Some desserts always bring back beautiful memories, such as the dessert served at your wedding, your favorite one as a child, or the dessert your grandmother used to make.
One of these desserts is without a doubt the Spanish flan. This recipe became popular because of its simplicity, it requires few ingredients, and the result is a dessert that everyone loves.
In this article, I will show you how to make flan, what is flan, and different tricks to customize this Spanish dessert recipe according to your tastes.
You, dear reader, support this blog. If you purchase through a link, we earn a small commission. As an Amazon Affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Background of the Dish
Flan origin dates back to centuries before Christ, and then a version more similar to the traditional Spanish flan recipe was used by the Greeks and Romans and was called Tyropatina.
The Flan recipe was a tremendous success worldwide, but especially in Andalusia, from the 1940s to the 1990s, although it was later relegated to more powerful desserts such as the Spanish cheesecake, brownies, etc.
Nowadays, this delicious dessert has the category of “vintage” so that its lovers can continue to enjoy it in restaurants, especially in Spain and Latin America.
Pin for later!
Things You’ll Need for Spanish Flan Recipe
This is an easy flan recipe so anyone can make it. The best thing about homemade flan is that it does not have rare or expensive ingredients.
The base ingredients are eggs, milk, and sugar, so you probably already have them in your pantry.
For this recipe, I use the individual flan mold because this is an authentic flan recipe. However, you can use a larger mold, or silicone molds with different shapes.
In some countries, you can find disposable aluminum molds but make sure to use one that you feel comfortable with when cooking and unmolding.
Ingredients
- 2 1/8 cups (500ml) Whole milk (better if it is fresh)
- 2/3 cups (125g) Sugar (plus 8 tablespoons for the caramel)
- 3 Eggs (medium size)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
How to Make Spanish Flan Recipe – Step by Step Guide
- To start making the best flan recipe you’ll have to infuse the milk. This is very simple, just heat the milk with lemon zest and vanilla extract, and when it starts to boil remove it from the heat. Let it cool for 30 minutes as it gains the flavor from the zest and the extract.
- In the meantime grab a separate bowl and mix eggs with sugar, stirring gently. Be careful because if you beat the eggs they’ll get cooked with the sugar and you’ll have scrambled eggs instead of flan.
- Then add the milk and continue to stir until the sugar has dissolved. Run the mixture through a fine strainer to remove the zest and prevent sugar crystals from forming.
- Now grab the individual molds and add 1 tablespoon of sugar to each. With the help of the stove fire, make what is called a dry caramel, which is basically heating that sugar until it becomes a caramel. Use a metal or aluminum mold instead of silicone, if it is silicone, don’t make the caramel.
- Preheat the oven for 15 minutes at 180°C or 356°F.
- Up next fill the molds with the mixture slowly, avoiding air bubbles. Put them in a deep tray with an inch of water, to cook them with the bain-marie method. Cook for 25 or 30 minutes at 180 ° C or until when you pass a toothpick it comes out dry.
- To finish this easy flan recipe, let them sit until they reach room temperature. Put them in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight, so they cool completely.
- Once they are cold, remove the mold and serve them. If the caramel is completely hardened, then you can heat them a little bit on the stove to make it easier to unmold.
Substitution of Ingredients
If you take a look at the flan ingredients, then you’ll see they are pretty basic and easy to find.
This is great because you can make flan recipes with only a few ingredients, and you can also create new flavors by doing some changes.
For example, you can make a chocolate flan. All you have to do is to add 80g (or 5 to 6 tablespoons) of cocoa powder instead of the lemon zest while you’re infusing the milk.
This way it’ll take on the chocolate flavor, and you’ll have a chocolate flan.
This is a classic flan de Leche recipe, though you can find other recipes that are from sweet condensed milk or heavy cream.
I recommend only using milk and keeping it simple, but if you don’t have enough milk you can use half of the milk and half heavy cream (like 1 cup of each).
Another substitution that you can make, or rather an improvement is making the Spanish pumpkin flan cake or tocino de cielo which are just incredibly delicious.
If you liked this recipe then you should definitely try other Spanish desserts or sweet recipes, such as the authentic churros recipe from Spain, Spanish hot chocolate recipe, and Spanish chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Tips on Serving Spanish Flan Recipe
As I told you before, the recipe for flan is one of the most famous and best Spanish desserts, so it is typically eaten as a dessert or as an afternoon snack.
This is a traditional flan recipe, but you can give it different toppings to make unique twists on the recipe. Top it with whipped cream, dulce de leche, berry jam, etc.
Remember that this is a caramel flan recipe, so it is already pretty sweet. If you want to add some texture to your flan dessert you can add some chopped nuts for topping.
The delightful crema Catalana, the natillas de leche, and the Spanish orange flan are other recipes similar to this Spanish caramel flan recipe but have a spicy flavor thanks to the cinnamon.
There are other delicious recipes that you must try if you’re craving Spanish desserts and that as the Leche frita recipe, Spanish rice pudding, or the lemon olive oil cake.
How to Store Spanish Flan Recipe
This recipe for flan, like others, already calls for a while in the refrigerator, so this means that it can last up to 5 days in the fridge without problems.
You must know that Spanish flan cannot be frozen. This dessert is based on egg and milk, so if you freeze it, these will cut.
Also, the flan would lose its characteristic texture, so if someone recommends that you freeze flan, ignore them.
Recipe Card: Spanish Flan Recipe
Spanish Flan Recipe
Some desserts always bring back beautiful memories, such as the dessert served at your wedding, your favorite one as a child, or the dessert your grandmother used to make.
One of these desserts is without a doubt the Spanish flan. This recipe became popular because it is easy to make, it does not need many ingredients, and the result is a dessert that everyone loves.
Ingredients
- 2 1/8 cups (500ml) Whole milk (better if it is fresh)
- 2/3 cups (125g) Sugar (plus 8 tablespoons for caramel)
- 3 Eggs (medium size)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Heat the milk with the lemon peel and the vanilla extract. When it starts to boil, remove it from the heat and let it infuse while it cools for 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl mix the eggs with the sugar, stirring gently. Add the milk and stir gently until the sugar has dissolved. Pass the mixture through a fine strainer to make sure no sugar crystals or lemon zest remain.
- Grab the individual ramekins and add 1 tablespoon of sugar to each. With the help of the stove fire, make what is called a dry caramel, which is basically heating that sugar until it becomes a caramel. I recommend using a metal or aluminum mold instead of silicone, if it is silicone, don't make the caramel.
- Preheat the oven for 15 minutes at 180°C or 356°F.
- Now fill the molds with the mixture slowly, avoiding air bubbles. Put them in a deep tray with an inch of water, to cook them in a bain-marie. Cook for 25 or 30 minutes at 180 ° C or until when you pass a toothpick it comes out dry.
- Let them sit until they reach room temperature. Put them in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight, so they cool completely. Once they are cold, remove the mold and serve them.
Notes
I always recommend using lemon zest even if you don't like it while making recipe flan because it helps to cut with the amount of fat that dairy products give.
That is why recipes with many dairy products such as cheesecake or this same flan have lemon zest or some other sour fruit.
This is a simple flan recipe, but of course, you can try other infusions for your flans such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, chocolate, and more!
If you have trouble making dry caramel, you can make a wet caramel by dissolving the sugar in a bit of water before heating. This method is easier to control and will work perfectly for your Spanish flan.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 288.9Total Fat 5.43gSaturated Fat 2.43gCholesterol 117.25mgSodium 77.25mgCarbohydrates 54.27gSugar 54.28gProtein 6.25g
Hola, I’m Paulina! Together with my team, we are passionate about Southern Spain. Here we share all you need to know for great times in Southern Spain with the best places to visit, stay and, of course, the best food to eat.
Let’s dive in and explore Southern Spain’s outdoors, food and culture con pasión!
Gina Tessier
Saturday 22nd of June 2024
I don’t have a gas stove so I tried to make the caramel in a pan. Complete failure. I don’t understand without any form of liquid how the sugar is going to dissolve. I didn’t want to leave out the caramel sauce as I think it’s the star of the show.
Paulina
Wednesday 10th of July 2024
Hi Gina,
If making dry caramel didn't work for you, it might be due to uneven heating.
Using a heavy-bottomed pan and heating it slowly over medium heat can help. Gently swirling the pan ensures the sugar melts evenly. If the pan isn't heated evenly or the heat is too high, the sugar might burn instead of melting properly.
Dry caramel works without water because sugar naturally melts and caramelizes when heated to the right temperature.