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The dulce de leche flan is a true Latin American delight. This caramel custard made of milk, eggs and sugar, has a dense consistency thanks to the dulce de leche or manjar, as it is called in Chile and Peru. Bonus? This dessert is rich in protein, thanks to the eggs and milk. The caramel flavor only adds an additional layer of deliciousness that makes it one of my family’s favorite desserts. It’s one of those classic favorites that always brings joy at the end of a meal.

Is it difficult to make dulce de leche flan?

This traditional Latin American dessert is crowd pleaser and the best part is that it’s very easy to make. Don’t let the baño maría or water bath part scare you.  

Can I use small ramekins to make flan?

If you’re going to make the flan in individual ramekins, use a small pot to make the caramel by heating sugar until it melts and changes color. It is important that you be very careful when preparing and pouring the caramel sauce that coats the flan to avoid burning yourself.

What is the flan mold called?

In Latin America, it is called a flanera and is usually made of stainless steel.  It has many advantages to use this special mold. If you’re going to make the flan in a flanera , then you can make the caramel in there.

Do I need to chill flan before serving it?

Yes! Once the flan is cooked, it is best to let it cool and chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours. For best results, leave in the fridge overnight. If you simply leave it at room temperature, it will lack firmness.

Is flan gluten-free?

This dulce de leche flan recipe is gluten-free and a great dessert choice when you want to delight all your gluten-sensitive guests. It is vegetarian but not vegan because it does use eggs and milk. Some people use evaporated milk, but I prefer regular milk.

Can you make flan without dulce de leche?

Of course! In South America flan is traditionally made with sweet condensed milk and not dulce de leche (pronounced dool-seh deh leh-cheh), but this variation is worth trying. Depending on the country, dulce de leche might have different names and be called manjar, manjar blanco, arequipe or when it is made with goat’s milk, cajeta. They all taste delicious and tend to have a deep amber color.

Here’s my recipe for this delicious flan.

Dulce de leche flan recipe

This delicious caramel custard is made of milk, eggs, and sugar with the addition of dulce de leche. When you prepare it, make the caramel first because you will need it to coat the ramekins or flanera. Melt the sugar over medium heat until brown. Pour some on the ramekins to coat them.
The rest of the process is so easy! In a blender mix the milk, eggs and dulce de leche (you can use this one by La Lechera). Pour this mix into each of the ramekins inside a deep dish, large roasting pan or tray that has water in it with aluminum foil on top to cover them up.  This is the water bath or baño maría. Bake for 50 minutes if they are small or 40 minutes if they are large. If using a special mold (the flanera), bake for 50 minutes; you will see that the edges of the flan look nicely cooked and has an amber color.

Yield: 8 servings

Cooking time: 50 min

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 can of dulce de leche, 13.4 oz. I use La Lechera
• 8 eggs

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F or 177 C.
• Make the caramel in a pot over medium heat; heat sugar and melt until brown.
• Pour the caramel and coat the ramekins.
• In a blender mix the milk, eggs and dulce de leche. Pour the mix into the ramekins.
• Put the ramekins in a deep dish or tray. Add water to the tray and cover with aluminum foil. This way the custard will cook as if in a double boiler.
• Bake for 50 minutes. If using small ramekins, reduce time to 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• Chill in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
• Remove from the ramekins or mold before serving.

Let me know if you love this Hispanic dessert as much as we do!

En español: Rica receta de flan de dulce de leche

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