Creamy, sweet, and delicious vegan flan that literally melts in your mouth. This crème caramel is a no-bake dessert that requires only 15 minutes of prep time. The recipe is egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and very easy to make.
Creme Caramel vs Flan
A classic flan (pronounced FLAHN) is made from eggs, sugar, cream, and milk in a hot water bath. Sweet flan is a common custard dessert in Portugal, Spain, Latin America, and in the Caribbean (e.g. Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, etc.). A well-known variation of French cuisine is crème caramel. The desserts look very similar, however, flan can be either sweet or savory. Crème caramel is only served sweet.
What You Need
Of course, I didn’t use cream, milk, or eggs. Below are the ingredients and their substitutes that you will need for the vegan flan recipe.
All ingredients AND measurements are listed in the printable recipe card below! There you will also find the nutrition facts (calories in flan).
- Coconut milk – Since I live in the Caribbean, I used coconut milk (flan de coco is very popular here). However, you can also use soy cream or oat cream or a combination of a plant-based cream and plant-based milk.
- Cornstarch – Arrowroot flour might be used instead of cornstarch.
- Maple syrup – Any other liquid sweetener can be used instead of maple syrup, for example, agave syrup, date syrup, brown rice syrup.
- Sugar – You could also use brown sugar instead of white sugar. To make the flan refined sugar-free, try coconut sugar or date sugar with a little maple syrup.
- Vanilla extract, and salt – Used for flavor.
- Agar powder – You will need agar powder and not agar flakes. If you only have agar flakes, make sure to use three times as much (2 teaspoons).
How To Make Vegan Flan?
You won’t need a food processor or blender to make this coconut flan. All you need is two saucepans (I actually used the same saucepan) and a stove. Check the step-by step-photos below:
STEP 1: Start by making the caramel: Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once it starts boiling, turn down the heat, let simmer until the sugar caramelizes, then turn off the heat.
STEP 2: Pour the caramel into 4 small ramekins and spread it with a spoon or simply by tilting the ramekins. Try to be quick as the caramel starts to thicken. Set aside and start making the custard.
STEP 3: Add coconut milk, maple syrup, cornstarch, agar powder, vanilla extract, and sea salt to a medium-sized saucepan.
STEP 4: Stir with a whisk until combined, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. As soon as it starts boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer for 2 minutes to activate the agar, then remove from heat.
STEP 5: Pour the creme into the 4 ramekins and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
STEP 6: To unmold the flan, carefully slide a knife around the edges of each ramekin. Invert a platter on top of the ramekin and turn the ramekin and platter over (shake it carefully to release the flan).
Since sugar is highly hydrophilic, it will absorb moisture from the air in the fridge and from the custard and therefore, the caramel will be liquid once you unmold the flan.
Tips And Variations
- Make a flan cake: Use a larger mold instead of 4 small ramekins to make a flan cake.
- Add a flavor: You can add orange juice to make orange flan. It will add a refreshing and interesting flavor.
- Add a crunchy topping: You could add roasted walnuts, almonds, cashews or coconut on top of the caramel sauce for a nice crunch.
How To Store?
Store the flan covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it.
If you love easy vegan no-bake recipes, make sure to check out my other delicious vegan desserts that also happen to be gluten-free.
- Homemade Marzipan
- Peanut Butter Mousse
- Lemon Coconut Balls
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
- 3-Ingredient Coconut Balls
- Healthy No-Bake Brownies
- No-Bake Chocolate Protein Bars
- Homemade Bounty Bars
- Breakfast Granola Cups
Should you give this tasty vegan flan recipe a try, please leave a comment and rating below and tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with #elavegan and @elavegan.
Vegan Flan
Ingredients
Caramel:
- 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar (*see notes)
- 1-2 tbsp water
Custard:
- 2 cups (480 ml) canned coconut milk can shaken (*see notes)
- 3-4 tbsp (60-80 g) maple syrup (*see notes)
- 2 tbsp (16 g) cornstarch (*see notes)
- 2/3 tsp agar powder (*see notes)
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- You can watch the video in the post for visual instructions.
- For the caramel, add sugar and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Once it starts boiling, turn down the heat, let simmer until it's dark golden brown and thickens, then turn off the heat.
- Quickly pour the caramel into 4 small ramekins and spread the caramel around the bottom with a spoon or simply by tilting the ramekins. Set aside while you make the custard.
- For the custard, add coconut milk, maple syrup, cornstarch, agar powder, vanilla extract, and sea salt to a medium-sized saucepan and stir with a whisk.
- Once combined, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. As soon as it starts boiling, turn the heat to low and let simmer for 2 minutes to activate the agar, then remove from heat.
- Pour the custard into the 4 ramekins and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight.
- To unmold the flan, gently slide a knife around the edges of each ramekin. Invert a platter on top of the ramekin and turn the ramekin and platter over (shake it carefully). Check the step-by-step photos in the blog post above.
- Enjoy! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Refined sugar-free version: Try coconut sugar or date sugar with a little maple syrup instead of white sugar.
- Coconut milk: You can also use lite coconut milk or a mixture of soy cream or oat cream with the addition of soy milk or oat milk.
- Maple syrup: Agave syrup, brown rice syrup or any other liquid sweetener can be used instead of maple syrup.
- Cornstarch: Arrowroot flour might be an alternative to cornstarch.
- Agar powder: Make sure to use agar powder (not flakes). If you have agar flakes, you will need to use 3 times as much (2 teaspoons).
- Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
This looks great, I’m assuming everyone will give it 5 starts after I make it. How much orange juice should I add for zest. Thanks!
Hi Cami, I would probably replace 1/3 of a cup of coconut milk with orange juice. 🙂
Greetings Ela,
Thank you for this divine recipe. I believe it’s better to use two tablespoons of water with the sugar for the caramel. I found that after leaving the flan in the fridge overnight the caramel poured out better when it was prepared wetter as opposed to dryer. I used the coconut milk in a carton which turned out beautifully….. Thanks again for sharing. 😋
Thanks so much for sharing, Diana. 🙂
hi I made this today, the taste was excellent but it was unclear whether to use coconut milk or coconut cream…also the corn starch bunched together like gummy beads at the bottom of the dish after a few hours in the refridgerator. I didnt use agar powder but I ordered some to try again. thank you.
Hi Jamie, the recipe calls for canned coconut milk. 🙂
hi Ela, is it ok to use Almond milk or soy milk instead of coconut milk? and Coconut sugar instead of other sugars?
Hi Ani, it won’t taste as rich and delicious with almond or soy milk, so I do not recommend it. You can try using coconut sugar. 🙂
Hi Ela,
I had no idea you lived in the Caribbean. I have recently moved to the islands and find it hard to find certain ingredients. E.g Agar powder. Do you have any advice on sourcing specialist ingredients in these regions or do you sometimes have to ship them in? Would love to know.
Hi Jess, unfortunately, I didn’t have luck finding them here, so I have to order certain things in the US. 🙂
Hi there. I live in the Caribbean as well, and have had luck finding the agar agar in specialty health or vegan stores, even though it may be a bit on the pricy side
This flan is really exceptional. I made is for a Mexican themed dinner party. It was delicious, super easy and I love that I could prep it the day before. I’ll be making this again.
That’s awesome, Vanessa! I am so glad you loved it. 🙂
Can I use tapioca flour instead of arrowroot or cornstarch? Is it a 1:1 sub?
Thanks!
Hi! It might end up a little more “gummy”, but yes, I would use a 1:1 sub.
Can pectin be used instead of agar?
Hi Alia, I don’t think that will work, as it probably won’t firm it up as agar does.
So delicious and not too sweet. Easy to follow directions and presentation is just beautiful!
I opted for 4 tablespoons of maple syrup and scant 3/4 teaspoons of agar powder. Thank you for such a tasty dessert recipe!
Wonderful! Thanks for your lovely feedback, I appreciate it. 🙂
Hi! I’m wondering what size ramekins should be used.
I see you said “small” but does that mean 4oz or 6?
Hello Brianna! My ramekins are 3-inches in diameter and hold about 1/2 cup of water (about 4 oz). I hope this helps! 🙂
Hello! I wanted to know how much should I use of oat cream and oat milk?
Hi Ivana, you can use 1 cup of oat milk and 1 cup of oat cream. 🙂
Hi Ela, I was so excited to try this recipe as I love creme caramel. The creme turned out good but I could not get the sugar to caramelize, I have tried with 4 different types of sugars without success, maybe because they were all some version of cane sugar (raw, brown, crystal)? The final one was rapadura sugar from Brazil and although it did kind of caramelize when I added the creme it melted back to liquid form. Regardless, it was really tasty. I am so glad I found your recipes as I can only cook plant-based and zero oil due to heart disease and love that you have a wide variety from many world cuisines and tried and proven recipes. Thank you.
Hello Serap! You could try organic white sugar next time, it might work better. 🙂
Happy you like my recipes. 🙂
In my experience it will only caramelize with stainless steel. I tried 5 times once with a non-stick pot only to realize it was the cookware that was the issue.
That is so interesting! Thanks so much for sharing, Kathryn! 🙂
This was my first attempt at flan and it was so good. I think I cooked the sugar a little long, even the next day some still stuck to the ramekin. But the texture was spot on and the taste very good. Thank you!
You are very welcome, Jose! I am so glad you liked it. 🙂
Hi!
I don’t have agar powder and unable to find in my area. I do have gelatin powder. Can I substitute agar powder with gelatin powder?
That would defeat the purpose of a vegan flan, but yes you could use animal cartilage powder.
Some people eat vegan due to food allergies such as eggs- I’ve been looking everywhere for a vegan flan recipe for this very reason! For those of us who are not “true” vegans, it is sometime necessary to make substitutions such as gelatin for agar due to unavailability – so don’t judge! 🙂
There is no such thing as “eat vegan”. You probably mean “eat plant-based”. There’s a difference. Veganism is not simply a dietary choice, it is a lifestyle of taking a moral and ethical stance against animal cruelty. If someone feels it’s okay to use animal body parts for the sake of a dessert, they’re certainly not vegan. Let’s not conflate an animal rights movement with optional dessert preferences.
I was excited to try this recipe, but as I’m mis’ing out the ingredients I see, “2/3 tsp agar powder,” and I wonder, how am I supposed to measure that? Even when I weigh out a teaspoon it equals zero grams, so I can’t even divide the weight. I’d increase the recipe by a third but only have four ramekins of the proper size.
Tiffany, you can use a little less than 3/4 tsp. 🙂
I substitute 1cup of coconut milk with cup a condense coconut milk and there is no need to add any sweeter. Taste amazing!!!
Thanks for sharing, Sheila! 🙂
Thank you for the tip!!!
Love this recipe!!!
Came out way better than expected… super creamy and delicious!
The only problem I had was most of the caramel stayed hardened stuck to the bottom of the ramekins and never liquified. Not sure what I’m doing wrong.
I am glad it turned out delicious! Caramel normally liquefies in the fridge. However, you could also cook the caramel and pour it over the finished flan afterward. 🙂
Can I substitute agar for arrowroot powder??
No, that won’t work. You would need a lot more arrowroot powder and the texture would be different.
This was amazing and far more easier than I thought it would be to make, Thank you so much for an. Amazing dessert.
Quick question my caramel keeps coming out too lite in colour, what would you suggest I’m doing wrong ? Ive tried it. 4 times and although the taste is right, the colour isn’t as vibrant?
Hi Nikita, I am so glad you liked it! You could add a little brown sugar or coconut sugar for a darker color. 🙂
Hello,
I just found your recipe and was wondering a few a things;
1. Why cornstarch? My understanding is that cornstarch is a thinking agent and so is Agar.
2. Would just add I bf Agar to the recipe work as well?
Trying to make this flan for my vegan friend.
Hi, if you just add agar the texture will be totally different and not as smooth. 🙂
Can I make this in a larger pan instead of ramekins?
I think that should be fine. 🙂
Thanks Ela for the wonderful recipe. I was a bit skeptical at first since this recipe looks way too easy but man oh man the flan came out great. It’s creamy and the perfect texture.
Btw as a small suggestion it would be good to have the add comment at the top of the comments section. Takes a while to find it.
Hi Reena! Thanks for your great feedback, I am so glad you loved the recipe. 🙂
PS: Yes, I will make the changes soon.
How much coconut milk do I use?
Chris, it’s all mentioned in the printable recipe card. It’s 2 cups.
Can I use Vege-gel instead of agar agar? And if yes what quantity?
Maybe. I have no access to this product, therefore, I can’t try it. Please report back if you give it a try, Patricija. 🙂
Hi!!! I just made it with Vegi gel! As soon as I try it I will report back!!!!
Thank you for the recipe 😘
That’s so interesting! It would be really awesome to hear how it turned out. 🙂
How did it turn out?
It looks amazing dear Ela as everything I have tried from your recipies! Can I substitute sugar with Erythritol or liquid sweetener? Thank you so much!
Hi Eugenia, I never tried it but it should work with Erythritol. It will look different though. 🙂
I cannot believe how quick and easy this is ! I have made this recipe two times this week! It’s so delicious and almost guilt free! I’m the only vegan in the house and everyone LOVED IT! I have to say that I’ll be making this VERY often ! The textures mixed with the sugar is so so Devine!
That’s fantastic, Natalia! I am so glad you all loved it. 🙂
Amazing, made this for Mother’s Day today and my mom who turns up her nose at anything vegan had two servings, actually all 5 of us had two servings, some more, glad I doubled the recipe.
That’s awesome, Veronica! 🙂
How many grams of agar powder is 2/3 teaspoon?
Jodie, the powder is so light that my kitchen scale actually shows zero grams. But the agar bottle says that 1/2 tsp is 1.5 grams.
coconut milk dhould be boxed or canned? Thanks!!!
“Canned coconut milk, can shaken…” as mentioned in the ingredient list. 🙂
Made this today and it was very good!! Cream caramel is a Ramadan classic in my country and this vegan one tastes nicer than the real thing.. definitely going to make it again. thank you!!😍😍
Wow, that’s awesome, Shaikha! Thanks so much for your kind comment. 🙂
Hello! Do you think light coconut milk will work or is full fat needed for texture? Thank you!
Hi! Yes, it should work fine. Maybe it won’t be as rich, but still delicious. 🙂
It’s waiting in the fridge right now! I used light coconut milk (1,5% fat) and accidentally 2/3 “tablespoon” of agar powder instead of “teaspoon”. How will that affect it? I hope it doesn’t go badly. Smells delicious though, I can’t wait to try it! Thanks a lot!
Hi Aria, I think it will turn out quite firm because of the 2/3 tablespoon instead of teaspoon. 🙂
Even with the mistakes it turned out amazing! Thanks a lot! I’m definitely going to try this again!
That’s wonderful, I am glad it turned out great. 🙂
In my country this is called tembleque. We also make flan.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
You can find agar powder at Asian markets. I found it in my health food store, in the Asian section.
Awesome! 🙂
Hi. Can I use almond milk instead of coconut milk?
Hey! I would not recommend it because it doesn’t contain much fat (boxed almond milk is basically just water). You can use soy cream or oat cream or a combination of a plant-based cream and plant-based milk.
Hi
I don’t have any liquid sugar but have vanilla flavoured soy milk which is sweet. So can I just use that?
You can use regular sugar, that’s no problem. 🙂
I tried it with vanilla flavoured soy milk and normal sugar. It turned out lovely. Thank you for the recipe.
You make being vegan so easy 😘
That sounds really delicious with vanilla-flavored soy milk. I am glad you liked the dessert. 🙂
I forgot to do the stars in my last comment….I would have given 10 or more if they were there!! 🙂
Thanks so much!! 🙂
WOW Ela, this is an amazing recipe!!! I have already made it 3x since discovering it less than 2 weeks ago. We are totally hooked!!!! EVERYONE I have shared a taste with has absolutely raved about how amazing it is! – even my mum and son who are not vegan at all. It is so very easy to make…takes no time at all and tastes DIVINE!!! This will be one of our most favorite and most often made desserts now for sure!!!. Just like the ‘real’ thing that I remember with eggs etc …. but even better. I used coconut sugar for the syrup and in the custard,, to make the toffee sauce go a teeny bit further added about a tablespoon of maple syrup at the start of the process. THANK YOU for this amazing recipe 🙂 xxx
Aww, thanks so much for your thorough feedback, Ro! I am so glad you and your loved ones enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
Much love,
Ela
Is there something I can use instead of ramekins? I don’t want to go to stores unless it’s super necessary!
Hi Jenna, you can use small jars, that should work fine too. Hope this helps. 🙂
Came out perfect – great instructions. Thank you
Awesome! I am glad the flan turned out great. Thanks for your feedback, Ruth. 🙂
Made this deliciousness and it’s a bomb!!! My husband and I loved it! It tastes like heaven! Amazing recipe!
Wonderful!! I am glad you and your husband loved the recipe. 🙂
I’ve tried this recipe. Easy and delicious ♥️♥️ it’s just that my caramel is over cook. So it was rather bitter. but I’ll try again next time.
Thanks for your comment, dear! I hope the next try will turn out much better. It’s important to stir the sugar constantly so that it doesn’t burn. 🙂
I loved this recipe. It’s so creamy and a wonderful alternative pudim. All the family ate and enjoyed even though they’re not vegan. Yeah! I added some lemon rasps. Thank you 🙂
That’s awesome, Carmen! I am so glad that you and your family loved the recipe. 🙂
In wenigen Minuten gemacht, super easy und uuuunglaublich lecker! Hab noch nie Flan gegessen, aber meine Freundin meinte es schmeckt exakt bzw. besser als nicht-veganes Flan. Love it!
Das freut mich so sehr! Ich danke dir vielmals für dein klasse Feedback! 🙂
What can i use instead of agave powder?
I assume you mean agar powder. You can increase the amount of cornstarch (you will need to use a lot more, about 5 or 6 tbsp), however, the texture and taste of the flan will be different. I read that “Kappa Carrageenan” could be used instead of agar powder (in smaller amounts though), but since I haven’t tried it, I cannot recommend it.
So amazing and you made it look so easy love 😍 wish i could find agar powder in such conditions 😕😕
Thank you, Aanchal! I hope you will give the recipe a try as soon as you are able to get agar powder. 💛
I made this flan today and it was good! My non vegan husband ate it too and loved it. I added cinnamon since I love vanilla and cinnamon together! I’ll be making it again!
Cinnamon and vanilla – this is indeed a wonderful combo! Thanks for your great feedback, Camille. 🙂
Can I use xanthan gam instead of agar powder?
Hello Morena, I am afraid it wouldn’t work because xanthan doesn’t set like agar. You can increase the amount of cornstarch (you will need to use a lot more), however, the texture of the flan will be different.