
Preparation time | 20 min |
Cooking Time | 45 min |
Ready In | 1 h 5 min |
Level of Difficulty | Easy |
Servings | 8 |
Portuguese flan, also known as "flan de leite" or "pudim de leite", is a traditional dessert in Portugal that is made with eggs, milk, sugar, and caramel. It is similar to a Spanish flan, but with a slightly different texture and flavor.
To make Portuguese flan, you start by making a caramel sauce by melting sugar in a saucepan until it turns a deep amber color. The caramel is then poured into a flan mold or individual ramekins, which are swirled around to coat the bottom and sides of the container.
Next, a custard mixture is made by whisking together eggs, sweetened condensed milk, regular milk, and vanilla extract. The custard is then poured into the caramel-coated mold or ramekins, and the whole thing is baked in a water bath until set.
Once the flan is cooked, it is chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. When ready to serve, the flan is inverted onto a serving platter, allowing the caramel sauce to flow over the top of the flan.
Portuguese flan is a rich and creamy dessert that is perfect for any occasion. It can be served plain or with a dollop of whipped cream on top for added indulgence.
Ingredients

Directions
- In the flan mold put enough sugar to cover the bottom (more or less 1/2 cup). No water is needed!
- Place the mold directly on the stove over low-heat swirling pan occasionally (no stirring) until sugar melts and turns deep amber.
- Out of the stove, swirl the caramel until it coats bottom and sides of pan. Set aside (the caramel will harden and crack a little, as it gets cold, no worries).
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar until creamy.
- Mix in the whole egg, the milk, the lemon zest and one tablespoon of corn starch.
- Add the Porto wine (optional).
- Pour the mixture in the flan mold and cover with the locking top.
- Put the flan mold inside a big pan with water until halfway up side of the flan mold.
- Cover the pan, bring the water to a boil in the stove over high-heat.
- Reduce to low-heat and let it cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove flan mold from the pan and let it cool completely (best if chilled until cold) before turning over carefully onto plate. Allow the caramel to run over flan and serve.
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