Instant Pot Puerto Rican Flan Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links which might earn us money. Please read my Disclosure and Privacy policies hereThe Instant Pot is an amazing tool that allows you to create delicious Puerto Rican Flan in a flash. This dish is made with sugar, water, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla.
The best thing about this recipe is that it can be done using an Instant Pot for a quicker way to make this dessert. Follow these steps below to learn how!
What is flan made of?
What is flan? Flan is a dessert popular in Europe and Latin American countries. It is made with sugar, water, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla.
It is baked in a water bath to create a soft, creamy texture. Flan is known for being served cold with caramel sauce and whipped cream on top.
To create this flan using an Instant Pot, I used a special mold. The flan mold I used I bought it at Amazon, and it is called IMUSA USA PHI-T9220 Stainless Steel Flan Mold, and it fits perfectly inside my Instant Pot DUO60.
How to Make Instant Pot Puerto Rican Flan Recipe
This Instant Pot Puerto Rican flan without cream cheese is not hard to make you are going to need a blender to mix the ingredients, you don’t have to, but I recommend it.
What are the ingredients of Puerto Rican flan?
To make this simple Instant Pot vanilla flan recipe you are going to need:
Sugar – you can use white store-bought was used for this recipe.
Eggs – eggs create this flan's creamy texture, so be sure to use whole eggs and not just egg whites for an extra rich taste.
Sweetened condensed milk – a common component in many Latin American desserts like ponche crema and dulce de leche (caramel sauce). Be sure to pick up some ready-made sweetened condensed milk for convenience purposes!
Evaporated milk – evaporated skimmed milk contains less water than fresh.
Water – any water will work on this recipe, but for best results be sure to use filtered water.
Vanilla – make sure that the vanilla extract is pure and not imitation as it has a stronger flavor which will affect the taste of your dessert.
You are also going to need:
- Flan mold
- Blender
- Steam Rack
Ok now that you have gathered your ingredients let’s follow these steps to make yourself an Instant Pot Puerto Rican vanilla recipe.
Instant Pot Recipes you may like:
- 10 Delicious Flan Recipes You Are Going To Love
- Puerto Rican Breakfast – Puerto Rican Oatmeal & Café Bustelo
- 6 Puerto Rican Christmas Traditions Any Anyone Can Do This Year
How to make fast caramel for flan?
Add the sugar into a microwave-safe glass container. I used a Pyrex Round Glass Bakeware Dish and added the sugar and water there.
I bought mine at Walmart a few years ago during a Black Friday sale.
Place the container inside the microwave and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes (high) until the sugar turns into a golden syrup.
If you are using the Pyrex dish very carefully since is going to be hot, swirl to make sure the caramel coats the bottom of the glass.
Also note, that according to readers oven-safe glass is not safe. Comment below states that older Pyrex are safe and others aren't.
My advice is to skip this process if you don't feel safe doing it and make the caramel the old way, using a pot, sugar water, and heat in the stove.
If you are using another container, quickly and safely, pour the caramel into the container you are using and swirl to make sure the bottom of the pan is coated.
If you want to use do this using the stovetop go ahead! But keep in mind that this is how I do the caramel and never had any issues.
Set aside.
How to make the Flan Using an IP
Blend the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend until the mixture looks creamy about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add 1 ½ cups of water inside the Instant Pot pot and add the steam rack.
Pour the flan mixture into the flan pan.
Place the pan inside the Instant Pot and cover with aluminum foil. You can use the cover that comes with this pan. It is safe.
Add the lid and close valve.
Press Manual or Pressure Cooker button, high, for 20 minutes and natural release.
Remove the plan from inside the Instant Pot and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours.
Your Instant Pot Puerto Rican Flan is done!
Instant Pot Puerto Rican Flan
Now that you know how to make Instant Pot Puerto Rican flan it is time to print the precise measurements below.
Instant Pot Puerto Rican Flan
Everyone loves a great dessert. One of my favorite desserts is Flan because it's so simple to make and tastes delicious.
But, I don't always have the time or patience for an hour-long cooking process. That's why I'm so excited that this Instant Pot Puerto Rican Flan recipe only takes about 35 minutes!
This recipe is so creamy and so delicious. So give this easy recipe a try. You'll be glad you did!
Ingredients
For the caramel
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
Flan
- 6 large eggs
- 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 13-oz cans evaporated milk
- 1 tbs vanilla
Instructions
Preparing the caramel
- Using a medium saucepan, add 1 cup of sugar and heat over medium heat.
- Continue to stir the sugar while it is heating and until it gets brown.
- The sugar will continue to darken until it turns into caramel.
- Pour the caramel into the mold.
How to make the custard
- Blend the rest of the ingredients into a blender and mix until the mixture looks creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add 1 ½ cups of water inside the Instant Pot pot and add the steam rack.
- Pour the flan mixture into the flan pan and cover with aluminum foil or the pan cover if you are using it from this post.
- Place the pan inside the Instant Pot.
- Add the lid and close the valve.
- Press Manual or Pressure Cooker button, high, for 20 minutes and natural release.
- Remove the plan from inside the Instant Pot and refrigerate a minimum of 4 hours.
Notes
* You can skip using the microwave to make the caramel and stick to the oven top way posted on the recipe.
** Natural Release minutes can vary depending on how much liquid and pressure it has left after cooking.
*** You can use other flan molds that fit the Inside the Instant Pot that is oven and microwave safe.
Recommended Products
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 584Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 236mgSodium: 258mgCarbohydrates: 89gFiber: 0gSugar: 89gProtein: 18g
These nutritional calculations might not be accurate. Please speak with a licensed nutritionist to assist you.
Help!
Guess I forgot to write why I needed help!
First off, the sugar never carmelized in the microwave. The 1st time I used a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup & the next time a 4 cup measuring cup. Nada! Sugar didn’t even move. Does it need water to help the process? So I did it on the stove. (That really didn’t work either) DO I need to invest in a storage container like you used?
Second, my flan literally blew up in the IP! Could have been I had to use a 6″ pan??
I tried making this for a Christmas dessert. My Mom made the BEST flan. But I do remember her agonizing over the carmelizing of the sugar so that is why I tried your recipe.
But must say, the smell was divine through all the mess!
I”ll try again with a bigger pan, but need help with the sugar.
Merry Christmas! The sugar should have caramelized in the microwave not sure what happened. As fast as the pan I have only used this pan since doing my research is one that’s safe to use with an Instant Pot. My friend uses pyrex to make her flan. Try using a deeper pan to see how that goes. Let me know.
I make my flan in a coffee can, carmalize the sugar right in the pan, then cook in my old pressure cooker.
Now I have the IP, and just got the IMUSA flan pan. I did the sugar directly in the pan, worked great.
My big question is do you use the lid that clamps down on the flan pan or just use foil?
My Cuban MIL cooked hers 30 min in the old PC. Is the IP faster?
Thanks!
Pyrex isn’t always Pyrex – and it makes a difference.
A few decades back, Corning sold the brand name and the new company changed the formula. Unfortunately, the new version has a very bad reputation for exploding, just as a couple of people have described in the comments here.
You *need* the old, original version, not the new.
Here’s how to tell them apart. Basically, if it doesn’t have the brand name in *ALL CAPITAL LETTERS* (coupled with the R in a circle trademark notice), run like the wind because it’s the newer, unsafe version. https://www.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/comments/7h7ehf/ysk_how_to_identify_the_older_safer_pyrex_glass/
Thank you so much for this piece of information.
Did you use 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water? It sounds like you left out the water.
My sugar never catamelized. Parts of it did, but not the whole thing, I kept adding 30seconds and by the time most of it was brown, it was burnt.
Picture above of the sugar, looks like it was mixed with water…did you forget to say that in the recipe?
I googled it and in the microwave method people added water.
So round 2 I added 1/2 cup of water and stirred till resolved (it looked like your pic above) then microwaved it for 6 minutes and it was PERFECT!
I’ve got flan in the Refrigerator now…saying a prayer it comes out 😁
And now I’ve got your Carne Guisada in the Pot. Smells great…let you know how that comes out too.
I see you adjusted the recipe 😉 – It turned out amazing!
Yes, I was away this weekend and I was like wait. The sugar and WATER photo was there and I seriously didn’t even add the water to the recipe. Thanks for letting me know. And I’m so glad it came out good. I am going to attempt making a coconut flan. Wish me luck! and thank you.
My flan was a total flop the Carmel looked right but the flan
Wasn’t right I followed your recipe any ideas I do have the 8 qt model
I’m sorry the flan didn’t work for you. May I ask what was wrong with the flan?
I just made my caramel in a pyrex 1 1/5 qt microwave safe snap-lock food container — it took closer to 8 minutes and was a beautiful golden color until I opened the microwave and touched the bowl. Others need a real warning on doing it this way. From now on I will use a saucepan on the stove. Luckily I was standing back as my microwave is mounted above the stove. The second I touched the bowl it exploded out the front of the microwave like a flashover in a fire. It is not easy to clean up hardened caramel with glass shards in it. I was wearing silicone finger mitts that were splashed but I did not get burned. I was cooking another flan (your recipe but made the caramel in a 2 cup Anchor Hocking measuring cup) in my Instant Pot on a cutting board on my stovetop. It was covered as well as the board. I did have another pan and a teakettle on the other burners so they were spared a candy coating. A lot of glass is stuck to the glass turntable from the microwave and I am soaking it in boiling water. Hopefully it will loosen soon.
This could have been a real crisis so please up your warning on doing this in the microwave.
Oh my goodness!! This is scary and I’m sorry this happened to you.
How many cans of evaporated milk? The recipe says “13-oz cans” with no quantity. Thanks!
Danielle, one can. (1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk)
Hi Joyce, is there a reason you did not use the cover for the flanera pan?
Hi, Betsy! Don’t laugh, I stop using it after I had such a hard time getting it out and burning my finger. I also like to see if things are cooking right you know what I mean?
Made your flan for Christmas and after 8 Mins and Natural release it was still liquid. Cooked it for another 20 minutes and natural release and it was perfect. Not sure how you get it to cook in 8 Min?
Hi Angel! Using my IP for me it cooks for 8 minutes and Natural release, which continues to cook it. Then I refrigerate it over night. Sorry you didn’t get the same result.
I made mines for 16 Min Preassure Cook and then let natural release and let cool down in the fridge for about 30min-1Hrm
How many cans of evaporated milk? It says “cans” but no number. Thanks!
Hi Linda! On the recipe card it says it, it is a 13-oz cans evaporated milk. 🙂
“Cans” is plural. It means more than one. You need to say “can” if it is only one can.
Thank for the schooling! I apologize for being human. I hope this made you feel good and I thank you for taking the time for commenting.
So you dont use the lid that comes with the flanera in the instapot?
Hi Veronica! You can use the lid, I have used it but prefer using the aluminum foil.
Hello,
I followed your recipe and my flan came out delicious! I made the caramel in the microwave in a microwave safe glass measuring cup, started with 4 minutes and stirred, did an additional 2 minutes, stirred again and 2 minutes once again till it became a beautiful golden color. Cooked it in the IP as directed for 8 minutes with natural release and refrigerated overnight. It looked beautiful when I flipped it out of the pan, everyone loved it. My only problem was, much of the caramel stuck to the pan and was very hard to clean. I had to keep pouring boiling water in and scrapping. Any one else have this problem? It won’t stop me from making it again but would appreciate feedback on why it happened!
Thanks, Linda
Hi, Linda! I never had this happened to me before, but may I ask what pan did use? It got me curious to see why it happened so I went to search the internet. One suggestion is to let the flan sit for a bit for the sugar to continue to liquefy. Try this next time and please let me know.
Your ingredient list says sugar and water for the caramel, but your instructions only say to use sugar. Also, 1/2 cup of water seems like a lot. I usually use 2 tablespoons and get a great caramel, but I’m going to try the 1/2 cup water and see how that comes. I prefer making caramel on the stovetop as I can see it getting darker. Cleaning the saucepan (and the flan pan if sugar gets stuck) is easy; just fill with very hot tap water, let it sit for a few seconds, rub with a sponge, and repeat as necessary. It usually comes out pretty quickly.
I tried the microwave for the caramel but it didn’t work so I crossed my fingers and put it on the stove.. perfect caramel. I was so excited. The recipe is perfect and now to wait the 4+ hours in the fridge. I’m dying to try it..
I tried your recipe and the first time it came out PERFECT! It was the best flan I’ve ever had (and I love flan and eat it often). However, the second and third time I tried to do exactly the same thing and it came out runny both times. I duplicated everything that I can think of. Any suggestions? Please help me figure this out… I’ve dying to have some more of that yummy flan I made the first time with your recipe! 🙂
Now depending on the pressure cooker, I’m going to update this because I am now using a new version of an Instant Pot. For any flan, using the tin, set it for 20 minutes. When it beebs the natural release is way shorter. Let me know if this helps
It did work. My IP is one of the newer models (I just bought it a few weeks ago). I set it for high heat 20 minutes and let the natural release take place and took it out 20 minutes after the natural release/keep warm phase. So 20/20 worked for me. Thanks for the suggestion… and thank you for the great recipe!
Thank you for confirming this! I will update the recipe too! And you are welcome!