This creamy pumpkin flan combines silky custard, rich caramel, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It’s a beautiful Latin-inspired dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any fall gathering. Best of all, you can prepare it ahead of time and chill it overnight.
A Latin-Inspired Fall Dessert
Flan is one of my favorite desserts and a favorite in many Hispanic households. This pumpkin version is especially delicious during the holidays, with warm fall spices and plenty of homemade caramel. I’ll guide you through the process step by step, including how to prepare the caramel and bake the custard in a baño María, or water bath.
What Is Pumpkin Flan?
Pumpkin flan is a smooth baked custard made with eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, pumpkin purée, warm spices, and caramel. It has the creamy texture of traditional flan with the comforting flavors of fall.
Ingredients
To make this pumpkin flan, you’ll need:
- Granulated sugar
- Pumpkin purée (do not confuse it with pumpkin pie mix)
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Evaporated milk
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg or pumpkin spice
How to Make Pumpkin Flan
Making flan is simple, but two steps need special attention: preparing the caramel and baking the custard in a baño María, or water bath.
Make the Caramel Sauce
There are several ways to make caramel. I like adding a little water to help dissolve the sugar and produce plenty of sauce. Stay close while it cooks because caramel can burn quickly and develop a bitter flavor. The following photos show how its appearance changes during the process.
Add 1 cup of granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons of water to a saucepan. Place it over medium-high heat. The sugar will begin to dissolve; if needed, stir it once to help the process.
The sugar mixture will begin to bubble and appear pale, as shown below.
As the caramel cooks, it will change from pale to a light amber color similar to honey. Once it reaches this color, the caramel is ready. Keep your baking pan nearby so you can pour it immediately.
Carefully pour the caramel into the baking pan. I use two 6-inch pans so I can share one flan with a family member, but you can use one 9-inch cake pan instead. If using two pans, divide the caramel evenly between them. Work quickly because the caramel will begin to harden as it cools.
Carefully tilt each pan to coat the bottom with caramel. Place the pan or pans inside a larger roasting pan and set aside. I use my turkey roasting pan because it is large enough to hold both 6-inch pans.
Make the Pumpkin Flan Custard
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 large room-temperature eggs, ½ cup pumpkin purée, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk gently to combine.
Add 1 (14-ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 (12-ounce) can of evaporated milk, and ½ teaspoon nutmeg or pumpkin spice. Whisk until all the ingredients are well combined.
Pour the custard mixture over the caramel. If using two pans, divide the mixture evenly between them. Place the filled pan or pans inside the larger roasting pan, then carefully add enough hot water to reach halfway up their sides. This baño María, or water bath, helps the custard bake gently and evenly.
Bake for 50–60 minutes.
How to Know When Pumpkin Flan Is Ready
To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the flan. If it comes out clean, the flan is ready to come out of the oven.
After 50 minutes, check the flan for doneness. Carefully remove the pans from the oven and lift them out of the hot-water bath. Place them on a cooling rack or heat-safe surface and allow them to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
I prefer to prepare this flan the night before a celebration. Chilling it overnight gives the custard time to set and makes it easier to serve. The wait is worth it!
When ready to serve, run a small knife carefully around the edges of the flan. Place a large, rimmed serving plate over the pan, then carefully invert the flan onto the plate. A rimmed plate will help contain the generous amount of caramel sauce.
Serve and Enjoy
I hope you and your loved ones enjoy every bite of this pumpkin flan. My family can never wait for me to finish taking the photos before they are ready to dig in! If you make it, let me know in the comments below. You can also visit my YouTube channel for more tips and see my homemade Spanish Flan. Use #asimpletweakrecipes when sharing your creations.
The printable recipe card is below. If you try the recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out.
Pumpkin Flan Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg or pumpkin spice
Instructions
How to Make Pumpkin Flan:
- Add 1 cup of granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons of water to a saucepan. Place it over medium-high heat. The sugar will begin to dissolve; if needed, stir it once to help the process. The mixture will begin to bubble and appear pale.
- Next, you will start to see the transformation. The pale white color starts to look light amber, much like the color of honey. This is your signal that the caramel sauce is ready. Make sure to have your baking dish nearby.
- Proceed to pour the caramel into the baking dish. To make this recipe I use two 6 inch baking pans. I'm doing this because I want to share one of those with a family member. However, you can use a 9-inch cake pan to make just one Pumpkin Flan. As fast as possible pour the caramel into the baking pan. In my case, I have two 6 inch pans so I divided the caramel equally between them.
- Carefully tilt to coat the sides of the baking pan with caramel sauce. Then place them into a large enough for the sizes of your baking pan and set aside. Just for you to have an idea, I use my turkey baking pan as is big enough to put my two baking pans.
How to make the Flan Custard:
- Preheat the oven to 350°f.
- In a large mixing bowl combine 3 large eggs (room temperature), and ½ cup pumpkin puree,1 teaspoon cinnamon, and1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Slightly whisk to combine.
- Then, add 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk, 1 (12 oz) can evaporate milk, and ½ teaspoon nutmeg, or pumpkin spice and whisk until all ingredients are well combined.
- Next, pour the custard mixture into the baking pans with the caramel (in my case equally divided into two). And now the other important step, please don't skip this: The baño de maria which is pouring enough hot water into the large baking sheet to come halfway to the top. This is an essential part of making the flan.
- Place them in the oven for about 50 to 60 minutes.
- After 50 minutes has passed, remove from the oven and out of the large baking pan with hot water. Place them in a cooling rack or as I did on two kitchen mittens over the counter and let them cool down completely. Then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, use a small knife to carefully loosen the edges of the flan. Then, carefully invert into a serving plate, ideally with edges or big enough, as there is a lot of caramel. Did I mention that's my favorite part 🙂
Notes
One trick to know if the flan is ready is to insert a toothpick in the center of the baking pan, if it comes out clean, that is a very accurate signal that the flan is ready to come out of the oven. Tip: This is a recipe that I prefer to do the night before any celebrations. The flan tastes much better when chilling so it is ideal to place it in the fridge overnight. I understand it's a lot of waiting for this dessert but Trust me it is worth it!
Nutrition
Nutritional disclaimer: Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
Let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment, rate the recipe, and tag me on Instagram when you share your photos.
Until the next one…
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