Top Flavored Spanish Flans

New Twists on a Classic Spanish Dessert

Updated 11/14/17

The original, classic flan is a vanilla egg custard, baked in a water bath and its own caramel sauce. It’s an easy recipe to prepare and is a favorite in Spain and abroad. So, it’s no surprise that it’s popular all over Latin America since Spanish women for centuries brought their own family’s version of flan when immigrating to America. Today, with many different kinds of foods and flavorings available in local markets, it’s easy to see how the variations on this classic got started.

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Orange Flan – Flan de Naranja

Flan de Naranja - Orange Flan. Lisa Sierra (c) 2008 Licensed to About.com

This variation is lighter, but has an intense orange flavor that refreshes the palate as well as satisfying a sweet tooth. The sauce is made with sugar and orange juice, giving it a deep orange color and flavor.
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Coffee Flan – Flan de Café

Coffee Flan - Flan de Cafe. Lisa Sierra (c) 2009 Licensed to About.com Inc.

Espresso coffee gives this version of flan a wonderfully rich flavor, and makes it a perfect dessert to enjoy with a glass of after-dinner liqueur.
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Strawberry Flan – Flan de Fresas

Flan de Fresas - Strawberry Flan. (c) 2007 L. Sierra Licensed to About.com Inc.

Instead of vanilla, this flan is flavored with fresh strawberries and condensed milk. This flan is good when you want to a sweet, light and fresh dessert – whether it's for dinner or brunch.
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Classic Vanilla Flan

Spanish Flan - Vanilla Custard with Caramel Sauce. Lisa Sierra (c) 2008 Licensed to About.com

Still the most common and most popular, the original Flan is a vanilla egg custard, topped with caramel sauce.