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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)
and unrefined coconut sugar
. Not that I have anything against good quality dairy, but my organic, RAW milk is too precious to denature by cooking it for a long time.
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.
- 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
- ⅛ tsp celtic sea salt (like this)
- 2 TBS water
- In a small sauce pan, heat coconut milk until beginning to bubble at the sides. Add ½ cup of coconut sugar and whisk until completely dissolved. Allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes to reduce (will reduce by ⅓-1/2 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 ⅓ full of water and place in oven.
- In a small sauce pan or skillet, heat the remaining ½ 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.
Eggs are most definitely dairy….
Ashley-
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. 🙂
Lol I love it!
Never heard of eggs being confused as a dairy product before. lol.
haha! do they come from a cow?
When 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?
I don’t see why not. This flan is pretty smooth without straining it though. I will have to try it net time. 🙂
You’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.
You 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!
Looks 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?
Hi, 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. 😉
I’m not sure I can get hold of coconut sugar. Can I substitute granulated or caster sugar?
yes, you can use regular sugar as well. 🙂
I 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!
How 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!
Hi, 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!
Is the lemon zest optional?
yes, you can leave it out if you wish! 🙂
I made this recipe and it came out great. Thanks!
Can i maple syrup instead of coconut sugar
This 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. 🙂
Just 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.
Could you use gelatin instead of eggs? I’m AIP and don’t do dairy or eggs…
You could totally use gelatin. The texture would be different but would still be good. Let me know if you try it.