Extra Creamy Dairy-Free Creme Caramel {Kosher for Passover}
If you dream of making a super creamy dessert for your next gathering or holiday, today is your lucky day because I am sharing with you my recipe for an Extra Creamy Dairy-Free Creme Caramel (also known as “Flan”). Creme Caramel is naturally Gluten Free so, it is also perfect dessert for Pesach too.
Another bonus of making flan is that is literally one of the easiest desserts on the planet, and it is made with very simple ingredients you probably have at home right now: coconut milk, eggs, milk, sugar and some flavoring. Vanilla is traditionally used, but rum extract or emulsion also adds a nice touch.
Need more Pesach inspiraion and recipes? Check out other Pesach-friendly recipes from the blog over here and our Pesach Ingredients Swap List right here!
Another thing that I love about Creme Caramel is that it is a very forgiving dessert. If you are looking to reduce the sugar, you can cut in half the amouts for the caramel and the custard. At this time I haven’t yet tried with sugar substitutes, but the ones that are a cup-for-cup replacement for sugar should work with no problem.
Thanks to the viscosity of the evaporated and condensed milk used in traditional Creme Caramel, the end result tends to be very silky and creamy. To make up for this, I added 10 grams of cornstarch. Cornstarch is a thickening agent that can set about 4 times its weight. With this little addition of cornstarch we balance the creaminess of the custard, making it less “eggy” (which can be an issue when working with plant based milks).
If you don’t eat kitniot during Pesach, you are welcome to leave the cornstarch out. You will still end up with flan, but since the cornstarch helps the custard set firmly and faster, I’d recommend you add and extra egg, and bake for a little longer, let’s say an extra 10-15 minutes if doing so.
A very important step when making creme caramel, is to bake it on a bain marie, which helps with even distribution of heat, and with the slow cooking of the egg, which in return gives you a more silky creamy custard.
A common mistake when making flan, is to overcook the custard. Don’t do it! But how do you know the custard is ready?? Wiggle the pan or ramekins. When the edges are set and the center jiggles a little, then is ready. The heat from the pan is hot enough to continue cooking the center of the flan, even when taken out of the oven. Once done, remove the creme caramel from the oven, and cool to room temperature completely before storing in the fridge overnight.
If you are impatient, you can refrigerate for 4 hours before serving, but beware, chilling these babies overnight does make a difference in the texture of the final product (more creaminess, anyone?!) and also intensifies flavor. My recommendation for you is to plan ahead, and make this the day before serving.
Extra Creamy Dairy Free Creme Caramel
Ingredients
For the Caramel:
- 30 gr Water
- 100 gr Granulated Sugar
For the Creme Caramel:
- 800 gr Full Fat Coconut milk
- 300 gr Eggs
- 100 gr Granulated Sugar
- 10 gr Corn Starch
- 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla Extract You can also use Rum Extract. If using emulsion of any kind, add 1/2 teaspoon.
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F)
For the caramel:
- Combine water and sugar and melt over medium heat until it gets a deep amber color.
- Take the caramel off the heat and coat with it 6 ramekins or 1 - 9" (inches) round cake pan.
- Set aside to cool down and harden, before adding the custard.
For the Creme Caramel:
- In a bowl, mix corn starch and 2-3 Tablespoons of coconut milk and mix well.
- In bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the custard, including the previous mix of corn starch+coconut milk.
- Pass the custard mixture through a fine sieve to discard any egg residue.
- Equally divide the mixture into the ramekins or the 9 inches baking pan.
- Fit the custard ramekins or cake pan into a bigger ovenproof dish (like Pyrex, a roasting pan, etc).
- Place the ramekins or baking pan in the oven, and then carefully pour water into the bigger baking dish. The water should be 1½ to 2 inches deep.
- When using ramekins, bake for 30-35 minutes. If using a 9 inches baking pan, bake for 60 minutes or until edges are firm but the center still jiggles a little.
- Once ready, take out of the oven, and let it cool down completely before placing in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours; but preferably (and recommended) overnight.
- When is time to serve, run a knife around the edge of the creme caramel and invert it into a bigger dish, preferably with slightly tall sides. The creme caramel will drop and you can see some caramel sauce flowing. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
- You can easily increase or decrease this recipe to fit your needs.
- If you ever find yourself with leftover raw custard mixture, store it in an air-tight container and freeze. When ready to use, thaw completely, whisk really well or mix with a blender, just to make sure everything is well combined, pass through a sieve and then pour into the prepared ramekins or baking pan and bake.
