Easy Classic Caramel Flan

This Classic Flan is a creamy, silky-smooth, caramel-covered custard deep dive. It's absolutely scrumptious, makes an impressive presentation, and is probably a lot easier to make than you think. Perfect for holiday gatherings, late Sunday brunches, afternoon picnics, and spooning out of the fridge at midnight. 

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I'm not even going to try to beat around the bush - I make a damn fine flan. This step-by-step, easy flan recipe will show you how to make one, too. 

What is Flan?

Flan is a sweet egg-custard dessert known for its silky, creamy texture and caramel sauce topping. Flan is usually associated with Spain and Latin America, so you might be surprised to learn that many versions of flan can be found all around the world - including Chinese, French, German, and Japanese-style flans!

The smooth signature flan texture is achieved by cooking the custard in a water bath, or a bain-marie. The water bath creates steam, which gently and evenly cooks the custard mixture, keeping it moist so the eggs don't overcook or curdled. 

Wherever it originates, flan is typically made out of eggs, sweetened condensed milk, cream, and milk. In most cases, a thin caramel sauce is baked into the bottom of the custard, which is then flipped to the top for serving. 

This easy flan recipe is most like traditional Mexican flan, simply baked in a pie dish instead of a flanera. 

This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite.

How to Make Classic Caramel Flan

Put an empty 9½-inch glass pie dish into a cold oven and preheat the oven to 350°F [175°C].

Make the Caramel

DO NOT RUSH the caramel-making process. It is not a difficult process, but it does require some patience. This step should take about 25-30 minutes. 

In a small stainless saucepan, heat the sugar over MEDIUM-LOW to LOW heat.

Shake the pan occasionally to distribute sugar evenly. As the sugar begins to melt, stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, but don’t overdo it or the sugar will crystalize and clump too much. Scrap down crystals that form on the sides of the pan as much as possible. 

Continue to melt and brown the sugar until it liquifies. The caramel is ready when it is thin, translucent, and dark amber in color. (The caramel in the image on the right is about three-quarters done. It becomes thinner and more translucent before it is done.)

Pour the Caramel

Be very careful as you do this step: Remember that both the pie dish and the caramel are very hot!

The dish or pan you pour the caramel into must be hot so that the caramel doesn't set up before the bottom of the pan is evenly coated.

Use silicone gloves or potholders to remove the hot pie dish from the oven and immediately pour the caramelized sugar onto the bottom, swirling to coat evenly. Set aside.

Once poured, the caramel-lined pie dish is totally OK to set it aside for as long as you need. Also, don't worry if the caramel cracks as it cools: it will all come together when you baked the flan.

Make the Custard

In a blender, combine sweetened condensed milk, cream, milk, eggs and vanilla and blend on high for about a minute.

You can also just whisk the custard ingredients together by hand. 

Set the custard mix aside until you are ready to pour it into the pie dish. 

Prepare the Bain-Marie (Hot Water Bath)

Put a large pan or casserole dish (one big enough for your pie dish to easily sit inside of) into the oven. 

Set the pie dish with the caramel in the bottom into the larger pan.

Can I pour the custard before putting everything in the oven?

Do what works for you. I find I have less sloshing if I can cut the distance the very full pie dish has to travel, so this works for me. If it works better for you to pour it on the counter and go from there, do that!

(A new flanera is in my near future: the most difficult part of this whole recipe is putting the custard into the dish in the oven without getting any water in it and then removing it when it's done. A flanera totally solves that problem.) 

Carefully pour the blended custard mixture over the caramelized sugar. 

Add about 1-inch of very hot water to the outer pan, being careful to avoid getting any water in the custard.

Bake the Flan

Bake the prepared flan in a preheated oven 350°F [175°C] oven for 50-60 minutes. Check for doneness. 

How do I know when the flan is done? 

The baked flan should be removed from the oven (and water bath) before the center is completely set.

The flan is ready to take out of the oven when the center is still slightly wobbly when gently shaken. It should wobble like one unit - like set Jello - however, it should not slosh or ripple. (The internal temperature will be 170-175°F [76-79°C]) The flan custard will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven. 

When the flan is ready to take out of the oven, carefully lift the pie dish out of the hot water bath and put it on a cutting board or wire rack to rest.

TIP: Use silicone potholders or gloves to lift the pie dish up and out to avert burns. Avoid using cloth potholders, as they get wet too easily and then become heat conductors.

Flip the Flan

In a perfect world, refrigerate the baked flan overnight.

If you want to serve it today, allow the flan to cool completely on the counter, and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

If you want to serve it right now, allow it to cool for exactly 10 minutes; no more, no less. (This is only recommended if you are (a) in a hurry to get the flan on the table, and (b) confident in your flan-flipping skills. You will need to use a pot-holder to hold the hot flan pan if you proceed this way.) 

For reference, the flan in all of the post images was flipped after 10 minutes; just so you know that it is possible to have a fresh, warm flan ready to serve in under 2 hours if necessary. 

When you are ready to flip the flan: 

Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pie dish.

Place a large rimmed serving plate on top of the flan in the pie dish. Carefully and quickly, flip the flan over. Gently tap the side of the dish to encourage the flan to release. Carefully lift the pie dish off the flan.

Allow to cool completely, and then refrigerate until ready to serve. 

TIP: If your flan is kind of wonky on the serving platter, gently push it over a little at a time with a spatula to center it. (Don't try to pull it.)

Flan is traditionally served cold, after everything has had a chance to firm up. To serve, cut into wedges or spoon onto dessert plates.

How do you store flan?

To store, flan should be tightly covered and refrigerated; it will last up to 5 days. Do not freeze flan. 

Can I make this in individual servings instead of one large dish?

Absolutely! The baking times may differ slightly but the test for doneness is the same. 

We are big custard fans! Be sure to try our Classic Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée recipe, too! (No flipping required!)

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