This Puerto Rican Flan de Café (Coffee Flan) is a luscious coffee-infused custard that’s a perfect blend of creamy sweetness. Velvety delicious flavor in every bite.
Flan holds a special place in Latin Culture, savored all year round, with the holidays bringing an extra burst of popularity. In Puerto Rico, we love to whip up various flavors like Flan de Vainilla (Vanilla Flan), Flan de Calabaza (Pumpkin Flan), Flancocho (Vanilla Flan Cake) and Flan de Coco (Coconut Flan), each embodying the essence of our rich culinary traditions.
Here is another delicious Puerto Rican flan recipe that is a favorite in our home. If you love coffee, this flan recipe is definitely for you. Rich, creamy, velvety, and absolutely delicious!
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Reasons to Love this Recipe
- Irresistible Fusion: This dessert combines the creaminess of traditional flan with the bold, aromatic essence of coffee, creating a delightful fusion of flavors.
- Velvety Texture: The velvety texture that defines flan, is elevated by the addition of coffee, that offers such a delicious, luxurious dessert experience.
- Coffee Lover’s Dream: For those who love coffee, this dessert is a dream come true.
- Versatility: This dish easily transitions from casual family dinners to upscale entertaining, making it a versatile and sophisticated dessert choice for any occasion. Especially perfect for the holidays.
- Decadent Indulgence: Indulge in a decadent treat that strikes the perfect balance between sweetness and coffee richness, providing a truly satisfying and memorable flan experience.
Ingredients
- Evaporated Milk – traditional to use in all Puerto Rican flan desserts.
- Condensed Milk – adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Coffee – most recipes use instant coffee granules or brewed coffee. I like to use both when making coffee flan which adds a much stronger coffee flavor. Love it!
- Eggs – always used in all traditional custard recipes.
- Sugar – used to make the caramel sauce.
- Cream Cheese – adds amazing flavor and adds the velvety creaminess that makes everyone love this dessert.
- Vanilla Extract – adds a delicate flavor that is just perfect in flan recipes.
*See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements and instructions.*
Substitutions and Variations
I Don’t Like Coffee, Will I Still Like this Recipe?
- If you truly distaste coffee, this flan recipe is not for you. However, you may love our flan recipes listed above.
I Don’t Brew Coffee, How Can I Make this Recipe?
- If you drink coffee and only use instant coffee, use three tablespoons to make this recipe.
I Don’t Drink Regular Coffee, Can I Use Flavored Coffee?
- Absolutely! Use whatever flavor of coffee you drink every day. Examples: Hazlenut or Vanilla flavored coffee work great too.
Instructions (Flan de Café Receta)
Step 1: Oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Step 2: Making the Caramel Sauce. Add the sugar and water to a small pot and stir (Image1). Heat over low heat until the sugar has completely melted (Image 2). Note: This can take anywhere from just a few minutes to 20 minutes.
Step 3: Adding the Sugar to the Mold. Immediately pour the caramel sauce into the mold you will be using being extra careful as the sugar is very, very hot and can easily scold you. Tilt and swirl the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides of the pan (Image3). Set the mold in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set.
Step 3: Making the Custard. Add the evaporated, condensed milk, eggs, coffee, and vanilla extract to a blender (Image 4). Add the cream cheese and instant coffee (Image 5).
Step 4: Blend. Blend the mixture on medium-high for about two minutes (Image 6). Pour the mixture through a strainer to catch any egg pieces that may not have blended well (Image 7).
Step 5: Pouring the Custard. Pour the custard mixture into the caramel coated mold/s (Image 8). Cover the mold/s with aluminum foil (Image 9).
Note: You may hear a crackle when pouring the custard into the mold/s. This is normal.
Step 6: Hot Water Bath. Add the mold/s to larger mold/s and add enough HOT water that it goes halfway up the sides of the flan mold/s (Image 10). Bake anywhere from 1 hour to 1 ½ hours.
Step 7: Remove the Flan. Remove the flan from the oven. Insert a toothpick or butter knife into the center of the flan to check for doneness (Image 11). Cover once again with the aluminum foil and allow it to sit for an hour on the kitchen counter, then refrigerate for a few hours to chill.
Step 8: Serving. When you’re ready to serve the flan, remove it from the refrigerator and run a thin knife around the edge of the mold to help loosen it a little (Image 12). Place a larger plate over the flan and invert it (Image 13). You will hear a squishing sound as the flan plops onto the plate (Image 14). Serve individual portions and top with some of the caramel sauce.
Expert Cooking Tips
- Melting the Sugar – When melting the sugar for the caramel sauce, be extra watchful not to burn it. Making the sauce takes time and increasing the flame to rush the melting process, simply will burn it. Be extra patient when making the sauce.
- Coating the Mold – Make sure to immediately pour the sugar into the mold or molds you’re using as the sugar crystalizes quickly and hardens.
- Eggs and Cream Cheese – Take the eggs and cream cheese out of the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature before using.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can freeze flan for up to two months.
Store it in individual slices and then place them in plastic wrapping, followed by a freezer ziploc bag.
Remove how ever many slices you would like to have and defrost the night before in the refrigerator before consuming.
While you are making the custard mixture, the caramel sauce will harden. This is normal. Once the flan has chilled and you invert it onto a plate, the sauce will soften.
Store the flan covered in the refrigerator.
Consume the flan within 4 days.
No, it must be stored in the refrigerator.
Other Popular Puerto Rican Desserts
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📖 Recipe
Flan de Café (Coffee Flan)
Equipment
- Baking Mold/s
- mold/s for water bath
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 1½ cups sugar
- ¼ cup water
Custard Mixture
- 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 1 14 ounce can condensed milk
- 5 eggs at room temperature
- 1 8 ounce cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ cup strong brewed coffee
- 2 tablespoon instant coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Caramel Sauce
- Add the sugar and water to a small pot and stir. Heat over low heat until the sugar has completely melted. Note: This can take anywhere from just a few minutes to 20 minutes.
- Immediately pour the caramel sauce into the mold you will be using being extra careful as the sugar is very, very hot and can easily scold you. Tilt and swirl the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Set the mold in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set.
Making the Custard
- Add the evaporated, condensed milk, eggs, coffee, and vanilla extract to a blender. Add the cream cheese and the instant coffee.
- Blend the mixture on medium-high for about two minutes. Pour the mixture through a strainer to catch any egg pieces that may not have blended well.
- Pour the custard mixture into the caramel-coated mold/s. Cover the mold/s with aluminum foil.Note: You may hear a crackle when pouring the custard into the mold/s. This is normal.
- Add the mold/s to larger mold/s and add enough HOT water that it goes halfway up the sides of the flan mold/s. Bake anywhere from 1 hour to 1 ½ hours.
- Remove the flan from the oven. Insert a toothpick or butter knife into the center of the flan to check for doneness. Cover once again with the aluminum foil and allow it to sit for an hour on the kitchen counter, then refrigerate for a few hours to chill.
- When you're ready to serve the flan, remove it from the refrigerator and run a thin knife around the edge of the mold to help loosen it a little. Place a larger plate over the flan and invert it. You will hear a squishing sound as the flan plops onto the plate. Serve individual portions and top with some of the caramel sauce.
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