Brazilian Flan Recipe
This 4-ingredient Brazilian Flan recipe with condensed milk, also known as pudim de leite condensado in Portuguese, is creamy, sweet and utterly delicious. A stunning and fun jiggly dessert with a decadent caramel sauce, great for special occasions like holidays, or just because. This make-ahead dessert may look fancy but is actually quite easy to make! Check it out!
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Oi Gente!
This is my mom’s flan recipe, and the one she made us for our whole lives, especially for special occasions like the holidays or dinner parties.
Yes, this Brazilian Flan may look fancy, but the reason my mom actually made it for special occasions is because it’s actually a pretty hands-off recipe. She could make it ahead of time, like a day or two before, leaving her very precious time available to get the rest of our holiday meal all cooked up. And, since she was the primary (ahem only) person cooking for the most part, she needed her every minute to be efficient!
So, really, serving pudim for dessert is actually a planning strategy!
And yes, I keep saying this is an easy recipe because really it is. Many people are intimidated by flan because of the unmolding part, but with the tips I’m about to give you, it’s impossible to fail!
So let’s get to it, yes? But first, here are some “flan” facts (pun 100% intended, ahaha) if you’re curious… (if you’re not curious, that’s ok, too. Just scroll right on through to get right to the recipe card, and the precious tips I have for you down below!)
What is Flan?
Essentially, a flan is a baked egg custard dessert, like crème caramel. Traditional flans have a caramel topping and are loved all over the world, especially in Latin countries. But, where is flan originally from?
Where is Flan From?
Flan’s roots can be traced all the way back to the Roman Empire, where it was served as a savory dish, and the egg and cream-based dish was served with meat and fish.
The addition of caramelized sugar is attributed to the Spanish, and then, this sweet custard became a classic dessert in many Latino households around the world.
And what makes Brazilian Flan different from other classic flans? A Brazilian Flan recipe calls for condensed milk. AND, trditionally, it bakes in a bundt pan, so Brazilian flan always has a hole in the middle of it.
Other Brazilian custards to try: Pudim de Tapioca – Brazilian Tapioca Pudding
Brazilian Flan Ingredients
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- Eggs
- Whole milk—lower or no fat milk will not work as well
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Granulated sugar
YOU’LL ALSO NEED
- Blender
- A 9 x 2 3/4 inch bundt cake pan – To double the recipe, use a 10 x 3.5 inch pan instead!
- Heat-safe gloves or towel
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Roasting Pan
- A serving dish that’s large enough to hold the flan and its caramel
How to Make Brazilian Flan
First and foremost, we’re going to blend our egg-milk mixture, and let it rest while we prepare the pan. We do this to ensure your pudim comes out smooth and free of any ugly air bubbles.
So, add the eggs, the milk and the sweetened condensed milk to a blender. Pulse a few times to combine everything, then set the custard aside.
Then, before we move to caramelizing the sugar, bring bring approximately 2.5-3 quarts of water to a boil for the hot water bath in a kettle, or medium pan. We’ll need this ready for when we bake our Brazilian Flan, and it’s best to start it before you begin the caramelized sugar process so you won’t be distracted.
How to caramelize sugar for flan
Caramelizing sugar can intimidate a lot of people, but I can assure you that it’s actually easier than you think.
All you need to do is add the granulated sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium to high heat. Bring to a simmer, and let it simmer untouched until it turns a beautiful amber color.
It takes the sugar around 10 or so minutes to melt and turn light gold, then it just takes a few more moments for it to go from light gold to amber color. Keep an eye on your pan because from amber to burnt just takes a few seconds!
In fact, if you’re using a copper or triple bottom pan, you can turn off the heat when your caramel reaches a gold color because those pans trap heat and will continue to cook the sugar after the heat is off.
When the caramelized sugar is an amber color (and not any darker—it’ll be bitter if it is!), immediately pour it into the bundt pan.
Caramelized Sugar Pro Tips
- Do not stir this mixture, no matter how tempting it may be. If you stir it, the sugar will crystallize and will not become a smooth, beautiful sauce like the one you see in these photos.
- Keep an eye on it, always. When the sugar begins changing color, it’s going to cook quickly, and if you don’t pay attention, it will burn.
- As soon as the caramel is an amber color, pour it into your bundt pan. You run the risk of it burning and becoming bitter if you leave it in the pan, even if the heat is turned off. This caramel also hardens as it cools, so if you let it sit, you will not be able to pour it in the bundt pan later.
- This stuff is hot, so please, swear to me you’ll be extremely careful!!! I’m not kidding! It’s between 330°F-360°F!
Preparing the Pan for Brazilian Flan
Alright – so, you made your caramel, it’s pretty amber, and you immediately poured it into the bundt pan! Woot woot!
Now, hold the bundt pan with heat safe gloves or towel, as shown above. That sugar syrup is around 330°F, so be extremely careful while doing this!
Swirl the caramel around the bottom of the pan, up the sides and up the center piece of the pan, too. Make sure that the sugar coats the pan well because this is what will get your flan to unmold properly. If this part is done wrong, the flan might not easily come out of the pan in one piece.
Work quickly, confidently and carefully in this part.
But again, amigos, the pan is incredibly hot, and you can get seriously injured by this molten caramelized sugar, so please, please, please be careful.
With the pan properly coated, gently place it in the roasting pan. Then, pour the custard into the caramel-coated bundt pan.
Lastly, pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the bundt pan.
Be careful in this part, too, as the water is hot, and we don’t want it to splash into our flan.
Baking Your Brazilian Flan Recipe
Place the roasting pan in the oven, and bake. This Brazilian Flan recipe will bake for an hour to about an hour and 15 minutes. After that time, the flan will still jiggle in the center. But, don’t worry about this because it will firm up as it cools.
Remove from the oven and let the cooked flan sit in the water bath on the stovetop or countertop for another hour or so. This will allow the pan to cool off and the flan will continue to cook gently with the residual heat of the water bath.
After that hour, loosen the Brazilian flan from the side of the pan by running a paring knife around the inside and outside rims. Do this slowly and gently to free any pieces of the flan that might be sticking.
Once you’ve done this part, refrigerate it in the pan for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. I recommend covering with plastic wrap so that your flan doesn’t soak up any flavors/smells that are floating around your fridge.
Unmold your Brazilian Flan
After your flan has refrigerated, you’re ready to unmold it.
You can do this!
Remove the flan from the fridge. Gently shake/wiggle the pan to make sure it’s already “loose”.
Place a serving plate large enough to fit the flan and all that delicious caramel sauce directly on top of the pan.
Take a deep breath, and flip the plate and pan together! When the pan is upside down, the plate can be placed on a countertop. Then, gently lift up and remove the pan.
If the pudim doesn’t come out of the pan easily, don’t hit the pan to try and MacGyver it out of there! LOL! Just re-warm the pan by placing it over a stove burner for a few minutes, just long enough to re-warm the caramel inside of the pan and try again.
That’s it! You’re ready to serve and eat!
As for serving, we typically don’t serve Brazilian flan with anything other than the caramel sauce, but if you want to, you can serve it up with some fruit or some whipped cream, too. You do you, boo!
Brazilian Flan Recipe Frequently Asked Questions:
What does flan taste like?
My short answer is — it tastes like sweet, sweet magic!
But, if you’re looking for specifics, a flan is a sweet creamy, custardy dish. If you’ve eaten a creme brulee, the texture is a little firmer than that, but the flavor is somewhat similar. Brazilian flan is probably sweeter as well.
How long to cook flan?
This Brazilian Flan recipe bakes for an hour to about an hour and 15 minutes. Please note the amount of ingredients and the sizes of the pans I use in this recipe because that makes a difference. Obviously, if you’re making a smaller flan in a smaller bundt pan, it will cook for less time.
How to store flan?
Store it covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Never, ever, ever freeze it.
Other Flans from Around the world!
- Puerto Rican Flan by my girl Marta from Sense & Edibility
- Mexican Flan Recipe by Ana Frias from Muy Delish
- Spanish Flan Recipe by David Pope on Spanish Sabores
Other Great Brazilian Desserts to try:
- Brigadeiro Cake Recipe
- Pudim de Tapioca – Brazilian Tapioca Pudding
- Pave de Chocolate – No-Bake Chocolate Buiscuit Cake
- Brigadeiro Recipe
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Brazilian Flan Recipe
Ingredients
For the Custard
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2x 14oz cans of sweet condensed milk
For the Caramel
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
Make the Custard:
- Add all custard ingredients (eggs, milk and sweet condensed milk) to a blender and pulse a few times to combine. Set aside.
Make the Caramelized Sugar Sauce:
- In a kettle, or medium pan, bring approximately 2.5-3 quarts of water to a boil for the hot water bath.
- Add the sugar and the water to a small saucepan over medium to high heat. Bring it to a simmer, and let it simmer until it turns an amber color, approximately 13 mins. Be sure to watch the pan at all times to avoid burning the sugar, and never, ever, ever stir it.
- When the sugar is amber color, carefully pour it in the bundt pan. Coat the inside of the pan with the caramel by swirling it gently up the sides and center of the pan–see the photo in post above. The sugar will be super hot, so be extra careful!
- Place the bundt pan in a large roasting pan. Then, pour the custard on top of the caramel.
- Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about approximately halfway up the sides of the bundt pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 mins, then remove the cooked flan from the oven. Please note that the flan will still jiggle a little at the center. It will firm up as it cools.
- Let the cooked flan sit in the water bath outside of the oven for another hour or so, until the pan is cool to touch.
- After that hour, loosen the flan from the sides of the pan by running a paring knife around the inside and the outside rims. Then place plastic wrap over the flan and refrigerate in the pan for at least 4 hours. (You can also refrigerate it overnight.)
- Unmold* and transfer to a plate, then serve and enjoy!
i love love love flan! My mom used to make it when i was a kid and I haven’t had homemade in years. Thank you!
It’s soooooooo good!!! It’s my favorite dessert!! 🙂
The Brazilian flan in my opinion is so much better than any other flan I have tasted!! It’s rich, smooth and well like someone here said, it’s magic!!! I’m scared to make it though I don’t quite understand the sugar part and a water bath part and cooking it on a pan in the oven, but my friend makes it for me and it’s amazing!! I need to get the courage up to make it! ❤️😂❤️😂❤️
OMG!!! Yass!!!! What a great friend you have ahahah and yes, the recipe is intimidating, but you can totally do it!! I promise!! Besides, even if you don’t get it right the first time – a lot of these things are trial and error 🙂 you’ll eventually feel more comfortable with the process and your anxiety will turn into fun lol Beijos, Teresa!! Thanks for your message xx
I LOVE flan and I’m usually so intimidated by custard recipes. The step by step was really helpful! It came out perfect!!!
Excellent! Thank you!! I’m glad they were helpful xx
Looking at the pictures and ingredients I decided that this flan recipe had to be great. It did not disappoint. The entire family loved it.
YES!!! I’m so happy you tried and loved it!! Thank you!
Pero que cosa mas bonito! This was one of the tastiest and prettiest flans I’ve made in a long time! Your mama knew what she was doing!
haha!! Gracias, Marta!! Besos xx
I LOVE pudim! We make a version that is very similar to this one in Cape Verde. I’m envious of how smooth your flans edges came out! I never use the Bundt pan because it’s an extra set of edges to stress over but I’m definitely going to try your method of unmolding so that I can keep with the traditional presentation! These photos are beautiful!
Thanks, Crystal!! The secret to smooth edges is to give it a little rest to settle the bubbles before you pour the mixture in the pan – I’m excited to hear back after you try it!! Keep me posted!! Beijos xx
I couldn’t believe this recipe only required 4 ingredients and then I made it and was blown away! It tastes sooo good! Thank you for the detailed step by step instructions, it helped to make the flan so much easier!
Yay!! Thanks, Capri!! So happy the instructions were helpful and everything worked out!
Loved this recipe!
Wooohoooo!!!!
This was sooo good and it was easy to make! I’m definitely saving this recipe for the holidays!
Excellent idea, Chenee!! We always serve pudim for the holidays – it’s a must for my family!
I was always intimidated by flan until I came across your amazing tips – it came out simply beautiful.
That’s fantastic, Robin! So happy you the tips helped out!!
I made this flan and it was so good!! My whole family enjoyed it as well! I will be making it again and again!
Yay!!! This makes me so happy, Samiah!! Thank you!
I’ve always loved flan, especially when I lived in Spain, but haven’t tried making it for so long! This ring shape is so beautiful, I can’t wait to try it.
I hadn’t made flan before but had all the ingredients to make this and your step-by-step photos gave me the courage to attempt. It came out wonderfully–thank you!
haha! I know all the steps and the waiting can be intimidating, but I’m glad you decided to brave through it anyway and everything came out great!! Go you!!!
Thank you! My husband lived in Brazil 2 years before we met and this recipe is almost identical to the one he brought back. The only differences are that his recipe doesn’t have the water in the caramel, and he uses a special pan and cooks it on the stove instead of in the oven. I think his pan is called a Bain de Maria? I don’t speak Portuguese so can’t spell it. He is making two of them for a church Around the World Christmas party tonight. I told him about the water added to the caramel and he’s trying that with the second one to compare.
Banho de Maria yes. Mean Mary’s bath. But it just means you cook the custard in a water bath.
I loved that this recipe can be made in a blender and didn’t require tempering the eggs etc. Just tried it for the first time, and while it wasn’t smooth on the sides and more browned than I would have liked on the inside and the consistency was fabulous and tasted amazing! I even substituted one can of condensed milk for condensed coconut milk and it was great! Might take it out a bit sooner next time for my Bundt pan.
Obrigada pela receita Aline. Eu sempre esqueço as medidas. Receita bem fácil de seguir. Meu namorado é americano e ele odeia flan. Mais pudding the leite condensado ele ama. 💛 vou ter que fazer todas suas receitas. Beijos e abraços xoxo.
Ahahah!!! Que bom que ele gosta!! Faz sim – espero que gostem de todas!! Beijinhos xoxo
💯🙌🏽❤️
My husband loves this amazing Flan. It is so easy to make and the recipe was easy to follow.
Since I do not have a blender, I used a whisk to blend the mixture by hand. Then pour through a sieve so it is smooth.
The second time I made this flan recipe I only had one can of condensed milk on hand. I substituted evaporated milk. It worked perfectly! A great way to cut back on the sugar content without compromising the taste and texture.
Thanks for all the helpful hints in this great Flan recipe.
Sweeeeeeet!!!!! Awesome instructions for the flan. Followed the directions to a tee and it turned out perfectly. It fooled all my family. They did not believe I made it. When everyone ate it they were extremely impressed and really enjoyed it. I will be making this again as well as your other recipes. ❤️👍🏾👊🏾👏🏾
Ahhhh good for you!! ahaha So glad it was easy to make, came out great and you and your family loved it!! Woohoooo!!
I have not made it in 45 years. I burned both hands badly with the caramel when I was pouring it from the pot to the mold!! That, and considering that I’m not crazy about caramel, anyway, haven’t tried again. I love flan, especially pudim de leite condensado. Lost my husband recently, so now it is only me, but I might make some, some day, using your recipe. I’ve always wished I could make it without caramel – that I would enjoy even more.
Obrigada, un beijo!
Have you ever made this in the Instant Pot? I’ve heard it’s the perfect environment for making flan. Obrigada!
Whaaaaa!!! No! I never heard of it – I need to check it out. I’m intrigued!
This is the perfect dessert! I tried another flan recipe before and it didn’t work out. I’m so glad that I found this one because it came out perfectly on the first try. Thanks for explaining this in a way that was easy and fun!
Yay, Britney!! This makes me so happy to know, thank you! Beijos xx
Omg! Thank you so much for this well explained recipe! 🙏 It came out heavenly 🥰 can’t wait to try some more recipes here.
Wooohooooo!!!!! That’s fantastic to hear!! You’re so welcome – glad y’all found it heavenly! <3
Great flan recipe. Very easy to make. I made it per the recipe the first time, but the second time I did cut back on the amount of sweetened condensed milk. It was just too sweet for my taste. Recipe still worked.
If I could give 1000 stars to this recipe, I would. It’s simply divine. No other way to describe it. I’m obsessed and so happy that I no longer have to chase flan around town only to be disappointed. This recipe, unlike all her other recipes, is so clearly explained and full of details that is impossible to get it wrong. If you’re on the fence about it, just do it. This was a big hit in our house and with our friends. Amazing!
Absolutely delicious and simple. Your instructions are clear and very helpful. Some of the caramel gets stuck at the bottom of the form after I flip the flan so I’m left with less caramelo. What should I do?
Oi Michelina! So happy you liked the recipe 🙂 That is totally normal about the caramel – When that happens, re-warm the pan by placing it over a stove burner for a few minutes, just long enough to melt the leftover caramel inside of the pan. Hope this helps!
Wow! This was so easy and it turned out perfectly. Definitely the best flan I have ever made. Aline’s tips were key. You definitely need to read the entire story, and not just “jump to recipe” to make the best flan ever.
Ahhhh yaaaayyyy!!!! Thank you, Jennifer!!! Makes me so happy you found the post helpful and your flan turned out perfect!!! Woohooo go you!!