Birthday are a big deal at our house. I like to make everyone feel loved on their special day. One of the ways that I do that is by making whatever dessert they want for their birthday. My sweeties loves flan, so this year I came up with a dairy-free Coconut Flan. Not only was it beautiful to look at, it was amazingly creamy and rich as well. Happy Birthday to the most amazing partner and papa in the world. I love you.
Traditional flan is usually made with sweetened condensed milk. Since this is a highly processed milk product with lots of added refined sugars and synthetic vitamins, I decided to skip it. I made my own version of sweetened condensed milk using coconut milk (where to buy BPA and additive free coconut milk)
I think you are going to LOVE this recipe. It’s the real deal when it comes to flan. It’s made to be a treat. It knocked my socks off when I ate it. Deliciously creamy and full of flavor. The ingredients are simple. The sugar is all unrefined coconut sugar. If you want to make it a bit less sweet and more like a custardy snack, feel free to substitute honey in the condensed coconut milk and skip the syrupy topping. Either way, you taste buds will be delighted.
Yield:
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PinIngredients
- 2 cans full fat coconut milk (where to buy BPA and additive free coconut milk)
- 6 eggs, preferably from pastured chickens
- 1 cup coconut sugar (like this), divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 TBS lemon zest
- 1/8 tsp celtic sea salt (like this)
- 2 TBS water
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, heat coconut milk until beginning to bubble at the sides. Add 1/2 cup of coconut sugar and whisk until completely dissolved. Allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes to reduce (will reduce by 1/3-1/2 of original volume.) Remove from heat and add salt, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325’F. Fill a large baking dish 1/3 full of water and place in oven.
- In a small sauce pan or skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut sugar and 2 TBS of water over medium heat until completely dissolved and beginning to bubble. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent burning. Once it is syrupy, VERY CAREFULLY pour equal amounts of caramel into 6 ramekins.
- Whisk 6 eggs together in a medium bowl. Slowly, pour a gentle stream of the reduced coconut milk mixture into eggs, whisking constantly to prevent eggs from cooking. Pour mixture into caramel-lined ramekins.
- Place ramekins into hot water bath in oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until custard is set. OK if center is still a bit wiggly.
- Remove from baking dish from oven and remove ramekins from baking dish. I use tongs here. Allow to cool then place into fridge for several hours.
- To serve, run a knife along side of ramekin and carefully invert onto plate, allowing caramel to flow over custard. Enjoy!!
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If you like custardy desserts, you may also enjoy Heavenly Sweet Potato Pudding, Blackberry Brulee, or Baked Pumpkin Custard.
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Ashley says
April 2, 2014 at 3:44 pmEggs are most definitely dairy….
Katja says
April 2, 2014 at 9:55 pmAshley-
Eggs are not considered dairy. A dairy product is a food which comes from a milk-bearing animal, such as butter, milk, cream, or cheese. Eggs, on the other hand, do not come from cows, so they are not considered a dairy product. 🙂
Elma says
January 3, 2016 at 11:49 amLol I love it!
Gianne says
April 27, 2014 at 1:33 pmNever heard of eggs being confused as a dairy product before. lol.
Brett Deutscher says
March 7, 2017 at 4:50 pmhaha! do they come from a cow?
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Carlos says
September 26, 2018 at 10:56 pmLmao! Eggs come from cows now? ???
Jennifer says
April 7, 2014 at 12:29 pmWhen I make flan with milk I filter it through a cheese cloth for a smoother custard. will it improve the dessert if I do that with this recipe too?
Katja says
April 7, 2014 at 8:14 pmI don’t see why not. This flan is pretty smooth without straining it though. I will have to try it net time. 🙂
Chris says
August 16, 2014 at 7:22 pmYou’re the top search result for paleo flan recipe on pinterest; I see why! Question, what can I use instead of 1 cup of coconut sugar? I don’t need that much sugar pumping through my system. Can I sub in stevia? If so I imagine I use about 1 teaspoon of the powdered form of stevia for a cup of sugar.
Katja says
August 22, 2014 at 10:51 pmYou would have to experiment. I would love to hear how it goes. You can always leave out the sugary topping to reduce sweeteners. Thanks for coming by! And for the kind words!
Diane Hackett says
December 15, 2014 at 11:34 amLooks great! Can you tell me what the particles clinging to the sides of the flan in the picture are? Undidsolved sugar perhaps? Also, will this recipe quantity work in a pie plate instead of individual custards cups?
Katja says
December 23, 2014 at 9:33 pmHi, Diane! The particles are little fleck of coconut sugar. And I have not tried this recipe in a pie plate. I am sure it would work. I always get nervous when I flip a WHOLE flan over. That is why I like to use the custard cups. 😉
Lynn says
January 7, 2015 at 3:53 pmI’m not sure I can get hold of coconut sugar. Can I substitute granulated or caster sugar?
Katja says
January 8, 2015 at 12:09 pmyes, you can use regular sugar as well. 🙂
Eileen @ Phoenix Helix says
October 26, 2015 at 5:17 pmI made this recipe tonight. Soooo delicious! I’ve been wanting to try a coconut flan ever since going dairy-free 3 years ago. Thank you!
Cynthia says
April 14, 2016 at 1:37 pmHow much would this recipe be in quarts? I have a flan maker that I’d like to use, which holds 1.5 quarts and I’m unsure as to whether this will all fit.
Thank you!
Katja Heino says
April 19, 2016 at 6:49 amHi, Cynthia! Hmmmm… well, I do know that the 2 cans of full fat coconut milk is about a quart, since a quart is about 30 ounces. After cooking down, you are left with about 2/3 to 1/2 of that. Then you have the add in the 1/2 cup of sugar and 6 eggs. The only way to know exactly is the experiment. I would love to hear if you do!
Yim Wa says
September 9, 2016 at 1:20 pmIs the lemon zest optional?
Katja Heino says
September 12, 2016 at 9:33 amyes, you can leave it out if you wish! 🙂
Jennifer says
November 19, 2016 at 12:38 pmI made this recipe and it came out great. Thanks!
★★★★★
Bela says
December 1, 2016 at 11:11 pmCan i maple syrup instead of coconut sugar
Katja Heino says
December 2, 2016 at 8:30 amThis recipe was developed using coconut sugar. I can’t guarantee that the consistency will be the same. Please let me know if you try it. 🙂
Sara says
January 8, 2017 at 10:00 pmJust made this tonight! I halved the recipe and it filled 2 of my oversized ramekins. I had to add 1 tsp vanilla and a pinch of salt to the caramel syrup. Next time, I will actually double the coconut sugar and add more vanilla because my boyfriend and I prefer it way richer. That’s just a preference though and the recipe is fantastic as is! Boyfriend can’t stop raving.
Randi says
April 1, 2017 at 8:13 pmCould you use gelatin instead of eggs? I’m AIP and don’t do dairy or eggs…
Katja Heino says
April 1, 2017 at 9:11 pmYou could totally use gelatin. The texture would be different but would still be good. Let me know if you try it.
Josh says
September 7, 2017 at 2:12 pmAwesome and a big hit with guests!
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
September 13, 2017 at 10:43 amYAY! I love to hear that.
Michelle says
September 26, 2017 at 7:16 pmThis flan is absolutely delicious! I will definitely keep this recipe as a favorite. My only question is how to firm up the consistency? I actually made my flan in one larger dish as opposed to individual ramekins, and I found that it was not as firm as I’d like it to be. Would adding a couple of egg whites or yolks help?
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
September 27, 2017 at 11:52 amHI, Michelle! I have to admit that I make flan in little ramekins because it stresses me out to try to flip a large flan upside down. You could definitely add a couple of egg yolks to this to firm it up. Also, you may need a longer bake time for a bigger flan. Hope that helps. Please report back if you try it. 🙂
Elizabeth says
February 17, 2018 at 8:27 pmThese turned out delicious! I messed up a little- I used a quarter less coconut milk and it was light, not full fat. It turned out delicious anyway.
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
February 25, 2018 at 6:29 pmOh, good! I’m glad that they turned out. I love making flan. Always a bit nervous to flip them over.
MarleV. says
June 4, 2018 at 1:05 pmThis recipe is so delicious, just what I was looking for to replace the coconut flan I use to make with regular milk. Thanks!
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
June 7, 2018 at 7:25 amYay! Glad you enjoyed it. It’s my hubby’s fav.
Carson says
July 12, 2018 at 9:02 pmI’m planning to make this tomorrow.
#4 says to whisk the eggs in a bowl, then add the coconut mixture and keep stirring so that the eggs don’t cook. Since both mixtures are cool, what would cause the eggs to cook? Do I need to warm something up prior to this step or during this step?
Katja Heino says
July 19, 2018 at 11:04 amHi, Carson! The coconut mixture will still be warm after 10 minutes. I just like to make sure that the flan is smooth and doesn’t have little bits of cooked egg in it as eggs can start to cook at a low temperature. I like to keep whisking whisking whisking. Smooth flan is the best! Hope that helps. 🙂
chezz says
September 3, 2018 at 6:34 pmHi! how much is 2 cans of coconut milk in oz or grams? In my supermarkets there are lots of different coconut milk cans, and since it is the main ingredient, i guess it makes a difference if I change the ratio…
Katja Heino says
September 6, 2018 at 7:55 pmEach can is 15 ounces. 🙂
MariaMagdalene says
December 10, 2018 at 3:17 pmI made the recipe, delicious, except that I wanted to recreate the taste of coconut flan and the lemon zest dominated. I added fine shredded coconut. Next time I will skip the zest for a full coconut flavor. To me coconut and lemon don’t mix well, all recipes with lemon have spoiled the paleo recipes to me. Thanks for this recipe!
Ysamar says
February 24, 2019 at 11:54 amHi! I made this recipe last night and turned out delicious! I just noticed that I messed up with the quantity of the coconut milk. I bought 2 cans of 270ml (9,5 oz), so half what it should be, therefore, it was really small. I will try it again with the right amount. I also added a hint of rhum, to add the Venezuelan touch! Thanks for this recipe, I suggest to add the exact quantities to the recipe.
★★★★★
Alyse says
September 18, 2019 at 5:22 pmThank you for giving us so many options. My husband is gluten free and dairy free and I am soy free so our diet is limited especially when it comes to desserts. Great turn out for this recipe and looking to use others on your site!!!
★★★★★
Katja Heino says
October 2, 2019 at 2:18 pmYay! I’m so happy to hear that. 🙂
lara says
December 10, 2019 at 8:51 amhow much fat is in a 15oz can of full fat coconut milk…ours aren’t labeled with “full fat” so i want to pick a can with a fat content closest to what you used
Katja Heino says
January 15, 2020 at 3:19 pmFull fat means just regular coconut milk. The other option is LIGHT coconut milk, which isn’t heavy enough. So just regular old coconut milk is what I mean.