Mexican Keto Flan is a creamy, delicious dessert. Made with a few simple ingredients, this custard-like flan is a tasty low carb, sugar-free and gluten-free that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
This is a creamy dessert that has almost a cheesecake taste and texture to it. With a sugar free caramel topping it's an easy low carb and gluten-free recipe to make.
The flan is baked with the sauce at the bottom then flipped over when cooled. It's fun to make as well as being delicious to eat.
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What is flan?
Flan, or caramel custard, was created in Spain but is widely popular in the Caribbean and Latin America, particularly in Mexico. Traditional flan is made with eggs, evaporated milk or condensed milk. There can be different variations and flavours too.
Try this low carb version of the very traditional dessert, with an equally tasty texture. At just 5g net carbohydrates per generous serving too.
Keto Flan Recipe Ingredients
Mexican flan, also known as Flan de Queso is an easy dessert is made keto. Swap the sugar for a low carb sweetener and swap the evaporated milk with cream cheese and heavy whipping cream for a low carb flan.
The low carb sweetener
We used two low carb sweeteners in this recipe. One for the caramelized topping, one for the flan. This is because we find that some sweetener can act differently when cooked as a syrup but you can try this your favourite low carb sweetener. Have aplay and see what works.
- The Topping - The topping is a keto version of caramel and for this we used monkfruit. This seems to caramelize well without an icy aftertaste that erythritol can sometimes give.
- The Flan - Our current favourite sweetener, allulose was used for the flan as it dissolves well and has a great sweet taste.
Whilst making the topping for the first time, we discovered that if you over cook the topping you end up with toffee which was a bonus! That will be used in another recipe. We ate it then made another batch of the caramel sauce being more careful not to overheat it.
How to make Mexican Keto Flan
The flan is make in two stages:
- The caramel topping.
- The cream cheese custard flan.
The flan is baked in a water bath giving the flan it's soft yet firm texture.
- For the topping, add the butter, sweetener and water in a saucepan.
- Stir until the sweetener has dissolved.
- The mixture should start to caramelize and turn golden.
- Remove from the heat.
- Pour into a buttered baking dish.
- Make the filling by whisking the cream cheese and eggs together.
- Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Pour over the topping and bake in a water bath.
How To Make A Water Bath For Flan Recipe
We used a roasting tin for the water bath. The baking dish is place in the tin and hot water is poured into it up to about ¾ of the baking dish height.
Flan Jiggle
When baking this sugar-free flan, don't be disturbed about a little jiggle in the middle. It's meant to be like this and will set once it is chilled in the fridge.
It's also the reason that I was more comfortable with using cream cheese in this flan recipe to ensure that the flan set and there would not be any disasters when the baking dish is turned upside down to serve.
Keto Flan Variations
We have used cream cheese which can be omitted and replaced with more cream but you can vary the flavours too. Try these:
- Coconut
- Coffee
- Lime & Tequila (adults only)
- Orange
- Cinnamon
What to serve with keto Mexican Cheese flan
The caramel sauce topping is a perfect sauce with this creamy dessert but serve it with sliced strawberries or blueberries. Sliced star fruit on top of the caramel sauce is a great addition too.
Frequently Asked Questions
We used a 7 inch ceramic casserole dish purely because that was the right shape but this can be made in individual ramekins. It should make 4 8oz ramekins. You will need to adjust the water level in the water bath.
Just like a cheesecake, these flan needs to be stored in the refrigerator. Keep it covered and it should last up to about 4 days (although it didn't last a day in ours!)
This is the perfect dessert to make ahead as it needs to be kept in the fridge overnight before serving.
This may be due to the oven temperature being too low or the flan not cooked long enough.
More Low Carb Dessert Recipes
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
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Mexican Keto Flan
Ingredients
Topping
- ½ cup monkfruit sweetener or low carb sweetener of your choice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons water
Flan
- 2 cups cream heavy
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ⅔ cup allulose or low carb sweetener of your choice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees.
- Butter a 6 inch (8 inch will work too, but with a thinner flan) or 4 8oz ramekins.
Make the Caramel Topping
- In a small saucepan, add the butter, monkfruit sweetener and water. Bring to the boil and simmer.
- Simmer on medium heat, stiring occasionally until the sauce is bubbly and golden in colour.
- Remove from the heat, allow to slightly cool, then pour into the baking dish/ramkins. Set aside.
Make the Flan Custard
- In a medium mixing bowl add the cream cheese and eggs. Whisk until smooth and lump free.
- Add the cream, allulose and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the custard into the baking dish over the caramel topping.
Bake the Flan
- Place the baking dish/ramekins into a large roasting tine and fill the dish to just over halfway up the sides of the dish/ramekins, with boiling water.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until the flan is firm with a slightly jiggly centre.
- Remove the flan from the water bath and allow to cool at room temperature. Once cooled, place in the refrigerator and chill over night. This will firm the flan.
To Serve
- Run a sharp knife around the sides of the flan in the dish and turn it upside down on a plate. The sauce should run out slightly over the edges.
- Eat and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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