Add A Unique Twist To Your Flan With Canned Coconut Milk

For people with a sweet tooth, finding a new favorite dessert is one of the most magical things in life — especially when you realize that a subtle twist on something you already love yields totally unique and craveable results.

Some might wonder, what kind of dessert is flan? And while you can categorize it as a custard, you definitely don't have to put it in a box. Flan can be so many things, thanks to a relatively neutral flavor profile. When you create something from basic staple ingredients — in this case, eggs, sugar, often vanilla, and some kind of milk product — it's easy to find ways to infuse it with alternative flavors.

The beauty is that you don't have to make major changes to the flan formula in order to have a totally different flavor. So while you're experimenting with swaps for those fundamental ingredients, take that can of coconut milk in your cabinet for a spin. You'll find that the nutty, lightly sweet, and ultra creamy full fat kind of coconut milk is an excellent substitute for the evaporated milk in your traditional flan recipe. The combination of flan's sweet, caramel-y, eggy goodness with coconut flavor can't be beat, and it's as easy as opening up a can.

Flan has been around since the ancient Romans began to experience an abundance of eggs, thanks to their early achievements with chicken domestication. And of the many delicious preparations inspired by this bounty, one concept was to combine those eggs with milk and sugar, creating the custard that gave us the origins of the flan we know today. But what would be less recognizable to the modern custard connoisseur, however, are some of the early ingredients, including fish and other meats. That's right, the ancient Roman flan was actually on the savory side.

It wasn't until the sweetened iteration — created with honey — entered the food scene that flan really began to evolve into the dessert we know and love now. Eventually, flan made its way to the Americas with the Spanish, who had begun to embellish the dish with a caramel sauce, and particularly in Mexico, this custard became a quotidian mainstay. Given the prevalence of coconut flavors in Mexican cuisine, it seems only fitting that these two delicious elements come together to create a nutty, sweet, and so delicious coconut-inflected custard.

Coconut is a flavor that welcomes so many complementary ingredients, which means you can find lots of ways to customize this dish. Add a pop of citrus by creating a flan with orange juice and zest — a natural pair for both the inherent caramel-y notes of the flan and the tropical coconut. You could also toss some toasted slivered almonds on top — or even stay on theme with coconut flakes (which you can toast in your air fryer) — if you want to incorporate a little texture. 

Salted caramel flan will also work well with the flavor or coconut milk, as well as chocolate for an Almond Joy-adjacent profile. Flan de piña, or pineapple flan, made with coconut milk will make for a pina colada-reminiscent bite that gets an extra boost from a little rum in the mix. You can even double down on the nutty flavor with a whipped cream made from your can of coconut milk,too.