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.
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.
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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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
More Dessert Recipes To Enjoy
If you enjoyed this Mexican flan recipe, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
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
Flan Recipe
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.
Allison
Will my flan ever finish cooking? I baked my flan at 325 for 50 min. Then for another 10. Then turned up to 350 and baked for another 10. And another 10. And now it’s back in there for 20 min and its not done after that I give up.
Mely Martínez
Hello Allison,
Do you have an oven thermometer to check is your oven is working properly? Not all ovens work the same.
Donna L
My 1st time making a Flan and it was fantastic! Made the caramel sauce without the water. Made the flan minus cream cheese in a 9in baking pan. My water bath was covering half the pan.
I had to bake it longer and turned up the heat. At 50 minutes it was very runny like soup. Turned up heat to 350°F for 20 mins and it was like custard texture. Baked another 15 mins it was jiggy...perfect.
Took out of oven and left in water bath for 10 minutes. Then cooled for about 30 mins and wrapped in plastic and put in fridge for over 4 hours.... perfection!
Silky-smooth and creamy texture and when flipped over the caramel sauce was flowed over the flan.
JANET R
What would be a good price to sell flan for?
Something not so low and also not too high, I would like to get people's attention.
Mely Martínez
Hello Janet,
It would be best to consider the cost of materials, your labor, and the clientele you have to decide on a price.
Some Texas supermarkets offer a large 8" Flan between $15.00 to $20.00 depending on the store.
MarySue Solley
Easy recipe to follow. The flan had to be baked for 65 minutes not 50, also poured the flan mixture thru a strainer to eliminate the clumps from the cream cheese. I would not use cream cheese next time I make it.
Mely Martínez
Hello MAry Sue,
What type of blender do you have, it usually blends very well using a blender.
Nicole Storkey
Was the cream cheese and the eggs at room temperature, that's important to stop the clumping.
Sara Lemon
Hi there!
What size pan do I use for the Flan recipe?
Thanks! I can’t wait to make it!
Sara
Baton Rouge, La
Mely Martínez
Hello Sara,
Use an 8-IN pan, and since some people had expressed problems making the caramel, do not add the water to the sugar in step one. Only use sugar to make the caramel.