This pumpkin flan (flan de calabaza) is a fun Fall twist on the traditional Puerto Rican dessert. It has that signature custard filling with creamy pumpkin and is topped with a classic caramel sauce.

Sliced pumpkin flan on a white plate.

If you love baking with pumpkin, you will love this flan de calabaza. It’s a cozy, creamy smooth dessert that’s both impressive and easy to make.

A whole cup of pumpkin puree gets blended into the base, along with evaporated milk, vanilla extract, eggs, and whole milk, giving the dessert a pumpkin pie-like flavor and texture.

It’s a seasonal spin on one of the blog’s most popular recipes to date, my mom’s Puerto Rican flan. The custard-like base of this sweet treat comes together in a blender, and is poured over a homemade caramel sauce, just like the classic version!

And if you’re on a real pumpkin kick this fall, make sure to try this easy pumpkin cold foam and my homemade pumpkin empanadas!

ingredients to make pumpkin flan

Making the Caramel

Making the Flan

Pumpkin flan on a white plate.

Tips on Making the Caramel

Making the caramel is the most delicate part of this recipe.

It’s 2 ingredients (water + sugar), that get melted over medium heat in a pan. The trickiest part is having patience, because it should take somewhere between 10-15 minutes to turn to a caramel.

Watch the mixture closely while you wait, as the sugar and water combine into a translucent liquid, then turn in color to a light shade of golden brown. At this point you want to quickly take it off the heat to prevent it from browning too much and giving off a burnt flavor.

Carefully pour the caramel into your baking dish and tilt the dish in every direction to spread the caramel evenly. Note that the baking dish will get hot here, so use a towel or gloves to protect your hands, if necessary.

I can’t stress how careful you have to be at this step – I’ve burnt myself with this caramel before and still have a little scar years later!

Sliced pumpkin flan on a white plate.

Caramel Sticking to the Pan?

Sometimes a thick layer of caramel will stick to the bottom of the pan, even after flipping the flan.

This can happen for a few reasons:

  • Reason 1: The layer of caramel was too thick at the bottom of the baking dish, which means the caramel was too thick to melt all the way through
  • Reason 2: The surface area of the baking dish was too small, making it difficult for the caramel to melt all the way through

Even with all of the right components, this happens. I like to leave the baking dish upside down over the flan until I’m ready to serve, to allow as much of the caramel as possible to drizzle over top!

Sliced pumpkin flan on a white plate.

How to Know When Your Flan is Done

You’ll know the flan is ready to come out of the oven when it appears firm around the edges and somewhat jiggly in the center.

You can also insert a knife or toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, you’re good to remove it from the oven.

Equipment

Here are the special tools you will need to make flan de calabaza:

  • A pan to make the caramel. You can use whatever you have, just make sure to be careful when making it as it gets extremely hot and can burn you.
  • Blender – you could probably get away with using a bowl and a whisk to mix the filling, but using a blender makes it lusciously smooth and consistent in a matter of seconds
  • 9 inch round baking dish to make the flan and a larger baking dish/pot to make the water bath. Sometimes I’ll use a large dutch oven or pot for the water bath vessel.
Sliced pumpkin flan on a white plate.

More Flan Recipes

Buen provecho!

Salima written in cursive
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Sliced pumpkin flan on a white plate.

Pumpkin Flan (Flan de Calabaza)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

This Pumpkin Flan (Flan de Calabaza) is a fun Fall twist on the traditional Puerto Rican dessert. It has that signature custard filling with creamy pumpkin and is topped with a classic caramel sauce.


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Caramel:

  • 1 heaping cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup water

For the Pumpkin Custard Filling:

  • 1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • a pinch of salt
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Make the caramel. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees C / 177 degrees F. Pour sugar and water into a pan and melt over medium low heat. Continue to melt as the mixture turns into a transparent liquid and then to a light golden color.
  2. Pour the caramel. Once a light golden liquid forms, carefully pour it into an oven safe baking dish (or dishes). Move the pan around (being very careful not to drip caramel on yourself) to create an even layer.
  3. Make the pumpkin filling. Add all filling ingredients to a blender and blend until velvety smooth. Pour the mixture into the baking dish/dishes over the caramel. Any leftover filling can be poured over the leftover caramel, in a smaller baking dish. 
  4. Bake in a water bath. Add the baking dish/dishes to another larger baking dish with walls high enough to make a water bath. Bake for 60-80 minutes or until the center looks jiggly like jello, but not liquid.
  5. Cool & serve. Cool completely before using a knife to loosen the edges around the baking dish. Refrigerate until ready to serve. When serving, grab a platter and place it over the baking dish/dishes. Carefully flip the flan onto your platter, allowing caramel to drizzle over the top. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

You’ll know the flan is ready to come out of the oven when it appears firm around the edges and somewhat jiggly in the center.

You can also insert a knife or toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, you’re good to remove it from the oven.