This creamy keto flan tastes so indulgent, you’d never guess it’s low-carb! The rich sugar-free custard base topped with a gooey caramel sauce is a truly decadent treat.
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Flan is one of my favorite desserts. The rich custard base with a sweet caramel syrup on top is such an indulgence.
So when I’m really in the mood for something decadent, I love making this low-carb flan! The taste and texture are very similar to traditional caramel custard. Many people can’t even tell the difference.
But unlike traditional egg pudding, each slice only has 0.5 net carbs! Which means that you can dive into this rich dessert totally guilt free.
The trick to making flan keto friendly is swapping out the sugar for a low carb sweetener and using heavy cream instead of condensed and evaporated milk. The rest of the ingredients for an egg custard are totally low-carb!
How to Make Keto Flan
To make the recipe, you’ll prep the sauce and custard on the stove, combine and bake in the oven, then allow to cool. It’s a very simple process that just involves some heating and mixing!
Prepare the Caramel Syrup
- In a small saucepan, heat a ½ cup of the granular sweetener with blackstrap molasses (optional) on medium-low until the sweetener has melted.
- Once melted, stir to combine and then quickly pour the mixture into the bottom of a 2-quart round baking dish or 9.5 inch deep dish pie pan.
- Let it stand for at least 10 minutes.
Prep the Custard
- In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and water to a boil, then remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, and the remaining ⅓ cup of granular sweetener.
- To temper the eggs, add 1 cup of the warm cream mixture into the egg mixture while stirring continuously. Then, return everything to the saucepan and mix well.
- Stir in the vanilla, then pour everything over the caramelized sweetener in the prepared baking pan.
Bake the Keto Flan and Cool
- Place the baking dish in a larger baking pan. Fill the larger pan with boiling water to a depth of about 1 inch to create a water bath.
- Place both baking dishes in the oven and bake at 325°F for 55-60 minutes until the center is set. The mixture should still wiggle a bit.
- Remove the smaller baking dish with the flan from the water bath and set it on a wire rack.
- Allow the flan to cool for about an hour, then place it in the refrigerator to chill completely.
- Once fully chilled, remove from the refrigerator and run a knife along the edge of the baking dish to release the sides of the flan. Then, invert onto a rimmed serving plate to extract the flan.
Your delicious sugar-free flan is ready to enjoy! Any leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.
Best Sweetener for Low-Carb Flan
There are many keto sweeteners to choose from when baking. The most popular ones contain erythritol, a keto-friendly sugar alcohol with zero impacting carbs.
When making the caramel syrup, I don't recommend using any sweetener with erythritol. That's because it tends to crystallize after melting and cooling. You'll get much better results using the kabocha extract sweetener BochaSweet.
You can also use an allulose sweetener blend for the syrup. But I've had the best results with kabocha extract. A erythritol sweetener blend is fine to use for the custard because it gets mixed in with other ingredients.
Baking Pans for Flan
When making keto flan, there's no need for a special mold pan. I usually just use a Pyrex pie plate or 2-quart baking dish. However, you need to be careful when running a knife along the sides as bit of custard may flake off.
Using a pan where the sides release or the bottom pushes makes it easier to release the custard. So you may want to use a springform pan or removable bottom tart pan instead.
You can also use 6 to 8 ramekins instead of a large pan to divide the custard into individual serving sizes. Baking time will be reduced to about 30 to 40 minutes for ramekins.
Other Recipes to Try
Looking for more low-carb treats to satisfy your sweet tooth without kicking you out of ketosis? Check out a few of these favorites:
- Sugar-Free Marshmallows are the perfect low-carb treat to enjoy around the campfire!
- Keto Oreo Cookies are made with sweet vanilla icing sandwiched between two chocolate cookies for a low carb twist on a classic.
- Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake has a sweet, tangy flavor and rich, creamy texture that is simply irresistible!
- Chocolate Dream Pie with Coconut Crust features chocolate mousse in a 3-ingredient coconut pie crust for an easy but amazing dessert.
- Keto Chocolate Cupcakes with Nutella Frosting are a truly delicious flavor combination!
Rich & Creamy Keto Flan Recipe
This sugar-free flan with caramel sauce is so delicious, you’d never even guess that it’s low-carb!
If you like egg custard dishes, you should also try my keto creme brûlée custard. The main difference is that flan has a caramel sauce on top while creme brulee has a hard caramelized top layer.
You could also try my dairy-free coconut custard or keto lemon pudding for even more tasty flavor options.
There are so many great ways to enjoy egg custards on a ketogenic eating plan. Which one is your favorite?
Follow us on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and INSTAGRAM for even more tasty keto-friendly recipes!
Recipe
Low-Carb Keto Flan
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup BochaSweet or allulose based sugar substitute (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon blackstrap molasses optional (for color and flavor)
- 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup low carb sugar substitute erythritol based granular sweetener is fine
- 5 eggs
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In small saucepan, heat ½ cup granular sweetener with blackstrap molasses on medium-low until melted. Once melted, stir to blend and quickly pour into the bottom of a 2-quart round baking dish or 9.5 inch deep dish pie pan. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
- In medium saucepan, heat cream and water to a boil. Remove from heat.
- In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, and ¼ cup granular sweetener. Stir 1 cup of warm cream mixture into egg mixture. Return all to pan and mix well. Stir in vanilla. Pour over the caramelized sweetener in the prepared pan.
- Place baking dish in a larger baking pan. Fill larger pan with boiling water to a depth of about 1 inch.
- Bake at 325°F for 55-60 minutes are until center is set (mixture should wiggle a bit). Remove baking dish with flan and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool for about an hour then place in refrigerator to chill completely. Run a knife along the edge of the baking dish to release the sides of the flan and invert onto a rimmed serving plate. Store in refrigerator.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First Published: December 22, 2014... Last Updated: August 20, 2020
Carol Cerase
I'm a little confused the ingredient list states 1/2 cup Bocha Sweet, ok got that, but it also states 1/4 cup low carb sugar. The instructions call for 1/3 cup grandular sweetner, I'm sure one is a typo but which one? Thanks, can't wait to make it.
Mi66gt
Why does it have more calories than regular flan?
Lisa MarcAurele
Most likely from all the heavy cream. You can dilute the cream with a low carb milk beverage (almond or coconut) or a little water to reduce the calories.
Tammy
Okay, I'm confused! I want to take this to a gathering and, of course, I want it to be good and not a failure. I will be using Truvia, so how much do I use as many said original recipe is too sweet. Since this is an old recipe, too bad it hasn't been revised, if need be. TIA!
Lisa
I would try 1/2 the sweetener if you've been low carb for a while. Otherwise 3/4 the sweetener might be better. It's a tough call as sweetness can vary significantly from person to person.
pati
I tried this recipe and found it was too sweet. Next time I will do 1/2 the amount of sugar or just skip the sugar & molasses caramel. I did 55 minutes in oven wuth water bath, then took custard out of the water and placed it on rack another 15 minutes.
Lisa
Sweetness varies a lot depending how long one has been on low carb and away from sugar. This is an earlier recipe and I'm finding when I make these older recipes I have to reduce the sweetener by half.
Janet Hewitt
Please, Please, Please, I am trying to understand how you get 0.5 net carbs with (0 fiber) from 18.9 carbs...is this a typing error???
Lisa
You have to subtract both erythritol and fiber. So, in this case, you don't count the erythritol which is about 18.4g.
Janet Hewitt
And I quote your text, "My favorite sugar replacement for low carb desserts is a mix of stevia and erythritol."
I thought a carb was a carb and not sure where you are getting the fiber? There are carbs in stevia and erythritol blends and this could really throw a diabetic or Keto diet off! You have 1 3/4 cups of heavy cream according to fatsecret.com there are 6.64g of carbs in 1 cup of heavy cream. Therefore, there are 8.85 carbs for the heavy cream alone...and 1.9 cumulative carbs in 5 eggs.
I am sure this is tasty and low carb...but beware, it is not KETO Disappointed in the original nutrition calculations! I wish this was a safe recipe, but I am not seeing it!
With not seeing the brands of the ingredients used in this recipe, the counts might be slightly off, but don't think so! here are some additional calculations: 10.75 hidden carbs + said "erythritol which is about 18.4g" = 29.15 carbs / 6servings is still 4.84 g of carbs per serving! Note: this is not including the hidden cabs in the Blackstrap Molasses and the vanilla extract.
Lisa
The erythritol carbs usually have no impact so they are not included.
Josh
Hi Janet, this recipe has no fiber in it. You subtract the erythritol from from the carb count because erythritol will not impact your blood sugar, therefore it is safe for remaining in ketosis.
As far as there being carbs in Stevia/erythritol blends, you need to read the ingredients list and watch out for any fillers such as maltodextrin, that will impact your carb count and your ketosis. The Natvia looks safe to use.
You are correct about the hidden carbs in the heavy cream and eggs. However, they're so little, that it shouldn't impact you too much, as long as you don't eat the whole dessert!
Hope this helps!
May
Love this recipe. I've made it twice already (this week). Thanks so much for sharing!
Lisa
Yay! I'm glad you love the recipe so much to make it twice.
Sandra
Have you tried Sukrin Gold? It has a combination of erythritol, tagatose and stevia. I made the flan today and got a very nice caramel by using Sukrin Gold. No blackstrap molasses needed.
Lisa
I did not know about Sukrin Gold when I made this recipe. However, I'll give it a try now since it's my favorite low carb brown sugar.
Eileen
What would the recipe be for the syrup using the Sukrin Gold?
Lisa
You'd use it instead of the blackstrap molasses. It's a little less sweet so may want to add a bit more (maybe 1/2 teaspoon).
Virginie
I just made this last night and finally got to try today as I let it set in the fridge overnight. This is absolutely delicious - you would NEVER tell that it is low carb! What a treat and it is so easy to make! I was worried when the caramel mix hardened after I poured it into the dish, but today it is liquid at the bottom of the dish. A wonderful recipe that I will make again! Thank you for sharing!!!
Lisa
My caramel mix also hardened but turned liquid too. I should probably note that in the recipe. Flan is one of the best desserts. I'm so glad it worked out for you!
Cristina
Looks good. But I'm wondering how you got only 1 carb per serving? The heavy cream alone is 6 carbs per cup, not to mention the eggs, molasses, and vanilla. Thanks! ?
Lisa
I just recalculated on caloriecount.com and got 1.5g per serving. The erythritol carbs are not counted because they do not impact. According to Calorie Count, the heavy cream adds 5.6 grams total. I do use pure heavy cream with no additives as it is lowest in carbs.
Caron
Yum - I'm making this for the third time this week! A couple changes... I'm using ChocZero's Honest Caramel Syrup (2 net grams of carbs per tablespoon) and Swerve confectioners sugar replacement (i.e. Erythritol - 0 net carbs) - both from Amazon.
I'm also making a "half recipe", rounding up to 3 medium backyard chicken eggs, and 1 cup of cream (then half of everything else) and baking in my toaster oven at 325 for 35-40 minutes. (It's just easier for me to use and store smaller dishes than the full recipe would require.)
Our family loves this stuff! Not too sweet, but if you wanted it sweeter, I'd add a drop or two of stevia.
Also for Keto people, I've been devouring this and stayed in ketosis with no problem. It's basically just eggs and heavy cream - two good foods. (The sweeteners are low-to-no net carb ingredients.)
Lisa
Thanks for sharing! It's good to know you are staying in ketosis with the Honest syrup.
Glenne
G'day, haha, So unusual for us here in Australia, especially rural and regional Aus, to have easy access to some of the amazing low carb stuff that's usually only available overseas.
I've used Natvia for years now, tried a few types when it first became easily available and there was NO question that Natvia was far and away the best tasting.
Love your recipes and commentary, thanks for giving us easy access to it 🙂
Lisa
I just discovered Natvia last year. It's a wonderful product, but a bit pricey here in the US. You Australians are lucky to have such a great sugar alternative.
Gianni
Instead of using the Natvia, would I be able to use just plain erythritol? Looking upon the ingredients in Natvia it's just erythritol + stevia?
I just found your website yesterday, and already have bookmarked a ton of desserts!! Thanks
Lisa
Natvia is just a one-for-one sugar replacement made with erythritol and stevia. You can use just erythritol if you'd like, but I find a combination of sweeteners tastes a little better.
Amber
Even if you factored in the sugar alcohol for carbs this is very low carb compared to the regular carb heavy alternative! I can't wait to try this. I love flan and every once in a while I treat myself. Would be nice to treat myself in a healthier way!
Thank you for sharing this!
Lisa
Other than the sugar and milk sugar, flan is fairly low carb.
Theresa
Not low carb
Lisa
Theresa - Practically all of the carbs come from the sugar alcohol erythritol in Natvia so this is indeed a low carb dessert with only 0.5 net carbs per serving.