This is the easiest Homemade Flan recipe you’ll find! Also known as crème caramel, this is a treat adored by anyone who tries it. Made with a simple caramel and a 4-ingredient custard, it’s a recipe you’ll nail on your very first try! Time to sink your spoon into silky smooth custard topped with deep, rich caramel.
I’m all about simplicity when it comes to a good, homemade flan. The silky-smooth custard, rich, flavorful caramel; you don’t need a counter filled with ingredients and dirty dishes to achieve this. While I will admit, flan can go wrong in a number of ways, I don’t want anyone to be deterred by this treat. I’ve included all the tips and tricks you need to be successful!
I stumbled upon this suggestion of flan simply made with eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla. I’ve been attempting and testing flan for months now, and this version completely hit the spot. It got my blog-worthy stamp of approval! It was the easiest and tastiest flan I’ve made by far.
Ingredients
Click “Jump to Recipe” at the top of the page or keep scrolling down to the recipe card for ingredient amounts and the full recipe instructions. Below I have extra information, substitutes, tips, and tricks to answer any questions you may have about this recipe.
- Sugar – There is no caramel without sugar! I don’t suggest anything other than good ol’ regular granulated sugar. I haven’t attempted to make flan with any other type.
- Water – Just a splash to make your caramel process a little easier.
- Eggs – Make sure to grab large eggs for this recipe.
- Milk – You’ll need 1 can, each, of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. While similar, sweetened condensed milk is essentially evaporated milk cooked down with sugar. They end up tasting quite different and cannot substitute for one another.
- Vanilla – Extract, paste, or pure vanilla bean.
How to make homemade flan
Caramel
- Cook: Preheat the oven to 350F. Add the sugar and water to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir with a spoon just until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture begins to simmer, twirl the saucepan occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat once the color turns golden.
- Pour: the caramel into an 8″ or 9″ round cake pan. Tilt the pan to evenly distribute the caramel over the bottom of the pan. Allow it to cool at room temperature while you prepare the custard.
Custard
- Blend: Add the eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla to a blender. Blend on low speed until the mixture is completely smooth. Let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the bubbles that have formed to pop.
- Pour: Spoon any remaining bubbles off the top and discard. Place a fine-mesh sieve over the round pan with the caramel, and pour the milk mixture through it into the pan.
- Bake: Place the pan into a large roasting pan, and fill it about 1″ with boiling water. Transfer to the oven and bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour. The custard will still be slightly jiggly. A toothpick inserted should come out moist without any pieces of custard sticking to it.
- Set: Allow the flan to cool completely to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Serve: If the pan feels cold to the touch, let it sit in hot water for 1 minute or until slightly warmed to allow the caramel to loosen easier. Place a large plate over the top of the cake pan. Hold the edges of the plate and pan together firmly with both hands. Flip the flan over and onto the plate. You may need to jiggle the pan slightly to loosen it.
FAQ
Yes, you can! It’s a bit more laborious, but it will work. Use oven-safe ramekins. You’ll have to pour a bit of caramel into a ramekin and tilt it immediately to get the caramel edge-to-edge before moving onto the next ramekin. Return the pot to the stovetop if the caramel starts to harden.
Keep in mind that if the flan will be smaller, the cooking time may change. Start to check after 30 minutes.
I’ve tested two methods with flan. The first suggests using a knife inserted into the center of the flan, but I do not recommend this method. I find that the knife still came out with flan on it even when my flan was over-cooked. It is not a reliable method.
My favorite method is using a toothpick. Insert into the center of your flan. It should come out moist, without many pieces of flan sticking to it. Keep in mind your flan will still be decently jiggly when it comes out of the oven, but will firm right up as it cools down.
Absolutely not! In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen flan come out of the pan with every last bit of caramel liquified.
My mother-in-law, from Brazil, showed me a great method for getting the extra caramel out:
Add a splash of hot water to the stuck caramel in the pan. Let it sit for a few minutes, then stir, pressing firmly on the caramel, with a rubber spatula. Repeat, adding more water if the caramel gets a bit too thick until the caramel is completely dissolved into the water. Pour over your flan and enjoy!
Tips for making perfect homemade flan
- Slow and steady is your best bet when making caramel. Sugar goes from perfectly browned to burnt very fast! It will continue to brown for 10-20 seconds even when off the heat. Work with medium heat and keep a close eye on it.
- The water bath is very important for a silky, bubble-free flan! You can find inexpensive disposable roasting pans at the Dollar store if needed.
- Bubbles formed around the edge of your flan mean that it is over-cooked. If you want to avoid these bubbles, keep a close eye on your flan and give it the toothpick test. You’ll still want it to be jiggly fresh out of the oven.
- To get the extra caramel that has not liquified out of the pan and onto your flan: Add a splash of hot water to the stuck caramel in the pan. Let it sit for a few minutes, then stir, pressing firmly on the caramel, with a rubber spatula. Repeat, soak and stir, adding more water if the caramel gets a bit too thick until the caramel is completely dissolved into the water.
- Wipe your knife between each slice when serving the flan to ensure perfectly smooth pieces.
How to store homemade flan
You can keep the flan on the plate it was turned out onto, and cover it with plastic wrap. You can also transfer the flan and caramel to an airtight container. Your leftovers will last for up to 3 days.
I do not recommend freezing flan! Custard does not hold up well to being frozen and thawed.
Did you love this recipe? Try these sweet treats!
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Homemade Flan
Ingredients
Caramel
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Custard
- 3 large eggs
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 1 can*
- 12 oz evaporated milk 1 can
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Caramel
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Add the sugar and water to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir with a spoon just until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture begins to simmer, twirl the saucepan occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat once the color turns golden.
- Pour the caramel into an 8" or 9" round cake pan. Tilt the pan to evenly distribute the caramel over the bottom of the pan. Allow it to cool at room temperature while you prepare the custard.
Custard
- Add the eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla to a blender. Blend on low speed until the mixture is completely smooth. Let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the bubbles that have formed to pop.
- Spoon any remaining bubbles off the top and discard. Place a fine-mesh sieve over the round pan with the caramel, and pour the milk mixture through it into the pan.
- Place the pan into a large roasting pan, and fill it about 1" with boiling water. Transfer to the oven and bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour. The custard will still be slightly jiggly. A toothpick inserted should come out moist without any pieces of custard sticking to it.
- Allow the flan to cool completely to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- If the pan feels cold to the touch, let it sit in hot water for 1 minute or until slightly warmed to allow the caramel to loosen easier. Place a large plate over the top of the cake pan. Hold the edges of the plate and pan together firmly with both hands. Flip the flan over and onto the plate. You may need to jiggle the pan slightly to loosen it.
I used to make something like this years ago but this is so much easier. Love it.
I tried so many different variations and this was honestly the best!
Love how easy this recipe is. FYI the dollar tree sells those mini cookie tins. Once the cookies were gone I baked them to burn off any chemicals and those recipe filled 2 tins perfectly. Then you have lids and can gift them