This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.
This sous vide flan has the smoothest, creamiest custard ever served over a quick, homemade "burnt" caramel.
And of course, making it in the sous vide ensures you get perfect results every time!
The sous vide nails it again! If you thought we used sous vide for just meat, think again.
It makes absolutely incredible desserts (this sous vide flan was literally one of my all time favorite desserts ever in the history of the world). Try some of these:
- Sous Vide Cheesecake (so creamy and the crust is soooooo good)
- Sous Vide Pots de Creme (so deliciously rich and chocolaty)
- Sous Vide Crème Brulee (this one used to be my favorite because flan came along)
- Sous Vide Yogurt (not technically a dessert, but guys, so good!)
- Sous Vide Lemon Curd (or any kind of citrus curd!)
- Sous Vide Custard
- 10+ Sous Vide Desserts
Because I am a fan of flan, we also make an Instant Pot flan that is pretty fire too. Try them both and let me know which one you prefer!
Jump to:
What is Flan?
Well, besides being one of my new favorite desserts, it is also a Spanish dessert made from custard and caramel. It's often served in Latin countries such as Spain, Mexico and other Latin American countries (as well as the Caribbean).
It's actually quite simple to make, and similar to a French crème caramel or an egg custard. The ingredients vary slightly from place to place, but it is always made with caramel on the bottom.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Went Here 8 This.
Why This Recipe Works
In short, it's the sous vide that makes this recipe work so well - it's just so easy it's almost impossible to screw up!
- It only takes a few minutes to mix the custard together and can be fun to infuse with other flavors (scroll down for fun options).
- The caramel is almost totally hands off and much easier to make than you might think!
- Of course, the sous vide never over or under cooks, so it's perfect every time.
- It works amazing for parties as it can be served in the cute individual jars! Great for portion control too 🙂
What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator (i.e. the sous vide machine). This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.
Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.
To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."
Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Whenever we're making something egg based like a custard, using fresh eggs will always offer the best results, however, use what you have!
I always recommend using whole milk, never skim or 1-2% as your flan won't be quite as creamy and delicious.
Sweetened condensed milk also serves to add some creaminess as well as the sweetness to the flan.
Good quality vanilla extract will help provide a better flavor.
Step By Step Instructions
Heat a sous vide water bath to 179F degrees.
Combine all the ingredients for the flan in a bowl and mix with a handheld or countertop mixer for 3-5 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and mix to combine.
Heat over low heat until sugar starts to melt. Swirl the pan every couple minutes (DO NOT MIX).
Once sugar is an amber color, remove from heat and spoon into 12-4 ounce canning jars (warmed) evenly. Let sit for 2-3 minutes to cool and harden.
Pour the flan mixture over top of the caramel evenly across the jars.
Screw the lids on so they are just "finger tight." Do not over tighten or the jars may crack. Stop tightening as soon as you feel the lid grab.
Cook in the water bath for 1 hour. Remove and let cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
Tighten lids and place in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. For best results, let it sit a full 24 hours before serving!
Serve in jars.
Expert Tips
- Start with the ingredients at room temperature for the best results.
- Whatever you do, do not mix the caramel while it's cooking. It may seem counterintuitive, but just leave it to slowly melt and brown, occasionally swirling it.
- Mix in any additional flavors (see below for options) you want before pouring the custard in the jars.
- Tighten the jars "finger tight." This means you tighten the lids until you barely feel it grab the jar. It should be easy to twist the lid back off with your fingertips.
- Let the jars sit for at least 8 hours to give the caramel time to soften. The flan can be eaten before, but the caramel may still be hard.
Variations
This flan has a mild vanilla flavor, but can be made stronger with additional vanilla as well. You can also use some of these other ingredients in place of the vanilla (or with it):
- Almond extract
- Orange zest (or lemon/lime)
- Coconut extract or ¼ cup grated coconut
- 1 tablespoon ground coffee
- 4 ounces melted semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- A couple fresh sprigs culinary lavender or other herbs as desired
Storage Instructions
You can keep the flan in the glass jars in the fridge for up to 5 days. It won't last that long, believe me.
I do not recommend freezing the flan. There are some sites out there that tell you you can, but it does not work well or this recipe as you would need to take it rom the jars and it would be difficult to freeze along with the caramel (the caramel will be liquid at this point).
And the flan without the caramel is just not the same dish. Not worth freezing to me.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you overcook flan it can become eggy and rubbery instead of creamy and light. Cooking flan sous vide ensures it will be cooked perfectly every time.
Flan actually is traditionally served cool or cold, but can be served warm if that is your preference. Most custard based desserts are served cold.
There are actually more than 3 types of flan as there are variations made in many different countries. However, the 3 most common are Mexican flan, Cuban Flan and Spanish Flan.
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Sous Vide Flan
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Caramel:
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Heat a sous vide water bath to 179F degrees.
- Combine all the ingredients for the flan in a bowl and mix with a handheld or countertop mixer for 3-5 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
- Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and mix to combine.
- Heat over low heat until sugar starts to melt. Swirl the pan every couple minutes (DO NOT MIX).
- Once sugar is an amber color, remove from heat and spoon into 12-4 ounce canning jars (warmed) evenly. Let sit for 2-3 minutes to cool and harden.
- Pour the flan mixture over top of the caramel evenly across the jars.
- Screw the lids on so they are just "finger tight." Do not over tighten or the jars may crack. Stop tightening as soon as you feel the lid grab.
- Cook in the water bath for 1 hour. Remove and let cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Tighten lids and place in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
- Serve in jars.
Expert Tips:
- Start with the ingredients at room temperature for the best results.
- Whatever you do, do not mix the caramel while it's cooking. It may seem counterintuitive, but just leave it to slowly melt and brown, occasionally swirling it.
- Mix in any additional flavors (see below for options) you want before pouring the custard in the jars.
- Tighten the jars "finger tight." This means you tighten the lids until you barely feel it grab the jar. It should be easy to twist the lid back off with your fingertips.
- Let the jars sit for at least 8 hours to give the caramel time to soften. The flan can be eaten before, but the caramel may still be hard.
Nutrition
Roni says
This was my first attempt at sous vide. Okay, I had serious doubts about my chances for success with this recipe as the caramel hardened rock-solid at the bottom of the jars. Then my can of condensed milk was only 300ml (10 oz). But I persevered. I added an extra egg yolk and a little less (evaporated) milk. I ended up accidentally sous vide-ing for 1 hour 45 min. All I can say is... EXCEPTIONAL! Perfectly liquified caramel. Firm, eggy flan. No kidding they won't last.
Danielle says
woohoo I am so glad to hear it! The first time I tested it I thought it wouldn't work too because the caramel hardened, but it comes out great!
Anna says
This recipe was supposed to make 12 4oz jars. It made 7 jars. Both the recipe for the caramel and the custard were short by almost half. I needed 12 and had to make homemade condensed milk to make the full 12 bc I only bought one can. I'm still waiting to try and see if it's any good. It took 3 hours to complete my task. I followed the recipe exactly so I don't know.
Danielle says
Hi Anna! I'm sorry you felt that it didn't make enough for 12 jars! The way the recipe is written, the custard and caramel are evenly distributed across the 12 jars so I'm wondering if you were perhaps filling the jars full? That would cause you to run out of both the caramel and custard before filling all 12 jars. Again, I'm sorry it didn't work the way you expected, and I do still hope the results come out great!
Amy says
What an interesting idea, putting the flan in jelly jars for individual servings. I will have to try this. Thank you
Danielle says
I hope you love it - it is one of our favorite dessert recipes!
Cas says
Hi Danielle,
Maybe a silly question but, can you please advise how much sweetened condensed milk is required for 18 servings?
The recipe calls for "1.5-21 ounce can" . Does this mean that I need 1.5x21 ounce = 31.5 oz (932ml) ?
If I half the amount of servings on your website to for example 9, the recipe calls for "0.75-10.5 ounce can" 7.865 oz (233ml) what doesn't make sense.
I look forward to your reply.
Thanks!!
Danielle says
The recipe makes 12 servings, so you would need 21 ounces of sweetened condensed milk. Honestly, to make it easy I would just double the recipe and make 20 larger servings.
Judy Tipple says
Danielle,
You’ve got me hooked on sous vide! Can I successfully substitute whole milk for the sweetened condensed milk?
Thanks, Judy.
Danielle says
Hi Judy - so glad you're enjoying sous vide! I would not recommend substituting whole milk for the sweetened condensed milk as it won't be sweet enough or thick enough to let the flan set correctly. I haven't tested a recipe for flan without sweetened condensed milk, but if I was going to sub whole milk, I'd add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar in with it as well. But I can't guarantee that would work without testing!
Judy Tipple says
I had be reluctant to try sous vide … mainly I didn’t have the correct equipment. But I did have the right size mason jars and thought I’d give it a try. It was SOOOO good and sooo easy!! Thanks. And now I think I’m ready to try others.
Danielle, I’ve been getting your recipes for quite a while and I have trid several of them. Thank you so very much for your hard work and good eats 🙂
Judy
Danielle says
Thank you so much Judy! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe and really appreciate the kind words 🙂
Mia says
Hi,
They look yumm.
In the pictures, I see caramel as topping as well?
How do you do that ?
Did you pour caramel as topping after it’s set?
Danielle says
If you let the flan sit for a day or two in the fridge, the caramel starts to liquify. You can turn the jar upside down to allow some of the caramel to come to the top. For ease, I usually just leave it on the bottom though.
Janet says
I bought your book and immediately bought the 4 oz jars that the recipe calls for. Only problem is I have 8 jars. What do you suggest I do with the left over?
Danielle says
You could just cook the custard in a ziplock freezer bag, and still serve it straight out of the bag in a bowl, it just won't be shaped. And thanks for buying the book!!
Heidi says
Your description above the recipes says "Place the caramel and the water in a saucepan..."...
Should be "sugar and water."
Danielle says
Yes! Thank you so much for pointing that out. I'll get it fixed asap.
Layla says
This was one of my most favorite desserts ever! Easy to make and my guests really loved it.
Danielle says
SO glad to hear it!