Easy Vegan Flan Recipe with Caramel Sauce (2024)

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4.80 from 5 votes

2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

by Marly

15

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This easy vegan flan recipe creates a creamy, smooth flan that’s easier to make than a classic flan. If you’re looking for a smooth dessert with a creamy caramel topping, this will be your go-to favorite!

Easy Vegan Flan Recipe with Caramel Sauce (1)

Grab your forks (or spoons) and take a bite (or several) of this eggless Flan recipe. It’s made with dairy-free eggnog and made even creamier with cashews.

This vegan flan is a real show stopper!

Table of Contents show

What is Flan?

The classic flan recipe is not vegan because it’s usually made with both cream and eggs. However, it’s surprisingly easy to make flan vegan. In fact, I venture to say it’s actually EASIER to make vegan flan recipes than regular flan!

This simple flan recipe sets quickly and can be ready to serve within an hour. All you have to do is prepare the ingredients on the stove-top, pour them into your flan pans and refrigerate.

Why This Recipe is a Winner

  • Using soaked cashews creates a creamy base with a perfectly smooth mouthfeel
  • Coconut sugar adds a caramel flavor to the flan
  • Agar flakes make the perfect consistency without any added carbs.

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Raw cashew — You can find raw cashews at health food stores or online.
  • Plant-based milk — Use your favorite plant-based milk, like soy milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. Use vegan eggnog to make it a seasonal holiday flan.
  • Coconut Sugar – Use coconut sugar or substitute brown sugar.
  • Agar flakes — You can find agar flakes at health food stores or online.
  • Nutritional yeast flakes — We’ll add a bit of flavor with these yeast flakes.
  • Ground nutmeg
  • Rum

How to Make Vegan Flan

  1. Place soaked cashews in a food processor or high-speed blender. Pulse for a few seconds. Add the plant-based milk and pulse until smooth.
  2. Add the brown sugar, agar flakes, nutritional yeast flakes, and ground nutmeg. Pulse for a second or two to combine.
  3. Pour this into a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat. Stir in the rum. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, to allow it to cool slightly.
  5. Make the caramel topping by combining the ingredients in a separate saucepan and bringing it to a boil and reducing to a simmer. Cook until the sugar caramelizes and the sauce thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour this evenly in the bottom of two flan dishes.
  6. Pour the cooled flan mixture over the caramel.
  7. Place in the fridge for at least one hour, preferably two.
  8. To serve, use a butter knife to cut along the sides of the pan. Invert it over a serving dish. It may take a minute or so, but the flan will drop onto the plate. Sprinkle with additional nutmeg (freshly grated is a nice touch).

How To Soak Cashews

Slow Soak Cashews

  1. Place cashews in a glass bowl and cover with water.
  2. Refrigerate and soak them for a minimum of four hours or up to overnight.
  3. Drain the soaking liquid.

Fast Soak Cashews

  1. Fast soak cashews by placing them in a saucepan.
  2. Cover them with water and then place it over medium heat.
  3. Bring it to a simmer (low boil) and cook for around 10 minutes. The cashews will become plump.
  4. Remove from heat and allow them to cool.
  5. Drain the soaking liquid.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Is Flan Vegan?

The classic flan recipe is not vegan because it’s usually made with both cream and eggs. However, it’s surprisingly easy to make flan vegan. In fact, I venture to say it’s actually EASIER to make vegan flan recipes than regular flan!

What is Flan?

A flan is basically a creamy custard dish with a caramel topping. It is usually a bit firmer than a standard pudding and is served on a plate where it stands firm with the caramel sauce dripping over the edge.

Does Vegan Flan Taste Like Flan?

Of course, the big question is does the non-dairy flan taste like, you know, a regular flan dessert? Well, if flan is creamy, rich, with hints of nutmeg and caramel, then this vegan flan is spot on!

Marly’s Tips

Use these expert tips to make this homemade flan recipe perfect every time:

  • Experiment by adding a little more dried ginger to the mix. I love that stuff!
  • Serve with vegan coconut whipped cream
  • Sprinkle some crushed gingersnap cookies over the top
  • You don’t need traditional flan dishes for this recipe, but they look nice.

More Vegan Desserts

If you’re into delicious vegan desserts,you’ll love these:

Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Cake

50 mins total

Vegan Pecan Pie

95 mins total

Vegan Oreo Cheesecake

380 mins total

Easy Vegan Coconut Cake

55 mins total

Easy Vegan Flan Recipe with Caramel Sauce (6)

Have some fun! As long as you follow the basics of this easy flan recipe, you can adjust the spices and events sweetness level to meet your own tastes. That’s the best thing about making things from home — you know exactly what’s in your food and you get to adapt the flavors to meet your needs.

Because it’s made without dairy milk, this healthy flan recipe is delicious for people with allergies too.

Easy Vegan Flan Recipe with Caramel Sauce (7)

That’s it for this vegan flan.

Easy Vegan Flan Recipe with Caramel Sauce (8)

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Easy Vegan Flan Recipe with Caramel Sauce (9)

Easy Vegan Flan Recipe with Caramel Sauce (10)

Vegan Flan

Grab your forks for this simple but elegant easy vegan flan recipe. It's made with only a few ingredients but lots of show-stopping flavor!

4.80 from 5 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Spanish

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 380kcal

Author: Marly McMillen

Ingredients

Eggnog Flan

  • ½ cup raw cashew pieces soaked or quick soak*
  • 1 ½ cups plant-based milk
  • 1 tablespoon coconut or brown sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons agar flakes ** not powder
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon rum

Caramel Topping

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • ½ cup plant-based milk

Instructions

  • Drain the soaked cashews from their soaking liquid. Discard liquid. Place soaked cashews in a food processor or high-speed blender. Pulse for a few seconds. Add the plant-based milk and pulse until smooth.

  • Add the brown sugar, agar flakes, nutritional yeast flakes, and ground nutmeg. Pulse for a second or two to combine.

  • Pour this into a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes.

  • Remove from the heat. Stir in the rum. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, to allow it to cool slightly.

  • In a separate saucepan add the caramel topping ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook until the sugar caramelizes and the sauce thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour this evenly in the bottom of two flan dishes.***

  • Pour equal amounts of the slightly cooled flan mixture over the caramel.

  • Place in the fridge for at least one hour, preferably two.

  • To serve, use a butter knife to cut along the sides of the pan. Invert it over a serving dish. It may take a minute or so, but the flan will drop onto the plate. Sprinkle with additional nutmeg (freshly grated is a nice touch).

Recommended Equipment

Food Processor

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

* Long soak: Place raw cashew pieces in 1 cup water and soak overnight in the fridge.

Quick soak: Place raw cashew pieces in 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer and cook until the cashews are tender about 5 minutes. Drain excess water.

I buy agar flakes at our local health food store or online.

You can use muffin tins for this, mini pie pans, or even any small bowls that have a gently outward slope.

For regular flan, I recommend using creamy plant-based milk, such as cashew milk or soy milk. SoDelicious Cashew Milk would be perfect.

Use all the ingredients above but substitute vanilla plant-based milk (see notes for suggestions on the best brands/varieties). Also, increase sugar to 1/3 cup in the flan.

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 128mg | Potassium: 587mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 505IU | Calcium: 322mg | Iron: 3.5mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a rating below then tag @namelymarly on Instagram and hashtag it #namelymarly. I love seeing your creations!

This was a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. See our full disclosure for more information.

This post was originally published in 2016 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2020.

Easy Vegan Flan Recipe with Caramel Sauce (2024)

FAQs

Is the caramel in flan supposed to harden? ›

(The caramel will harden against the bottom of the ramekin almost immediately – this is normal, so don't worry about it!)

What is vegan flan made of? ›

Vegan Flan Recipe (Easy Vegan Dessert)
  1. 1/2 cup sugar (for the caramel)
  2. 2 cups soy milk (you could probably try this with coconut milk… I feel like that would be amazing)
  3. 1 tbsp agar powder.
  4. 1/2 cup extra-firm silken tofu.
  5. 1.5 tbsp sugar (more might be better…. ...
  6. 1 tbsp vanilla extract (or more…)
  7. pinch of salt.

Why is my flan caramel not melting? ›

It's normal. Caramel hardens when you pour it into a ramekin but gradually melts into syrup during cooking. If the layer of caramel poured into a ramekin is too thick, it will not have time to completely melt during cooking.

Is caramel flan like crème brûlée? ›

The former has that signature crackly sugar crust on top, and the latter has the gooey, soft caramel top. Crème brûlée is served within mini soufflé dishes, and flan is served out of the baking dish, standing alone. And it's also the culture each dessert hails from: French and Latin American cuisines, respectively.

Are crème caramels the same as flan? ›

In Spanish-speaking countries and often in the United States, crème caramel is known as flan. This was originally a Spanish-language usage, but the dish is now best known in North America in a Latin American context. Elsewhere, including in Britain, a flan is a type of tart somewhat like a quiche.

Why does flan caramel stay liquid? ›

Egg yolks are made up of fat, protein and about 50% water. The fat in the yolk gives desserts like crème brûlée, crème caramel and flan their creamy and smooth texture. However, if we tried to make flan with yolks alone it would not set, because the mixture wouldn't contain enough protein and water.

Why is my flan caramel bitter? ›

if it's too dark. it'll be really bitter when it comes to the flan. I always recommend using an oven thermometer. I like to bake my flan at a lower temperature so that it has time to cook evenly.

Why does my flan caramel keep crystallizing? ›

If it starts to simmer and your sugar is still in granules and has NOT dissolved, that can crystalize your caramel. You can swirl the pot — or at this point, you can go in with a clean spatula and stir it. Once all the sugar is dissolved, THEN you can turn up the heat and allow the mix to simmer.

What is the color for vegans? ›

The colours white, green, and blue were chosen to represent the natural habitats of animals: sky, land, and sea. The letter V stands for Vegan, and is an inverted pyramid intended to symbolize the ability to do the impossible.

What's the difference between Mexican flan and Vietnamese flan? ›

Mexican flan boasts a rich vanilla flavor accompanied by a deep caramel topping. On the other hand, Vietnamese Banh Flan incorporates coconut milk, and sometimes pandan, infusing subtle flavors that add a unique Southeast Asian twist to the classic custard taste.

Is egg custard and flan the same? ›

Both custard and pudding are sweet, goopy desserts made mostly from cream and then cooked. However, custard (and therefore flan) is made with eggs and sweetened milk alongside the cream, and flan itself includes caramel.

When should you flip a flan? ›

Remove the foil and allow it to cool on the counter for 1 hour till it comes to room temperature. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours. Once fully cooled, run a knife around the edges and then place a plate onto the flan. Flip quickly and give it a quick wiggle.

Do you add milk when melting caramel? ›

The key to getting it right is to use soft caramels as opposed to hard. You must also add some sort of liquid, such as milk or cream, to prevent the caramels from drying out. Knowing these tricks will help you to melt caramels with ease.

How to tell if flan is done? ›

After 1 hour, check with a knife inserted just off-center into one of the servings: If the knife comes out clean, the flan is ready. If not, leave it in the oven for 15 more minutes. If baking a whole flan, thump the side of the dish after 1 hour, and if it wobbles as one, the flan is ready.

What is the difference between cream caramel pudding and flan? ›

Though crème caramel and flan are similar recipes, flan can be richer in taste and is an older recipe than crème caramel. Flan's beginnings can be traced back to Roman culture, and the dish has been served as both a main course and a dessert.

What's the difference between caramel custard and flan? ›

Flavor: Flan recipes usually call for multiple types of dairy products, such as cream cheese, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. This gives a flan a tangier and sweeter flavor than that of a crème caramel, which uses only whole milk or cream, eggs, and sugar.

What's the difference between caramel custard and caramel pudding? ›

While most custard and pudding recipes both typically call for eggs, the main difference is that pudding uses a starch for thickening, whereas custard's thickening agent is the egg itself (or egg yolk, in most instances). Custard's texture also tends to be firmer than pudding.

Is crème brûlée same as caramel pudding? ›

Crème brûlée and crème caramel are two different types of custard desserts. Crème brûlée is made with a rich custard base that is topped with a layer of hard caramel. Crème caramel is made with a caramelized sugar syrup that is poured over a layer of custard.

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