan like crème brûlée? ›

Mexican flan, a distant cousin of the crème brûlée, is a smooth, decadent custard-based dessert. Next time you do Mexican night at home, this will be the perfect finishing touch to your fiesta — it's not as tricky to make as you might think.

What is a Spanish flan called? ›

Spain. In Spain, crème caramel is a typical dessert that is often homemade and is also sold in grocery stores and restaurants with many variations. The best known version is the typical flan de huevo (egg flan), but there are many other versions, such as flan de queso, flan de leche, flan de vainilla, etc.

Why is flan popular in Mexico? ›

Spaniards brought flan to Mexico during Spanish conquest and occupation. Since then it's become a truly beloved dish among Mexicans in all regions of the country. Most people consider flan a dessert, but more and more people are finding excuses to eat it at all times of the day.

Is the caramel in flan supposed to harden? ›

Quickly pour the hot caramel into the bottom of each ramekin. (The caramel will harden against the bottom of the ramekin almost immediately – this is normal, so don't worry about it!)

Why is flan called flan? ›

The word flan is the French equivalent of the Latin word fladon, which comes from the Old High German word “flado,” meaning “flat cake.” Flan was once a savory dish, usually made from fish or meat. Today, the dessert has evolved into something sweet.

What is the difference between flan and purin? ›

Purin (プリン) is a custard dessert made from eggs, milk, and sugar, and covered with a thin layer of rich caramel sauce on top. It's basically a Japanese take on crème caramel, also known as flan, custard pudding, or caramel pudding.

Why is flan difficult to make? ›

It's always the simple things in life that are the most difficult to master. With flan the key to a smooth texture is the cooking temperature. Cooked for too long or cooked at too high of a temperature and the custard will have a slightly pock-y curdled texture.

How can I tell if my flan is done? ›

a perfectly cooked flan should be firm around the edge. and still have a little bit of a jiggle to it in the center, it'll finish setting as it cools.

Do you flip the flan when it's hot or cold? ›

Once baked, allow the dish to cool for an hour before refrigerating overnight. The next day, run a knife around the entire edge of the baking dish to free the flan. Carefully flip the baking dish upside down onto a platter.

Is Mexican flan like creme brulee? ›

Mexican flan, a distant cousin of the crème brûlée, is a smooth, decadent custard-based dessert. Next time you do Mexican night at home, this will be the perfect finishing touch to your fiesta — it's not as tricky to make as you might think.

Is flan a custard or pudding? ›

Flan, a creamy custard topped with caramel sauce, dates back to the Roman empire and was often made to use up extra milk and eggs.

Do people in Mexico eat flan? ›

Flan is one of the most popular Mexican desserts, and there is a reason for it. This delicious dessert has a very long and interesting story, which can help us explain why it is one of the most traditional and characteristic desserts we can enjoy in many different places.

What is flan called in America? ›

Flan may refer to: Crème caramel, a custard dessert with clear caramel sauce, the most common US meaning. Flan (pie), an open sweet or savoury tart, the most common UK meaning.

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