Best Flan Recipe

Lena Abraham is a freelance contributor with Delish, and was formerly Senior Food Editor, where she developed and styled recipes for video and photo, and also stayed on top of current food trends. She’s been working in the food industry for over 10 years, and will argue that the best fish tacos in the world are made in New York. Don’t @ her.

Best-Ever Flan

In our opinion, Flan (AKA the classic baked custard often served in Latin America & Spain) never goes out of style. So pour yourself a freshly brewed cup of coffee and dig into one of the creamiest, most luxurious desserts ever.

The addition of egg yolks makes for a particularly rich version, leaving you with just enough egg whites to make coconut macaroons or French macarons. 😎 (Psst…Make sure you’re unmolding your flan onto plates with a small rim, so you don’t lose any of the good stuff!)

Caramel crash course

Although this recipe is easy, making caramel can be confusing if you haven’t done it before.

1. Wet caramel vs. dry caramel – Caramel made with water and sugar is called a wet caramel. Making a wet caramel is typically more manageable than a dry caramel because water keeps the sugar from crystallizing on the edges of the saucepan.
2. Swirl, don’t stir – Swirling the pot, rather than stirring it, guarantees that crystals won’t form on your spoon or spatula and get incorporated back into the caramel.
3. What to look for – The caramel should smell rich and a bit nutty with a deep amber color, resembling maple syrup.
4. Watch your hands – Be very careful when working with hot caramel. As you pour it into the ramekins, they will heat up, so feel free to use a clean dish towel to protect your hands.

The creamiest custard

The silky-smooth custard is undoubtedly the star of the show here. To help it reach its full potential, remove the flan from the oven when the centers still have a slight jiggle. The custard will firm as it cools, so pulling it from the oven before all of the jiggle is gone is crucial. Cooling the custard to room temp before unmolding will ensure that the flan has set completely and will release cleanly from the ramekin. To help with a clean release, tap the bottoms of the ramekins before lifting them from the plate.

Special equipment

You’ll need 6-oz ramekins for this recipe! You’ll find our favorite brand below.

Made this? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!

Editor’s Note: The introduction to this recipe was updated on March 31, 2022, to include more information about the dish.

Yields:

7

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c.

  heavy cream

• 1 c.

  whole milk

• 1 tsp.

  pure vanilla extract

• Pinch kosher salt

• 1 1/2 c.

  granulated sugar, divided

• 3

  large eggs

• 3

  large egg yolks

Directions

• 1. Step 1Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk to combine cream, milk, vanilla, and salt.
  2. Step 2In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup sugar with 1/3 cup water. Cook, gently swirling the pot but not stirring, until mixture turns a deep golden color, 10 to 15 minutes. (Tip: use a pastry brush dipped in water to clean the inner sides of the pan and avoid burning while making your caramel.) Working quickly, divide caramel into seven 6-ounce ramekins. Gently lift and tilt ramekins to coat the inside with caramel. (Don’t worry if the sugar hardens at this point! It will melt down while baking.) Place ramekins in a large baking dish.
  3. Step 3Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and remaining ½ cup sugar together in a large bowl. Gently mix in cream mixture until just combined. Divide mixture evenly between ramekins, about ½ cup each.
  4. Step 4Pour enough hot water into baking dish to come halfway to top of ramekins. Bake until just set and flan slightly jiggles, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer ramekins to a cooling rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours. If not serving right away, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
  5. Step 5When ready to serve, use a small knife or offset spatula to carefully loosen the edges of the flan. If refrigerated, warm in microwave in 10 second increments for 30 seconds. Turn flan over onto a plate with a shallow rim, shake gently to release flan, and remove ramekin.