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Flan de Coco (Coconut Flan)

By David Tanis

Updated Sept. 10, 2025

Flan de Coco (Coconut Flan)
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Total Time
1½ hours, plus overnight chilling
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 25 minutes, plus cooling and chilling
Rating
4(11)
Comments
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Flan, a type of caramel custard and a traditional homemade sweet, is beloved all over Latin America and can be eaten any time of day. And best of all, it’s quite simple to make: The only tricky part is preparing the caramel that coats the bottom of the pan. These days, most recipes call for sweetened condensed cow’s milk, but mine skips the dairy altogether, using two kinds of coconut milk instead.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • ¾cup/150 grams sugar
  • 4large eggs
  • 2large egg yolks
  • 1(11-ounce) can sweetened condensed coconut milk
  • 1(13-ounce) can coconut milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • Toasted shredded coconut, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

290 calories; 22 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 67 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees, and set an 8-inch round cake pan, deep pie pan, low-sided soufflé dish or flan mold next to your stovetop.

  2. Step 2

    Make the caramel: Put sugar in a low-sided, small saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to melt, about 2 minutes, lower heat and continue cooking without stirring, until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Tilt and swirl pan to incorporate any unmelted sugar and continue to cook gently until dark brown, about 5 minutes more. Turn off heat.

  3. Step 3

    Quickly pour hot caramel into the flan pan. Tilt to cover the bottom completely with caramel. Set aside to cool; caramel will harden.

  4. Step 4

    While the caramel cools, put eggs, egg yolks, both coconut milks and salt in a mixing bowl or blender. Beat or blend well. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, if you like.

  5. Step 5

    Pour flan mixture into the caramel-coated pan, cover with foil, then place in a roasting pan. To make a water bath, add boiling water to the roasting pan so it comes halfway up the flan pan.

  6. Step 6

    Bake on the middle rack for 60 to 65 minutes. To test doneness, remove foil and insert the tip of a paring knife in the center of the flan. The custard should still be a little jiggly, but the knife should emerge clean. Remove pan from water bath, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, preferably overnight.

  7. Step 7

    To serve, run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the custard, then carefully invert the pan over a platter. Flan will be surrounded by caramel sauce. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Cut into wedges to serve and spoon some caramel sauce over each serving.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
11 user ratings
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Comments

John M.

You can make your own sweetened condensed coconut milk by combining a 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk and 1/4 cup of sugar in a saucepan. Over medium heat, mix together and bring to a low boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer rapidly for about 45 minutes, stirring frequently. It will thicken as it cools. Best to do it the day before.

Sabrina

I enjoyed this recipe. the only thing I would change is add a little bit of vanilla extract.

David C

Carmel has a number of challenges for many home cooks including matching the right consistency for the recipe. I find that the most helpful thing to get it right is knowing the temp to be reached. It's disappointing that this recipe doesn't state the temp; my sense of "dark brown" may be your amber, etc. Rick Martinez's recipe for Flan in NYT Cooking calls for a temp of 360 for "dark amber." Is that right for this recipe? At any rate, knowing the temp is really helpful.

Steph B

Attracted by dairy-free title only to find its got eggs in it, sigh :-(

MJ

My abuela made the best flan period. She would make the flan mixture as described in this article, but first she would get an empty full size coffee can and pack about 1 1/2" of shredded coconut at the bottom. She would drizzle her caramel mixture over the coconut would add a wallop of Jack Daniels for effect, then pour her flan mixture over this. She would take her can to the backyard where she would place the can in a ring of hot charcoal and cook for a few hours. truly perfect flan heaven

Daren

Why do people feel the need to tell us about the adjustments they make to any recipe? It's annoying and unhelpful.

John M.

I've often incorporated many commenters' suggestions when making a NYT recipe, and I'm often just as glad that I did.

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