Pressure Cooker Flan

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Flan is one of my favorite desserts EVER.  I blame the Latina in me.  I can’t help it.

I still remember when I first learned how to make it.  It wasn’t easy.  I overcooked it many times before I finally got the hang of the ideal temperature and cook time.  When I moved, I’d have to re-learn in order to get it just right with the new oven.  I was baking flan in a water bath for about an hour and a half.  It was torture!  So, you can imagine my delight when I discovered that flan cooks quicker AND easier in an electric pressure cooker.

I mean, seriously!  Rich, velvety smooth flan every single time.  No air bubbles.  No graininess.  Just flan perfection.

A friend of mine asked me to teach her how to make this.  I decided to do even better and post the step-by-step instructions on the blog.  And, after some additional requests for the recipe started rolling in, here it is!

I use a flanera (flan pan) for my flans.  I have also had success with round ceramic or glass baking dishes.  Just make sure that you use the oven-safe kind.

Start by making your sugar syrup.  Heat the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Swirl the pan occasionally to redistribute the sugar, but do not stir it until it starts to turn deep amber and most of the sugar has melted.  At this point, use a heat-proof spatula to stir the sugar until the last solid clumps are melted, then remove it from the heat and add 2 tbsp of water.  Be careful, because it will steam and might splatter.  Once you can get close enough, stir the sugar and water until it’s all combined, then pour it into your flan mold.  If you want, you can also tilt the mold around a little bit to get some of the sugar to coat the sides.

Next, we make the custard mixture.  All you need is half-and-half, condensed milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.  Combine them in a blender, then pour the mixture into the sugar-coated flan mold.  Cover the mold, place on a trivet, then lower into your electric pressure cooker (filled with 1 cup of water).  Seal and cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 12 minutes, then do another 12 minutes of Natural Release.  Remove the flan and uncover.  The center of the flan should still be slightly jiggly, as it will firm up as it cools. Once it has cooled completely, cover it and refrigerate until it’s ready to serve.  The minimum should be 4 hours, but it’s preferable to leave it overnight.

When you are ready to serve, run a thin knife along the edge of the flan, then invert onto a serving plate.

Then, be rewarded with creamy flan goodness.

If you like a firmer flan, you can add an additional egg or two to the flan mixture.  You can also adjust the amount of vanilla extract, but I feel like this amount gives it a great flavor.

Pressure Cooker Flan

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 2 cups half-and-half (or milk)
  • 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • Required equipment: a flan pan (this one is what I have)

Directions

In a small saucepan, heat white sugar over medium heat until all of the sugar has melted and turned amber.  Remove from heat and carefully add the 2 tbsp of water (watch out for the steam).  Stir until all of the water has mixed in, then pour into your flan mold or round baking dish.  Set aside to cool while you make the flan mixture.

Combine the eggs, half-and-half, condensed milk, and vanilla in a blender.  Blend until combined and no streaks remain.  Gently pour into your prepared flan mold, then cover.

Pour 1 cup of water in the liner of your electric pressure cooker.  Place the flan mold on a trivet in the liner, then seal and cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 12 minutes.  After time is up, turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally for another 12 minutes.  Remove flan from pressure cooker and uncover (flan should be slightly jiggly in the center, but not watery).  Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

Makes about 8 servings.

Note: To make an Irish Cream Flan, replace 1/2 cup of half-and-half with 1/2 cup of your favorite brand of Irish Cream and reduce the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon.  Do NOT use milk, or your flan might curdle.

To make a dulce de leche flan, replace the can of condensed milk with a can of dulce de leche.

64 comments

  1. Hi,

    Can I use a regular baking pan for this?
    Also, can I cover the pan with foil paper?

    1. Hello Rabiya.

      If it’s oven-safe and fits in your liner with room for airflow, then you should be good to go! Covering with foil is fine, too.

      1. Ok, thank you

      2. How does the cook time change with high altitude?

        1. Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer to this. Where I live, we’re at sea level.

    2. I use a pyrex bowl.

      1. I use a Pyrex bowl when I visit my sisters out of town. They don’t have flan pans, so I work with whatever they have in their kitchens. 🙂

  2. Brandy Davenport

    Where can I find one of those flan pans? This is my most favorite dessert!

    1. Hello Brandy.
      If you want a flan pan, check your local Hispanic grocery store. If you don’t have one in your area, you can order them online. I have seen them on Amazon . 🙂

      1. Brandy Davenport

        Thank you I found one on amazon! It came out perfect and was delicious! Yay! Flan for me whenever I want it!

        1. That’s great to hear, Brandy! I’m glad that you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂

    2. IMUSA USA PHI-T9220 Stainless Steel Flan Mold, 1.5-Quart, Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018EAXNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ejVVAbF628GGE

    3. I got mine on Amazon. The number of times I have made plans since getting the pan has increased almost tenfold. When we have get togethers and people are volunteering what to bring the usual comment is that they hope I’ll bring the flan. I really love the Insta pot recipes because they are fast and easy and take very little time.

    4. You could find it any store that you can buy baking goods

  3. Hi, I purchased the pan you recommended; I followed your instructions to the letter but after the natural release of 12 minutes was over and I opened the pan, the mixture was so watery! I don’t understand why. Should I have have cooked longer than 12 minutes on high pressure?? I placed it in the fridge overnight but when I inverted on a plate and cut into the flan, the inside custard oozed out. I honestly don’t know what went wrong. Any suggestions??

    Thank you,
    Migdalia

    1. Hello Mickey,
      Sorry to hear that the recipe did not work out for you. To confirm, your total cook time was 12 minutes on High Pressure and then another 12 minutes of Natural Release, correct?
      If your flan looks too watery after the time is up, you can put it back in the IP and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to see if that does it. When it’s done, the center will be kind of wobbly, but not watery.

    2. Same happened to me! Very disheartening. Will try again. 🙁

      1. Hello Tory.
        Sorry to hear that this didn’t work out. As I mentioned before, if it looks too watery when you open it up after cooking, you can cover it and put it back in the IP to cook for a few minutes more. After that, check it again. Maybe also add an additional egg to help it firm up.
        Hope it works next time!

  4. Thank you for your recipe! It turned out perfect. I’ve had more failures at flan then I can count!

    1. Hi Cathy!
      I’m so glad that your flan came out great! Getting flan right was a lot of trial and error for me, too.

    2. Thank you so much for your quick response. I did try that. As a matter of fact, I tried an additional 5 minutes and the another 10 minutes. It just didn’t set. But I’ll keep trying until it comes out right. Have a great day!

      1. Maybe try adding an extra egg next time, if adding additional time did not help your flan set.

      2. Are you at high altitude? Does that change things for the cooking time???

  5. So delicious and easy. I did make a big mistake thinking I could use my springform pan – nope. Quickly redid the sugar and put in a regular cake pan (after ensuring would fit my IP) and all good. Thanks for such a creamy recipe. We will definitely make this one again and again.

    1. Hi Kp.
      Yeah, unfortunately a springform pan will leak because the removable bottom doesn’t have a great seal. Glad you still enjoyed it, though!

  6. Do you mean the Irish Cream Liqueur in place of milk or half and half?

    1. Hello Rochelle. Instead of 2 cups of half and half, you would use 1 1/2 cups of half and half PLUS 1/2 cup of Irish Cream Liqueur.

      Hope this helps!

      1. Thanks. We use Irish Cream Liqueur on a breakfast dish and would love to try it in this flan.

  7. I want to try this – never attempted flan before – but this looks to good, have to give it a shot. What is the sauce around the flan in your picture? Is this added sugar syrup or Carmel poured over?

    1. Hi Bonnie,
      That is the caramel syrup that you pour on the bottom of the pan. When you flip the flan over after it has been refrigerated, the sugar syrup will run over the sides.

  8. OMG! It was wonderful! Came out perfect! Texture, taste, everything.

    1. Thank you for posting, Linda. I’m glad that it turned out well for you. 🙂

  9. 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

    Local markets stock two different products; which do you mean?

    1. 12 fluid ounces /354 mL EVAPORATED MILK
    2. 14 ounces/367 g CONDENSED MILK

    1. Good morning, Fluffy,
      Evaporated Milk and Condensed Milk are not the same thing. Condensed milk contains sugar, while Evaporated Milk does not. but you can also tell which one to use because one of the cans comes in 14oz size and Evaporated Milk only comes in 12oz size.

  10. Hi kaypea,

    I hope your holidays were great. I found your blog searching for a mango pastry recipe (I will be baking your mango pastelitos), and was intrigued by your pressure cooker method for making flan. I have a regular stove-top pressure cooker, will that work or must it be electric? Also, do you know the internal temperature of the flan is first uncovered? Judging just how much jiggle the center should have to indicate it’s done always makes me nervous so I like to go by internal temp whenever possible. Thanking you in advance for your reply. Love your site and will definitely revisit.

    1. Hello Gloria.
      Thank you for posting. Yes, a regular stove-top pressure cooker will work just fine. In fact, here in Miami that is the preferred method of a lot of Latino grandmothers. Unfortunately, having never owned a stove-top pressure cooker of my own, I wouldn’t be able to tell you how to adjust the time to account for the increased pressure that a stovetop model provides. I did a quick Google search and only found results for electric pressure cookers, and looking through my mother’s old Cuban cookbook didn’t yield anything either.

      I also do not know the internal temperature that you need to achieve for the flan, but I believe that the “toothpick test” should work in this case. If a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, then the flan is done.

      Hope this helps, and hope you visit my site again soon!

  11. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It was great. I used cajeta instead of the caramelized sugar syrup, and a 7″ cake pan with a foil lid in a 6-quart pressure cooker. I was worried the blender would add a lot of air bubbles but it didn’t at all. The easiest and best-tasting flan I’ve ever made.

    1. Hello Kerrie!
      Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I am so glad to hear that you liked the flan. Easy AND tasty is always a win in my book. 🙂

  12. Hi! I just made the flan in my Ninja Foodi following your recipe and even using the Imusa SS mold. It turned out very watery, only about an inch or two from the borders was cooked. After about 10 minutes of letting it sit hoping that it would harden, I put it back, low pressure for 4 minutes, natural release. Waiting for the Pressure to release to either let it cool, refrigerate and serve tomorrow or trash it.

    1. Sorry to hear that your flan was too runny. Are you high altitude? That is the only thing that I can think of that might affect cook time.

  13. Hi, I’m just wondering why add water the the sugar after it’s melted? I’ve seen recipes that say add it with the sugar then cook. I’ve always just melted down the sugar with no water. Honestly wondering why the need for water?

    1. Hello Jill!
      When I first started making flans, I used to use just sugar. I started adding a little bit of water when I tried it once and noticed that it left less cooked sugar in the pan when you invert the flan, meaning you get more caramel syrup pouring over your finished custard.
      You do not have to add the water and can just use sugar if you feel more comfortable.

  14. I made this yesterday, and it equals the best flan I have ever tasted. It’s one of my hobbies as I travel, trying flan. That’s over. When I want flan in the future, this is it. I made a few adjustments:
    –I live at 7600′, if that helps anyone, and added 1 extra egg: a total of 4 eggs
    –When I checked after the 12 + 12 minutes, it was still liquid, so I added 8 minutes + natural release time of 8 minutes, and, while “jiggly” it firmed up while cooling.
    –I used 1 can of evaporated milk + enough half & half to fill a 2 cup measure.
    –I used 1 14 0z can of Lechera sweetened condensed milk
    –I used slightly less vanilla than the recipe calls for.

    THANK YOU so much for this recipe!! I’ll never make flan any other way~

    1. Hello Judy,
      So glad to hear that you liked the flan! And thank you for the tips for the high altitude cooks. What a difference that makes!

  15. Wow. Thank you so much. It came out perfect. Though I might add one more spoon of water to the caramel sauce on my next try.

    1. PeterNYC, thank you so much for your comment, and I am glad that you liked the flan. It’s one of my favorites. 🙂

  16. Would there be any problem using heavy whipping cream instead of half-and-half?

    1. Hello Michael,
      You can use heavy cream instead of half and half, but the texture of the finished product will be a little different because of the added thickness and fat content.

  17. Is 2% milk in with the Irish cream okay?

    1. Hello J. I don’t think I would do 2% milk, as there wouldn’t be enough fat content to keep the alcohol from curdling the liquid.

  18. What would be signs of it going bad or curdled from the 2%? It looks ok, but I dont want to chance it if bad.

    1. Hi J. It’s not necessarily that it would make it “go bad.” It might just give it a different texture. If you’ve ever overcooked a custard, you might already know that grainy texture. If not, then lucky you! Either way, it would still be edible. 🙂

  19. Ah so even if it would be curdled is it ok to eat? Thank you so much for the fast replies.

    1. Yes, still okay to eat.

  20. Shar from N. California

    What’s the time on a 3 qt LUX 6 in 1 instant pot?
    Is it a natural release or quick release? Thx

    1. Hello Shar.
      Not sure how I missed this question. I guess it depends on the size of your flan pan. When I do 6oz ramekins, I do 1 minute High Pressure with 10 minute Natural Release

  21. Heres a tip to make it even easier- if you have pyrex or other heat safe glassware, you can melt your sugar in the microwave ! It can still easily burn, but as long as you watch it, you will be fine. I combine my sugar with a few tablespoons of water. Not enough to soak it, but enough so that all the sugar is moist. As soon as it gets a light golden hue, pull it out, it will continue to darken when you put it in your flan dish. In my microwave it takes about 3- 3 1/2 minutes at 75% power. And make sure you use an oven mitt to get it out of the microwave !! Hope that helps those of you, who like me, occasionally burned it and never had the patience to melt it on the stove ! Happy Cooking !

    1. What wattage strength is your microwave?
      1200, 1000, etc?

      1. Hello. Unfortunately, I have no idea. I think my current one is 1200

    2. I tried this once and never ever again. I used a PYREX (mw safe) bowl not the the pyrex. My caramel was perfect until I touched the bowl with dry potholders to remove it from the microwave. The second I touched it, it exploded. I had glass shards and boiling hot caramel all over the microwave and stovetop. My microwave is above my stove. I have great reflexes and jumped back quickly. I was not burnt but it could have been my face as well as the potholders which were ruined from the caramel and glass embedded. I was aware not to touch hot glass with any moisture as this will happen so I had clean dry pot holders fresh from my linen closet when this happened so that was not what caused it. I cannot recommend this method and if you do try it be extremely careful.

  22. I had the same problem that others experienced of the flan not setting with the 12-minute cooking / 12-minute release time (I used a 7-inch, 1.5 quart flanera and this identical recipe but with 4 eggs). I now keep adding the extra egg but cook it for 25 minutes on high with the same natural release time of 10-12 minutes. It looks like it is too watery at the end but firms up beautifully in the fridge. This is my favorite flan recipe, thank you!

  23. I have made this recipe many times and it always comes out perfect. I use the Flannera pan I purchased on Amazon. In the recipe I usually use a 50/50 split half and Half and evaporated milk and this is the only deviation from your recipe. We leave in refrigerator overnight go around pan edge with a spatula flip it and it comes out perfect. The only issue is you just want too keep eating it yum 😋

  24. I made this in my 7” instant pot pan and forgot to foil it and it was still perfect! I used vanilla bean paste instead extract and it elevated it to another level! I’ve never made flan before, now I’ll never stop! Thank you for this amazing recipe!

    1. Glad it turned out great for you!

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