Flan is available in most dairy aisles of Taiwanese grocery stores. However, anyone unfamiliar with the Taiwanese spin on flan might be a little confused at the lighter color and taste, and the softer texture. We actually call it pudding so when I first looked for it in the United States, I kept getting redirected to the wrong thing. ^^”
My first attempt at Taiwanese Flan was a tasty failure – the flavor was great, but the texture was too liquid. The flan tragically dripped off the spoon and plopped back into the cup. Since the liquidity of the flan was the issue, it seemed there could be two ways to solve the issue – use a thicker base, or reduce the amount of liquid used.
I decided to give both a try. I reduced the amount of milk, and also switched it out for a thicker alternative. Previously, I had been using Costco’s Unsweetened Almond milk; the second time, I made my own soy milk, which I could more easily customize to be creamier and thicker than store bought ones. And voila! The second time was definitely a success. 😀
What is Taiwanese Flan?
Flan is a dessert known by many different names, and can also mean different desserts. In Spain and South America, flan is a made from custard and caramel; perhaps more descriptively named, there is a French dessert called creme carmel that is their version of flan. On the other hand, if you were to order flan in the UK you’d likely be served an tart with either a sweet or savory filling.
Taiwanese flan is a derivative of the Spanish variant. The caramel flavor is reduced and the color is light, pale yellow. Similar to most Asian sweets, Taiwanese flan is a lot less sweet than its western counterparts.
Why this recipe?
The preparation for this recipe takes ten minutes or less – any dessert that’s that quick is always working making in my book! But seriously, the main benefits of this recipe are:
- Easily customizable for dietary restrictions (just switch out the milk used)
- No separate process to make the caramel
- Can be made in advance and refrigerated until you’re ready to service it, making it one less thing to worry about when hosting!
Ingredients and Equipment
There are only four ingredients for this recipe, ingredients that you’ll likely have in your kitchen if you bake regularly – eggs, milk, vanilla, and brown sugar. I prefer to use Taiwanese brown sugar[link] since it tastes stronger and packs a lot more flavor than most western brands, almost giving off a slight caramel taste without any additional cooking needed. Standard brown sugar works as well though, if that’s what you happen to have in your kitchen!
The other thing to watch out for is the consistency of the milk. In order for the flan to harden, the milk will need to be thick enough. I’ve found that some store bought brands are a little too watered down; I recommended using [] or []. Or better yet, you can make your own soy milk using this recipe! [link] If you only have a thinner milk on hand, you can also make it work. Just simmer the milk for around 5-10 minutes until thicker, bringing to the point of almost boiling to change the consistency of the milk and voila! Continue on with the recipe!
If you aren’t able to make your own non-dairy milk, don’t worry! An easy alternative you can do is look for a brand that is naturally thicker, or simmer over low heat to condense the milk before using it. If you have the equipment to make your own milk, it’s something I highly recommend and you can learn to do so through my non-dairy milk recipes here (soy, almond).
The equipment is a little trickier – you’ll need to have small cups that can are oven-safe, as well as a pan that is high enough to hold some water. The cups don’t have to be anything special; I’ve actually used bowls before and those worked just as well! The ones I have in my kitchen are actually reused from pre-made desserts from Costco.
Cooking Process
The cooking process is as simple as the ingredients! It can be basically broken into three main sections:
- Preparation
- Combination
- Baking
Preparation
Melt the part of the brown sugar in the soy milk by stovetop or microwave. The milk should just be warm enough to melt the sugar; if it starts to boil STOP! You’ve gone too far. Keep in mind you’ll have to mix the warmed milk and eggs together later on which is another incentive to avoid overheating it or else the eggs will cook when you combine the two or melt the brown sugar in the cups. If you do overheat it, no worries, just wait a little bit for the milk to cool down before proceeding.
The next phase of preparation is to beat the eggs. The trick to attaining the smooth texture of a perfectly made flan is to thoroughly beat the eggs. I usually beat by hand for a couple of minutes with a fork.
Finally, prepare the cups by putting a thin layer of brown sugar on the bottom of the cups. I usually gently shake the cup a little after adding in the sugar to balance it out.
Combination
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until thoroughly combined. The order doesn’t matter too much as long as everything is fully combined. As a reminder, make sure that the milk isn’t too hot before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
Carefully pour the flan mixture into the prepared cups. During the mixing, you may notice that quite a bit of foam has been created in the process. I usually use a sieve when pouring into the cups – this will help catch the majority of the foam and create a flan with a smooth texture on top and not just on the inside.
Baking
Cover the cups with aluminum foil and then place into a pan filled with warm water. Carefully move to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or else the flan will start to harden too much.
Remove from the oven to cool. It’ll be too hot to place directly into the refrigerator. I usually let it sit on the counter for around 20 minutes before transition to the fridge. The flan is ready to be served as soon as it’s complete cooled. This usually takes a couple of hours. Make sure to allow the flan to fully cool or else the flan will still be a little watery. I was naughty here and took out the flan too early.
The good news is that there’s an easy fix for watery tops! Just place it back into the fridge until it fully cools.
Another half hour, and perfect consistency now!
final thoughts on Taiwanese Flan
Taiwanese flan keeps in the refrigerator for at least days without problem. The top might start to get watery again the longer you let it sit, so I would recommend finishing it up sooner than that. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Taiwanese Flan
Equipment
- 1 mid-sized bowl
- 1 beater
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 small sieve*
- 1 small baking pan
- 4 small cups, baking proof
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 2 c milk or unsweetened soy or almond milk
- 1 T vanilla
- 2 T brown sugar separated into 1 T (preferably one of the Taiwanese brands)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Boil some water and set aside (this will be poured into the baking tray later, but won’t be added to the flan).
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is just warm enough to melt sugar. Add 1 T of the brown sugar and stir until melted. Turn off heat and set aside. Be careful to not let it boil.
- Crack eggs into a mid-sized bowl and beat until slightly foamy. The longer you beat, the smoother the flan will be.
- Add the vanilla and stir with the beater until well mixed.
- Add in the milk mixture and stir with the beater until well mixed.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly. While waiting, put around 1 t brown sugar into each of the cups, shaking slightly to even distribute. This will melt during the baking process, creating cozy caramel liquid at the bottom of the flan.
- With the sieve, pour the flan mixture into the cups, leaving about ⅓” from the top. It’s important to use the sieve or else the foam will gather at the top of the cup. The foam will dissipate while baking, leaving ugly looking bubbles at the top of the cup and will also prevent you from filling the cups to the max.
- Cover the cups with aluminum foil and place on the baking sheet and pour warm water into the tray, enough to raise the water to about ½” (or half the height of the tray if using a lower tray).
- Transfer the tray into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- After the time is up, remove from the oven and remove the cups from the tray and allow to cool for around 20 minutes. Once the cups are just warm to touch, store in the refrigerator and serve as soon as completely cool. Enjoy within 3 days!
