You don’t have to be on a tropical vacation to enjoy a slice of this silky-smooth Orange Coconut Flan – it’s just as easy to make at home! A tasty variation on the classic, this flan de coco combines a creamy coconut custard with an orange-rum caramel crown.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of NESTLE® LA LECHERA®. The opinions and text are all mine.
When you think of holiday desserts, what comes to mind?
Pies. Cakes. Dozens of different kinds of cookies.
For my husband, and the rest of my extended Dominican family, it’s all about the bread pudding and Coconut Flan.
Let me tell you, I’ve had no problem incorporating his delicious traditions into mine.
JUST TAKE ME TO THE ORANGE COCONUT FLAN ALREADY!
If you’d rather skip my (pretty darn helpful) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this deliciously easy coconut flan recipe, just scroll right on down to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card!
Growing up, my Nana made all kinds of desserts, but she generally stuck to what she knew.
Boxed cakes with a twist. Boxed brownies. Gelatin & pudding…from a box.
Always homemade cookies, though.
As she got older, her “from scratch” recipes yielded to the easier, more convenient stuff. I never had any complaints.
Then again, I didn’t know any better.
Abe, on the other hand, was brought up by a house full of young women (his mother and many aunts) who absolutely LOVED to bake and cook.
This is part of the reason he is so well-versed in the kitchen today (and I am forever grateful to all of those ladies for helping to up his culinary game.)
Abe’s mother ran a bakery out of her home in the Dominican Republic for a time, and among all of the recipes, flan was one of her most requested.
Her recipe for the rich, creamy caramel custard is a basic one – but Abe loves to take creative license when it comes to food.
Thus was born this glorious, boozy Orange Coconut Flan.
The custard itself is a flan de coco base – made from NESTLÉ® LA LECHERA® Sweetened Condensed Milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk, eggs, and a few extras.
Orange comes into play in the caramel topping. The sugar gets caramelized down with orange juice and a bit of rum, giving it a tasty, zesty bite.
I decorated the top with fresh orange slices, zest, and toasted coconut chips, but they’re not necessary.
This Orange Coconut Flan is simply amazing with no additional touches!
While the flavors of flan change when Abe is in charge, one constant that he sticks to is using LA LECHERA Sweetened Condensed Milk in his baking. He swears by its authentic flavor and refuses to try anything else.
Around the holidays, shopping trips to Publix always include a lengthy browse of the baking aisle where we pick up at least a dozen cans of it.
Between multiple flan and batches of his often-requested Coquito, he’s hunched over a simmering pot of milks pretty often.
On our most recent trip, we spotted a LA LECHERA Sweetened Condensed Milk Squeeze Bottle (now in new packaging), which also ended up in our cart.
Abe likes to drizzle it in his coffee and on canned fruit salad, of all things, so that squeeze bottle comes in handy!
There are all kinds of delicious ways to use LA LECHERA – what are your favorites?
Are Flan and Crème Brûlée The Same?
Flan and Crème Brûlée are not the same thing, but they are very similar.
Crème Brûlée is a creamy French custard dessert made with sugar and flavorings, thickened with egg yolks and cream. It’s baked in a water bath, then chilled before a layer of sugar is broiled or torched on top. This creates a hard crust of caramel that is shattered with a spoon before being consumed with the custard.
Flan is a soft-yet-solid Spanish custard made of milks, sugar, cream, and eggs. It is baked in a caramel-lined pan, also in a water bath. When it is flipped out of the pan, the resulting caramel is liquidy, providing a delicious sauce for the custard.
Can Flan Be Made In Advance?
It can be and it should be! You can make and chill your Orange Coconut Flan up to two days in advance.
How To Make Coconut Flan
- Start by caramelizing the sugar. Add sugar, rum, and orange juice to a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat, swirling the pan gently as it cooks, until the sugar is melted and golden. Pour the boozy caramel into a flan pan or 8- or 9-inch cake or pie pan, tipping it so the sugar distributes evenly.
- Then make the filling. Heat coconut milk, evaporated milk, and LA LECHERA Sweetened Condensed Milk in another saucepan over low heat. You don’t want to boil them, or even simmer them, you just want the flavors to meld. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and allow it to cook and melt the sugar.
- You have a choice here, now – if you want a boozy flan, wait until the mixture has cooled to add the coconut rum. If you just want the rum flavor without the alcohol, add the rum in the saucepan with the sugar, etc.
- Meanwhile, whisk the eggs together well in a large bowl. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add 1/4 cup to the eggs, whisking vigorously until combined. Repeat two more times to temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling), then add the rest of the milk mixture. (Steps 2-4 can be skipped to save time – just combine everything in a blender with the eggs and blend it together well.)
- Now, pour the filling on top of caramelized sugar. Place the pan in a roasting pan, fill it with hot water until it reaches 1-2 inches up the sides, then place the pan in the oven.
- Bake for ~1 hour and 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Carefully remove the flan from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan, set on a cooling rack, for at least 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- When ready to serve, carefully run a knife along the sides of the pan. Flip the flan onto a serving plate and let it sit upside down for a few minutes, to allow the caramel to release.
LOOKING FOR MORE TWISTED HISPANIC DESSERT RECIPES?
- Pina Colada Tres Leches Cake
- Eggnog Bread Pudding with Warm Whiskey Sauce
- Almond Joy Rice Pudding
- Morir Soñando
HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS FOR MAKING COCONUT FLAN:
- Flan Pan
- 3-Quart Saucepan
- Roasting Pan (for water bath)
- Vanilla Bean Paste
- Coconut Milk
(for water bath)
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Orange Coconut Flan
Ingredients
Orange Caramel Sauce
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark rum or water
- 2 tablespoons orange juice fresh squeezed
Coconut Flan
- 14 ounces LA LECHERA Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 can
- 12 ounces evaporated milk 1 can
- 9 ounces coconut milk 3/4 can, shaken
- ½ cup coconut rum optional; sub coconut milk if not using
- 3 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Orange Caramel Sauce
- In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine sugar, rum, and orange juice. Cook, occasionally swirling the pan gently as it cooks, until the sugar is melted and golden. Pour into a flan pan or 8- or 9-inch cake or pie pan, tipping it so the sugar distributes evenly.
Coconut Flan
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pan a roasting pan with 1-2 inches of water in the oven.
- In a 3-quart saucepan set over low heat, combine sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and coconut milk; whisk well. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and allow it to cook and melt the sugar.
- If you just want rum flavor without the alcohol, add the coconut rum to the saucepan now. Otherwise, wait until the mixture has cooled to add the coconut rum.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs together until well blended. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add 1/4 cup to the eggs, whisking vigorously until combined. Repeat two more times to temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling), then add the rest of the milk mixture.
- Pour the filling on top of caramelized sugar in the flan pan. Carefully place the pan in the roasting pan in the oven.
- Bake for ~1 hour and 20 minutes, checking for doneness by poking the middle of the flan with a knife. Carefully remove the flan from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan, set on a cooling rack, for at least 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- When ready to serve, carefully run a knife along the sides of the pan. Flip the flan onto a serving plate and let it sit upside down for a few minutes, to allow the caramel to release.
Notes
Nutrition
PIN THIS COCONUT FLAN FOR LATER!
Rita Mansukhani says
Hi Crumbly K team, I need advice, is it necessary to put COCONUT RUM, ? What is the substitute for the Coconut rum. Thank you