Mexican Flan

This Mexican flan recipe (Flan Mexicano) is a delicious creamy caramel dessert that's delicate, decadent, and a crowd-pleaser. It's easy to make with just a few simple ingredients and can be enjoyed any time of year.

I'm in love with this easy recipe, and I hope you get a chance to make this for your family. Below you'll find detailed step-by-step instructions with photos.

Plus cooking tips so you can make this easy yet ridiculously delicious recipe in the comfort of your own home.

🍮 Why this recipe works

This is hands down the best Mexican flan recipe I've ever had!

• easy to make
• 5 ingredients
• tastes amazing
• perfect year round
• not to sweet

And while you'll find a lot of Mexican flan recipes online, I can't say this enough, give this recipe a try. I promise you'll love it!

If you're still not convinced, this traditional Mexican flan recipe is rich and creamy with a delightful caramel flavor. This combination is perfectly balanced and tastes a little like heaven.

This rich and creamy flavor is due to the sweetened condensed milk and milk combination in the recipe. The eggs give the flan a custard-like consistency, while the melted sugar provides a delightful caramel flavor. The result is nothing short of an authentic Mexican flan recipe.

Flan is typically cooked in a water bath, which helps to prevent the custard from curdling. The water bath also helps to evenly distribute the heat, resulting in a smooth and creamy flan.

This easy Mexican Flan recipe is versatile with its ingredients, as there are many ways to make a flan with a variety of dairy products, which makes it easier for home cooks to use what they have on hand. Check the substitutions list and variations for examples.

This flan recipe is a delicious way to enjoy a classic cold Mexican custard dessert. It is creamy with a rich caramel sauce and baked in the oven in a flan pan.

🍽 Key Ingredients

This recipe is easy to make at home with a flan mold or pan and some basic pantry ingredients.

Sweetened condensed milk - The condensed milk adds sweetness and provides that creamy texture associated with delicious flan recipes.

Milk - Use whole milk for this recipe for the best results.

Eggs - The eggs give the flan a custard-like consistency and also add richness.

Vanilla - Vanilla extract is used to flavor the flan mixture.

Caramel sauce - White granulated sugar is melted to provide the deep caramel flavor in this recipe.

Substitutes

There are many ways to make a flan, and this recipe is very forgiving with its ingredients. If you don't have or can't find some of the ingredients listed above, here are a few substitution ideas.

Condensed milk

Condensed and evaporated milk is the same thing, apart from condensed milk is sweetened, and evaporated milk isn't. So you could use evaporated milk as an equal substitute in this recipe and add half a cup of sugar to the flan mixture.

Vanilla

To enhance the flavor of the flan mixture, use vanilla bean paste (only half a teaspoon).

Caramel sauce

To save time making the caramel sauce, use your favorite store-bought caramel sauce.

Milk

You could substitute the milk for almond or coconut milk to give the flan a different flavor without changing the consistency.

🔪 How to make Mexican Flan

Like all baked dessert recipes, you need to have patience and good timing to get perfect results, and with this easy-to-follow recipe, you'll get fantastic results every time!

Follow the steps below, and ENJOY the creamy, decadent authentic Mexican dessert. Consider pairing this with my Caldo de res, easily one of my best soup recipes.

Cooking Instructions

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).

Step 2
Pour the sweetened condensed milk and milk into a blender with the eggs and vanilla extract. Blend for 30 seconds to combine and set aside while making the caramel.

Step 3
Pour the sugar into a saucepan over low heat and cook until the sugar melts. Stir the sugar with a spatula as it melts so that it doesn't burn.

Step 4
Once the sugar crystals have completely melted and the color becomes a light brown color, remove it from the heat.

Step 5
Pour a small amount of the caramel sauce into the flan pan and spread it around the sides with the spatula. The caramel will harden as it cools, so try to do it as quickly as possible.

Step 6
Pour the remaining caramel into the flan pan to cover the bottom.

Step 7
Blend the flan mixture for another 10 seconds, and then pour it over the hardened caramel. Only fill the plan pan ¾ full.

Step 8
Close the flan pan with the lid and seal it with the buckles. Carefully lift the pan with a pot towel or oven glove (as the bottom will be hot) into a larger baking pan or roasting pan.

Step 9
Fill the baking pan or roasting pan with water until it comes halfway up, then carefully place it in the preheated oven—Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Step 10
Carefully remove the baking dish filled with water from the oven and remove the flan pan.

Step 11
Open the lid to see if the flan has set. Insert a toothpick into the center to see if it comes out clean. If the toothpick comes out clean, the flan is perfectly cooked. If it doesn't come out clean, place it back in the baking dish with water, bake it for another 15 minutes, and check again.

Step 12
Once the flan is perfectly cooked, let it completely cool in the pan on a rack for 2 hours, then refrigerate it for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight. I typically leave it overnight.

Step 13
To serve the Mexican flan, open the pan's lid and run a butter knife around the outside to release it. Twist the pan back and forth, so it starts to move freely, then place a large plate with a lip covering the flan pan.

Step 14
With one hand holding the plate and the other holding the bottom of the pan, flip the flan over so that the plate is now on the bottom and gently remove the pan.

Step 15
Your flan should easily separate from the pan with the caramel on the top and dripping down the sides. Note 1

Step 16
Slice the traditional Mexican flan and serve with a spoonful of rich caramel sauce. ENJOY!

💭 Cooking Tips

Room temperature dairy products

Ensure all dairy ingredients are at room temperature before making the recipe, which will help everything blend together better.

Make ahead

You can make the caramel ahead of time and store it in a jar or container until you're ready to use it.

Baking time

The bake time will vary depending on the size and shape of your pan. Smaller pans require less baking time, while larger pans require more baking time. If you're not sure if your flan is cooked, you can insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your flan is ready to eat! If not, bake it for another 15 minutes and check again.

Stuck Flan

If the flan doesn't come out, flip it back over and rest the bottom of the pan on a hot wet kitchen towel for a few minutes, to melt the caramel and try again.

📖 Variations

This flan is an authentic Mexican recipe that is delicious with the smooth vanilla flan mixture and caramel sauce, but you can try different flavors. Here are a few delicious variations.

Orange flavored flan

Give the flan mixture a hint of orange flavor by adding orange zest from 2 oranges. The combination of orange and caramel is perfect for this cold flan recipe.

Cream cheese flan

Substitute half of the milk for heavy cream and mix 250g of cream cheese into the flan mixture to give it a thicker consistency. Bake for an hour, and do the toothpick check.

Chocolate caramel flan

Instead of adding vanilla to the flan mixture, combine one cup of melted chocolate for a delicious smooth chocolatey flan with a caramel topping.

🥗 What to serve with

Authentic Mexican flan is a delicious creamy dessert served with caramel sauce and is sliced and eaten as it is. Although, if you want to pair this with something on top or on the side, you could add fresh berries, whipped cream, or even ice cream.

Fresh berries

Raspberries are common for decoration on top of homemade flan, but blueberries and strawberries are also great options. Alternatively, you could combine a mixture to serve with a slice of flan.

Whipped cream

A dollop of fresh whipped cream is always a good serving option for hot and cold desserts.

Ice cream

Like whipped cream, ice cream is also perfectly served on the side of dessert recipes. I recommend caramel or vanilla-flavored ice cream to go with the vanilla and caramel flavors of the flan, but feel free to choose your favorite flavor.

If you like apple dessert I recommend you to check my easy apple dessert recipes with few ingredients.

🙋 Frequently asked questions

🧊 Storing

It is easy to store leftover Mexican flan!

Refrigerated - There is only one way to store a flan! And that's stored in an airtight container in the fridge. 

I do not recommend covering it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap because the caramel sauce will stick to it. You can, however, place it in the fridge on the plate, but bear in mind any odors in the fridge may affect the overall taste.

Freezing is not an option as the creamy texture doesn't react well. And upon thawing, you're left with a mushy texture.

👪 Serving size

You can expect this recipe to provide 6 to 8 servings. If you want to double the quantity, you need to make two flans and cook them separately to ensure they both cook evenly.

So there you have it, a delicious creamy authentic Mexican dessert with a smooth caramel sauce that is easy to make and uses few ingredients. If you are into baking you must try my easy orange cake recipe. Your family and friends will love it!

Be sure to let me know how it turns out in the comments below. ENJOY!

📋 Recipe

Easy Mexican Flan

This Mexican flan is a delicious creamy caramel dessert that's delicate, decadent, and a crowd-pleaser. It's easy to make with just a few simple ingredients and can be enjoyed any time of year.

4.94 from 16 votes

Print Pin Rate Save Saved! Share

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 356kcal

Author: Kim Grabinski

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 1 can Sweetened condensed milk - 14 ounces
• 1¼ cup Milk
• 4 large Eggs
• ½ cup Sugar - for the caramel
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
• Pour the sweetened condensed milk and milk into a blender with the eggs and vanilla extract. Blend for 30 seconds to combine and set aside while making the caramel.
• Pour the sugar into a saucepan over low heat and cook until the sugar melts. Stir the sugar with a spatula as it melts so that it doesn't burn.
• Once the sugar crystals have completely melted and the color becomes a light brown color, remove it from the heat.
• Pour a small amount of the caramel sauce into the flan pan and spread it around the sides with the spatula. The caramel will harden as it cools, so try to do it as quickly as possible.
• Pour the remaining caramel into the flan pan to cover the bottom.
• Blend the flan mixture for another 10 seconds, and then pour it over the hardened caramel. Only fill the plan pan ¾ full.
• Close the flan pan with the lid and seal it with the buckles. Carefully lift the pan with a pot towel or oven glove (as the bottom will be hot) into a larger baking pan or roasting pan.
• Fill the baking pan or roasting pan with water until it comes halfway up, then carefully place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Carefully remove the baking dish filled with water from the oven and remove the flan pan.
• Open the lid to see if the flan has set. Insert a toothpick into the center to see if it comes out clean. If the toothpick comes out clean, the flan is perfectly cooked. If it doesn't come out clean, place it back in the baking dish with water and bake it for another 15-20 minutes.
• Once the flan is perfectly cooked, let it completely cool in the pan on a rack for 2 hours, then refrigerate it for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
• To serve the Mexican flan, open the lid of the pan and run a butter knife around the outside to release it. Twist the pan back and forth so that it starts to move freely, then place a large plate with a lip that covers the flan pan.
• With one hand holding the plate and the other holding the bottom of the pan, flip the pan over so that the plate is now on the bottom and gently remove the pan.
• The Mexican flan should easily come away from the pan with the caramel sitting on top of the flan and dripping down the sides. 
• Slice the traditional Mexican flan and serve with a spoonful of the rich caramel sauce. ENJOY!

Notes

Room temperature dairy products

Make sure all of your dairy ingredients are at room temperature before beginning to make the recipe, as this will help everything blend together better.

Make ahead

You can make the caramel ahead of time and store it in a jar or container until you're ready to use it.

Baking time

The bake time will vary depending on the size and shape of your pan. Smaller pans require less baking time, while larger pans require more baking time. If you're not sure if your flan is cooked, you can insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, the flan is done, if not, bake it for a few more minutes.

Stuck Flan

If the flan doesn't come out, flip it back over and rest the bottom of the pan on a hot wet kitchen towel for a few minutes, to melt the caramel and try again.

Nutrition

Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g