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!

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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

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.
- 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
- 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.
- 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!
- Tilt the pan in every direction to get a nice coating of caramel in the pan. Then let it harden.
- 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
Flan and creme brulee are silky smooth custards with a beautiful texture and lavish flavor. The main difference is that flan has a denser texture and is topped with a soft and gooey caramel sauce. Creme brulee is lighter in texture and topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar. Also, flan hails from Latin American cuisine, while creme originates from French.
Traditional flan is made of eggs, sweetened condensed milk, cream, whole or evaporated milk, and sugar. It may be flavored with vanilla, coconut extract, coffee, or orange.
Flan, or crème caramel, doesn't have gelatin; it is an egg-based custard made of eggs, sweetened condensed milk, cream, whole or evaporated milk, and sugar.
You do not need to cover the flan with aluminum foil while it is in the oven.
Make this flan at least 2 hours before serving so that it has time to set.
Once you flip the flan onto a serving platter, the dessert will be covered with a golden caramel sauce. Slice the flan and spoon the caramel over each serving. Garnish with fresh berries if you desire.
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PrintRecipe card
Flan de Coco (Coconut Flan)
Enjoy this easy gluten-free coconut flan (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!
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (plus resting time)
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Custards
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For custard:
- 1 cup (255 g) evaporated milk
- â…” cup + 2 tablespoons (245 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup + 1 ½ teaspoons (125 ml) cold water
- â…” cup + 3 tablespoons (80 g) shredded coconut
For caramel:
- ⅔ cup + 3 ½ tablespoons (200 g) granulated sugar
- 10 teaspoons (50 ml) water
For decoration:
- 0.3 oz (10 g) roasted coconut chips
*Don't you have the correct baking pan on hand right now? Try this simple Cake Pan Converter!
** If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C). Prepare a 9-inch/23 cm pie pan or pie plate to pour caramel right away.
- To make the caramel, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour water, add white sugar, and bring to a boil. Once the caramel turns golden, pour it into the bottom of the prepared apn and let it cool down.
- 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. Add sweetened condensed milk and cold water, and whisk again. Finally, add coconut and mix.
- Pour the preparation into the pie tin over the caramel. Place the tin inside a large frying pan, bring it to the oven rack, and carefully add warm water. The water level should reach about halfway up the flan tin. Bake the flan for 50-60 minutes.
- Using oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven and set it aside to cool at room temperature in the water bath. Then remove the flan pan.
- Once the flan is cool, slide a sharp knife between the custard and the mold. Then place a serving plate on top of the mold and flip the flan quickly using a sharp move. The flan will be covered with caramel on top, while the coconut forms a biscuit-like base.
- Decorate the flan with coconut flakes or coconut chips. Allow 2 hours for the flan to set.
Notes
- Make sure your pie pan is ready to pour the caramel in. Once the caramel gets golden, pour it right away until it hardens.
- While cooking the caramel, stir it constantly or rotate the pan on top of the stove without using any spoon. It is essential to catch the right color of ready caramel!
- Tilt the pan in every direction to get a nice coating of caramel in the pan. Then let it harden.
- 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 47.2 g
- Sodium: 107 mg
- Fat: 13.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 8.1 g
- Cholesterol: 102 mg
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.
Marta says
I love a good flan recipe. In our Puerto Rican family, they're highly prized for dessert.
Irina says
Thanks for visiting the recipe, Marta. Please, enjoy it!
Geoffrey says
I love the French twist to this flan! Amazing!
Irina says
Thank you, Geoffrey!
Beth says
This looks so delicious and yummy! I can't wait to make this recipe! My daughter is going to love this!
Irina says
Happy baking and enjoy it, Beth! The texture of this flan is amazing! You will love it. 🙂
Julia says
I love this coconut flan. It's creamy, delicious, and the caramelized top is amazing!
Irina says
Thank you, Julia. Please, enjoy the recipe. 🙂
Chichi says
This is one recipe I have been planning to make for a long time. Your guide will help me make it successful. Thanks for sharing.
Irina says
You are very welcome, Chichi. Please, let me know how it went. 🙂
Debby says
I made it and loved it however, note that it needs to bake for 60 minutes as opposed to the 30 minutes noted in the recipe.
Irina says
Hello Debby, Thank you for making the recipe. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm that the recipe requires 60 minutes of baking. I made it a few times, and it was ready in 30 minutes of baking. I will try to re-test one more time. 🙂
P.S. I retested the recipe, made changes in the amount of ingredients, and updated the recipe card.