A good Flan Recipe is a must in my house!
Sumptuous vanilla crème caramel pudding as a rewarding dessert can do wonders.
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I am not a sweet tooth, but a homemade custard is my ultimate weakness, and so I perfected an easy to prepare flan, and you can do this too!
🥣 Ingredients
You will need a handful of ingredients to make this fantastic creamy flan dessert from scratch. See the full recipe further below, fort details US and metric measurements.
- Milk
- Vanilla — A whole vanilla bean to infuse the milk OR vanilla bean paste OR vanilla extract. Either one works, I, personally, prefer a entire real vanilla bean for flavor.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk — Turns out creamier, and it's the better option than plain sugar.
- Eggs and Egg Yolk — The base of every good french flan! Keeps the flan together, creates the texture that we are looking for, and adds the egg taste that we love.
- Powdered Sugar + Water — To create a simple liquid caramel, which will be the base of your flan.
👁️ More French Dessert Ideas
- Apple Cake with Calvados (French apple alcohol)
- Blueberry Tart with Custard (a French open pie)
- Clafoutis — Flan-like dessert with fresh full cherries.
Dear reader, what's your favorite french sweet treat?
Global Food Recipes
with Spices and Herbs
Free E-Book available for a limited time. Grab yours now and get instantly inspired!
You missed out!
📖 Recipe
Easy Flan Recipe
Ingredients
For the Flan Custard:
- 2 Cups Milk
- 1 Vanilla Bean
- 1 ¼ Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Egg Yolks
For the Caramel:
- 2 ½ Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Lukewarm Water
Instructions
- Now prepare the Caramel by placing half amount of the powdered sugar into the pot with the 2 Tablespoons of Water. Keep it on a very low flame, it has to heat up gradually and make sure there are not lumps. Slowly you will notice that the sugar is melting and at that point you add the remaining sugar. Take care that you don't burn your caramel. Believe me it happens very quickly, so when you see the sugar melted and slowly turning into a yellow golden, stir well. A few seconds later it will be turning brown and at that point you can take it away from the heat.
- Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit/ 180 Celsius!
- In a pot add the milk, cut lengthwise into your vanilla bean and collect the small black seeds with a spoon. Add the seeds and empty vanilla bean into the milk and heat up for a short time. The vanilla flavor will incorporate into the milk while it's simmering. Once it is hot enough, remove from the heat and let the vanilla bean steep in the milk for a few minutes. Never boil and don't allow the milk to grow a skin on top or the vanilla seeds might get stuck in the skin. Discard the empty vanilla bean.
- Pour the vanilla milk into the egg condensed milk mixture and whisk heavily so that all ingredients are well incorporated. You should do that quickly because you don't want any egg lumps to form with the hot milk.
- Then pour the mixture over the caramel into the ramekins and place the baking shape with the water bath and ramekins into the oven and bake at 350° Fahrenheit/ 180° Celsius for about 18 minutes or until the top has turned golden brown. You can check too if it's cooked in the center by poking with a knife, if the knife comes back clean it is ready, otherwise the flan might take a few more minutes in the oven to bake properly.
- Serve in the Ramekin or turn over into a plate. I prefer the flan cold, so you can keep them in the fridge to cool before serving or serve them still warm (but cooled down).
Scott A. says
Since Vanilla Beans are not likely to be a standard stock item in most pantries I'd like to know how to substitute liquid vanilla that is ususally in most kitchens, i.e. how much liquid vanilla?
Helene Dsouza says
Hi Scott, I suggest you add 3-5 drops, taste and adapt to this. Liquid Vanilla extract is not always equally intense.
Lorraine @Not Quite Nigella says
That would be perfect for Valentines Day tonight!!I love the burnished top 🙂
Josie - Ice Cream Las Vegas says
This is something new I came to know today about Vanilla. Great Idea. Surely will make and try. Thank you for sharing.
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
We are a huge flan family, Helene! I've been trying many different recipes of flan for fun. I have to try your recipe!
Lizzy (Good Things) says
Oh my, how absolutely delicious!
Rosa says
Those look super delish! A wonderful treat, especially when it's scorching hot outside.
Cheers,
Rosa
Balvinder says
I always loved flan and other egg custard desserts. Your flan look so good, and perfect texture...creamy and silky.
Terra says
I don't eat flan enough, but it truly is a gorgeous recipe! Small dessert portions is perfect to me. Just a little taste of the sweet treat is a delicious way to enjoy any dessert! Beautiful, Hugs, Terra
Chitz says
Perfect & cute lil flans.. Love them anytime 🙂
Joanne says
Given how much I love flan, it's incredible that I've never made it! Love that the vanilla is super prominent in yours!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
I'm a huge believer that there always has to be desserts. Something like this delicious flan would be perfect 🙂
Charles says
You're right - it's REALLY common to have desserts. So many kids in England have a dessert or pudding every day and the meal isn't considered complete until they've had something sweet. By comparison, in Scandinavia a dessert isn't so common. Well, getting more common these days, but not on the same level as England still!
Lovely looking flan Helene - is it the same thing as a creme caramel? It looks fairly similar, but maybe it's a different texture?
Kitchen Belleicious says
oh your flan looks so perfect. It is hard sometimes to get the consistency and texture exactly right while keeping it full of flavor. yours looks delicious
Gourmantine says
It's so true about the French, I see it about my in laws and everyone around - eating smaller balanced meals, not over-eating and always saving place for dessert, that's what balanced eating is all about - enjoying life.
p.s. I could this flan every day!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
Eating small portions, and only the amount of food needed by your body, is the only way to be healthy. And it usually doesn´t matter what foods you eat. On another note, I love flan, love it, love it. It looks sensational Helene!
CJ at Food Stories says
Moderation is key but I've always had problems with it ... I either have dessert every night or I have no dessert at all ... Need to find a happy medium 🙂
Purabi Naha | Cosmopolitan Currymania says
This looks so tasty! I think, I can eat your flan the whole day!! 🙂
Helene, I am an Indian and I LOVE desserts after my meal. I think, people from West Bengal, like me, would mostly love to eat sweets after their meal. If not anything else, then atleast a sweet chutney, which doubles up as a dessert too! What a coincidence, I made the Filipino version of this (leche flan) just yesterday! I love flan anytime of the day. I have a big sweet tooth, you know!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Loving them is enough reason for me to make and enjoy more!
Your flan look beautifully done.
Lizzy (Good Things) says
Yum! You have made this look so simple! Love it!
Ash- foodfashionparty says
Oh yes, I agree with you, a meal is never complete without dessert and your flan looks perfect.
Flan is a dessert which is stunning and I'm always surprised and waiting under my breadth for it to plop down. In fact, I made coconut flan last week, and it lasted less than a day..
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I love Nazneen's familys' idea of dessert first 🙂 Good advice and a wonderful flan.
Sanjeeta kk says
Hope I can save some milkmaid to make this dessert...children and their mom lick the tin clean as soon as its open 🙂
Coffee and Crumpets says
Flan is my favourite! I think if you had come to my grandparents home in Hyderabad, you would've found that we ate dessert first! My grandfather had a terrible sweet tooth and no dinner was complete without dessert. I believe he was quite partial to flan.
Nazneen
The Ninja Baker says
J'adore votre recèpe pour flan au vanille, Helene.
Very much appreciate your sensible take on dessert...Life is too short without savoring dessert!
foodwanderings says
Oh my Helene, I love flan. My mom used to make it while we were growing up. Come to think of it I haven't had it since then. I love anything custard and yours looks spectacular.
mjskit says
No one ever accused me and my family of not eating dessert. 🙂 My sweet tooth abounds, but I do try to follow yours and Kelly's advise of "moderation" and eating healthy to balance out the sugars and fats. Our favorite desserts are desserts like your flan although I've never made one. We both love them and I have to say that I love the idea with the caramel on the bottom. You flan looks delicious and a dessert that even I could make.
john@kitchenriffs says
I love flan! Such great flavor, and it certainly helps complete a meal. We do skip desserts sometimes, but then we're hungry a couple of hours later - better to eat dessert and be fully satisfied rather than snack later. 😉 Good stuff - thanks.
Janie says
Yum. That'd be perfect for a light, sweet dessert.
Janie x