This velvety, caramel-infused dessert is the perfect balance between whole eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, pure vanilla extract, and caramelized sugar.
- Prep Time – 30 minutes
- Bake Time – 1 hours
- Setting Time – 4 hours
- Total Time – 5 hours + 30 minutes
- Servings – 8 to 10 slices
- Prep Level – Intermediate +
What You’ll Love
- Texture – Creamy and smooth with a melt-in-your mouth texture.
- Made with simple ingredients – Just eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla come together to create a decadent dessert.
- Naturally gluten-free – A perfect treat for those avoiding gluten.
- A timeless dessert – Whole Egg Flan De Leche is a classic dessert known across Latin America and Spain, that never goes out of style.
- Make-ahead friendly – It tastes even better chilled the next day, making it an ideal dessert to prep ahead.

Ingredient Notes
- Eggs– the main ingredient and what gives it a velvety smooth texture.
- Condensed milk– brings creaminess and a sweet milky taste.
- Evaporated milk– a highly concentrated, shelf-stable milk.
- Salt – helps to enhance the flavor of the custard. It can also help to prevent the eggs from curdling.
- Vanilla extract – always adds a wonderful flavor to any baked goods.
- Sugar – caramelized to the right amount of sweetness.
Step-by-Step Instructions

1
Making Caramelized Sugar


- Pour the sugar into pan.
- Place the pan over medium low heat.
- Cook until the melted sugar takes on a golden brown hue.
- It can easily burn so keep a close eye on it. The pan will be very hot, so make sure to use oven mitts and tongs while holding it.


- Remove the pan from the heat and swirl the pan so that the bottom and sides of the pan are lightly covered with the caramel. The caramel is very hot so use caution! Set aside.
2
Prepare the Custard Mixture


- In a mixing bowl, crack the whole eggs. Mix them until they are well beaten.


- Combine sugar, salt, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract to the eggs, whisking continuously, creating a smooth texture.
- Strain the flan mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.
3
Bake

- Gently pour the flan mixture into the caramel-coated pan.
- Place the flan pan into a larger baking dish. Pour hot water into the larger pan so that it creates a water bath.
- Carefully transfer the large baking dish to the preheated oven and bake until the flan is set.
- To check if it’s ready, perform the toothpick test or use a knife. If it comes out clean, the flan is done.
- Once cooked, remove the flan pan from the water bath and let it completely cool to room temperature. Loosely cover the flan with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
4
Serve

- To release the flan, carefully run a knife around the inside edges of the mold to loosen the flan from the sides.
- Place a serving plate over the mold. Hold them tightly together and quickly invert them.
- Slowly lift the flan mold. The flan will gently drop onto the plate, flowing the caramel topping into a pool around the flan creating beautiful Flan De Leche.
- Serve chilled.

See recipe card below for complete measurements, details, and total time.

Tips & Tricks
- Use room temperature eggs – They mix more smoothly into the milk, helping create a silkier custard.
- Don’t over mix the custard – Whisk gently to incorporating too much air, which creates bubbles and holes. If your custard mixture has somehow formed too many air bubbles, a simple hack is to sieve it twice before pouring it into the pan. In addition, you can use a spoon to scrap off any pesky stray bubbles before baking.
- Strain the mixture – This is an important step, it helps remove any bits of egg and ensures a smooth texture.
Caramelization
When it comes to caramelization, the two most popular methods used is the dry method (which I prefer) and the wet method.
A dry caramel is when the sugar is cooked by itself until it liquefies, then caramelizes.
A wet caramel is when water is added to the sugar and cooked until it caramelizes.
Filipino Flan vs Spanish Flan
Although they are very similar, the popular Filipino dessert uses more egg yolks and is usually steamed on a stovetop.
Mexican/Spanish Flan is made with whole eggs and cooked in a water bath.

Storage
Once the flan is fully chilled and set, keep it covered and in the fridge for up to 5 days. Spoon a bit of the caramel sauce over the top to keep it moist.

More Delicious Sweet Treats
- Easy Marbled Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Recipe – Kids love these!
- Easy Pumpkin Pie Crunch Cake With Pecans And Toffee – Family favorite!
- Mini Pecan Raisin Tarts – So easy!
- Ridiculously Easy Oreo Pie – from The Kitchen Is My Playground
Delicious Creamy Whole Egg Flan De Leche Recipe

This velvety, caramel-infused dessert is the perfect balance between whole eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, pure vanilla extract, and caramelized sugar.
Ingredients
- For the caramel sauce:
- 1 Cup sugar – granulated white
- For the custard:
- 8 Large eggs – at room temperature
- 1 Can evaporated milk (12 ounces)
- 1 Can condensed milk (14 ounces)
- 1 Teaspoon sea salt
- 1.5 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Step 1 – Creating Caramelized Sugar – Pour the sugar into pan. Place the pan over medium low heat.
- Once the sugar begins to melt, start moving it constantly, until the melted sugar takes on a golden brown hue, 4 to 8 minutes. It can easily burn so keep a close eye on it. The pan will be very hot, so make sure to use oven mitts and tongs while holding it.
- Use oven mitts or tongs and remove the pan from the heat and swirl the pan so that the bottom and sides of the pan are lightly covered with the caramel. The caramel is very hot so use caution. If using ramekins, immediately and carefully divide the caramel among the ramekins.
- Set the pan or ramekins aside.
- Step 2 – Preparing The Custard Mixture – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a mixing bowl, crack the whole eggs and mix them until they are well beaten.
- Gradually add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, salt, and vanilla extract to the beaten eggs, whisking continuously, creating a smooth uniform mixture.
- Strain the flan mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps and ensure a creamy whole eggs leche flan. (see Top Tip)
- Step 3 – Baking The Flan – Gently pour the flan mixture into the caramel-coated pan, being cautious not to disturb the caramel layer.
- Place the flan pan into a larger baking dish / roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the larger pan so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the flan pan, creating a water bath. This helps the flan cook evenly.
- Carefully transfer the large baking dish to the preheated oven and bake for approximately 50 – 60 minutes or until the flan is set.
- To check if it’s ready, insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the flan. If it comes out clean, the flan is done.
- Once cooked, use oven mitts and remove the flan pan from the water bath and let it completely cool to room temperature.
- Loosely cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or for best results, overnight to allow to fully set.
- Step 4 – Serving The Flan – To unmold the flan, carefully run a knife around the inside edges of the mold to loosen the flan from the sides.
- Place a serving plate over the mold. Hold them tightly together and quickly invert them.
- Slowly lift the flan mold. The flan will gently drop onto the plate with the caramel topping flowing out into a pool around the flan creating beautiful Flan De Leche.
- Serve the flan chilled.
Notes
Top Tip
If your custard mixture has somehow formed way too many air bubbles, a simple hack is to sieve it twice before pouring it into the pan.
In addition, you can use a spoon to scrap off any pesky stray bubbles before baking.
Equipment / Helpful Tools
- Large mixing bowl
- 9-inch round heavy metal cake pan or a 7 to 8 inch llanera or 1 cup ramekins
- Large baking pan
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Tongs
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Oven mitts
- Toothpick
- Plastic wrap
- Kitchen knife
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 211Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 327mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 0gSugar: 28gProtein: 8g
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