Each bite of flan is heaven. Caramel and cream are the best combinations! If you’re like me and love all things rich and sweet, you should give my crème brulée, dulce de leche cheesecake bars, and caramel apple upside-down cake a try!
Cream Cheese Caramel Flan Recipe
For those of you who haven’t tried flan before, you’re in for a treat! It’s one of my favorites! Flan is a custard-based dessert topped with a thin, smooth layer of caramel. It’s most commonly found in Mexico, Spain, and Puerto Rico. You’ll find tons of different varieties of this dish, but the kind I’m making today is called Flan de Queso- also known as cream cheese flan! And let me tell you. Cream cheese flan is the love child of crème brulée and cheesecake. So incredibly delicious! Truthfully, flan seems a lot more difficult to make than it really is. It only consists of a few simple steps! All you’ve got to do is mix up your caramel in a saucepan and use a water bath to cook your custard base. Once everything is baked, you flip the pan like you would with a bundt or upside-down cake. Perfectly shaped custard smothered in caramel should slide right out! It’s a melt-in-your-mouth dream. Let’s make some flan!
Flan Ingredients
Flan uses super simple ingredients. The caramel sauce, for example, only needs sugar and water! Then, the custard is just a mix of a few pantry staples. The key ingredients here are condensed and evaporated milk for maximum creaminess. You’ll love it! Measurements for each ingredient are in the recipe card below.
Caramel Topping
Granulated Sugar: Sugar melts down to become the golden caramel drizzle you see on top of the flan! Water: Water dissolves your sugar and helps everything melt down beautifully!
Custard
Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is the star player here. It adds a hint of tang and creaminess to your flan! Granulated Sugar: Added for the perfect sweet flavor. Eggs bind everything together! Eggs: I’ve found that large eggs work best here. Sweetened Condensed Milk: Everything is better with condensed milk! This sweetens the flan and makes it nice and smooth, too. Evaporated Milk: Added for an extra milky flavor. Vanilla: Vanilla tastes amazing paired with the other creamy ingredients in this dessert. If you can, use pure vanilla extract! This will give it a better flavor.
How to Make the Best Flan
Making tasty flan just requires a little patience and attention to detail. See more tips on getting the best results below! You’re going to love how it turns out. So creamy, sweet, and decadent!
Caramel Topping
Custard
Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure your wet ingredients are at room temperature before mixing them together. This will make your custard smoother! Don’t Skip the Water Bath: A water bath is one of the most important parts of this recipe. The steam from the bath cooks the custard gently to keep it from curdling or scrambling. Overcooking Caramel: Make sure you don’t cook your caramel mixture on too high of heat. If your sugar burns, it will become bitter. Use a Strainer: When you pour your custard into your pan, try pouring it through a strainer to prevent air bubbles! Chill: Flan needs plenty of time to set. Make sure it cools for at least a few hours in the fridge before serving. Adding Flavors: For a little extra flavor, try adding citrus zest, shredded coconut, or even a couple tablespoons of espresso powder to your caramel mixture. Serve With: Flan tastes great served with fresh fruit like strawberries, raspberries, or even a fruit salad. A little whipped cream or chopped nuts on top is amazing, too!
In the Refrigerator: Store your flan in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap. It will keep for up to 3 days. In the Freezer: Make sure your flan has completely cooled before freezing. Wrap in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer bag. It will keep for up to 2 months, but it’s best served at the 1 month mark. Thaw overnight in the fridge before consuming.
Easy Caramel Brownies
45 mins
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
1 hr 5 mins
One Hour Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns
55 mins
Easy and Delicious Carmelitas
45 mins
