Flan de Coco (Coconut Flan) Recipe

Enjoy this easy coconut flan or flan de coco recipe to make one of the most impressive desserts. Made with condensed milk and topped with caramel, this delicate custard is worth making at least once in a lifetime. But once you try it, you will indeed repeat that experience!

Coconut flan, flan coco, flan de coco, coconut flan cake, or coconut flan pie is another impressive and delicious dessert.

It belongs to the desserts called custards, a cooked mixture of milk or/and cream and egg yolks. 

This coconut flan recipe is quite different from the traditional flan recipe. It has a French touch, and it hails from the cuisine of the French Antilles Islands. So here is another name - Flan au coco antillais, meaning West Indian coconut flan or Caribbean flan.

Added shredded coconut to the custard mixture divides the baked coconut flan into two different layers.

Once flipped, the flan showcases a biscuit-like coconut crust with a luscious creamy custard and caramel on top.

What is flan

Flan is a baked custard dessert with a silky texture and a beautiful layer of simple caramel sauce on top. It is also known under other names such as "crème caramel" in French, caramel custard, or caramel pudding. 

Coconut flan is a luscious dessert of Latin American origin with a prominent coconut flavor and taste due to coconut milk, cream of coconut, or shredded coconut.

Why you should try this recipe

• This easy coconut flan recipe (flan de coco receta in Spanish) is quick to make: it takes about an hour from start to finish.

• This flan dessert calls for a handful of simple ingredients.

• It is an impressive custard dessert for a special occasion, whether a birthday or a BBQ party.

• Flan de coco is gluten-free, so there are no worries about serving anyone.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Find the recipe card below for exact amounts and detailed instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

• Evaporated milk is used to make the recipe. You will need a bit less than one can of evaporated milk.

• Sweetened condensed milk: you will need about one can of store-bought sweetened condensed milk: I used the Carnation one by Nestlé. You can also opt for homemade condensed milk.

• Brown sugar: Use golden brown sugar or replace it with dark brown sugar.

• Eggs: the recipe calls for large eggs. Bring them to room temperature 30-60 minutes before you start.

• Water: Use cold water to make the flan.

• Coconut: the recipe calls for shredded coconut.

• Sugar: use regular granulated sugar or caster sugar to make the caramel.

Recipe variations

Known since the middle ages, nowadays, flan is a popular dessert in Latin America, and its recipe is the most customizable to create different types of flan.

This coconut flan recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk. Other recipes use heavy cream, whole, or coconut milk.

• Flan de coco with condensed milk has a slightly denser texture than the ones made with cream or milk.

• Flan de coco with coconut milk or Spanish coconut flan will be lighter than a cream-based custard.

• Puerto Rican flan de coco is made with evaporated and whole milk, eggs, and sugar.

• Mexican coconut flan has delicious variations, such as coffee, chocolate, pumpkin, pineapple, and orange.

You can make flan in different pans: choose between a glass or non-stick pie pan, a savarin mold, and a bundt pan.

But don't confuse a flan pan created for making German fruit flan with a mold you choose for your flan.

If you strive for authenticity while making the flan, look for a special flan mold called a flora.

To make individually served flan desserts, use ramekins. Ensure that they are nestled close in a water bath to prevent them from sliding around.

How to make coconut flan

Heat oven to 390°F (200°C). Prepare a 9-inch/23 cm pie pan or pie plate to pour caramel right away.

Make wet caramel

To make the caramel, in a heavy-bottomed small saucepan, pour water, add white sugar, and bring over medium-high heat to boil (photo 1). Heat sugar until the caramel turns a golden color (photo 2).

Expert tip: Watch for your caramel to avoid overcooking. Once it turns golden brown, remove it from the heat!

Pour the caramel into the bottom of the prepared pan (photo 3) and let it cool down.

Make custard

To make the custard, in a separate bowl, add whole eggs and brown sugar and whisk with a hand whisk. Add evaporated milk and combine (photo 4).

Add sweetened condensed milk and cold water, and whisk again. Finally, add coconut and mix (photo 5). Pour the preparation into the pie tin over the caramel (photo 6).

Make a hot water bath

A water bath (bain marie) is crucial while baking flan: slow baking prevents getting a scrambled egg-textured custard. It is the same technique used to make cheesecakes.

To prepare a flan water bath, place a flan pan in the center of the large roasting pan, baking dish, or frying pan. Pull the oven rack out (no baking sheet on) and place pan with flan inside the empty frying pan.

Carefully pour the warm water around the flan dish until the water level reaches halfway up the edges of the dish.

Push the oven rack back in the preheated oven and bake the flan for 50-60 minutes (photos 7-8).

When the flan is baked, carefully remove the frying pan from the oven, not spilling the hot water. Use oven mitts!

Allow the flan to cool to room temperature while in the water bath. Then remove the flan pan from the large container.

Get flan out of the pan

Once the flan is cooled down, slide a sharp knife between the custard and the sides of the pan. Next, invert serving plate on top of the flan tin and flip the pan and the plate using a quick movement.

If it doesn't immediately away, let it sit inverted for a minute or two: it will finally slide out.

Lift the flan pan. The flan will be covered with caramel topping, while the coconut forms a biscuit-like base.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the remaining caramel from the bottom of the dish on top of the flan. The hardened part of the caramel will remain in the pan, which is fine.

Decorate the top of the flan with roasted coconut flakes or coconut chips. Allow 2 hours for the flan to set.

Expert Tips

1. Make sure a heavy-duty pan is ready to pour the caramel in. Once the caramel turns golden, pour it right away until it hardens.
2. While cooking the caramel, either stir it constantly or rotate the pan on top of the stove without any spoon. It is essential to catch the right color of ready caramel!
3. Tilt the pan in every direction to get a nice coating of caramel in the pan. Then let it harden.
4. Keep the flan (still in the pan) in the fridge until ready to serve. Before serving, bring it to the oven at 355°F (180°)C for a few minutes to liquefy the caramel. Then flip it over and serve.

Storage instructions

Store the coconut flan in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Can you freeze flan? It isn't recommended to freeze the coconut flan. Since the flan is custard, its texture will be destroyed when thawed.

Recipe FAQ

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from https://www.meilleurduchef.com. It was originally published on February 23, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.