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    Home » Recipes » Mexican Dessert Recipes

    Flan + VIDEO

    Published: May 10, 2021 · Updated: Aug 1, 2023 by Maggie Unzueta

    Flan is a silky vanilla custard topped with a yummy caramel sauce. It's a very popular dessert that's creamy, rich, and decadent.
    Jump to Recipe
    Flan - authentic Mexican Dessert - creamy, delicious, and rich dessert. A Mexican favorite recipe. Via @MamaMaggiesKitchen

    A cake knife removing a slice of Flan from the dessert.

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    My family’s flan recipe dates back to the late 1700s/ early 1800s.

    As the only girl in her family, my grandmother learned to cook from her mother and inherited some of our family’s most beloved recipes.

    Like this one.

    It originally came from Spain and had no vanilla. Vanilla is native to Mexico.

    That’s why I refer to this recipe as “Mexican Flan.”

    Sweet, creamy, decadent, and delicious.

    Table of Contents

    • 1 How to Make It
    • 2 Let’s Talk about Pans, Man!
    • 3 Pro Tip:
    • 4 More Mexican Desserts:
    • 5 Origins
    • 6 More Spanish-Mexican Desserts
        • 6.0.1 Hungry for More?
    • 7 Mexican Flan
      • 7.1 Ingredients
      • 7.2 Instructions
      • 7.3 Video
      • 7.4 Notes
      • 7.5 Nutrition
          • 7.5.0.1 Maggie Unzueta

    How to Make It

    A bowl with raw eggs next to a whisk.

    • Put the eggs in a large bowl.
    • Whisk the eggs together.

    It comes together very, very easily. Waiting for HOURS TO CHILL is what’s the hard part.

    This is an authentic flan recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation.

    It was given to me by my grandmother, the original Mama Maggie. My namesake.

    She told me when she handed it to me that it was handed down to her by her grandmother.

    A glass bowl with a whisk next to a zester and an orange.

    Orange zest is used to make this Mexican flan recipe. Some people will even add orange juice to their flan recipe.

    We just want a HINT of orange not a strong “knock-your-socks-off” orange-y flavor.

    Did you know that vanilla grows native in Mexico? YES! Here is a popular brand of Mexican vanilla you can buy online.

    Baked flan still in the pan sitting on a cooling rack.

    • Once it’s out of the oven, place on a cooling rack.
    • Let cool slightly.

    Milks to use: Either whole milk or half and half.

    How does flan vary from country to country?

    They are very, very similar.

    Where in Mexico, we use whole milk, the islands such as Cuba and Puerto Rico will use sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk. They lacked fresh foods, and that is why they had to use canned foods.

    Nowadays, though, you will see some of their recipes also use whole milk or half and half.

    A plate covered with aluminum foil next to a knife and a kitchen towel.

    • Cover and place in the fridge.
    • Chill for 3 ½ hours.

    You can’t skip this step. Hard, I know, but it needs to set.

    Overnight in the fridge is best. Although, it really just needs is 3 ½ hours.

    A knife running around the edges of the pie plate.

    • When you’re ready to unmold, run a knife around the edge of the pan.

    The DEEPER the pan, the THICKER your flan will be.

    Let’s Talk about Pans, Man!

    The presentation of this dessert using a fluted edge pan is beautiful, but it can be hard to unmold UNLESS you get one that has a removable bottom. I recommend this fluted edge pan.

    In the video, I’m using a regular pie pan. If you are using this recipe, you will need to use TWO pie pans. Yes, two flans!

    Nowadays, they even have flan molds and flan double broiler sets. Very cool!

    Two hands holding the edges of a large plate with a kitchen towel.

    Pro Tip:

    Use a serving plate that is LARGER than the pan.

    OR, the caramel sauce will spill all over the place, and the flan will fall apart. No bueno.

    Two hands holding an upside down glass pie plate, molding the flan.

    • Once you’ve flipped it, give it a minute before full removing the pan.

    There might be a section or so that did not completely come loose. That’s ok.

    No dessert is perfect.

    It’ll still be YUMMY and creamy.

    More Mexican Desserts:

    Tres Leches Cake
    Mantecadas
    Mexican Wedding Cookies
    Conchas

    Flan sitting on a cake standing next to a serving knife.

    Different types:
    Pumpkin Flan, Chocolate flan, you’ll even see key lime flan.

    My favorite variation is Chocoflan which is a combination of chocolate cake and flan. YUM!

    Flan sitting on a pink cake stand.

    Do you see the picture below, and how the caramel is pouring down the flan?

    Makes you just want to lick the plate clean!

    Are you drooling? Because I sure am!!

    A slice of flan on a white plate drizzled with caramel sauce.

    Origins

    Flan dates back to the Ancient Roman times. You know, Cesar and the Colosseum? Yeah, that!

    From there, it spread to Spain, England, France because the Romans conquered lots of lands in Europe.

    The Spanish, though, were the first (or so it seems) to add a caramelized sugar top. They brought flan to Latin America, and that’s how we got it in Mexico.

    We adapted it in Mexico, and someone in my family perfected it. LOL!

    More Spanish-Mexican Desserts

    Churros
    Arroz con Leche
    Rosca de Reyes
    (Roscon de Reyes, in Spain)

    A slice of flan sitting on a white plate next to a cake stand with the entire dessert.

    I originally published this recipe for my son. What better way to discover your roots and your culture than through food.

    Our foods say a lot about us, who we are, where we have been, where we’re going.

    Traditions and family are everything to me and my family.

    I know that my grandmother would have loved to share this recipe with you too.

    Hungry for More?

    Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter for my latest recipes and videos.

    Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!

    A cake knife removing a slice of Flan from the dessert.

    Mexican Flan

    Flan is a silky vanilla custard topped with a yummy caramel sauce. It's a very popular dessert that's creamy, rich, and decadent.
    4.78 from 99 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Recipes
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 3 hours hours 45 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 4 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 202kcal
    Author: Maggie Unzueta

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup sugar
    • 6 eggs
    • 3 cups whole milk or half and half
    • ½ cup sugar
    • 1½ teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 teaspoon orange rind grated

    Instructions

    • Heat ½ cup sugar in a skillet, stirring constantly until it melts.
    • It will turn a dark golden color.
    • Remove from heat.
    • Immediately pour the melted sugar into a round tart pan or round pie pan.
    • Swirl it around the pan to evenly coat the bottom.
    • In a large bowl, beat the eggs.
    • To the bowl, add milk (or half and half), ½ cup sugar, vanilla, and orange peel.
    • For the water bath:
    • Place a large roasting pan on an oven rack.
    • Inside the roasting pan, add the caramel coated pan to the center.
    • Pour egg mixture into the caramel coated pan.
    • Run the tap water until it gets hot.
    • Carefully add the hot tap water in the roasting pan and around the uncooked flan pan to a depth of 1 inch.
    • Bake at 325 F for close to l hour, or until a knife comes out clean.
    • Cool the flan on a wire rack.
    • Then chill for at least 3½ hours.
    • To unmold the flan:
    • Use a spatula and gently go around the sides of the pan.
    • Place the serving platter over the pan.
    • Flip the pan and the platter and allow the flan to come down.
    • Spoon any of the caramel that may remain in the pan on top of the flan.
    • Slice and Enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    Chill for at least 3½ hours. Overnight is best. 
    When you flip the pan, slowly remove the platter. Allow the flan to come down, or it can crack. 
    The DEEPER the pan, the THICKER the flan will be. 
    To make this recipe using a pie pan, you will need TWO pie pans. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 166mg | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 326IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @MamaMaggiesKitchen or tag #MamaMaggiesKitchen!
    Maggie Unzueta
    Website | + posts

    Maggie Unzueta is the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer, videographer, and creator of In Mama Maggie's Kitchen. She has been developing easy and authentic Mexican food, Mexican-inspired recipes, and traveling tips since 2010. From family recipes to her extensive travels throughout Mexico, she brings traditional Mexican flavors from South of the Border and into your kitchen. Maggie has been featured in notable culinary websites and other media outlets. For more details, check out her About page.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Susan

      September 26, 2023 at 12:21 pm

      I’d like to make this for my sons girlfriend for her birthday but I have a question on the eggs. I have chickens that lay different size eggs so could you give me how many ounces the 6 eggs would be?
      Thank you. This will be my first attempt at making flan- looks delish.

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 27, 2023 at 9:36 am

        I love knowing that you have chickens and fresh eggs! For this flan recipe, I use large eggs. About 2 oz each. Hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Annette

      September 24, 2023 at 5:14 am

      5 stars
      I’m looking forward to making this. Would it be best to spray the pie plate with Pam before adding the meltd sugar and flan mixture? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 25, 2023 at 8:44 am

        I don’t normally spray with Pam, but it might help when releasing the flan.

        Reply
    3. Bethany

      April 12, 2023 at 2:03 pm

      My son requested flan for his birthday, but I’ve never made it. 😬 Should the baking dish be greased or wax papered to keep it from sticking? I don’t own a non-stick baking pan that would work. Looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        April 14, 2023 at 11:44 am

        The caramelized sugar will coat the bottom of the dish and create a non-stick surface. As it says in the recipe, you have to let it chill before unmolding, overnight in the fridge is best. Then, run a knife around the edge of the mold and unmold, you can watch the video of the recipe here on the blog. Hope you and your son like it!

        Reply
        • Bethany

          April 19, 2023 at 9:57 am

          Awesome, thank you! ☺️

        • Maggie Unzueta

          April 20, 2023 at 9:26 am

          You’re quite welcome! 🙂

    4. Marilyn

      January 16, 2023 at 5:01 am

      Does this need to be covered during baking?

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        January 17, 2023 at 10:40 am

        No. It’s cooked uncovered.

        Reply
    5. Laura

      November 15, 2022 at 10:32 am

      Hola, Maggie. Me encantaría preparar esta receta pero me gustaría ver el video antes porque no salgo bien sin una visualización. No puedo hallar el video en este enlace. Me puede responder con el enlace? Esta receta parece muy rica por eso me encantaría ver el video.

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        November 28, 2022 at 7:24 am

        El video esta donde dice “Flan Video.” Si lo estas viendo por el cel, sale en una pantalla en la parte baja. Espero que te guste.

        Reply
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