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Puerto Rican Flan de Queso (Cheese Flan)

Puerto Rican Flan de Queso: a rich and creamy cheesecake-like baked custard dessert that’s not too sweet thanks to the slight tang of cream cheese. As if that wasn’t enough, the entire flan is swimming in a pool of shimmering sugar caramel sauce!

Puerto Rican Flan de Queso: a cheesecake baked custard dessert with caramel sauce that's not too sweet thanks to cream cheese! | Kitchen Gidget

Puerto Rican Flan de Queso

Update: VIDEO added September 2017. Scroll down to watch this recipe in action!  Original recipe published March 2016.

I am so excited to bring you this Puerto Rican flan de queso! More excited than usual shall we say.

This is the first Puerto Rican dessert on Kitchen Gidget.

I’ve shared my family’s favorite Puerto Rican food recipes, like Puerto Rican Beans, but no meal is complete without dessert!

And it’s pretty obvious if you take a look around this blog that I have a major sweet tooth.

I knew it was time to remedy that situation and undoubtedly the most popular Puerto Rican dessert is flan.

The only question was which kind to make? There’s the classic flan which is essentially a baked custard bathed in caramel sauce.

There’s coconut flan which is very popular with a flavorful twist, and then there is cheese flan which is made with cream cheese.

Puerto Rican flan de queso is like flan met cheesecake and they had the most scrumptious love baby.

Silky smooth, lush, slightly dense…the cream cheese adds a mild tang which keeps this flan from becoming too sweet.

Finishing it off is a dripping caramel syrup that takes this over the top.

Puerto Rican Flan de Queso: a cheesecake baked custard dessert with caramel sauce that's not too sweet thanks to cream cheese! | Kitchen Gidget

How to make flan

Let’s talk a little bit about the steps that go into making a flan. It can be a little intimidating, but I’ve found that flan is also very forgiving.

The first part is the sugar caramel. It takes patience to completely melt the sugar down.

It will get clumpy, but eventually smooth out. Swirl the pan to give it a stir.

Take it off the heat as soon as it has dissolved so it doesn’t burn. You must immediately pour it into your prepared pan because it hardens quickly.

It should be poured in an even layer on the bottom of the pan, but if there are a few gaps it will still turn out fine.

Puerto Rican Flan de Queso: a cheesecake baked custard dessert with caramel sauce that's not too sweet thanks to cream cheese! | Kitchen Gidget

You may use an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan. Whichever pan you use, be sure it has 2-inch high sides to hold all of the custard.

You can also purchase flanera which is a special pan just for baking flan.

The flan will cook inside a larger pan filled with water. This ensures the flan cooks evenly with a soft, silky texture.


For the best texture, use room temperature ingredients and cream cheese that is well softened.

I take the extra step of straining my custard mixture before I pour it into the pan.

This way I catch any little cream cheese bits that didn’t dissolve, but that’s just my personal preference.

Be sure to chill the flan thoroughly before unmolding.

When ready to serve, run a knife around the edge to loosen.

Cover the pan with a plate and flip it over all at once.

The flan should fall right out onto the pan.

If it’s sticky, dip the bottom of the pan in warm water for a few seconds before inverting again.

Use a plate with edges angling upwards to catch all that caramel!

Pin this to your Dessert board!

Puerto Rican Flan de Queso: a cheesecake baked custard dessert with caramel sauce that's not too sweet thanks to cream cheese! | Kitchen Gidget

Watch the video!

 

Puerto Rican Flan de Queso: a cheesecake baked custard dessert with caramel sauce that's not too sweet thanks to cream cheese! | Kitchen Gidget

Puerto Rican Flan de Queso (Cheese Flan)

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Leche flan baked with cream cheese giving it a slight tang and cheesecake-like texture!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat to oven 350°F degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Set an 8- or 9-inch cake (or pie) pan with 2-inch high sides inside of a larger baking pan (such as a 13x9).
  2. In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until completely dissolved. Watch carefully so it does not burn. You may swirl the pan to stir. Remove from heat when it is a dark golden, amber color.
  3. Immediately pour the melted sugar into the bottom of the cake pan, working quickly before it hardens. Set aside.
  4. In a blender beat the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
  5. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure there are no lumps. Pour the strained custard into the cake pan over the sugar caramel. Next, add boiling water to the larger pan. It should come up the sides about an inch deep. The cake pan will be sitting in a water bath.
  6. Bake for 1 hour, or until set around the edges with a slight jiggle in the middle. Remove from oven and let the flan cool in the water bath, about an hour. Once cool, refrigerate at least 2 hours, but overnight is best.
  7. When ready to serve, run a knife around the edges to loosen. Set a plate over the flan and flip upside-down to invert. Slice into wedges and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 173Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 89mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 0gSugar: 22gProtein: 5g

Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a comment below! Or tag @kitchengidget on Instagram with the hashtag #kitchengidget

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Cuisine: Hispanic


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Comments

  1. Joanna says

    Hi! Do you have any recommendations on what I can use to sub the eggs? My son does not eat eggs.

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      I’m so sorry, but I’m not sure! I would google “eggless flan” or “vegan flan” for ideas. If he’s not allergic you could reduce the eggs to 1 or 2 just to bind it. Otherwise you’ll need something to thicken it like gelatin or cornstarch.

      Reply

  2. Odetti says

    OOOOHHH MY GOODNESS!! Dominican here! So, I decided to make this particular flan de queso recipe today exactly the way she said to make it and it is DELICIOUS!! So rich and tasty! Like I am so proud of myself for how it came out. It’s like somebody else made it lol Everyone loved it and I am thrilled! I followed the directions to a T. Thank you so so much for sharing your delicious and EASY flan de queso recipe. It was so easy to make!!

    Reply

  3. Michelle says

    Hi! I couldn’t find a plain flan recipe on your site so I was wondering if I take out the cheese and just follow your recipe as is will that be the same thing? I have picky eaters who only like the plain version. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Thanks!

    Reply

  4. Jessica says

    Let me start by saying THANK YOU for sharing your receipe. I learned how to make flan off of your receipe and I’ve taken it just about everywhere and everyone that tries it has the same reaction simply put … WOW that’s the best tasting flan I’ve had in a long time. I’m not sure if you have a web page or cookbook to buy but you should. Delicious 😋

    Reply

  5. Kristy Rodriguez says

    My flan doesnt seem to ever get enough of the caramel sauce. I follow the instructions to the T, and I’m not sure why so much sugar stays stuck behind when I flip my flan. Any thoughts on what is going on?

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      It has something to do with the way the sugar melts. I would try the microwave method instead. It uses water and sugar and I get tons of caramel sauce with that method! I have the instructions here: Flan de Coco

      Reply

  6. Margaret says

    Just found this recipe after going back to PR for the first time in years and having cheese flan for my stepfather’s birthday. He said he hadn’t had flan like that since he was a kid and it’s his favorite. I’m always assigned dessert for thanksgiving and after scouring through recipes for this, yours seemed the best, and it was perfection! I made it in a flanera and it made our household full of Puerto Ricans and 1 Dominican VERY happy for thanksgiving! My stepfather said it was even better than the one we just had in PR & my sister said it was the most satisfying dessert to slice up because the texture was so perfect. Thank you!

    Reply

  7. Sonia says

    Made it for the fist time and i fell in love! So delish! My boyfriend who doughted my ability to make anything purto rican was shocked with my sucess. I want to make it again but i wanted to split it in two dishes. If i wanted to bake it at the same time would i need to adjust the time or temp? Or would it be the same?

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      I’m glad you all enjoyed it! If you split into 2 dishes the temperature will remain the same, but it should be done sooner. I’d start checking around 35-45 minutes. The edges should be set and the middle slightly jiggly.

      Reply

    • Rebekah says

      No it really doesn’t get puffy…maybe yours had a lot of air whipped into it? Should be fine after it’s chilled!

      Reply

  10. Stephanie says

    Didn’t read the comments to see if anyone else said it but I use a Vitamix to mix the custard and it pretty much eliminates the step of the straining…. But you have to pound the pan on the table to get air bubbles out sometimes.

    Reply

  11. LUCY RIVERA says

    My sister is the flan queen and she eliminates the step of pouring the melted sugar into another pan. Instead she leaves the melted sugar on the side to cool down. Once cool she puts the mix in and then bakes it (much easier).
    Also, no need to heat water in a kettle, just heat water in oven at the same time you are melting sugar on stove top.

    Reply

  13. Megan says

    This recipe is AMAZING!! Super detailed yet so simple. I have made this flan now at least 5xs and it is by far my favorite dessert to bake! Everyone loves it and frankly so do I! Thank you!!!!

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      Yes you can use a glass dish. Glass tends to cook faster than metal so it may be done sooner. And I would still do a water bath since it ensures even cooking and a smooth texture.

      Reply

  17. David L says

    Made this for a BBQ and it was a hit!

    Few things:
    I substituted half of the vanilla extract with the contents of 1 scraped Tahitian vanilla bean.

    I added a dash of salt to the caramel, and when I took the caramel off the heat I added the remaining contents of the condensed milk to stop the caramelization.

    I used a 9-inch pie dish instead which worked well (and gave it a cute shape)

    I didn’t have a blender at hand but used a standing mixer. I immediately regretted having added the evaporated milk before blending—the amount of liquid is very intense and forced me to blend with whisk attachment on a lower setting for a while before it was consistent. I luckily hadn’t added the eggs, and saved myself by whisking them separately and adding in after. In the future, I would do this:
    Add cream cheese and vanilla and blend with paddle attachment. Slowly add condensed milk until homogenous. Whisk eggs separately and slowly add to cheese and condensed milk mixture while mixing until incorporated. Finally, slowly add evaporated milk until mixture is smooth.

    Reply

  18. Tatianna says

    My boyfriend invited me to meet his parents and I made it a priority to find a dummy proof flan recipe to bring to their home.
    Uhm, found it!
    I’ve never baked anything more involved than boxed cakes and brownies so I was really intimidated and convinced it would take at least five tries and three recipes.
    My test flan came out perfectly creamy and so much caramel sauce! Tasted just like I remember as a child.

    Next I’ll be trying your flancocho.

    Reply

  19. Marie says

    This has actually been on my list of things to make for years and I’m yet to make it. You just gave me some inspiration. This looks absolutely perfect

    Reply

  21. C. Flake says

    I used organic half and half, 2 cups of it , plus lime peel grated into it along with the vanilla, as I didn’t have lemon either, added a bit of butter to the caramel, also used the cream cheese, had a bit of goat cheese left too, so threw that in there as well, and no condensed milk so I threw in a 1/2 cup of organic sugar. Looks really good, turned out well,

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      Wow lime sounds like an amazing addition! Key lime pie is a favorite of mine. Glad it turned out and hope you have a Happy New Year.

      Reply

  22. Carolina says

    Hi Rebekah, I’m making this over the weekend and I was wondering if the flan needs to be covered when being baked?
    Thanks!!

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      I would keep it the same, but if you want to make more you can double the ingredients. I have a 10-inch Wilton bundt and that’s all mine can hold. I would keep the sugar syrup amount (1 cup) the same. It will be thick so might take longer to cook! Happy Thanksgiving!

      Reply

  24. Cristina says

    My husband has been asking me to make this flan for months. Today I finally made it and he will try it after he gets home from work. I followed the recipe to the tee ( its rather easy) and I did use a blender which did get me the clean and creamy consistency without any lumps at all. My only concern is that I may have over cooked the sugar… it smells a little burned but i didn’t want to waste it. I got a little darker color than the one in the video, so we will see in about an hour how it turns out. I wish I could post pics of it on here ;).

    Reply

  26. Erica says

    This is aaaaamazing trust me its beter than tradditional flan. It sounds harder than it actually is honestly the sugar carmalizing is the tricky part. Other than that so worth it.❤

    Reply

  28. Lorena says

    This looks amazing and soooo good, I have two questions 1) do you butter your pan? And 2) can I use store bought caramel sauce, thanks in advance for answering.

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      Thanks! I do not butter the pan. The sauce keeps it from sticking to the bottom, I just run a knife around the edge. I’ve never tried using store-bought caramel sauce so I can’t say. Hopefully someone else can chime in!

      Reply

  29. Carolyn says

    I made this for a Mexican themed party. Every one loved it, and so did I 🙂 first time making flan, and glad I chose this recipe. I put it in my vita mixer and it came out so smooth. Now I’m the flan maker:) thanks!!

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      So awesome and what a coincidence! I’m making a video for this recipe using my Vitamix right now! Thanks for your kind comment, Carolyn. 🙂

      Reply

    • Rebekah says

      Sorry for the late reply…I was on vacation! I’ve never tried mascarpone before, but I imagine the taste would be richer since it doesn’t have the tang of cream cheese.

      Reply

  31. glenda heffelfinger says

    My husband is Puertorican. I make this recipe almost every other Thursday. It gets eaten as soon as is ready… there’s never any left for the next day! 🙂 is SUPER easy to make! 😉

    Reply

  32. Rosa M Suarez de Colon says

    I am puertorrican and this is my favorite flan. I always make this recipe but without the sugar. The condensc
    ed milk is more tha enough sweet for me.

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      Hi Rosa! This is a great tip for anyone who wants a less rich dessert. It also has the sugar syrup which adds plenty of sweetness! Thank you.

      Reply

  33. Silvia says

    I made this 2 days ago for our Christmas dinner. It was a BIG hit, turned out excellent. I read the review above and decided to just throw all the ingredients into my Vitamix – it worked very well, less dishes to wash and fast! I wanted a bigger flan so I threw in another can of evaporated milk, and another half can of condensed milk. I didn’t add anymore eggs, I opted instead to prolong the baking time by about 30 mins. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  34. Thomas says

    I just made it, and it set up well and had a lovely flavor – turned out exactly how I wanted it (I like my caramel a shade darker than yours, but otherwise it looks just like your picture).

    A tip for anyone making it in the future – if, after you’ve added all the ingredients, there are a bevvy of little cream cheese clumps that your standing mixer can’t seem to incorporate, just pour the flan into the blender and pretend you’re making a smoothy (Lo-Hi-Lo-Hi etc.). It makes the base impeccably smooth with no need for a strainer.

    Otherwise, it’s a great, simple recipe that I’ve added to my list. I’m thinking of skipping the standing mixer next time and going straight to the blender!

    Reply

  35. Lauren says

    Made this recipe a couple days ago and it turned out perfect! It tastes so good! My husband who is Puerto Rican loved it! Thank you so much for the recipe! 🙂

    Reply

  39. Mary says

    Cream cheese does it for me- I don’t like things overly sweet so love the addition of cream cheese for the tang. My chickens are laying lots of lovely eggs, so your flan is perfect 🙂

    Reply

    • Rebekah says

      Oooh how nice you raise your own chickens! I only buy local eggs since they are so much better, but I hope to get my own someday! 🙂

      Reply

        • Rebekah says

          Hi Tracy! You could substitute the evaporated milk for coconut milk, but I’m not sure if it would be a strong enough coconut flavor. I’m not a huge coconut fan so I’ve never experimented myself, but I know some ladies who do that and also add a can of cream of coconut. If you try it please let us know your results!

          Reply

        • Rebekah says

          I would either put it in two round pans or you’ll need a big rectangle one like 13×9. Also, it doesn’t HAVE to be unmolded. At parties people bring huge sheets of them in the disposable aluminum pans and just cut them in little squares. Of course, it’s prettier when you get to turn it upside down!

          Reply

          • Janet says

            Your recipe was so loved, it was requested I bring it again to a party this week, too! Thank you for posting it. It’s one of my go-to recipes now. Texture and flavor was beautiful!

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