This Cuban keto flan is silky, smooth, and creamy. It features a perfectly clear, amber-colored caramel sauce. It’s going to make keto a delicious breeze!
The truth is that few recipes are as synonymous with Latin culture as flan, and my family and friends REALLY wanted me to make a low-carb flan that would fool even the most discriminating palate.
Even a Latin Abuela will gladly enjoy this recipe.
If that’s not a win, I don’t know what is!
I have a recipe for keto citrus posset, which is another type of custard recipe that uses lemon juice instead of eggs to firm up the custard. It’s one you should also give a try.
Be sure to also check out our Keto Cuban Recipes for more flavorful options!
Keto Flan
Are you unfamiliar with flan? It’s also known as creme caramel. It’s a creamy custard similar to creme brulee but with a firmer texture.
What sets it apart is that it features a caramel sauce baked along with the custard. When fully chilled, it’s turned upside down over a plate, and the clear amber sauce should ooze out well over the top and sides of the flan.
It’s a recipe that may sound fancy, but it’s easy to make and a common dessert in the Hispanic and Filipino communities.
I knew I had a winning recipe when this keto leche flan passed for its high-carb counterpart and started to get requested almost immediately. It’s a sugar-free flan that you’ll be proud to serve.
Although I’m calling this a Cuban keto flan, it’s a Latin-style flan similar to what’s served in the Mexican and Filipino communities.
Ingredients Needed
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The following are the ingredients you’ll need to make a low-carb flan. Note that the full printable recipe card is at the bottom of the page.
Flan
- Room-temperature eggs
- Egg yolks, room temperature
- Granulated sugar substitute
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
Caramel Sauce
- Unsalted, room-temperature butter
- Allulose sweetener
- Salt
How To Make A Cuban Keto Flan
To make this recipe, you’ll need to begin by making the sauce first on the stovetop by browning the butter and adding the allose sweetener.
The caramel sauce is added to each ramekin being sure to coat the bottom and sides before adding the creme custard. You can also make this flan recipe in 6 mini bundt pans, one large 9×5 inch loaf pan, or one 9-inch cake pan.
This comes together easily by gently whisking the eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, sugar substitute of choice, and vanilla until combined.
The only important thing to remember is to not over-whisk the mixture to avoid foam-forming by whisking too vigorously.
After you’ve poured the custard evenly among the prepared ramekins you’ll bake the flans in a baking dish that is filled with about 1 inch of hot water, a bain Marie.
Cooking the flans in a water bath is key to getting the silkiest texture and avoiding the risk of overbaking.
You also do not want to overbake it, as this will cause bubbles. Therefore, you should take the flan out of the oven when it is just set.
The top of the flan will be smooth, and the outside edges will be firm, but the center will still jiggle, similar to gelatin.
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Chilling And Unmolding The Keto Flans
Once the flans are allowed to cool at room temperature, they should be chilled for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
After the flans have had time to cool completely, they can be unmolded.
The easiest way to remove the flans from the container you chose to bake them in is to carefully run a knife along the edges of the flan and then place the container in about an inch of hot water.
Then, place a plate over the container and quickly flip the plate so that the flan can unmold. The hot water will release the flans easily once they are flipped onto your plate.
Best Sugar Substitute For Flan
I knew that making custard and egg pudding would be easy. I would simply swap the traditional condensed and evaporated milk for heavy cream and use a low-carb sugar substitute.
For the custard, I used Lakanto monk fruit as the sweetener because it’s my favorite, but you can use Swerve granulated sugar substitute, which is an erythritol blend.
Similar to Lakanto, it uses sugar alcohols, which has a 0 % impact on blood sugar. This is a major plus when doing a keto diet.
Personally, I don’t like using stevia because I am sensitive to the aftertaste. But if that’s not the case for you, you could certainly use the stevia and erythritol-based brand Pyure for this recipe.
However, if you go this route, you will want to use 1/2 the amount called for in this recipe since it’s much sweeter.
Lastly, if you can’t easily find a more natural sugar substitute, you can also use Splenda with great success.
The clear caramel sauce proved a little more challenging and took a couple of tries.
I found that most sugar substitutes crystallize once the flan has cooled, and that is NOT what I wanted.
I was looking to recreate the clear almìba sauce that stayed runny.
Sugar Substitute For The Caramel Sauce
After testing several sweeteners, I landed on an allulose sweetener as the best choice. It made the perfect low-carb caramel sauce with zero crystallization issues.
Allulose is about 70% sweeter than sugar or erythritol, so I use a little more in the recipe.
If you are wondering if you could use erythritol for the caramel sauce, it will seize as it cools, and the texture will be off. So I don’t recommend it.
It is worth using the allulose sweetener to ensure you get that classic, clear caramel sauce that is distinctive in an authentic flan.
Tag us
As someone who grew up eating flan on a regular basis, I hoped to create this recipe but wasn’t sure I could make it happen. Thankfully, it worked well and made our family quite happy.
I really hope you will give this sugar-free flan a try and create your priceless memories.
If you give it a try, make sure you remember to tag us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. It’s what keeps us encouraged to keep sharing and perfecting our recipes.
Be sure you also visit our Keto Hispanic Food for more Latin recipes!
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Keto Flan
This delicious keto flan makes the perfect eggy custard and features a perfect amber-colored caramel. It's got all the flavor of a traditional Latin flan, minus all the carbs.
Ingredients
- 3 room temperature eggs
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar substitute
- 2 3/4 cups of heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Caramel Keto Sauce
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted room temperature butter
- 1 cup of Allose sweetener
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease each ramekin or mini bundt pan with melted butter.
- Caramel sauce: In a small saucepan, brown the butter over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula. The butter will begin to foam and slightly bubble around 3-4 minutes, and you will begin to see the flecks of brown bits at the bottom of the pan. As soon as the butter begins to brown, remove it from heat and continue to stir. The butter will continue to brown, once it does add the allulose sweetener and place cook over low heat for about 3-5 minutes until the sweetener has completely dissolved and it has a golden amber color.
- Pour the caramel sauce evenly into the prepared ramekins, covering the bottom and sides.
- Place the prepared ramekins into a baking pan with a rim that allows hot water to be added for a bain-marie.
- Keto Flan: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, and granulated sugar substitute. Gently add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Avoid creating bubbles when whisking so that the custard maintains a silky consistency.
- Pour the custard through a fine sieve before adding it to the prepared ramekins.
- Place the pan with the ramekins in the oven and carefully pour enough hot water to cover them halfway.
- Bake the flan for about 30 minutes, or until the edges are set and firm and the center is lightly set. When set, the flans should jiggle slightly in the center, similar to gelatin. Do not overbake the flans to avoid bubbles.
- Transfer the flans to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for 15-20 minutes before transferring them into the refrigerator.
- Allow the flans to chill for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight.
- Once ready to serve, use a knife to gently go around the edges of the ramekin for easy release. Place each ramekin into a small bowl of hot water to help release the flan from the mold more easily. Then, place a plate over the top of each ramekin and flip them over to release the flans onto the plate. You may need to wiggle the ramekins to ease them out slightly.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
This recipe makes 6 small flans or one large 9X5 inch flan.
if making the flan in a 9x5 inch pan, bake the flan for about 40 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 239Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13.9gCholesterol: 227mgSodium: 54mgCarbohydrates: 1.9gNet Carbohydrates: 1.9gFiber: 0gSugar: 0.3gProtein: 4.8g
