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    Home » Desserts » Vegan Flan

    Vegan Flan

    Published: Apr 20, 2020 · Modified: Jul 3, 2022 by Dora S. · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    vegan flan on a small white laced plate with a coffee and another flan in the background

    Flan, silky creamy delicious vegan flan. This custard-like creation is one of the most recognized desserts in all of Latin America and my absolute favorite!!

    four white ceramic remekins the inside bottom coated with caramel

    Making this involved using an ingredient I had never used before. It’s become pretty common in the vegan community for making vegan flan, mousses, cheese, and gummies. The secret ingredient for this flan is a powder called agar agar.

    Coconut milk and agar agar in a stainless steel saucepot
    a spoon dipped into the thickened milk mixture showing it coating the back of the spoon

    What is Agar agar??

    It is a semi-transparent powder derived from red/purple algae. It is the equivalent of vegan gelatin. As you know (or may not know) gelatin is made by prolonged boiling of skin, bones, and cartilage of animals. So since we don’t want to use that this, is where agar agar comes in to play.

    coconut milk liquid poured into the white ramekins

    How to use Agar agar?

    You can buy agar agar right here. Be sure to buy the powdered version not the flakes for this recipe. You can use it just as you would powdered gelatin; you must place it in a liquid and heat it up to dissolve it. However, you can’t use agar agar in the same quantities as you would gelatin. Agar agar’s gelling properties are stronger than gelatin’s.

    vegan flan on a small white laced plate with a coffee and another flan in the background

    Making Vegan Flan at Home

    For this vegan flan recipe, I decided to go with a mixture of coconut milk and oat milk. Coconut milk provides the fat needed to make this creamy and rich. I added oat milk so it wouldn’t taste too much like coconut.

    Vegan flan with a spoonfull taken out of it.

    I used small ceramic ramekins (3.5 oz.), but you can use whatever container you have at hand since these are not going in the oven, like these aluminum ramekins. However, your container must be able to sustain heat since we will be pouring scorching hot caramel into them.

    10 yr old boy wearing a blue shirt holding a plate with flan

    I like my flan thick and creamy ( as many of you expressed on my Instagram DMs), but there is another version of flan that is almost like a French crème caramel, very jiggly and delicate. If you want to make that version of flan, simply reduce the amount of agar-agar to 1 tsp.

    vegan flan covered in caramel in a small white laced plate
    Save Recipe Go to Recipe Box
    5 from 11 votes

    Vegan Flan

    Flan, silky creamy delicious vegan flan. This custard-like creation is one of the most recognized desserts in all of Latin America and my absolute favorite!!
    Pin Recipe Print Recipe
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time5 mins
    4 hrs
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Servings: 6 small flan
    Calories: 292kcal
    Author: Dora S.

    Ingredients

    Caramel:

    • ¾ cup Granulated sugar

    Flan base:

    • 1 can Full fat coconut milk
    • 1 cup Oat milk
    • 1 tsp. Chickpea flour
    • ⅓ cup Sugar
    • 1 tsp. Vanilla
    • 1 ¼ tsp Agar agar powder (see note)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Get ramekins ready to go.
    • Pour sugar into a medium sauce pot and set to medium-low heat. Let the sugar dissolve, gently swirling the pot but not stirring, until mixture turns a deep golden color, 8 to 9 minutes.
    • Immediately remove pot from heat and pour caramel into ramekins. Gently lift and tilt ramekins to coat the inside with caramel. Set aside.
    • Combine coconut milk and agar agar in a medium sauce pot.
    • In the blender combine the oatmilk, sugar, chickpea flour, and vanilla. Process until smooth. Pour this mixture into the pot with the coconut milk.
    • Bring mixture to a simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Let cool slightly, then pour into ramekins.
    • Place ramekins in the fridge for 4 hours to let the flan set.
    • To serve, place bottom of ramekin in a container with hot water for 1 -2 minutes, in order to release the flan.
    • Use a small knife or offset spatula to carefully loosen the edges of the flan. Turn flan over onto a plate, shake gently to release flan and remove ramekin.

    Video

    Notes

    • If you don't have access to agar-agar you can use 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. of cornstarch instead. Dissolve the cornstarch in the oat milk, and then proceed to add it to the blender with the sugar, vanilla, and chickpea flour. Then add to the coconut milk mixture on the stove and simmer for 5 min. 
    • If you would like this flan to be yellow in color you can add a couple drops of yellow food coloring.
    • If you want to make a very jiggly and delicate version of this flan (like crème caramel) simply reduce the amount of agar-agar to 1 tsp.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1flan | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 82IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @dorastable or tag #mexicangonevegan!
    « Sweet Potato and Chickpea Stew in Chile Colorado
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maxine Nycz

      September 30, 2021 at 3:29 pm

      Can I used an alternative to coconut milk? I’m not huge on coconut flavour.

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        October 01, 2021 at 4:29 pm

        Yes I would use soy milk or oatmilk

        Reply
    2. Gina

      September 29, 2021 at 8:10 pm

      Only 1 tsp chickpea flour??

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        September 30, 2021 at 1:23 pm

        Yes, it's only to give it an eggy flavor

        Reply
    3. Sophia Emanuel

      July 23, 2021 at 4:45 pm

      My caramel turned out rock hard. I had to boil my ramekin in a saucepan for nearly 10 minutes to get it out. There’s no way it would’ve softened in a hot water bath. Luckily I knew there would be an issue and didn’t bother making the custard. I followed the caramel directions completely. Any ideas what might’ve gone wrong? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        August 04, 2021 at 11:02 am

        Hi Sophia, the caramel is supposed to become rock hard in the ramekin. Once you add the custard to it and refrigerate it really does melt in the water bath.

        Reply
    4. Marie

      July 03, 2021 at 12:57 pm

      Hello,
      Are there any substitutions for chickpea flour?

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        July 12, 2021 at 8:10 am

        You can omit it. All it does is give the flan an eggy flavor.

        Reply
    5. Girasol

      June 22, 2021 at 6:01 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is great!! The texture was perfect! Really enjoyed dipping the custard part in the liquefied caramel. Yummy! Used almond instead of oatmilk and followed the recipe exactly and came out just as pictured on the blog. So excited to try more of your recipes!

      Reply
    6. Abby

      May 13, 2021 at 11:51 pm

      Hi, is there a way to sub the sugar for a different type? perhaps stevia or monk fruit. Thank you

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        June 20, 2021 at 6:05 pm

        I haven't tried it yet, but I believe you can for the custard. For the caramel you will have to use sugar. You could make a caramel with coconut sugar.

        Reply
    7. Leslie

      March 25, 2021 at 6:17 am

      5 stars
      Amazing texture! It is very mildly flavored, not too rich or too sweet... Next time I think that I will try using only coconut milk, adding more sugar, and topping with coconut shreds to call it coconut flan and get a more sweet and rich flavor. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe for us to play with!

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        April 20, 2021 at 9:11 am

        So glad you liked it!!

        Reply
    8. Ilsse

      March 11, 2021 at 8:09 pm

      Hi!
      I just made it and used cornstarch my mixture came out pretty thick, is that ok or should I add more oat milk?

      Gracias !

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        March 20, 2021 at 1:39 pm

        Just seeing this. How did it turn out?

        Reply
    9. vis

      December 01, 2020 at 1:11 pm

      Dora, do you have suggestions on how to make flan cake (flan cake on top and cake on bottom)?

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        December 09, 2020 at 12:00 pm

        I just published a recipe for it on the site

        Reply
    10. Carole

      October 27, 2020 at 8:14 pm

      I love how you break down what things are for with how and why to use them. I will give this a try. Now that I know about agar agar, I think I wanna try to make my own gummie fruit snacks ????

      Reply
    11. destiny

      July 28, 2020 at 5:31 pm

      5 stars
      Can I use this flan recipe for a vegan chocoflan recipe? Do you think it will yield good results? What should I alter?

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        August 03, 2020 at 2:14 pm

        I'm still working on perfecting the chocoflan!!

        Reply
    12. Rankin Peters

      July 23, 2020 at 4:27 am

      This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it. Did you make another batch of caramel for your topping? Do you let it cool a little before pouring over the flan? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        July 24, 2020 at 5:19 pm

        You pour the caramel in the ramekin then set the flan. To unmold the flan you need to add a little but of heat to the bottom of the ramekin and this will melt the caramel. When you invert the ramekin the caramel will pour itself on top of the flan.

        Reply
    13. Karen

      June 15, 2020 at 9:54 pm

      5 stars
      I can't believe it!! Vegan Flan

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        June 15, 2020 at 10:05 pm

        I know!! It took a while to get it right but I'm happy with the results

        Reply
      • Jas

        November 30, 2020 at 11:43 pm

        Dora, have any suggestions on how to make a vegan flan cake (flan in top with cake on bottom)?

        Reply
        • Dora S.

          January 31, 2021 at 8:43 am

          I have a recipe on my site for chocoflan https://dorastable.com/vegan-chocoflan/

    14. cheg

      June 15, 2020 at 3:57 am

      These look absolutely delicious!

      Reply
    15. ana

      June 04, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      Is it there a substitute for the chickpea flour? Maybe almond or coconut flour?

      Reply
      • Dora S.

        June 14, 2020 at 12:21 pm

        The chickpea flour give it an eggy taste, you can omit it and it will still taste good

        Reply
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