Plant-Based Caramel Flans

This dessert, so simple in appearance, is one of those timeless treats that cross generations and take us straight back to childhood.

But before I show you my fully plant-based version, with no eggs and no gluten, I wanted to say a few words about the history of this dessert we all know.

A little history: where does flan come from?

Did you know the origins of flan go back to antiquity?

The Romans already made dishes based on milk, eggs and sometimes honey, some of whose recipes recall our flans today. In the culinary writings attributed to Apicius you find a preparation called tyropatina, considered one of the distant ancestors of our set custards.

In France, flan appears as early as the Middle Ages under the name flaon. At the time it could be sweet or savory and looked more like a tart filled with a milk and egg preparation.

Over the centuries the recipes evolved, giving rise to different specialties, among them the flan pâtissier and the famous crème renversée au caramel.

The latter, with its delicately wobbling texture and its liquid caramel running over the dessert as you unmold it, has become a true classic of French home cooking.

And it is impossible to talk about caramel flan without mentioning the famous Flanby, sold since 1968, which accompanied the childhoods of several generations.

My plant-based version: recovering all the magic of caramel flan

You know me by now: when a dessert brings back good memories, I always want to recreate it in a plant-based, gluten-free version without losing what makes it charming.

And for these little caramel flans I had a very precise idea in mind.

I wanted to recover that smooth, melting, slightly wobbling texture, but above all that delicious caramel flowing gently down as you turn the flan onto the plate.

Because let us be honest, the unmolding is almost part of the pleasure.

To meet this little challenge I chose to replace the eggs with agar-agar, a plant-based setting agent that gives the preparation its hold.

But agar-agar has to be used precisely. The aim is certainly not a texture that is too firm or rubbery, but that pleasant sensation of a flan that holds perfectly while staying delicate in the mouth.

The other challenge was making a genuine homemade caramel, without white sugar, fluid enough to coat the flan generously at the moment of unmolding.

A few more attempts, a few adjustments and a great deal of enthusiasm later, I arrived at a result I like enormously.

A small story that pleased me particularly

I made this recipe for my cousin’s children, and there are a lot of them.

With a whole little tribe of hungry guests at the table, it was the perfect chance to test my plant-based flans.

And what a satisfaction.

They devoured them.

Not one of them asked for the store-bought version, or even wondered why these flans were different from the ones they knew.

For me, that was probably the finest compliment.

Because in the end that is exactly what I am after with my creations: offering plant-based, gluten-free desserts that people eat first and foremost because they are good, quite simply.

And when children enjoy them this much, I tell myself the bet has paid off.

A treat to adjust to your own taste

In this recipe I deliberately looked for a balance between the sweetness of the vanilla preparation and the richness of the homemade caramel.

I really do recommend making it the first time with the quantities of sugar I give, so you can discover that balance.

Of course, if you like your desserts a little sweeter, nothing stops you from adjusting the sugar slightly next time.

Pastry is also a matter of personal taste, and I think it matters that everyone can make it their own.