Vanilla Bean Flan

Today I'm sharing a recipe for one of my favorite desserts: Vanilla Bean Flan. While Flan's origin is not Mexican, it was quickly adapted by my native country as one of its classic desserts. Most Mexican restaurants will have it on the menu and most Mexican homes will make it on a regular basis.

When my kids where little, I used to make it ALL the time because they loved it! But I'm not going to lie.... I used to make it from a box. The box version does not compare to the real deal as far as texture and flavor so I'm sticking to homemade from now on. Speaking of mom's duties, as I made this Flan it made me think of my mom (rest in heaven) since it was one of the only desserts she used to make for us. I really need to continue making it in her honor 🙂 and hopefully one day my kids will make it for their kids.

(P.S. I apologize for the overload of images on this post! But I couldn't help myself 🙂 )

Did you know that vanilla is native to Mexico? This link talks more about its history if you're interested  🙂 As one of the world's most popular flavors, it is right at home on the Mexican table. On that note, make sure you use a fresh vanilla bean for this flan as it will make all the difference on the flavor. You can't beat fresh ingredients!!! Vanilla beans are not hard to find in the spice rack of your grocery store.  Make sure you use a sharp knife (but careful with those fingers) to open the vanilla bean and scrape off the seeds. It's really not that hard... I promise 🙂 This is the perfect dessert for Mother's Day.  You can make it ahead and put it in the fridge to enjoy after a nice meal.  This recipe makes one 10 inch flan or 6 small ramekins for individual servings. No fuss!

Vanilla Bean Flan

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Ana Frias

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar for coating ramekins
• 1 cup half & half
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 vanilla bean seeds scraped
• pinch of kosher salt
• 4 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Add all of the ingredients in a food processor and mix until well blended.
• Melt the 1 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat until it becomes liquid.
• Continue cooking and stirring with a wooden spoon until is lightly browned.
• Pour the melted sugar into each ramekin to coat the bottom.
• While the caramel is still hot and liquid, swirl each ramekin to coat the sides.
• Set aside to cool.
• Place the ramekins in a baking pan and fill the pan with enough water to rise about halfway up their sides.
• Fill the ramekins with the flan mixture and bake for about 40 minutes or until the custard is set (it should not look liquid or loose).
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
• Serve with fruit and/or fresh whipped cream.

This recipe was made in collaboration with Kroger/Fry’s Grocery Store. I’m very selective with whom I partner up with as I don’t want to overwhelm my readers with products & sponsorships. Therefore, if you see a company or product I’m working with, it’s because they rock! They help this little blog of mine keep producing delish recipes and showing you the things I love.