Cuban Flan Recipe – Oven, Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Flan is one of those desserts that just feels special. It’s rich, creamy, and coated in sweet caramel, but it’s also something a lot of us grew up eating at every big family moment. Birthdays, holidays, Sunday dinners… if someone brought flan, you knew it was going to be a good day.
Cuban flan has that silky texture with just the right balance of sweetness, and it’s easier to make than it looks. You need six ingredients and a blender. I’ll show you three ways to cook it: in the oven, in an Instant Pot, or in a stovetop pressure cooker, which is how it’s traditionally made.
What is Cuban flan?
Flan is the Cuban dessert—no question. It’s a smooth, creamy custard made with eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk, all baked together and topped with glossy caramel. The texture is melt-in-your-mouth soft, and the caramel gives it that classic sweet finish.
In my family, no celebration was complete without one. Out of all the desserts we love, this one always disappears first, and once you try it, you’ll get why.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This recipe is just easy and always turns out perfect. I share 3 ways to make this flan: baking method, Instant Pot, or regular pressure cooker (the traditional method).
This version takes a few shortcuts that don’t sacrifice on the flavor or outcome. In fact, this method is how most people make Cuban flan now.
The hardest part is the caramel, but as long as you’re paying attention it’ll turn out fine without a fuss.
Cuban Flan Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Cuban flan:
For the caramel:
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
For the custard:
- 1 can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (12 oz) of evaporated milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Equipment Needed:
- 6-inch tall round baking dish or flan mold for pressure cooker, or regular 9 inch round pan and large roasting pan for baking
- Medium saucepan
- Oven or pressure cooker
- Blender or large mixing bowl & whisk if not using blender
How to Make Flan Cubano
Step 1: Prepare the Caramel
*If using a flan mold, you can do this step in the flan mold pan instead of dirtying another pot.
Place sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
Stir until sugar dissolves, then let it simmer without stirring until it turns golden brown. It will look clumpy at first, and you’ll probably start to wonder where you went wrong. But keep mixing it and it’ll turn into a brown syrup. As long as you have it on medium-high heat and you’re mixing, it, it won’t burn.
Once it’s turned into caramel, immediately pour the hot caramel into your baking dish, swirling to coat the bottom evenly. Let it cool while you prep the rest of the flan.
Step 2: Make the Custard
Add the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and salt to a blender and blend on low until mixed well.
Don’t blend too much or you’ll get bubbles. This is a very quick step.
If you don’t want to use a blender you can whisk all ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 3: Combine the Custard and Caramel
Slowly pour the custard mixture over the caramel in the baking dish. You will probably hear some cracking noises which is totally ok!
Optional step: Strain the custard
If you want it to remove any solids, you can strain the custard as you pour it into the pan. I’m too lazy for this but it comes out looking nicer when strained.
Step 4: Cook the flan
Pressure Cooker Method
Secure the flan mold lid. If not using a flan mold pan, then cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
For a regular pressure cooker, fill with water until just below the flan pan. Close the pressure cooker and set the stove to medium heat. When the pressure cooker begins to hiss, cook for 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure cooker to depressurize before opening.
For an Instant Pot, fill with 2 cups of water. Place the flan filled dish on a trivet and lower into the pot and close the lid. Set to cook 25 minutes on manual high pressure and do a natural pressure release, meaning wait for the pin to drop on its own before opening the pot.
*I’ve seen other recipes online that say to cook for 15 minutes, but I always have to add 10 more minutes because it’s still completely liquid at the 15 minute mark.
Baking Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Place the filled flan dish into a larger roasting pan and add water until it comes halfway up the sides of the flan dish.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or until the flan is set. It’ll be a little jiggly in the center but it’s fine as long as it’s not watery. To test it, you can insert a knife near the center and it should come out clean with a slight wobble.
Be sure to check on the flan halfway through the bake time to see if you need to add more water to the water bath.
Step 5: Cool and Serve
Remove the flan from the water bath and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack (uncover if covered). This takes a few hours but don’t rush this step. Wait for it to cool before refrigerating.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight, for the best texture.
To serve, run a knife around the edges, flip onto a plate, and enjoy!
Tips for Making Flan
There are a few things you want to keep in mind to ensure your Cuban flan is as delicious as possible.
1. Don’t burn the caramel.
The first few times I made flan I struggled so hard with the caramel. I kept burning it because it just takes you turning away for 10 seconds and bam, it’s ruined and you have to start over.
Don’t make the same mistake. Follow the directions and DON’T LOOK AWAY!
2. Don’t overcook it.
Make sure you cook it in the water bath at the temperature instructed. Cooking it at a higher temperature can make it grainy. It will still be a little jiggly in the center when you finish cooking it.
3. Don’t over mix it.
Mix it just enough to incorporate all the ingredients. Too much mixing creates air pockets.
You also don’t want to mix the caramel too much while it’s cooking to prevent crystals from forming.
4. Chill in the fridge overnight.
It’s recommended to chill the flan for at least 3 hours, but it has the best flavor and texture if you leave it in the fridge overnight. It’s also easier to remove from the pan the longer it has spent in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Both start with caramel and custard, but the milk is different. Cuban flan uses canned evaporated and sweetened condensed milk, which came out of the years when fresh milk was hard to get in Cuba. That gives it a denser, firmer set. Mexican flan is often made with whole milk, and the popular flan napolitano version adds cream cheese for a softer, tangier custard.
It needs more time. Most Instant Pot recipes online say 15 minutes, and every time I’ve done that the flan is still completely liquid when I open the lid. I cook mine for 25 minutes on high pressure with a natural release. In the oven, a full hour at 350°F. A little jiggle in the center is fine. Watery is not.
No. A flan mold makes it easier because it comes with a lid, but you don’t need one. For the oven method, use a regular 9-inch round pan set inside a larger roasting pan for the water bath. For the pressure cooker, any 6-inch tall round baking dish works as long as you cover it tightly with foil.
Two causes, and both are easy to avoid. Over-mixing whips air into the custard, so blend on low just until the ingredients come together and then stop. The other is a water bath that gets too hot. If the water in your roasting pan or pressure cooker comes to a rolling boil, you’ll get air pockets. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
Yes. The oven method works with equipment you already have. Pour the custard into a 9-inch round pan, set it in a larger roasting pan, and add water until it comes halfway up the sides. Bake uncovered at 350°F for an hour. Check the water level halfway through and top it up if it’s running low.
Making this in the fall? Try the pumpkin flan. Same custard base, same caramel, with pumpkin and warm spices worked in. It’s what shows up on our Thanksgiving table instead of pie.
Let me know in the comments if you give this recipe a try! I hope you enjoy it.
Easy Cuban Flan
Six ingredients and a blender. Make it in the oven, the Instant Pot, or a stovetop pressure cooker the traditional way.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (12 oz) of evaporated milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place sugar in a medium saucepan of flan mold over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, then let it simmer without stirring until it turns golden brown.
- Once it's turned into caramel, immediately pour the hot caramel into your baking dish, swirling to coat the bottom evenly. Let it cool while you prep the rest of the flan.
- Add the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, and salt to a blender and blend on low until mixed well. You can whisk these in a large bowl instead of using a blender.
- Slowly pour the custard mixture over the caramel in the baking dish. You will probably hear some cracking noises which is totally ok! If you want it to remove any solids, you can strain the custard as you pour it into the pan.
- Secure the flan mold lid. If not using a flan mold pan, then cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.
- For an Instant Pot, fill with 2 cups of water. Place the flan filled dish on a trivet and lower into the pot and close the lid. Set to cook 25 minutes on high and do a natural pressure release, meaning wait for the pin to drop on its own before opening the pot.
- For a regular pressure cooker, fill with water until just below the flan pan. Close the pressure cooker and set the stove to medium heat. When the pressure cooker begins to hiss, cook for 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure cooker to depressurize before opening.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Place the filled flan dish into a larger roasting pan and add water until it comes halfway up the sides of the flan dish.
- Bake uncovered for 1 hour, or until the flan is set. It'll be a little jiggly in the center but it's fine as long as it's not watery. To test it, you can insert a knife near the center and it should come out clean with a slight wobble. Be sure to check on the flan halfway through the bake time to see if you need to add more water to the water bath.
- Remove the flan from the water bath and let it cool to room temperature (uncover if covered). This takes a few hours but don't rush this step. Wait for it to cool before refrigerating.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight, for the best texture.
- To serve, run a knife around the edges, flip onto a plate, and enjoy!
Pressure Cooker
Baking Method
After Cooking
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 229Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 101mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 0gSugar: 38gProtein: 6g
