Flan Recipes

By Food & Wine
Updated February 15, 2018
Credit: Romulo Yanes
Savory or sweet, these creamy takes on traditional Spanish custard are delicious for any time of day.
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Flan de Caramelo

Credit: © Con Poulos
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The simple addition of orange to this traditional Spanish dish from chef Andrew Zimmern takes this creamy dessert to new heights.

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Vanilla-Orange Flan

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This thick, creamy flan--Jose Garces's mother's recipe--is a staple in his household. Garces likes to serve it alongside a refreshing salad of melon and citrus.

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Warm Onion Flans with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Credit: © KELLER & KELLER
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These flans (and other egg-thickened custards that are made without flour) benefit from being cooked in a water bath, where they are surrounded by gentle, moist heat. Any small glass, metal or ceramic baking dish can be used to fashion the water bath, as long as it's at least 2 inches deep. For even cooking, it's best if the ramekins fit snugly in the water bath and if the water reaches at least halfway up their sides.

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Maple Custards with Sugared Pecans

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One of Jose Andres's favorite American sweets is pecan pie. "We love nuts in Spain too, but I confess I find pecan pie a little heavy. This version is my attempt to lighten it up a little." This twist was inspired by tocino de cielo, a rich, eggy cousin of flan.

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Carrot Flan with Thyme Crumbs

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Carrots, the ultimate good-for-you vegetable, can also be decadent--as this silky, thyme-crusted flan proves.

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Flan with Caramel and Orange

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"I make a dozen desserts and this is one of them. It's flawless and will be the best flan you ever tasted--seriously, even chef Jose Andres would be impressed. My Spanish food mentor from decades ago, cookbook author Penelope Casas, inspired me with a flan recipe she used to cook. The orange is a classic Iberian Peninsula flavoring addition (no surprise here), but resting the flan out of the water after cooking is key. You will not be able to keep these around, so always make extra." - Andrew Zimmern

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Canadian Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Flan

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Canadian bacon is a lean, smoked meat that is more similar to ham than to bacon. It comes from the loin cut. Dan Philips, founder of the Grateful Palate, likes the intense flavor of Carlton Canadian bacon from Oregon.

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Coconut Flans with Rum

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Coconut appears in many desserts in Martinique. This flan is a variation on the French creme caramel and is cooked using the same classic technique--in a water bath at low temperature.

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Honey-Caramelized Pears with Orange-Vanilla Flan

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The custard for Julian Serrano's flan needs to stand overnight so it can be infused with the flavors of the orange zest and the vanilla bean. Plan accordingly, and start the recipe one day in advance.

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Lemon-and-Cinnamon-Scented Flan

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This milky, silky, delicate flan, topped with an almost-burnt caramel sauce, was created by Jeff Koehler, an American living in Barcelona, who co-wrote a Catalan cookbook. Koehler's unconventional touch--infusing the custard with a hint of cinnamon and lemon--is a nod to the influence of Moorish flavors on Spanish culture.

Tip: When adding the warm milk to the egg mixture, be sure to add it slowly, whisking constantly, so the eggs don't curdle.

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Breton Prune Flan

Credit: © JEAN MARIE DEL MORAL
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Far Breton is found at practically every pastry shop and farmers' market in Brittany, but this recipe, enriched with butter and Armagnac-soaked prunes, is the best you're ever likely to taste.

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Burnt Caramel Flan

Credit: Romulo Yanes
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Photographer Romulo Yanes lets the requisite caramel sauce in this vanilla-flecked flan go a shade darker for a faint bitter edge that cuts through the dense, sweet custard. For a distinctly Cuban touch, he tops the flan with a rum-spiked whipped cream.

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