This is the easiest leche flan you’ll ever make! Creamy, smooth flan made with whole eggs baked in an oven from start to finish including the caramel. A beginner-friendly recipe with lots of tips, step-by-step photos, and a video recipe.
Whole Eggs Leche Flan Recipe
Your favorite Filipino dessert made easy! Here’s why you’ll love it:
- The flan and the caramel are not too sweet, with less condensed milk and sugar than most recipes. Of course, if you like it sweeter, this can be easily adjusted.
- Made of whole eggs (not egg yolks) which means no egg whites are wasted!
- Both the caramel and the flan are baked in the oven! What? How? More on this later.
- The flan is creamy and smooth and so so good!
Ingredients
(SECRET INGREDIENT TO A NO EGGY TASTE FLAN)
We’re using the classic Leche Flan ingredients with an addition of a simple ingredient that will help mask the eggy taste.
- Whole eggs – no egg whites are wasted here.
- Condensed Milk – creamy, sweet, and milky; way better than just using sugar.
- Evaporated Milk – rich milky flavor and always best paired with condensed milk for some reason. We Filipinos love pairing the two in most of our dessert recipes.
- Cream – makes the flan creamier and richer!
- Lemon Juice/Calamansi Juice – the secret ingredient to the best-tasting flan. The citric juice masks the eggy taste and balances the sweetness of the flan.
- Vanilla – enhances the overall flavor of the flan.
- White Sugar – for the caramel. Combine with a little bit of water and lemon or calamansi juice to lessen the crystallization process.
Oven-baked Leche Flan
Making flan is relatively easy but a few minor mistakes can lead to a disappointing outcome (oh, I’ve been there!). But that is less likely to happen using my recipe.
Let’s begin!
How to caramelize sugar—FOOLPROOF WAY
Caramelizing sugar for Leche Flan requires special skills. Well, at least in my case. I’ve made it countless times using the popular methods and I often end up overcooking the sugar i.e. burned and bitter!
So folks, may I present to you my foolproof way of caramelizing sugar!
- Start by placing a damp folded kitchen towel on the bottom of a large roasting pan. The dishtowel will help protect the bottom of the pan and will help gently cook the sugar.
- Place a 7-inch round pan in the large roasting pan then add all the ingredients of the caramel. Stir to combine.
- Place inside the oven, middle rack, and set the temperature to 170c/325 f (there’s no need to preheat the oven). Bake in BROIL MODE until sugar is caramelized and golden in color. Start checking as early as 18 mins and remove from the oven as soon as the color changes. Mine was ready at around 20 minutes.
- While the caramel is still hot, quickly swirl to coat the bottom and sides of the pan evenly. Use thick oven gloves to prevent burning your hands. Coating the sides of the pan will help loosen the flan later on.
Note: It’s completely fine for the caramel to harden a bit once cooled. It has a little bit of lemon juice, so it won’t easily crystallize.
How to make a smooth and creamy Leche Flan
While the oven is pre-heating and caramelizing the sugar at the same time, you can start making the custard.
- Blend all the flan/custard ingredients together until no white streaks are visible. If using a bowl, place all ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or muslin cloth to remove any bits of egg and air bubbles. I suggest doing this two times for a smoother flan texture. DON’T SKIP THIS STEP!
- Bake the flan using the hot water bath method. A water bath adds moisture to the oven and provides a more even, slower heat source than the direct heat of an oven.
- The flan is cooked when the center is set but will still be a bit jiggly. Use the toothpick method just to make sure. Do not bake for more than 45 minutes otherwise, the flan will overcook and become bubbly and curdled.
Serve and Storage
Leche flan is best served cold. After baking, let it cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours, best overnight. It should last in the fridge for 3 to 5 days but I highly recommend consuming it within 3 days for the best texture.
Frequently asked questions
Avoid overcooking the flan. Use an additional timer to make sure that you don’t go over the suggested baking time.
Yes of course. To ensure that the eggs will easily blend with the rest of the ingredients, whisk them first. Add the rest of the ingredients then stir until no white streaks are visible. Strain two times to remove the air bubbles and egg bits. Don’t skip this step.
You can use fresh full-fat milk or half-and-half instead of evaporated milk. If the cream is not available, increase the milk to 1 1/2 cups.
Love desserts? Try these recipes too!
- Tres Leches Cake
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Easy Chocolate Cake
- Sweet and Creamy Fruit Salad (Filipino Style)
- Buko Pandan (Coconut Pandan Salad)
- Puto Flan (Leche Flan Puto)
- Turon with Dulce De Leche
- No-Bake Banana Caramel Cake (Icebox Cake)
Watch how to Make Whole Eggs Leche Flan
Try these next…
Creamy Whole Eggs Leche Flan
Ingredients
Caramel
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ tbsp water
Flan
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can 14 oz condensed milk
- 1 can 12 oz evaporated milk (note 1)
- ¼ cup heavy cream (note 2)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Caramelize the sugar
- Combine all the ingredients of the caramel in a 7-inch round pan. Stir with a whisk or spatula.1/4 cup white sugar, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 1 1/2 tbsp water
- Place the pan directly onto a stove over medium heat. Using a kitchen tong, swirl every so often until it liquefies and the color turns into a color amber.
- While the caramel is still hot, quickly swirl to coat the bottom and sides of the pan evenly. Use thick oven gloves or cooking tongs to prevent burning your hands.
Flan/Custard
- Preheat oven to 170C/ 325F.
- Combine all ingredients of the flan in a large bowl. Whisk until well combined. You can also use a blender, if preferred. Strain the mixture through a sieve with muslin cloth directly into a pitcher. I did this 2 times for a smoother flan texture.4 large eggs, 1 can 14 oz condensed milk, 1 can 12 oz evaporated milk, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pour the flan mixture into the pan. Carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan, about halfway up the side of the round pan. Don't use boiling water.
- Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The center should be almost set, but will still be a little bit jiggly. Do not overcook. You can start checking the doneness at about 35 mins. SEE NOTE 3 FOR THE STEAMING METHOD.
- Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Let the flan sit in the hot water for 10 minutes to continue cooking. Remove and let it cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Loosen the sides of the flan using a butter knife then invert onto a serving plate. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Evaporated milk substitute: You can use fresh full-fat milk or half-and-half instead of evaporated milk. If the cream is not available, increase the milk to 1 1/2 cups.
- Heavy Cream – can be substituted with evaporated milk but flan will be less rich. Use the same amount as stated in the recipe.
- Steaming Method – Cover pan/llanera with foil. Make sure the batter is not touching the foil. Bring the steamer to a boil. Place the leche flan mixture in the steamer and cook for 30 minutes over LOW HEAT. Using high heat will cause the flan to have an uneven texture and bubbles.
- Shelf-life and storage: Keep refrigerated and covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve. It should last in the fridge for 3 to 5 days but I highly recommend consuming it within 3 days for the best texture.
If I’m using the steam method, is it necessary to put a lid on the cooking pot given the flanera will be covered?
Yes, put the lid on so that the steam will not come out. Set the heat to low so it cooks gently.
– Mella
This is one of the most helpful leche flan recipe–complete and easy-to-follow. Glad I can make leche flan without wasting the egg whites.
Thanks you!
If doubling the recipe how long do you recommend cooking for?
Hi Maria, I recommend using two cake pans if doubling the recipe. Use the same cooking time.
– Mella
Salamat Ms. Mella. Will try this soon.
Hi po, can I use all-purpose cream po as substitute for the heavy cream? Thank you
Yes, you can. Use the same amount as heavy cream.
Thank you!!! This is the best flan I have ever tasted! It was so easy to make too, I had to cook a little longer than I expected but be patient and keep checking on it, it’s worth it!! Wow I can’t wait to show up to Christmas with this beauty!
So happy to hear that! What cooking method did you use? Either way, glad this worked out for you.
Happy Christmas!
-Mella
Best flan ever! I received lots of compliments yesterday. I brought it as a potluck. Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Naomi. Glad everyone enjoyed this Leche Flan.
Happy Holidays!
– Mella
Can l bake more than 10 llaneras at the same time? 8 in one tray and I have two trays,so that.makes it 16.
Do the eggs have to be room temperature?
Not necessarily.
– mella
I made this recipe and it turned out so good! No more trying to figure out what to do with the egg whites! This is a keeper! Thank you! 😊
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed this! Same thoughts about the egg whites.
– mella
This turned out amazing! No more buying expensive flan from the restaurants!! The only (easily fixed) problem I had was my caramel never turning brown in the oven. I let it sit in there 10-15 min. longer than directed and it never started to change in color. So, I took it out and put in on med-low heat in a nonstick frying pan. As soon as it turned into pure bubbles and turned the right color, I poured it back into my ceramic pie dish. (I assume the ceramic wouldn’t let it heat up as fast as the aluminum pan, thus making it take way longer…) I also used my ninja blender to whip the eggs really well first, then added everything else and blended it again. I went against the rules and didn’t run it through cheesecloth because I didn’t have any. I have to say though, it was still super smooth and silky. The satisfaction of lifting the pie dish off a perfect flan was wonderful! It tasted as delicious as it looked! Thank you for the recipe. It is a keeper for me. <3
How to make a white sugar caramelized to golden brown? I’m trying this recipe and still white?
Hi Shirley,
Where did you position the oven rack? And for how long did you bake it?
Shirley, I had the same problem. I ended up cooking it in a non stick frying pan on med-low heat. Stir a lot. It’ll become all bubbles, then it’ll turn caramel color. That’s when you take it off and pour it back into your dish and swirl it around.
Hi Meghan, try using the top rack of your oven and see if it caramelizes the sugar quickly while preheating.
– Mella
I love that this recipe uses whole eggs so there is no wastage of egg whites! It’s surprisingly good and instructions are super easy to follow! Definitely a must during any ‘handaan’. Will definitely make this again for Christmas! I can’t wait!
I love your recipes. Is easy to understand the instruction❤️ I try to cook your recipes of baked siopao and pandesal asado. It’s so yummy???. My family and friends they love it also. Thank you and Godbless???
Thanks for the wonderful feedback, Julie! I’m so happy to hear you and your family are enjoying my recipes.
I’ve made this but used all coconut based milk (condensed and evap) and whipping cream and yet, it was unexpectedly delicious! Thanks for the easy recipe and tips. I still have to master the caramelizing inside the oven, though. But this is a good recipe, will definitely recommend to my fam and friends. Thanks again!
You’re welcome, Ann. Happy to hear you liked this recipe.
I will try this recipe.
If I want to steam, how long should I do it? Low or medium fire? Thank you as always for sharing your recipes.
Is the damp kitchen towel u use a paper towel or cloth towel?? Please advise. Thanks.
It should be damp plain kitchen towel.