This traditional Mexican Flan recipe is so easy to make and only requires 5 ingredients. It is so decadent and delicious and the perfect dessert for any meal!
Flan is a delicious custard made with eggs and a few other ingredients. The recipe for flan varies immensely from country to country and even region to region within a country. There is Spanish flan, Mexican flan, Cuban flan, and the list goes on. However, this is the flan I grew up eating and was taught to make by my mami. People will argue that the flan should have cream cheese, or only use a certain amount of egg yolks, or even debate on the type of milk used. Guess what? No one is right or wrong, this is just the way I am teaching you how a decadent and satisfying flan!
I often talk about the memories some foods bring back and this is one of them. In our family my mami is known as the dessert queen and one of her favorite desserts to make is this flan. I remember helping her do the easy part: dumping everything for the filling in the blender and blending it all together. Apart from the memories of actually making flan, it also brings back memories of my nana. She was like my 3rd grandma and pretty much helped raise me so I have lots of memories of her also. Anytime she baked and used condensed milk she use to give me a spoon and let me have the last bit of what was left in the can. It was seriously my favorite and, until this day, I think of her every single time I used condensed milk. I know it’s just pure sugar I am eating but inevitably I will stick a spoon in the can and eat the last bit of it. It’s like a cheers to my nana and brings me so much joy to think of her.
Ok real flan talk now. Here are the 5, (yup only five!), ingredients you will need.
-eggs
-condensed milk
- evaporated milk
-vanilla extract
-sugar
That’s it! Grab your blender, a pie dish, small sauce pan, and large roasting pan or a baking pan big enough to fit your pie dish. All of the flan ingredients get blended to make a smooth filling and the sugar gets melted to make a golden caramel. Once the flan is baked, cooled, and refrigerated for at least a couple of hours, the flan then gets flipped over onto a plate. This is when you can see the delicious sauce the caramel turned into and how coats the flan. I am telling you this flan is so decadent and the perfect dessert after any meal. You probably need to make it ASAP, just saying!
Mexican Flan
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1 can condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- hot water for water bath
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Add all ingredients except sugar and water to blender. Blend for 2 minutes or until everything is fully blended. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat place sugar and stir. As it starts melting stir constantly to ensure even melting and avoid burning. A caramel will start forming and continue stirring until all of the sugar is melted and you have a golden colored caramel. Be careful not to burn the caramel and take off heat as soon as it is melted and golden.
- Immediately transfer caramel to pie dish and carefully swirl it around to ensure the bottom of the dish is fully covered. Placed dish in large roasting pan or any baking pan where the pie dish will fit into.
- Pour egg mixture through a sieve and into pie dish.
- Carefully add hot water to roasting pan being careful not to pour water into pie dish. You can do this before placing pan in the oven or after you've placed the pan on an oven rack to avoid spilling everything in the transfer. Add enough hot water to cover halfway up the pie dish.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean and it is golden on top. Time may vary depending on oven.
- Carefully remove roasting pan from oven and remove pie dish from water bath. Leave flan to cool completely before placing in the refrigerator. Leave in refrigerator overnight or at least for a couple of hours.
- Run a small knife around the flan to loosen up the sides and ensure there is nothing stuck to the pie dish.
- Place a large plate over the pie dish and flip flan over quickly. The caramel turned into a delicious sauce that will be coating the entire flan.
- Serve with fresh fruit or as is!
Gautam says
Made this and it turned out to be really good. Firm not jello like and the caramel was slightly bitter(I prefer that 🤷🏽♂️)..thank you !
I am so happy to hear that! I definitely prefer this texture and I am so glad you enjoyed it as well. 🙂
Lauren Curtis says
This was excellent and so easy! The flan was velvet-y smooth and the caramel has the burnt sugar taste that reminds me of creme brûlée. I will definitely make this again and again.
I am so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for making it and I am excited for you to enjoy many more times!
Vivi says
it was so bussin! didn’t have a recipe until i came across this one and omg it’s so delicious 🫶🏽🫶🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽
So glad you enjoyed it! One of our favorites for sure!
Susan says
Hello: What size pyrex pie dish do you recommend?
Hi there, I apologize for the late reply. I use a 9 inch pie dish for this. Thanks for the comment and now I will add this info to the recipe.
Joyce says
Great recipe, and easy
Glad you enjoyed it, thank you!!
Mary Simmons says
What size pie pan do I use?
Hello! I typically use a 9 inch pie dish. I will update the recipe with this info. Thanks!
Nid says
Easy recipe but I was unsuccessful, too runny in the middle. Not sure what I did wrong. I followed the insteuctions to the point. 🥲
Hello there, I am sorry it did not work out for you. I am not sure what went wrong as I have made this countless amount of times and it is always perfect. You might need to increase the oven temperature slightly and increase the time you bake. Hope you give it another try. Thanks
Luna says
Hi Jess,
this is a perfect flan and so easy! I like the toothiest of this flan and the fact it isn’t cloyingly sweet. I did tweek it a little by swapping out the vanilla for orange extract and added about a fat 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. I And here’s a kicker, my hubs, who hates anything creamy loved this recipe - he actually ate some! Awesome recipe and so delish. Will keep this in my recipe arsenal.
Hi Luna! Thanks so much for giving this a try. I am so glad to hear you (and your hubby) enjoyed this! Love the substitutions you made. Adding some cinnamon is always a good idea!
Wilson Quiroz says
when it says blend at the start does it mean use a blender or use a mixer
Hello there! You can throw everything into a blender. Super easy. Hope you give it a try!
Debra says
What size can of evaporated milk?
Hi there, 12oz is the typical size of an evaporated milk can. Let me know if you give it a try!
Lizzie says
Thank you! I always expected flan to be difficult, this was super easy and delicious! I made it two days in a row because the first day i used too large of a pan and it turned out too skinny (tasted great though). Made it again today with an 8″ and baked for about 52 minutes and it came out perfectly!
Thanks so much for trying the recipe! I am so glad you enjoyed it! If you don’t mind leaving a rating on the recipe that would help so much for others to find it and make it as well. Thank you!
Sara says
Girl, this came out so good!!! My oven just required 70 minutes instead of the 40 to 50 minutes. However it came out perfect with the extra time one of the best Flan I have had !!! My son and friends enjoyed it so much I’m making it again in a few days 😂
I love this so much! Wow, that’s a big difference in timing. I am glad you figured it out and it turned out delicious!