The Only Flan Recipe You'll Ever Need

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 5 whole eggs + 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

Build:

Prep the oven and water bath:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place a roasting pan in the oven and fill with enough hot water to come just below the top of a 9-inch cake pan. (Careful — it’ll be hot.)

Make the caramel:

1. Add sugar and water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, swirling occasionally to help the sugar dissolve.
2. Cook 10–15 minutes, until the sugar turns a deep amber color.
3. Carefully pour the caramel into a 9-inch cake pan and swirl to coat the bottom evenly.
4. Set aside and let cool 10–15 minutes.

Make the custard:

1.  While the caramel is cooking, add the eggs and yolks to a large bowl and whisk vigorously until fully combined and uniform.
2. Add vanilla and whisk gently to incorporate.
3. Add condensed milk and evaporated milk; whisk until smooth.
4. Let the mixture rest while the caramel cools so air bubbles can rise to the surface.
5. Pour the rested custard mixture over the cooled caramel.
6. Place the cake pan into the prepared water bath.
7. Bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes. The flan should jiggle slightly in the center but not slosh when gently shaken.
8. Remove from oven and let cool on the counter 30–60 minutes.
9. Serve once cooled, or refrigerate for a few hours if you prefer it chilled. Note: The texture will continue to firm up as it cools.

To serve:

1. Run a rubber spatula or thin plastic knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the flan.
2. Place a baking sheet or platter over the pan and carefully invert.
3. Slice and enjoy!

 As they say, all roads lead to Rome, and flan is no different. While the original custards served there were likely a far cry from the sweet, creamy treat we know today, they laid some very important groundwork. Originally called tyropatina, these custard precursors (or “pre-custards,” if you will) were sometimes sweet, often savory, but always thickened with eggs. Thankfully, as time marched on, the sweet versions began to grow in popularity and eventually became the standard.

Fast forward a bit, and these egg custards began branching out across Europe, eventually landing in France, where crème caramel, an early relative of flan, took hold. During the Middle Ages, the dish made its way to Spain, where the recipe was further refined into something much closer to the flan we know today. It never fully lost its French roots, though, as even the word flan comes from the Old French flaon, meaning “flat cake.”

As time continued to march on, so did flan, traveling the globe and weaving itself into countless cultures, adapting to local tastes and ingredients along the way. In the process, it became one of the most recognizable desserts in the world: simple, customizable, endlessly adaptable, and equally at home in fine-dining restaurants and humble home kitchens.

Flan has stood the test of time, and shows no signs of stopping.