Bright And Fruity Mango Flan Recipe

Creamy flan is a staple treat in many Latin American countries, and for good reason — its silky-smooth texture, vanilla flavor, and caramelized sugar topping offer a delicious bite of goodness that is surprisingly light and fresh. In this bright and fruity flan recipe, we've added a tropical twist with one of nature's sweetest fruits, mango. Combining ripe and juicy mangoes with the rich, custard-like filling is a great way to brighten things up, and the natural beauty of mango lends itself to a show-stopping presentation.

Recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "I love serving flan for dessert with some of my favorite Mexican recipes like tacos, enchiladas, chiles rellenos, tamales, or fajitas. The sweet and cooling flavor, along with the texture of flan, is such a nice complement to the spicy bold entrees. I also like it because it can be made ahead and will keep nicely." Read on to learn how to make this sweet and creamy dessert.

This recipe has a small list of ingredients. You'll need some baking basics — granulated sugar, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Then, hit up the produce aisle for 2 large mangoes. If you will be making the flan the same day as your shopping visit, look for mangoes that are soft and give slightly when pressed. If they are very firm, you'll need to let them sit out on your counter for a few days to ripen. Fresh mint pairs nicely with the flan, so you may want to pick some up for a garnish.

Add the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water to a medium pot and bring the heat to medium.

Stir frequently for about 20 minutes, until the mixture turns a deep amber color.

Pour the mixture into an 8-inch cake pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Cut one of the mangoes into rough chunks for the puree. Cut the other mango into slices or cubes for topping the flan. Refrigerate the mango that will be used for the topping.

Add the rough chunks of mango to a blender and blend until a puree forms.

In a large bowl, combine the mango puree with the condensed milk, whole milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.

Beat with a hand mixer for a few minutes, until it is well blended.

Pour this over the hardened caramel in the cake pan.

Place the cake pan in a large baking dish and add water to the baking dish until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the cake pan.

Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the flan for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.

Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan and invert it onto a serving platter.

Top with the cubed or sliced mango and optional fresh mint, then serve.

If you haven't made flan before, there are several things to watch out for. To start, when making the caramel layer, be patient while waiting for the sugar to caramelize. Once it starts to change color, avoid overcooking it. It is done when it turns a deep amber color. You'll need to work quickly once it's done and pour it into the cake pan before in hardens in the pot.

Cutting mango can be tricky when working around the center pit, but there is a proper way to slice a mango for both the puree and topping. When you're making the custard mixture, be sure to fully blend it. If you have gotten some mango fibers in the mixture, use a fine mesh strainer to remove them. 

The procedure of adding water to the baking dish is called a bain-marie and is an important step that should not be skipped. This helps the flan cook evenly and prevent cracks. Check the flan after 50 minutes of baking to make sure it is done. You'll want a toothpick to come out clean, but it should still be jiggly. If it's overcooked, It will lose the creamy texture and turn rubbery. Finally, don't attempt to invert the flan before 4 hours of chilling. The flan needs to firm up enough to stay together when flipped.

If you want to try other fruits in this flan recipe, there are several great options. To stick with a tropical flavor, swap out the mango for pineapple. You will puree it in the same manner as the mango flesh and use crushed or sliced pineapple for topping. Peach-flavored flan is delicious. You can use canned peaches for the puree and top it with fresh sliced peaches. Or, try using citrus. You'll only need about ½ cup of fresh orange or tangerine segments to flavor the custard. Then, add lots of fresh citrus zest to the topping. Lime zest will be especially pretty with orange segments.

Berries are always a nice option with flan. You can blend strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries into the custard. Use about 1 cup of frozen or fresh berries when blending and then blend again with the milk mixture. For a pretty presentation, add a layer of fresh berries over the caramelized sugar before adding the custard.