Here is an 'easy to make' Mexican flan recipe! 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 is not the old traditional way of making a Mexican Flan, which is 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 I've been asked about homemade flan.
What is flan?
Flan, also known as Flan Napolitano, is a popular dessert in several countries in Latin America (like Puerto Rico and Venezuela) and the Caribbean.
It is typically made out of eggs, sweetened condensed milk, cream, or whole milk.
Is it easy to make flan 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.
Can I make different flavors of flan?
Yes, you can. I usually stick with the traditional Mexican flan recipe but I have also seen many different styles as well.
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?
For those of you that do not have an oven, 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 for 15 minutes.
Easy Mexican Flan Recipe
Here is a list of ingredients you will need:
- Condensed milk
- Evaporated milk
- Eggs
- Cream cheese (optional)
- Vanilla
- Sugar
- Water
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
How To Make Flan: Step By Step Tutorial
To make things easier for you, I am going to breakdown the directions to this recipe into sections.
Make The Caramel
- Add the sugar and water to a medium-size saucepan.
- Bring the sugar mixture to a boil on medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves.
- When the sugar dissolves, reduce heat and keep simmering until the syrup gets a light brown-caramel color. The caramel will continue to cook even if you remove the saucepan from the heat. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Pour the caramel on the bottom of your oven proof pan, 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 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 in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes or until flan looks firm as in the picture below. Flan will keep cooking while it cools, so do not let longer in the oven.
- Let it cool.
Remove The Cooked Flan From Pan
- Once the flan has cooled, run a knife between the flan and baking pan.
- Place a large serving plate on top of the pan and quickly flip everything in one smooth move to avoid any liquid caramel to spill from the pan.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Cooking Tip:
- For an even creamier flan, you can use cream cheese in the mixture.
What To Serve With Mexican Flan
When I serve this dessert flan recipe, I like to make some cafe de olla to go with it. The coffee pairs really well with the flan. You can also serve it with some sliced strawberries or a scoop of dulce de leche.
More Dessert Recipes To Enjoy
If you enjoyed this recipe for Mexican flan, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
I hope you make this recipe for Mexican flan! 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
- 1 cup of sugar
Instructions
- In a medium-size saucepan place the sugar and water, bring to a boil in at high heat until sugar dissolves, when sugar dissolves reduce heat and keep boiling until the syrup gets a light brown-caramel color. This will take about 10 minutes. Pour the caramel in your oven proof pan, swirling the caramel to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Let cool.
- Place the rest of the ingredients in a blender and process until you have a smooth mixture.
- Pour mixture slowly into prepared pan and cover with aluminum foil. For the hot bath. Place the pan inside a large baking pan. Add warm water to the pan until it reaches about ¾ inch.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes or until flan looks firm as in the picture below. Flan will keep cooking while it cools, so do not let longer in the oven. Let it cool.4. Once the flan has cooled run, a knife between the flan and baking pan.
- Place a large serving plate on top of the pan and invert with a quick move to avoid any liquid caramel to spill from the pan. Slice, serve and enjoy.
Shailin
This recipe was PERFECT!! I used coconut sugar to make the caramel as I try and and avoid refined sugars. It has a super deep dark flavour which was incredible! It makes ALOT of caramel but I spooned some off in a bowl which I put on the side. Texture was incredible with the cream cheese. I also accidentally bought low fat condensed milk and it was perfect!
Elizabeth
Hi Mely,
The taste was amazing. I just ran into two problems.
Two questions:
1.) when I cook it covered it takes 2+ hours to cook. When I cooked it uncovered (by accident lol) it cooked in an hour. Does the flan need to be covered when cooking?
2.) when I went to flip it my caramel sauce was rock hard and stuck to the pan. Why did this happen? How can I prevent it from happening again?
Thank you and Merry Christmas! 🎄
Mely Martínez
Hello ELizabeth,
Do you by any chance use an oven thermometer to verify the temperature is correct? That could be an issue.
The caramel has to be completely liquid when you pour it into the pan.
Rebecca Langlois
I have made flan successfully before, but I can’t figure out what I did wrong with this one The flan wouldn’t cook in the middle. I left it in the oven longer, little by little, but ended up having to take it out because I could tell that the outside was going to be too firm. Even refrigerating it overnight didn’t help. It looked beautiful after inverting it, but the middle just dribbled out when I cut into it. We tried to take little bites from the outside cooked edges and the flavor was excellent, but the texture, although soft, was not smooth and creamy. It almost had a grainy-ish quality to it. I have never used a blender for the custard before, nor have I ever added cream cheese. Do you think I over or under blended it? I baked it at 325 in a water bath with foil over the pan for more than 50 minutes since it wouldn’t firm up. I’m completely baffled. Do you have any suggestions for me?
Mely Martínez
Hello Rebecca,
Did you use an oven thermometer to verify that your oven was at the right temperature?
Mia
I tried this for Thanksgiving dessert. It was just my husband & myself. I’ve never made a flan before. It came out perfect. Such an easy recipe...so if you want to try it but intimated...just do it. I made in a round cake pan (it was to the top & it took an extra 15 minutes. Will need to make in individual ramekins next time. Delicious!!!
talia f
i love this recipe! is there any way to make it using a 13x9 pan like your tres leches recipe ??
Mely Martínez
Yes, you can but if you use the same amount of ingredients it will not be very tall. You will need to increase the amounts.
Carrie Duff
Hi Mely,
I am making this for a friend's birthday party. I want to serve the flan cold. If I refrigerate the cooked flan in its baking pan overnight, will the carmelized sugar syrup harden in the refrigerator? Or will it still be liquid when I run the knife around the pan and invert it onto the serving platter the nextday?
I am excited about making this recipe!
Mely Martínez
Hello Carrie,
The Caramel will usually become liquid and won't harden in the fridge.
Kris Rhodes
I would love your recipe with Instant Pot instructions. Always enjoy your posts.
Mely Martínez
Hello Kris,
Sorry, but I still have to write down a recipe using the Instant Pot.
Betty
I made this recipe today and it is delicious. I messed up a little section getting it out of pan but it sure was good. I did not use the creme cheese, today but will try it next time I make this recipe.
Sharon
I have not tried it yet, what size pan should I bake it in?
Mely Martínez
You can use an 8 or 9 In pan.
Barbara Pell
Hi, can I make this flan a day ahead? Tx!
Mely Martínez
Hello Barbara,
Yes, you can make it a day ahead.
Lee DeHaro
Hola Mely, I just want to say I love your recipes, I am married to Mexican man and your recipes are helpful for me to serve him foods he likes. I made this flan for my suegros and they were very impressed.
Mely Martínez
Hello Lee,
Thank you for trying the recipes. It is glad to know they are of help to you.
Happy cooking!
Alison
Super easy which was great. I used 7 eggs because I had one left in the carton and even with that addition the flan was too sweet for me. I had added salt to bring out the flavors and I would do so again. I did not add the cream cheese, but I wonder now if that would have helped my sweetness issue. Next time I'll try that for sure. As it is, great to have a flan recipe that is not intimidating. Many thanks.
Retsuko
My flan did not look smooth when it came out of the oven. It had bubbles. Did I overmix the ingredients in the blender?
Mely Martínez
Hello Retsuko,
That could be one of the reasons and also the temperature in your oven. Not all ovens are the same, and if the heat was a little higher than the recipe indicates, it could create those bubbles.
Retsuko
I see. Thanks! The flan was still delicious.
Karen S
Hi. Sounds like a great recipe. What size pan did you use? An 8 or 9 inch cake pan? Is there any other prep to the pan before adding the caramel? Thank you.
Mely Martínez
Hello Karen,
I regularly use an 8 -IN pan.
Suzan
I made flan for the first time using this recipe - and with 2 important notes - it was perfect. The main one is - DON'T USE WATER when you melt the sugar into caramel. I did this and ended up with a praline-like block instead of caramel. I started over and melted only sugar and got beautiful caramel. HAVE YOUR FLAN READY as soon as your caramel is slightly cooled. Also, I had about a half cup of whipped cream cheese left in the frig and I added that to the mixture in the blender. Flipping it before serving is tricky (wear an apron!) There were a few pieces of crystallized caramel that I broke up and used to decorate around the edges. I wish I could upload the photo here!
Mely Martínez
Hello Suzan,
Thank you for trying the recipe. And for adding your personal tips. If you keep the caramel mixture over the heat it WILL melt. You just have to keep the heat at medium.