Spanish Flan Recipe

two dessert plates with flan and thin sugar syrup with one having a bite taken out with a spoon

5 from 23 votes

Spanish flan is a creamy egg custard dessert with sweet sugar syrup. It's incredibly easy to make and all you need is just 4 ingredients! The vanilla custard is firm enough to hold its shape, but once you put it in your mouth, it literally melts on your tongue.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Chill Time4

Total Time5 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Spanish

Servings: servings

Calories: 293kcal

Author: Sabine

Ingredients

1 ½ cups granulated white sugar, divided
4 large eggs
2 cups full-fat milk
2 vanilla beans* (or 2 teaspoon vanilla extract)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Place six 1-cup ramekins in a 9"x13" casserole dish and fill with hot tap water until the ramekins are halfway submerged. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, cook 1 cup (200g) sugar until sugar is completely dissolved, liquefied and golden brown in color. Stir constantly and make sure that you don't overcook it. The sugar burns very quickly. Immediately spoon evenly into prepared ramekins. If the sugar becomes hard when you spoon it into the ramekins, return it to the heat for a few seconds to re-liquefy it. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and remaining ½ cup (100g) sugar on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add milk and vanilla* and mix to combine. Pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove almost all air bubbles. Divide evenly among the ramekins. Cover each ramekin separately with aluminum foil and seal tightly. Bake for about 60-70 minutes. The flan will wobble like a pudding or jelly when it's done. Don't overbake. Then remove from the water bath and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill in the fridge for 4 hours.
Once cool and set, run a sharp, thin-bladed knife around the inside of the ramekins to break the seal between the flan and the ramekins. Then place a plate on top and turn the plate over. Shake the ramekins gently so that the flan falls out of the mold and onto the plate. The sugar syrup runs over the custard, so it is best to use a dessert plate with rimmed edges. Do not scrape the hardened sugar out of the ramekins. For easier cleaning, fill the molds with hot tap water and let stand until the hard sugar crust has dissolved. Store leftovers in the ramekins in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

Notes

*Cut off the straight ends of the vanilla beans. Then, insert the tip of a sharp knife under the curled end and slice the vanilla bean lengthwise down the center of the bean. Although you don't have to cut it all the way through, it's okay if you do. Then open the vanilla bean and scrape out the flavorful seeds with the back of a knife. Just use the seeds.

Nutrition