This creamy pumpkin flan is made with pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice for a warm and cozy Fall twist on this classic custard. It's topped with a shiny caramel sauce to give it an amazing caramelized flavour.
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Notes from the baker
I've been dreaming of eating a flan or creme caramel with the silky custard texture and burnt sugar caramel sauce but with added pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavour. As I imagined, they taste incredible together in this pumpkin flan.
Flans are easy to make with the only potentially tricky part making the caramel. I've some tips in the post and in the recipe card about how to make the caramel without it crystallizing. Once you get the hang of it, the rest is super simple!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Soft and creamy custard. The flan texture is rich and creamy without being too heavy.
- Deep, caramelized flavour from the caramel top. The caramel adds a delicious burnt sugar flavour that works so well with the pumpkin flavour.
- Pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavour for Fall. You'll love this easy Fall twist on a classic flan recipe!
Tools
- Small saucepan - You'll need a small saucepan to make the caramel for the top of the flan.
- 8" cake pan - This recipe is scaled for an 8" round cake pan but you could also make them as individual flans by baking them in small ramekins.
Ingredient notes
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- Granulated sugar
- Water - We're making a wet caramel (adding water to the sugar and then cooking off the water) instead of a dry caramel (only sugar).
- Eggs - The eggs form the base of the flan and holds everything together in a soft custard texture.
- Pumpkin puree - Use unsweetened pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. I used canned pumpkin puree but you can also use fresh pumpkin puree if you have that available.
- Condensed milk - Use canned, sweetened condensed milk. This is the main sweetener of this pumpkin flan.
- Evaporated milk - This is canned milk with about 60% of the water removed from it through evaporation. It adds to the creamy texture of the flan.
- Pumpkin pie spice - You can use pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice or mix your own if you have all the different spices on hand. See the recipe notes in the recipe card for the exact ratios.
- Vanilla extract
Tips for making the best pumpkin flan
- Don't stir the caramel as it's cooking. When making wet caramel, agitation can destabilize the sugar structure causing it to crystallize and harden. If you need to, you can gently swirl the pan near the end for more even browning. If any sugar crystals get stuck to the sides of the saucepan, dip a pastry brush in water to wash them back down into the sugar syrup.
- Strain the batter through a sieve. This is an easy way to remove any chunks of egg or pumpkin to make your flan super smooth and silky.
- Bake your flan in a water bath. A water bath helps keep the outside of the flan at a lower temperature to prevent it from overcooking before the middle is set. The steam from the water also creates a humid environment in the oven to keep the flan moist and prevent it from drying out or cracking.
- Warm up the bottom of the pan if you've chilled the flan before releasing it. The caramel layer will soften and melt into extra caramel sauce and it also ensure the flan comes out of the pan cleanly.
Storage
This pumpkin flan can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
Frequently asked questions
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More pumpkin recipes to try
Recipe
Pumpkin Flan
Equipment
Ingredients
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 60 g water
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can pumpkin puree, 15oz can
- 1 can condensed milk, 14oz can
- 1 can evaporated milk, 12oz can
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Make the caramel: In a small saucepan, add the granulated sugar and water. Stir gently to saturate all the sugar but try not to get any sugar up the sides of the saucepan. Heat on medium heat until the sugar dissolves and it comes to a simmer. Do not stir it after it begins to simmer otherwise it can crystallize.
- Pour into pan: Turn the heat to medium-high heat and boil for 10-15 minutes or until it becomes slightly golden. Turn the heat off and gently swirl the pan until it deepens in colour and becomes amber in colour. Immediately pour this into an 8" cake pan and tilt the pan around until it coats the bottom of the pan (use oven mitts as the pan will become very hot). Set aside to let harden.
- Custard mixture: In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, pumpkin puree, condensed milk, evaporated milk, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and combined.
- Fill pan: Pour the custard mixture through a fine mesh sieve into the pan on top of the hardened caramel.
- Water bath: Place this pan into a larger baking pan and fill it with hot water until it reaches halfway up the cake pan.
- Bake: Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick in the middle comes out clean and the top is not sticky to the touch.
- Chill: Let the flan cool completely on a wire rack at room temperature. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight, preferably.
- Release flan: When releasing the flan from the pan, submerge the bottom of the pan in hot water for 5-10 minutes if it has been in the fridge to soften the caramel. Run a sharp paring knife around the edge of the flan. Place a serving plate or sake stand with a rim on top of the pan and flip them both upside down while holding them firmly. Give the top of the pan a few pats and you should hear the flan separating from the pan onto the plate.
Notes
- Pumpkin pie spice: You can use store-bought pumpkin pie spice mix or make your own. To make your own, stir together:
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- You can double or triple this mix as needed. Use what you need from this mixture and save the rest for other recipes!
Connie says
That looks really good, I’m planning to make it for Christmas and I’m sure it will not last very long on the table. I have a question though, how many oz can of pumpkin do I need? I only buy 29 oz can, which I’m sure is way too much for this recipe, not sure what else is out there. Thanks for the recipe.
Gail Ng says
Hi, I used a standard 15oz can. Updated this in the recipe!