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Filipino

Leche flan

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

A dense, silky Filipino custard of egg yolks with condensed and evaporated milk, steamed under a layer of dark caramel — the star of every Filipino celebration table.

Leche flan is a Filipino dessert from Philippines, ready in about 5 hours 5 minutes and made with sugar, egg yolk and sweetened condensed milk. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Rest
4 h
Total
5 h 5 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
335

Ingredients

8 servings

For the caramel

For the custard

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Cook the sugar (opens in a new tab) and water in a pan without stirring until deep amber. Pour into a 20 cm tin or two llaneras (oval moulds) and tilt to coat the base.

    Food safety: Hot caramel causes serious burns — handle with care.

  2. Step 2

    Gently stir the yolks with the condensed milk (opens in a new tab), evaporated milk (opens in a new tab), vanilla (opens in a new tab) and lime (opens in a new tab) zest without creating bubbles. Strain twice through a fine sieve onto the caramel.

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Cover with foil and steam over gently simmering water until set but still slightly wobbly in the centre (or bake in a water bath at 160 °C).

    Food safety: Cook the custard until set (about 80 °C in the centre).

  4. Step 4

    Cool, then chill for at least 4 hours. Run a knife around the edge and invert onto a plate so the caramel pours over.

    • 5 min

About this dish

Origin
Philippines · Commonly attributedDescended from Spanish flan; the richer yolk-and-condensed-milk version is characteristically Filipino.More food from Philippines
Dish
Dessert · Desserts
Cooking method
Steamed
Taste
sweet, creamy, rich
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Sugar · Egg yolk · Sweetened condensed milk · Evaporated milk · Vanilla extract
Techniques
Baking · Simmering · Steaming · Sous vide

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg yolk

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

335 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 135 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 52%
  • Fat 36%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy335 kcal249 kcal
Protein10.4 g7.7 g
Carbohydrate44.1 g32.8 g
Net carbohydrate44.1 g32.8 g
Sugars43.5 g32.3 g
Added sugars——
Fibre0 g0 g
Fat13.4 g9.9 g
Saturated fat6.8 g5.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol260 mg193 mg
Sodium121 mg90 mg
Salt equivalent0.3 g0.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
344 mg
Calcium
287 mg
Iron
0.8 mg
Magnesium
25 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
147 µg
Vitamin C
2 mg
Vitamin D
2.2 µg
Vitamin B12
0.7 µg
Folate (DFE)
40 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lime.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Steaming over gentle heat gives the smooth, hole-free texture prized in a good leche flan.

Common mistakes

  • Whisking hard, which adds air bubbles that show as holes.

Serve with

  • Serve chilled in slices, or on top of halo-halo.

Food safety

  • Keep refrigerated; do not leave out for more than 2 hours.

Storage

  • Keeps 5 days refrigerated, covered.

Variations

  • Whole-egg leche flan: A lighter version using whole eggs instead of only yolks.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

The body of the dish

For the custard

Used in step 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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