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Home » Recipes » Desserts » Flan + VIDEO

Flan + VIDEO

Last Updated February 1, 2022. Originally Posted May 10, 2021 By Maggie Unzueta

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

Flan is a silky vanilla custard topped with a yummy caramel sauce. It's a very popular dessert that's creamy, rich, and decadent.
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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.

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.

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 1/2 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 1/2 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?

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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.
5 from 19 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Recipes
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 50 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!

Filed Under: Desserts, Mexican, Popular Recipes, Recipes

About Maggie Unzueta

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.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rose Ann Sales

    January 27, 2021 at 12:54 am

    5 stars
    It looks so great, I’m sure it’s gonna be so delicious.

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      January 28, 2021 at 8:49 am

      It is indeed! Hope you try it

      Reply
  2. Crystal Carder

    January 27, 2021 at 5:40 am

    I have never tried Flan, but I love that it uses a ton of eggs. We have chickens and are currently overflowing in eggs, I will be trying this recipe.

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      January 28, 2021 at 8:48 am

      Perfect time for this recipe then! Hope you try it!

      Reply
  3. Marysa

    January 27, 2021 at 6:31 am

    I haven’t had flan in ages, and I would love to try making some at home. It is nice to have some different recipe ideas for dessert.

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      January 28, 2021 at 8:48 am

      Hope you try this recipe! It’s delicious

      Reply
  4. MELANIE EDJOURIAN

    January 27, 2021 at 6:54 am

    This is one of my favourite desserts. I’ve made a vanilla and also orange one before but not tried a chocolate one yet.

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      January 28, 2021 at 8:47 am

      They are all delicious!

      Reply
  5. Sally Pederson

    January 27, 2021 at 11:25 am

    It looks great! However, I’m not a baker so maybe I can find someone to make it for me. (hahahaha)

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      January 28, 2021 at 8:47 am

      It’s not complicated at all! Hope you try it!

      Reply
  6. Everything Enchanting

    January 27, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    My gosh, Flan looks so utterly delicious 😍 I’ll definitely try this recipe soon. My hubby would love this surely ❤️

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      January 28, 2021 at 8:46 am

      Hope you try it! It’s really yummy

      Reply
  7. Tara Ade

    January 29, 2021 at 12:51 pm

    I can’t believe I hadn’t tried flan until recently. I’ll be trying this recipe for sure! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      February 3, 2021 at 10:25 am

      Hope you try it! It’s amazing!

      Reply
  8. Gina

    February 15, 2021 at 6:21 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      February 18, 2021 at 1:14 pm

      So glad you enjoyed this!

      Reply
  9. Allyssa

    March 23, 2021 at 2:17 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      March 30, 2021 at 1:24 pm

      Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed this!

      Reply
  10. Heather

    March 23, 2021 at 1:28 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      April 5, 2021 at 2:43 pm

      Hope you try this recipe!

      Reply
  11. Karen Fulton

    March 24, 2021 at 6:11 pm

    Why is prep time 3 hrs 45 min?

    Reply
    • Maggie Unzueta

      May 3, 2021 at 11:16 am

      This includes the 3 hours of chilling needed for the flan to set.

      Reply
  12. Veronika Sykorova

    March 25, 2021 at 7:46 am

    5 stars
    I’ve always wanted to try flan. Your recipe was easy to follow and came out just like the photos! Really delicious!

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      March 31, 2021 at 5:01 pm

      So glad you enjoyed this!

      Reply
  13. Silvia

    March 25, 2021 at 10:59 am

    5 stars
    Definitely one of the easiest Mexican desserts ever and always so delicious. Happy to see your recipe is made with whole milk.

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      March 29, 2021 at 5:24 pm

      So glad you enjoyed this! Hope you try it

      Reply
  14. Heidy

    March 26, 2021 at 1:44 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      March 30, 2021 at 1:20 pm

      Please do! But I bet everyone will love it

      Reply
  15. Leslie

    March 26, 2021 at 12:38 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Maggie U

      March 30, 2021 at 1:11 pm

      Glad you enjoyed this. Hope you try it!

      Reply
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iBienvenidos! I'm Maggie. Welcome to my blog! My passion is authentic Mexican food and traveling throughout Mexico to bring you the very BEST in culture and cuisine.

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