The Best Creamy Sous Vide Flan

Name: Sous Vide Flan
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 555 min
Ingredients: 2 eggs; 4 egg yolks; 1 tablespoon vanilla; 1 cup whole milk; 1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 cup sugar; 3 tablespoons water

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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!

a spoonful of flan over top a jar of flan

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?
Why This Recipe Works
What is Sous Vide?
Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
Recipe
💬 Comments

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.

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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.

glass jard filled with cream colored liquid

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.

glass jars containing custard cooking in a water bath

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

What Happens if You Overcook Flan?

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.

What Temperature do you Serve Flan?

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.

What are the Three Types of Flan?

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

This sous vide flan has the smoothest, creamiest custard ever served over a quick, homemade "burnt" caramel.

4.80 from 5 votes

Print Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1

Chill: 8

Total Time: 9 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 117kcal

Author: Danielle Wolter

Ingredients

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.