My family’s flan recipe dates back to the late 1700s/ early 1800s.
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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.
The recipe originally came from Spain and had no vanilla extract. Vanilla is native to Mexico. That’s why I refer to it as a “Mexican Flan recipe.”
Sweet, creamy, decadent, and incredibly delicious.
Table of Contents
🥣 Instructions
- Put the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs together.
It comes together very, very easily. Waiting for hours to chill is the hard part.
This is an authentic flan recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. It is different from the blender kind that uses cream cheese.
It was given to me by my grandmother, the original Mama Maggie. My namesake.
- Mix well until combined.
Orange zest is used to make this Mexican flan recipe. Some members of my family 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.
- 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.
- Cover with aluminum foil 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.
- 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.
What Baking Pan To Use
- 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!
- I recommend using a deep cake pan or a ramekin.
- Nowadays, they have flan molds and flan double broiler sets that make it easier to unmold.
👩🏼🍳 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.
- Invert the baking dish gently.
- 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 on the bottom of the pan.
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
Variations
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!
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!!
More Spanish-Mexican Desserts
Churros
Arroz con Leche
Rosca de Reyes (Roscon de Reyes, in Spain)
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!
I originally published this Mexican Flan 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.
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Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!
Mexican Flan
Ingredients
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!
This is one of my favorite desserts. It is so easy to make and definitely delicious!
One of my favorites too. Thank you!!!
This dish is so enticing and tempting! Definitely looks so delicious and yummy! It was done perfectly! Loved it!
That makes me so happy to hear. Hope you make it again. 🙂
I’ve made your flan twice now and each time it’s a huge hit. This and your pastel de tres leches are always requested. Incredibly delicious recipes!
Your comment made my day! This is one of my most beloved family recipes. Thank you for making this recipe.
Is it possible to bake in individual custard cups?
Yes. Of course. Same temperature and time as noted in the recipe card.
How many cups will the recipe fill?
Hi. I’m sorry. I don’t understand your question. Cups? Are you referring to baking cups? Or how many cups are in the filling?
can i travel a few miles before inverting? i would love to take this to a Mexican potluck 😊
It should be ok, but just be sure to keep it cold.
I’m going to try this)) I always thought that the caramel on top was something that was poured on at the end! Thanks for sharing))
Thanks for your comment.
I made it and it was wonderful! Very authentic! I used pie plates because my tart pan is too shallow. Note to myself, I think it PROBABLY would have fit in 1 pie plate because divided between 2 of them they ended up pretty thin. Also I think it might be helpful to warm up the pie plates (I used glass) as the caramel cooled so rapidly I couldn’t spread it. I ended up making a second batch of caramel and poured into warmer plates.Those are just issues I ran into with my equipment, otherwise the recipe is great.
I need to invest in a flan pan myself. I have made them in pie plates before, and yes, they do come out thin. The thicker the pan, the thicker the flan. Sounds wonderful regardless, and so glad you liked this recipe!!
Absolutely the BEST flan recipe
That makes me so happy to hear. This recipe has been in my family for many generations. I love being able to pass it on to other people.
Oh heavens your flan is gorgeous!! I just want to reach into these images and grab a slice. Beautiful dessert and it’s so easy too! I might make this for either Easter or Mother’s Day…perfect treat for the holidays 🙂
I think so too delicious glad you liked it
Is this eggy or more custard texture?
It’s more custard texture than eggy.
I love flan but ever made it myself. Thank you for this detailed recipe instructions, I will try to make it sometime soon!
So glad you enjoyed this!
Flan is one of my favorite desserts – I could probably eat it every day and not get tired of that creamy flavor. Thank you for sharing your family’s recipe. I am going to try the basic flan first and then move on to key lime!
So glad you enjoyed this! Hope you try this recipe
Hi! I like the lightness of this recipe. The only thing that threw me off was the note that said to use two pie pans. The recipe is for one pie pan.
Ahh.. I used a pie pan in the video. 🙂 That’s why I added that note. A flan pan would be the best. If using a flan pan, then no need to modify the instructions.
What a delightful recipe. I don’t eat enough flan, I need more such desserts in my life. Definitely starting from your recipe.
This recipe is delicious. Hope you try it!
I feel so honored when I see a family recipe that someone is willing to share! I know some things are best kept in the family but I also know these are the best recipes to try! Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed this. Hope you try it!
Your recipe looks delicious, and I am betting this would go over well with my friends and family! A must-make recipe for sure. Have a wonderful day, and I will come back to let you know how it turns out.
Please do! But I bet everyone will love it
Definitely one of the easiest Mexican desserts ever and always so delicious. Happy to see your recipe is made with whole milk.
So glad you enjoyed this! Hope you try it
I’ve always wanted to try flan. Your recipe was easy to follow and came out just like the photos! Really delicious!
So glad you enjoyed this!
Why is prep time 3 hrs 45 min?
This includes the 3 hours of chilling needed for the flan to set.
I’ve only made flan once but I am sure yours is way better! Had no idea Mexican flan wasn’t originally from Mexico interesting!
Hope you try this recipe!
This is one of the best desserts I ever tasted! Finally, I had this recipe and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks a lot for sharing!
Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed this!
Delicious! I’m picky about Flan. It’s truly one of my favorite desserts! Actually, I can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed this!