I’ve eaten a lot of flan in my day – maybe hundreds of pounds. I’ve eaten it in Mexico, Puerto Rico and in numerous other Caribbean locales. I’ve also eaten it Cuban-style, thanks to an old college roommate whose family was from Cuba. I’ve ordered it in every Latin restaurant I’ve ever dined in. I’ve experienced custardy flans, creamy flans, eggy flans and watery flans. I think it’s safe to say that I know my flan. And this flan, my dear readers, is the best I’ve ever had. It’s the Holy Grail of flan. It’s flantastic. It is literally caramel covered crack.
The original recipe for this flan came my way over thirty years ago, when my Aunt Yolanda shared it with my mother. You remember my Aunt Yolanda, don’t you? She’s that swingin’ 60’s chick I told you about a while back. Well, she happens to be a fantastic cook too. (She’s the one who taught me that you should never eat mashed potatoes without some buttery, golden corn mixed in.) And once upon a time, she had a neighbor from Puerto Rico who was also a fantastic cook. I don’t remember the neighbor’s name. We’ll just call her Maria. Anyway, Maria gave Aunt Yolanda her family’s recipe for flan and all others have paled in comparison ever since.
Why is this flan so amazing? I think the secret lies in two ingredients that I’ve rarely seen in other recipes – cream cheese and cornstarch. Both of these ingredients appear to bind the others for a firmer, smoother product. While still soft and creamy, Maria’s flan does not have that spongy, waterlogged texture that one often finds with flan. Oh no, no, no! This flan is dense (in a good way) and impossibly rich and velvety. And, you know how a traditional custard flan can sometimes be cloyingly sweet? Well, not this one. The cream cheese adds a little tang that balances perfectly with that sticky, gooey caramel. I would describe it as a cross between a custard and crustless cheesecake.
Another thing about this flan is that it is so darned easy to make. Aside from the caramel, which is a necessary evil in any flan recipe, everything is just mixed together and whizzed up in a blender. And to be honest, even making the caramel isn’t really that challenging.
Maria’s original recipe is for a straightforward, traditionally flavored flan. However, it lends itself to lots of different interpretations. Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I’ve punched up this flan with some pumpkin puree for the perfect holiday dessert. The mildly sweet and earthy flavor of pumpkin just goes so well with all the rest of that creamy, caramelized goodness.
If you want to knock your friend’s and family’s socks off this Thanksgiving, Make. This. Flan. They will think you’re a rock star and shower you with praise and gifts. (There might even be a little jewelry in it for you.) And, even if they don’t, the pleasure you derive from eating this luscious, caramel-covered crack on a plate will be reward enough!
Pumpkin Flan
Note: I find that this recipe works better if the custard is prepared and ready to go before the caramel is made. You can whiz it all up and keep it nearby until you need it. Once you line your mold with the caramel, you can just quickly pour the custard on top. Timing is everything when it comes to cooking sugar!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup water
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
5 eggs
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Boiling water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
For the Caramel:
Combine 1 cup sugar and water in medium, deep, heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, and boil, without stirring, until caramel turns a copper brown color, anywhere from about 10-15 minutes.
Using oven mitts, quickly and carefully pour the caramel over bottom and sides of a 10-inch metal pie plate or a flan mold. That caramel will be screaming hot!
For the custard:
Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup sugar, eggs, cornstarch, spices and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Strain custard mixture through a sieve over the caramel, into the pie plate or mold. Arrange in a large roasting pan lined with a clean dish towel.
Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of your flan vessel. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. The center of the flan should still jiggle a little when nudged. Cool for about 30 minutes. Chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
To unmold, run a sharp knife around the rim of the mold and gently shake to loosen. Invert onto a serving plate.
Enjoy!
Filed Under: Baking, Custards and Puddings, Holiday Dishes, Latin and Spanish, Recipes
On November 02, 2010 at 8:51am, Jessica @ How Sweet It Is said...
Pumpkin flan?! Brilliant!
On November 02, 2010 at 8:58am, The Blue-Eyed Bakers said...
Um…DELICIOUS. We want some. Like now. Cream cheese & cornstarch…so interesting…but really, when have we ever not liked anything with cream cheese?!
On November 02, 2010 at 9:26am, SMITH BITES said...
oh. my. gawd. will be making this one soon . . . very, very soon . . . like today . . . like i’m heading to the kitchen right now . . .
On November 02, 2010 at 9:28am, Monica said...
I have a family flan recipe but I’m trying to perfected, love teh cream cheese addition to this, if I want to obmit the pumpking element… would it be possible to get the “original” based recipe?
On December 20, 2010 at 10:01pm, Dawne said...
Just remove the spices, pumpkin puree and two eggs. Wa la…the basic cream cheese flan awesome. One day try adding almond extract instead if vanilla extract to the basic flan it is a big WoW!!! I have made many flavors of flan always with the cream cheese such as: strawberry, raspberry, orange, lemon, coconut, Kalua, Baileys, Rum, Amaretto, the list goes on…. play around with different REAL flavor extracts stay away from imitation extract.
On November 02, 2010 at 9:59am, Rosa said...
This flan looks to die for and so addictive! A pity I can’t eat what I see…
Cheers,
Rosa
On November 02, 2010 at 10:37am, Colleen said...
Dear Lord……….please help me! The devil DOES really want me fat…..Susan, I am in love with this page right now……..but Im detoxing hahaha………eeeek I should know better than to visit you on a day like today. This looks and sounds totally amazing and I am so going to make it……one of these days. Just…..not…….today!!! xx
On November 02, 2010 at 10:42am, Eliana said...
I know a thing or two about flan and I have to say - this one looks and sounds amazing!
On November 02, 2010 at 12:14pm, Joanne said...
I’ve made pumpkin flan before but never one that looked this good. Mine, of course, didn’t have the top secret yet totally necessary ingredients of cream cheese and cornstarch. I will definitely need to try this version.
On November 02, 2010 at 2:11pm, Peter said...
Flans/creme caramels are one of my face desserts and spiced one sure has me hungry. Good family recipe.
On November 02, 2010 at 2:43pm, Cook is Good said...
wow, it looks amazing. Giorgia
On November 02, 2010 at 2:55pm, Betty @ scrambled hen fruit said...
I am adding this recipe to my Thanksgiving menu. And you know I’ll have to do a trial run beforehand, right? It looks absolutely amazing.
On November 02, 2010 at 2:58pm, April said...
OH BE STILL MY HEART!!! This looks and sounds amazing!!! It WILL be making an appearance on my Thanksgiving table!!!! Thanks for sharing!
On November 02, 2010 at 5:50pm, UrMomCooks said...
Oh my goodness! I want to dive into that flan!!! perfection!
On November 02, 2010 at 6:09pm, april said...
You mentioned making it without pumpkin. Does deleting the pumpkin change other ingredients in the recipe?
On November 02, 2010 at 8:39pm, Tara said...
Ohhhh…my thighs can’t handle how delicious this looks!!!
On November 02, 2010 at 8:59pm, Amy said...
Amazing! I wish I had a piece of this deliciousness right now!
On November 02, 2010 at 10:02pm, Donna said...
Susan, do I need to grease or spray my pie plate beforehand? I really want to try this recipe because custard, caramel and pumpkin are my absolute favorites! Thanks.
On November 03, 2010 at 12:25am, Phyllis Kirigin said...
A great addition to the traditional flan. Just a reminder to your enthusiastic fans not to make the caramel in a pot with a dark interior. You have to be able to see the color change to a rich amber and take if off the heat before it get too dark or it will taste bitter. Happy cooking!
sweetpaprika.wordpress.com
On November 03, 2010 at 8:19am, Susan said...
Thanks for the tip, Phyllis! I have tried to make the caramel in a nonstick pan before and it is virtually impossible to see the color change.
On November 03, 2010 at 2:39am, Anne Galivan said...
I’m with the others here…I’d like to see this recipe without the pumpkin. Not that I dont’ want to try this with the pumpkin but I’d also like to try it without. Can you do a girl a favor (or a lot of girls a favor!)
On November 03, 2010 at 8:16am, Susan said...
Hi Everyone! I’m so happy to read how much you all like this pumpkin flan! For those of you who have asked for the original recipe, it is exactly the same as above, except without the pumpkin or the spices. I’ve also made the flan using various other flavorings, like almond extract (1 teaspoon), rum (1 tablespoon) and orange flower water (1-2 tablespoons). The recipe is very adaptable.
Enjoy!
On October 28, 2012 at 4:34pm, Estela Lopez said...
Please tell me which Pan did you use to make this flan with two tiers? I think it’s so adorable, I have made many, many flans in my life, but this one looks amazing!
On November 03, 2010 at 5:56pm, Judimae said...
Oh my goodness, this dessert looks fantastic, and I bet tastes wonderful. Flan is one of my favorite desserts, but I have never tasted one with pumpkin. Definitely on my list of recipes to try soon.
On November 04, 2010 at 1:57am, Joanna said...
Silly question, but when you write: “Arrange in a large roasting pan lined with a clean dish towel” - do you actually mean for the dish towel to be inside the roasting pan when you pour the boiling water?? Recipe sounds reaaally amazing! Thanks!
On November 04, 2010 at 1:37pm, Pat said...
The only way I eat flan is this way. I’m from Puerto Rico and I have been using this basic recipe since…some year in the 60’s. This basic recipe lends itself well for coconut, chocolate, pineapple, guava, passion fruit and every fruit known to man. If you do the coconut, just substitute the condensed milk for coco lopez (sweetened coconut milk and decorate with toasted coconut.
On November 19, 2010 at 9:19am, Susan said...
Great idea! Thanks, Pat!
On November 04, 2010 at 7:58pm, Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen said...
You are so talking to me with this yummy yummy recipe! Thank goodness for Maria and Aunt Yolanda!
On November 04, 2010 at 10:43pm, ingrid said...
Flan with cream cheese is called cheese flan or flan de queso. It’s my favorite so, I will definitely be trying out your recipe. I’m very curious to see how the corn starch improves things. Could you give us the original recipe sans the addition of pumpkin and spices? Pretty please?
No worries I WILL also be trying out your pumpkin version. I had an amazing one when I was in NYC at this restaurant called Boca China and would love to have it again and not need to travel to NY for it.
Thank you for sharing.
~ingrid
On November 04, 2010 at 10:47pm, ingrid said...
AH! I see your comment now. Sorry I generally don’t read through other people’s comments but your response stand out and so it caught my attention. Thanks again for sharing but I just want to comfirm, other than taking out the pumpkin and spice there are no other changes to be made.
~ingrid
On November 14, 2010 at 2:43pm, Ann McCarthy said...
I made this yesterday for our bi-monthly Couples Group dinner. I didn’t have a good pan so used a springform pan. It took much longer to cook, like 40 more minutes, until the knife came out clean. All the flan ingredients didn’t fit into my blender, so I did them in batches - very, very easy!
Best of all, it was delicious. I normally make a big pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving. This is a great alternative! Thanks so much for posting.
On November 19, 2010 at 9:21am, Susan said...
Sometimes mine takes longer to bake as well. Guess it depends on the pan you use and your oven. So glad you enjoyed it! 😀
On November 15, 2010 at 7:14pm, Bren said...
ooh girl! a pumpkin flan on my b-day. how awesome… i had just done the same one (may my method obviously) a few days back and it was soooo good! I just might have to try it with cornstarch since I’ve never done it that way…
On November 17, 2010 at 9:50pm, Carrie said...
‘Flan Vessel.’ Can you suggest something that would be fun to use, besides a plain old pie pan? Does flan pop out easily when inverted? Can you use any kind of metal mold? Are there special flan molds?
On November 19, 2010 at 9:09am, Carrie said...
Okay…I made this yesterday and just used a 9 by 3 inch, round, metal cake pan. It worked great! This flan was amazing…it didn’t have that ‘slippery’ texture that is unique to flan, and the addition of the cream cheese gave it a firmer, creamier texture, without making it taste like cheesecake. I did have to blend the ingredients in 2 batches, then whisk it all together in a large bowl, because my blender didn’t hold that much. The only other thing is that I had to do was to bake it for much longer than an hour. At about 1 hour and 20 minutes, I turned the heat up to 350 and cooked it for about 10 minutes more. Still had the central area jiggling, so after chilling - it was perfect! This was a fantastic and easy recipe, and it tasted like a more sophisticated and delicate pumpkin pudding. Thanks!!
On November 19, 2010 at 9:53am, Susan said...
Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, Carrie. There are special metal flan molds that you can buy, but you can use any kind of pie or cake pan for this. I’ve even used a jello mold before.
The original recipe was written with a flan ring mold in mind. The baking time is probably shorter because the mold has a hole in the middle, so the flan bakes faster. With a cake pan there is more surface area and I think that’s why it takes longer to set up. This happens to me too.
I’m so glad that it worked out for you and that you enjoyed the flan! 😀
On November 20, 2010 at 9:35am, Barbara said...
Just for starters thank you for posting this. I have made it my business to make it, due to the fact I am OBSESSED with pumkin everything. I have made it several times already over the course of three weeks. All I can say is I love it. Those that have tasted it are clamoring for more. Thank you so much. I have 6 more to make before the holidays are over. This is pumpkin crack at its finest. Happy Holidays!
On November 23, 2010 at 2:04am, Rona said...
I lived in Puerto Rico and have made cream cheese flan but have never seen cornstarch in a recipe, so I am curious to try. I can attest that cream cheese is a must for flan for us! I’ve eaten pumpkin cream cheese flan down there, so I am excited to try this. We have a Puerto Rican guy coming for Thanksgiving, and I think he would dig this instead of Pumpkin Pie.
On November 24, 2010 at 8:54pm, Cathy said...
I just made it and I’ll post again tomorrow after we have it at Thanksgiving!! I have been making cream cheese flan for years and love the texture that it brings to a flan. I’ve never used a blender until your recipe, now I’m hooked. I’ve never used cornstarch until now either. I’m really excited to turn it out of the mold tomorrow. It smells like heaven!
On November 24, 2010 at 11:49pm, Shay said...
Um… this didn’t work at all. the cream cheese (which was soft, on my counter for 2 hours) turned into little balls of cream cheese in the eggs and everything else. the caramel just turned into a mess. What a huge disappointment, waste of time, energy, and money.
On December 09, 2010 at 5:29pm, Shay said...
Okay, I take it back! The first time I made this, it was a disaster. I was exhausted, it was midnight, it wasn’t working! But, I baked it anyway, just as a custard. It took HOURS to bake. I made a caramel sauce on the side and served it with whipped cream. My family raved (thanksgiving.) I made it again yesterday, again with caramel sauce and whipped cream. Again, it took HOURS to bake- again, co-workers raved! I do intend to do this as a flan someday, but I just don’t have the right vessel and can’t seem to find it. In a souffle dish, this takes HOURS to bake, but its delicious.
On November 23, 2011 at 6:15pm, PRFlangirl said...
Shay just bake it in a 9×9 cake pan and you will note that it only takes 52-56 minutes to bake. I tend to turn it around during the 1/2 mark to make sure it cooks evenly. I’ve been making flans over 30 years and it’s never taken HOURS to bake. I’m sure it’ll just be the one if you try it in the cake pan
Good luck!
On November 25, 2010 at 10:22pm, Woodwife said...
I made this today for our Thanksgiving dessert. It was wonderful!
At first I tried to make this with my stand mixer but like the above poster said the cream cheese just turned into tiny blobs. So I decided to follow the direction (as I should have from the beginning) and use the blender. It smoothed out perfectly. I did strain it but it really wasn’t necessary.
You really do need to use a blender.
On November 25, 2010 at 11:52pm, Janet said...
This flan is amazing. I served it as a gluten-free Thanksgiving dessert, and it was way more popular than the pies! One of the guests was from Peru, and has had flan many many times. She said it was the best flan she’d ever had!
I live in Boulder, Colorado, so the altitude meant a much longer cooking time, almost twice as long in fact. But it was perfectly smooth and wonderfully firm. The only thing I would do differently next time is wait just a little after putting the caramel in the bottom of the mold, to give it a chance to set, before pouring the pumpkin custard over it. When I poured the mixture right from the blender onto the hot caramel, some of the caramel gushed up and into the custard. A minor problem, really, and no one but me noticed in the end, I think.
I made it last night. To release it today, I just warmed the pan in some hot water on the stove for a couple minutes, and it let go beautifully.
Thanks for an elegant, easy and delicious recipe! I’ll be coming back to this again and again!
On November 29, 2013 at 1:37pm, Janet said...
Just wanted to update my previous comment and say that I’ve now made this several times for Thanksgiving and solstice parties, and it is always an unqualified hit! I use a basic Pyrex deep-dish pie pan as my flan mold, and it works well and has the added benefit of being able to see the caramel through it, which comes in handy when unmolding. I also have found it helpful to warm the bottom of the mold in a skillet simmering with warm water for a couple of minutes before inverting.
On February 05, 2011 at 2:06pm, Beth said...
What size can of pumpkin puree? Do you use the 15 oz size?
On February 22, 2011 at 10:19pm, Janice said...
I am looking for dessert recipes that my gluten-intolerant stepdaughter can eat . . . but she’s allergic to corn, too. Would this turn out fairly well if I just left out the cornstarch? Do you think a thickener like arrowroot would work?
On March 06, 2011 at 12:12am, MissLaurieBoo said...
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m not much a flan lover even less for pumpkin, but I decided to make this for my boyfriend (he’s Puerto Rican). I tasted a small piece and it was delicious! He loved it too! I made it a couple more times, once for him and once for work and both times it was a hit! Again, thank you for posting this recipe! It is indeed caramel covered crack!
On March 22, 2011 at 4:19am, angel butterfly said...
my mother made also a pumpkin flan, it was sooooo delicious!!!!!!! i studied culinary arts, i cooked well also but my mother is the best!!!
On April 17, 2011 at 5:20pm, Pam said...
I am crazy about pumpkin anything! I made this recipe today and it is delissshhh!!..I used to live in Mexico City, and I grew to love flan…I’ve made it a few times and it is so delicious…I always use cream cheese and now I will always use pumpkin too! I cooked this at 350 degrees for exactly one hour, turned out perfect! …quick question…would love to cook this in the pressure cooker,,,any suggestions as to how long??
On November 23, 2011 at 9:23pm, Bridget said...
I am on my 2nd attempt of this flan. The first failure was my fault. I didn’t soften the cream cheese and it looked disgusting.
This time, the flan has been cooking for about 70 minutes and is not set yet. I’ve made LOTS of flans, always with cream cheese, but never with corn starch or pumpkin. I really hope it works. My family has been looking forward to it.
On December 03, 2011 at 3:25pm, Nancy said...
I am new to flans, and am wondering whether a metal pan is required, or could I use a glass pie pan? Also, I have the same question as another reader above about the dishpan lining the roasting pan. The instructions make it sound like the dishpan stays in the roasting pan while it cooks- along with the hot water added to the pan. Is that right?? That sounds strange. This looks like an awesome recipe, and I’m eager to try it but would love to know what I need to do before I attempt.
On December 05, 2011 at 9:19pm, elizabeth said...
that sound like a very delicouse recipe and looks sooo good
On February 22, 2012 at 2:18am, Justine said...
How could you turn this into chocolate flan? Cocoa powder? Melted chocolate? Any suggestions?
On November 08, 2012 at 11:56pm, Tiny said...
I made this recipe last week and like a few others mine also took a lot longer to cook (1 hour 40 minutes). After the first hour I turned the oven up to 350 for the last 40 minutes. It turned out amazing! I am going to try the original recipe next however I’m curious if it will have a different texture without the pumpkin? Should I also remove 2 eggs like someone else suggested?
On November 19, 2012 at 11:26am, Cecily said...
You haven’t had flan until you’ve had filipino leche flan. It is as if flan said to creme brulee- “Move over.” You have no words after this leche flan. There are no bubbles in leche flan when done properly. It is not jello. It is =wait for it= leche flan to remember for all your days.
On November 24, 2012 at 6:06pm, gaby_sotelo@hotmail.com said...
i have been baking this fann for an hour and its not set yet!
On November 25, 2012 at 12:02pm, gaby_sotelo@hotmail.com said...
ok, i panicked….. it only needed 15 minutes more.
it was AMAZING! thank you for sharing the recipe!
On August 18, 2013 at 11:44am, amanda joy said...
OMG! Made 1w/pumpkin, 1just vanilla, came out beautifully & super sinful.Made them for my son’s b-day & for the families here @ the Ronald McDonald House @ Stanford.Will serve w/brunch & am sure they won’t last 5 mins.Thank you for the recipe, God bless you & Aunt Yolanda.Used a very fluted pie and a bundt pan & after chilling overnight both, amazingly, came out when inverted.Again thank you & God bless, I know I’ll be making them regularly from this day forth!
On November 23, 2013 at 12:08am, DeLynn said...
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! My husband asked for a pumpkin flan and my search led me here. It is delicious!
On November 23, 2013 at 8:31am, GC said...
How long do you allow the caramel to cool before pouring the custard over it? And may I use ramekins? Thanks for what sounds like a delicious recipe!
On November 29, 2013 at 1:39pm, Janet said...
I just let the caramel set for a minute or two before I pour the custard on top.
On November 25, 2013 at 11:34am, Nilda said...
Hello! I’m dying to make this recipe but was wondering what the cooking time would be in a bundt pan… I’m not a professional baker and really rely on following recipes exactly, so I’m afraid of just winging it! Any help would be appreciated
On November 27, 2013 at 6:02pm, Ryn said...
Hi Nilda, I just made this in a deep fluted bundt pan and it took a long time! An hour and 15 minutes at 300*, then I upped the temp to 325* and cooked it for another 45 minutes. So basically 2 hours. But again, my pan was really deep and full. Hope that helps!
On November 26, 2013 at 8:23pm, Rachel said...
This recipe almost resulted in a Thanksgiving fist-fight between
2 of my relatives. It is that good!
On November 27, 2013 at 3:53pm, Bridget said...
I’ve made this many, MANY times & it’s my favorite dessert for every occasion. Like others have said, mine does take much longer than the recipe indicates. I use a deeper pan, so that probably has something to do with it. Just be patient. Perfection takes time.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe. It’s always a hit.
On September 02, 2014 at 10:12pm, Royce said...
Everything is very open with a really clear description of the challenges.
It was truly informative. Your website is very useful. Thanks for sharing!
On September 27, 2014 at 2:31pm, Romeo said...
Wonderful blog! I found it while browsing on Yahoo News.
Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
Appreciate it
On November 23, 2014 at 10:45am, Linda said...
I made this flan and is was delicious! And yes, the caramel is the tricky part. So much that it took three times to get it even close to right, but determined to learn to do this, it was worth the effort!
On December 24, 2014 at 8:35am, Rosa Loza said...
Delicious! Followed directions for the caramel to the dot, and came out beautiful!
On January 20, 2015 at 6:47pm, breadportal.com said...
I’ve been exploring for a bit for any high-quality articles or
weblog posts on this kind of space . Exploring in Yahoo I finally
stumbled upon this site. Reading this information So i’m satisfied to exhibit
that I’ve a very excellent uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed.
I most definitely will make sure to do not put out
of your mind this web site and give it a glance regularly.
On July 19, 2015 at 3:19pm, Laura matilda said...
I never leave comments on recipes, but I just had to chime in. There are some horrible flan recipes out there but this is not one of them. I have made this recipe several times, both pumpkin and traditional; and this recipe is outstanding! The flan is rich and creamy, not too sweet and not too eggy. This is what flan is supposed to taste like! The directions are spot on and everything consistently turns out the way it’s supposed to. This is my go to flan recipe and I doubt I will ever try another. Thank you so much for sharing.
On November 18, 2015 at 3:04pm, Karina said...
Hi what is the pumpkin purée can size I need to use?
Recipe sounds great
Thank you