Today we’re making my mom’s Puerto Rican flan recipe. This classic dessert consists of a lusciously creamy custard filling topped with homemade caramel.

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A Puerto Rican Classic
Flan is a classic Puerto Rican dessert (also known as an egg custard to many) and is made with a milk and egg base.
Traditionally, this custard is poured over a caramelized sugar base, baked and flipped upside down to reveal a beautiful caramel topping.
It’s the perfect combination of light creamy custard and rich sweet caramel.
Ingredients + how to
Here at Salima's Kitchen, we love an easy recipe and my mom’s Puerto Rican flan recipe is about as simple as it gets.
In fact it's so easy, it comes together in 3 simple steps:
- Make your caramel (1 ingredient, 15 minutes)
- Blend literally everything else in a blender (yes, a blender)
- Pour the mix over your caramel and bake in a water bath. Flip it and serve!
Heading to the store and need a list? I’ve got you covered!
To make this dish you will need:
For the caramel layer :
- White granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
- milk
- vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- 5 eggs
- More white granulated sugar
Making the caramel (you’ve got this!)
If you've ever researched making caramel at home, you may have been spooked by all the complicated directions, degrees and instructions on cooking with candy thermometers.
But fear not, my mom’s Puerto Rican flan recipe has the easiest directions for making caramel you will ever follow. No thermometers or candy making degrees required.
What this caramel recipe does require is patience.
I promise that like my mom and I, you will think everything is "under control". You will likely get bored of staring at a pan of sugar and be tempted to walk away to do the dishes, text, or pour yourself a drink.
Don't fall for this trap.
Dedicate 15-20 minutes to watching your sugar slowly melt, shaking the pan occasionally to help things melt evenly. This dry method of caramel making is so simple, but does require 100% of your attention.
Pour your sugar into a dry pan over medium low heat. Resist the urge to mess with the heat. Just trust me.
Keep shaking the pan occasionally to help the sugar crystals melt evenly. Eventually your sugar will start to brown and bubble and liquify. This is what you want!
Once the sugar is 100% melted, pour it into your baking vessel. It's important to swirl the baking dish around to make sure the caramel is coating the bottom and all sides of the dish.
My mom and I usually grab a round glass pyrex dish for this recipe but you can use whatever you have on hand that's oven safe.
Creme Brulee vs. Flan
For many Americans, flan is just the Spanish version of Creme Brulee.
While the two dishes have many similarities, flan does not have the hard brulee crust or require any special tools (like a torch) to make.
Additionally, flan involves the process of baking the custard on top of the caramel, then flipping it after it's cooked and cooled. Creme brulee involves baking the custard alone, then sprinkling with sugar and using a torch to caramelize as mentioned above.
Different variations to try
This version of flan is the most traditional in Puerto Rico and can be found at most panaderias (Puerto Rican or Spanish bakeries).
Many Latin cultures have their own versions of the traditional flan that will vary between countries. That said, there are also variations between flavors of flan.
I've seen cheese flan, guava flan, and flancho (cake based) flan.
Last year on Salima’s Kitchen my mom and I shared this Puerto Rican Salted Coconut Flan. We gave the classic dessert a tropical twist using sweetened condensed coconut milk in the custard and adding some salt to the caramel. I highly recommend giving it a try if you enjoy the classic version!
That said, you can experiment with any of your favorite sweet flavors in this dessert.
You can play around and incorporate different tropical fruit flavors as you like, but this Puerto Rican Salted Coconut Flan is my new favorite variation.
In the end, you can't go wrong with flan.
And if you're interested in trying some other Puerto Rican food, check out this collection of my favorite Puerto Rican recipes.
Happy cooking!
Salima
PrintPuerto Rican Flan Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Puerto Rican, Dessert, Custard, Flan
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Caramel:
-
1 cup white granulated sugar
For the Custard Filling:
-
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
-
1 cup milk
-
½ tbsp vanilla extract
-
A pinch of salt
-
5 eggs
-
½ cup white granulated sugar
Instructions
-
Pour sugar into a heavy bottomed pot and melt over medium low heat. You can shake the pan occasionally to ensure the sugar melts evenly.
-
Once the sugar has melted completely (can take up to 20 minutes) and there are no sugar crystals remaining, pour and spread caramel in an oven resistant dish or dishes. Set the dish aside.
-
Next, add all filling ingredients to a blender and blend until velvety smooth. Pour this mixture into your baking dish (over the caramel and salt.)
-
Bake in a water bath (placing your baking dish inside another, larger oven safe dish with a layer of water) at 350 degrees for 60-80 minutes, or until the center looks jiggly (think jello) but not liquid. Remove the flan from the oven and allow time to cool completely.
-
Using a knife, loosen the edges around your flan and the baking dish. Grab a platter to serve the flan on and place it over the baking dish. Carefully flip the flan onto your platter, allowing the caramel to drizzle over the top. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Keywords: Puerto Rican Flan Recipe, Flan Recipe, Puerto Rican Flan
Comments
Celia
I like how this recipe is easier than making creme brûlée. Definitely a new favorite for me to make!
★★★★★
Steve
ANy dessert I can make in a blender is an automatic favorite. Feels like I'm in PR again with this one.
★★★★★
Charlotte
Where is the coconut flan recipe? Do you have a cream cheese flan, or coconut cream cheese flan recipe?
★★★★★
Salima Benkhalti
Hi Charlotte! You can find the coconut flan recipe here: https://salimaskitchen.com/puerto-rican-salted-coconut-flan/
Unfortunately, we don't have any cream cheese flan recipes. Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Vanessa Agosto
Cream cheese flan it's made adding to this same recipe a block of cream cheese and that's it; (known as Philadelphia cheese) At least, that's how we've always make it. Delicious every time as well.
Salima Benkhalti
I love that version! Thanks Vanessa.
Jen
Outstanding! Super easy! I boiled the water for the bath prior to putting it in the oven. The whole thing was just perfect. I also used a cast iron skillet to melt the sugar it took a.long time to melt, at least a 1/2 hr. Will make this again and again thank you for a fantastic recipe! I can’t wait to try out the coconut flan.
★★★★★
Salima Benkhalti
I'm so happy to hear you had success making flan Jen! Thank you for leaving a comment and I can't wait to hear how it goes with the coconut flan 🙂
Vanessa Agosto
Flancocho instead of flancho 😉
it's a delicious recipe, thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Wayne Williams
Awesome recipe and super easy to make! Best of all, IT TASTES AMAZING!! 😋 I love flan, and your recipe is the first one I’ve tried! No need to find another because this is fantastic! I’m even sharing your recipe with a great friend of mine who is from Puerto Rico and loves making flan! Thanks so much! Now all I have to do is watch my waist line! 😂
★★★★★
Salima Benkhalti
Thank you for your comment Wayne! I am so glad to hear it was both easy to make, and (most importantly) tasted great ☺️
Jennifer kaplan
I made this the first time for a friend who is from Puerto Rico. It turned out beautiful. So proud and thankful..
★★★★★
Salima Benkhalti
Thank you so much for your comment and review Jennifer. I know how much pride comes from cooking and sharing a meal with loved ones and I'm honored you chose my recipe. Thank you and I am so happy you enjoyed it!
Tony
My wife made this for me and it is the best flan I've ever had
★★★★★
Salima Benkhalti
So happy to hear that Tony!