Unbelievably Easy Spanish Flan (2024)

Written by Evelyn Saviñon Published on September 1, 2018 in Desserts (Guilty Pleasures), Gluten-Free, Latin Recipes

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I’m happy to share with you a delicious, unbelievably easy Spanish flan recipe that combines the subtle flavors of creamy custard and rich caramel syrup.

This flan is so easy to make that if you’ve never made it before or even if you have, this is the recipe for you. It will not take you more than 10 minutes to prepare. The cooking time is an hour, but I promise this amazingly tasty flan is worth the wait.

This delightful and creamy Spanish flan is the perfect dessert after enjoying a delicious dinner. Just one small piece, or maybe two😉 will do the trick, so make sure to share with friends and family!

It’s almost impossible to think of any special occasion in my family that flan was not part of the menu. If you enjoy getting things done in advance, then this recipe is ideal. I recommend cooking the flan the day before as flan is always best served chilled. Not that it’s a crime to eat it warm; I know I have been guilty of that myself!

Making a Spanish Flan is simple; the trick with this sweet and creamy dessert is caramel. Some people might find this part a little intimidating, but I want to remove that fear. Let me share my process of making the best part of this flavorful dessert, the caramel.

How to Make thisFlan
|Watch the Full Video|

https://youtu.be/h-rdk1yDMeo

Tips and Tricks

The first step is to add some water to the sugar then put on the stove onmedium-high heat ( Pay attention you don’t want the caramel to burn). I find that by doing this the caramel comes out richer and creamier and my favorite part is that I end up with a good amount of caramel:).

Now let me share with you a few images of the whole process and how the sugar should look from beginning to end. What’s most essential is to always keep an eye and do not let the sugar get burned.
this is how the sugar starts to look like

See how the sugar starts to turn into a gorgeous golden color and all the water starts to evaporate

This is what you end up with a rich, and thick caramel for the Spanish Flan

There are many other ways of making this, and after a few tries, I found my favorite way of doing it. It always ends up with the perfect Caramel, isn’t it beautiful?

The next step is topour the caramel into the ramekin and set it aside

So now that you know the steps to make this rich and creamy caramel let’s make the custard

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, condensed and evaporated milk, vanilla and cinnamon until well combined.

Pour the mixture inside the ramekin, place the ramekin inside a big enough baking pan.

Pour enough hot water to cover more than half of the ramekin for a baño de Maria.

Bake the flan for 50 minutes to an hour. To ensure the flan is ready, I like to insert a toothpick; if it comes out clean, take the flan out of the oven and let it cool down. Then, place the flan in the fridge for at least an hour or until the next day if possible, as it is best to eat this delicious dessert chilled.

Just run a knife around the edges to efficiently serve and carefully invert on a serving plate.

I even made a few individual mini-flans that are perfect for giving to my grandkids.

What’s not to like, it’s child approved!

And this is why it’s called Unbelievably EasySpanish Flan!

More Spanish Style Recipes:

Beef Stew Caribbean style(Carne Guisada)

Beef Soup “Sopa De Carne De Res.”

Please see below for a printable recipe card, and do not forget to leave your comments and suggestions; I will be happy to hear from you. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and use the #asimpletweakrecipes so I can see your creations on Instagram :).

Enjoy!

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Unbelievably Easy Spanish Flan

A delicious unbelievably easy spanish flan recipe that combines the subtle flavors of creamy custard and rich caramel syrup.

3.94 from 58 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: desserts

Cuisine: Spanish

Keyword: flan

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 People

Calories: 126kcal

Author: Evelyn Savinon

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
▢ 1/3 cup water
▢ 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
▢ 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
▢ 3 large eggs
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, place 1 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water over medium-high- heat. Be attentive at all times until the sugar gets a golden color. Keep an eye on this at all times; you do not want to burn the sugar. As fast as possible pour the caramel into the ramekin and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, condensed and evaporated milk, vanillaand cinnamon (optinoal) until well combined.
Pour the mixture inside the ramekin with the caramel, place the ramekin inside a large baking pan. Pour hot water into the baking pan. Just enoughto cover more than half of theramekin for a baño de Maria.
Bake the flan 50 minutes to an hour. To make sure the flan is ready I like to insert a toothpick; if it comes out clean take the flan out of the oven and let it cool down for a few minutes
Then, place the flan in the fridge for at least an hour or until the next day if possible as it is best to eat this delicious dessert chilled.
You can also use small ramekins for individual flans. The trick to taking out the flan from the ramekin is to gently go clockwise with a table knife until you see the flan getting loose.

Video

Nutrition

*Nutritional Disclaimer: Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be consideredan estimate.

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The Most Flavorful BakedChicken Leg Quarters
One-pan Honey-Mustard Chicken Breast Recipe
General Tso’s Cauliflower Take-out inspired Recipe
Takeout Inspired General Tso’s Chicken

30 Comments

Michael
February 23, 2022 at 11:36 pm ·Reply

Hello! Thank you for this amazing recipe. If I’m letting this chill overnight…any suggestions on how to get the flan out of the dish?
- Evelyn Saviñon
  February 24, 2022 at 12:27 pm ·Reply
  
  To efficiently serve, just run a knife around the edges and carefully invert on a serving plate. I invite you to look at the video in the post or YouTube
  https://youtu.be/h-rdk1yDMeo
  I hope this help thank you for trying this recipe enjoy😃
  
  See Also
  Valencia in 3 Days Itinerary: Guide to Spain's Hidden Gem | In Between Pictures Puerto Rican Rice {Pigeon Peas with Ham} - See the Happy Baked Brown Butter Churro Donuts Clean Eating Salad Dressing Recipes - Simple Homemade Dressing
Martha Kreider
June 26, 2021 at 8:50 pm ·Reply

What size ramekin did you use, not mentioned anywhere in the instructions!
- Evelyn Saviñon
  June 26, 2021 at 8:59 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Martha K. In this recipe, I used 2(14 oz)ramekins. You can also use a standard 9-inch baking pan. I hope this answers your question, and have fun :). Please let me know how it turns out, and don’t hesitate if you have other questions.
Kim Rios
January 31, 2021 at 6:20 am ·Reply

Hi I have never made flan and must say it intimidates me . Now can I make this in a standard cake pan or in a pie plate ? Thank
you.
- Evelyn
  January 31, 2021 at 5:07 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Kim, First I have to say thank you for visiting the blog. I know making a flan can be intimidating, I remember the first I tried. However, I will say making the caramel is the part that I suggest to put all your attention, just follow the steps on the blog and have fun with it. always pay attention to the sugar mixture until it turns golden, then quickly but carefully transfer the caramel to the baking dish. In this recipe, I used 2(14 oz)ramekins. Yes, you can also use a standard 9-inch baking pan. I hope this answers your question, and just have fun :). Please let me know how it turns out and don’t hesitate if you have other questions. Happy Sunday!
Rita Kalia
October 28, 2020 at 2:52 pm ·Reply

Hi Evenly,
I would like to try your recipe. However I would like to make it in the round tube cake pan. What would be measurement for the recipe? Should I double it? Thanks.
- Evelyn
  October 28, 2020 at 7:45 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Rita, Thank you for visiting asimpletweak.com, To make this flan, you can use a 9-inch baking pan. This recipe easily makes for 8-10 servings. A cool feature my recipe card offers is to adjust the number of ingredients needed depending on the number of people, just click on the red number (servings) and slide to adjust. Please let me know how it turns out!
Jeanna Warren
July 1, 2020 at 6:21 pm ·Reply

Evelyn-
We are doing a Family Fun with another family. Our favorite place is Bucharias,MX. We eat at a favorite resturant called “Taco on the Street.” This resturaunt is in La Cruiz. They always serve traditional flan after dinner. My frined and I are planning to surprise the kids and make our own Tacos on the street in our garage next month. I am in charge of the Flan! I will be serving a large group. I think I should make the Flan in a larger pan to serve slices. What would you recommend for the pan and can I use the same waterbath process? Thank you for your video and reciepe. I appreciate your response.
- Evelyn
  July 5, 2020 at 12:29 am ·Reply
  
  Hi, Jeanna, thank you for choosing my recipe for this important occasion. To make this flan, you can use a 9-inch baking pan. This recipe easily makes for 8-10 servings. A cool feature my recipe card offers is to adjust the number of ingredients needed depending on the number of people, just click on the red number (servings) and slide to adjust. I also suggest using the water bath method. This method is important as it helps to distribute the heat evenly providing moisture which will prevent the top from drying and cracking. I hope this is helpful. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you encounter any issues when making it. Have fun with your family!!
Mar
April 26, 2020 at 1:28 pm ·Reply

I had condensed milk in my fridge to use (minus 3 tblsp), my husband loves flan, so I made this. I didn’t have the size of bowls you used, so I used my French onion ones, it came out perfect. So easy!
See Also
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- Evelyn
  April 27, 2020 at 2:11 am ·Reply
  
  Thank you, Mar, I’m glad it was a success!!
Rumessa
March 31, 2020 at 1:45 am ·Reply

How long do you leave ramkin in fridge?
- Evelyn
  March 31, 2020 at 4:50 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Rumessa, I leave it in the fridge at least an hour as it is best to eat chilled.
Alicia
February 20, 2020 at 9:06 pm ·Reply

Do you stir the sugar while waiting for it to turn into caramel sauce?
- Evelyn
  February 21, 2020 at 8:17 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Alicia, I just stir the sugar at first to combine with the water. After that, just wait until the sugar caramelize. Be patient, this can take a few minutes depending on the stove. Please let me know how it turns out for you:)
- Jo nin
  April 11, 2021 at 3:38 pm ·Reply
  
  Delish
Aimee
February 5, 2020 at 9:13 pm ·Reply

Do you bake both ramekins in the same baking dish at the same time?
- Evelyn
  February 5, 2020 at 11:24 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Aimee, yes I have both of the ramekins in the same baking dish, however, if your dish is not big enough you can use a separate baking dish. the most important is to pour enough hot water to cover more than half of the ramekins. I hope this is helpful! Thanks for giving this recipe a try:)
DEBBIE S. RIVERA
December 24, 2019 at 12:40 am ·Reply

Hi. I would like to make this using a 13×9 glass pan. Can you tell me if I should double the recipe? Thanks!
- Evelyn
  December 24, 2019 at 4:35 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Debbie, I used 2 ramekins of 14oz each and my calculations tell me that a 13 x 9 is 96 fluid ounces. My suggestion is to double the recipe. I hope this helps and Happy Holidays:). Please let me know how it turns out!
Lania
July 29, 2019 at 7:10 pm ·Reply

Hello
This recipe is delicious….but when it came to doing the caramel the sugar crystallized did you add the water before the heat?
- Evelyn
  July 29, 2019 at 7:21 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Lania, yes, you should add the water before putting on the heat. This is a great observation, I will make sure to update the information on the post. Thank you for taking the time to connect with me. Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with:). Please feel free to share the end result of the flan recipe with me, it will make me very happy to see your creation!
Marie
June 22, 2019 at 6:30 pm ·Reply

Hi I have tried this recipe made the caramel put it in the dish and the dish cracked, any tips thanks
- Evelyn
  June 22, 2019 at 9:52 pm ·Reply
  
  Hi Marie,
  I’m so sorry that happened to you. The first thing to double check is to verify the ramekin/dish you are using is oven-safe. My guess is that it is due to a change in temperature so if the ramekin/dish is not oven-safe, cracks will occur. Another way to avoid this from happening again is to make sure the ramekin/dish is not cold prior to adding the hot caramel. It might be a change of temperature, maybe from washing the ramekin with really cold water and then adding hot caramel? Let me know if this help and if you are able to try the final product. It’s delicious!
  - Marie
    June 23, 2019 at 8:17 am ·Reply
    
    Thank you so much Evelyn for your reply, I made the caramel again and I put the next dish in the oven to heat up. Result!!! it didn’t crack. Flan already to have for pudding this evening. Can’t wait to try it. I’m doing a Spanish Themed meal as a belated father’s day for my father in law as we were on holiday for fathers day. Thank you for taking the time to post your recipes. Kind regards Marie x
- Kay
  December 8, 2019 at 4:35 pm ·Reply
  
  What size ramekin did you use? It looks small but recipes serves 8. Thank you for your help.
  - Evelyn
    December 8, 2019 at 4:56 pm ·Reply
    
    Hi Kay, in this recipe, I used 2(14 oz) ramekins. and if you want to make individual servings like the one my grandson is eating (last image on post) you can use 4 oz mini ramekins. The most important is to use ramekins or mold that are oven-safe. I hope this answers your question, let me know if you have any other concerns/questions:). let me know how it turns out!
Eduardo
September 11, 2018 at 1:53 am ·Reply

Thank you! You are helping my family and I have quality in the kitchen, as well as in the dinning table. Yummy!
- Evelyn
  September 11, 2018 at 11:10 pm ·Reply
  
  Thanks!!

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Evelyn Savinon

Hi there, … Nice to meet you! I’m the cook, writer, and photographer behind this blog. I have always taken joy in the task of cooking. In the summer of 2016, the idea for A Simple Tweak was born. I learned to discover that cooking is more than a task for me. It is a whole-hearted passion of mine.