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Introducing Apple Caramel Flan! Melty apple chunks meet salted caramel and smooth vanilla custard in this plant-based and gluten-free flan recipe! It’s not too sweet, super easy to prepare (8-ingredient!), and makes the perfect Fall dessert!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- The perfect Fall dessert. With plenty of apples, a delicate cinnamon aroma, and salted caramel syrup, this dessert is just perfect for Fall! The flan has a tender texture and a delightful vanilla flavor without being too sugary.
- Simple ingredients and process. You will need only 8 simple ingredients and about 20 minutes of prep time to prepare this vegan flan.
🍰 What is Flan?
Flan is a classic French dessert that consists of a vanilla custard baked on a shortcrust pastry. The original version, “Flan Parisien,” does not include any add-ins and is baked until the top is golden brown.
Many other desserts based on vanilla custard are also called flan in France. Here, we will prepare a crustless flan baked in a loaf pan and packed with soft apple chunks! It’s very different from the original version but incredibly delicious!
🍎 Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients you will need to prepare this apple flan:
- Apples – Preferably use apples that soften during cooking. For example, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, or Cortland. I do not recommend using Pink Lady or Granny Smith.
- Sugar – Use granulated white sugar to make the caramel. I highly advise against using coconut or light brown sugar, as you won’t be able to tell when the caramel is done due to the color of those sugars.
- Plant-based milk – Use your favorite unsweetened plant-based milk. I went with soy milk, but almond, oat, or cashew milk will work too.
- Maple syrup – To sweeten the flan and give it a subtle caramelized flavor.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch is essential to thicken the flan.
- Vanilla extract – Use high-quality store-bought vanilla extract or homemade vanilla extract.
- Ground cinnamon – A pinch of ground cinnamon brings that extra Fall flavor and enhances the flavor of the apples.
🥣 How to Make Apple Flan
1. Make the caramel
- Combine the sugar and water. Add the sugar, water, and salt to a light-bottomed saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat. Heat over medium heat for 3-5 minutes without whisking. The sugar will melt and start to bubble. Keep heating until it gets a golden brown color.
- Transfer to a baking dish or loaf pan. Once the sugar has turned into a brown caramel, remove it from the heat and pour it into the loaf pan. Tilt the pan to spread the caramel evenly in the bottom.
2. Sauté the apples
Next comes the sautéed cinnamon apples! Apple chunks are sautéed in vegan butter for a few minutes until tender. If you are a cinnamon lover like I am, I definitely recommend adding a good pinch of ground cinnamon for extra flavor!
- Peel and dice the apples. Peel and core the apples. Next, dice them into 1-inch cubes.
- Cook until tender. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the diced apples and cook for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Do not overcook, as you don’t want to turn the apples into a purée.
- Set aside. Once tender, remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon.
3. Make the cream
- Whisk together the ingredients. Add the almond milk, maple syrup, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract to a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk to dissolve the cornstarch.
- Heat. Heat over medium, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes. The custard will become very thick. That is normal.
4. Combine and bake
- Transfer the apples to the vanilla cream. Once the cream has thickened, remove from heat and stir in the sautéed apples. Be gentle when stirring. You don’t want to mash the apples.
- Pour over the caramel. Transfer the custard and apples to the prepared loaf pan, on top of the caramel. Use a spatula to smooth the top.
- Transfer to a bain-marie. Cover the loaf pan with foil and place it in a larger baking dish. Add about 2 cups of water to the baking dish to make a bain-marie (water bath). The loaf pan should not be fully immersed, just about 1 inch deep.
- Bake. Bake for 40 minutes in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator.
- Chill. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. The caramel will melt and infuse the flan!
- Flip and serve. Once chilled, carefully flip the whole loaf on a deep serving plate so the caramel is on top of the flan. This apple caramel flan is best served chilled but can also be served at room temperature.
📔 Tips
- Adjust the amount of apples. If you prefer fewer chunks of apples in your flan, use only one apple instead of two.
- Keep an eye on the caramel. Caramel can burn very quickly, so keep an eye on it and remove it from heat as soon as it has turned golden brown.
- Let it chill completely. Let the flan chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. It will allow the hard caramel to turn into a delicious syrup.
- Cut into thick slices. Since this flan is loaded with diced apples, you might have trouble cutting thin slices. Instead, cut 1-inch thick slices.
🍐 Variations
While this flan tastes delicious as is, you can customize it to your liking. Here are a few ideas:
- Add spices. Instead of cinnamon, use apple or chai spice for a different flavor. You can also include finely grated fresh ginger for some spiciness.
- Use pears. Instead of apples, use ripe pears (do not cook them before adding them to the vanilla cream).
- Add liquor. Stir a tablespoon of amaretto or apple liquor into the vanilla cream for extra flavor.
❄️ Storing
- To store: You can keep this flan in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
💬 FAQ
I haven’t tried it with other starches, but I think potato starch might also work (only use half).
Yes, feel free to stir in a handful of dried raisins, chopped dried figs, or even cranberries!
Yes, you can sweeten the custard with coconut sugar. Regarding the caramel, it is possible to make it refined sugar-free using a combination of maple syrup and coconut sugar. I recommend checking my Vegan Crème Caramel recipe for the full method.
Since it contains cornstarch, I do not recommend freezing. The texture would be altered.
Apple Caramel Flan (Vegan / Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
Salted Caramel
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp water
- 1/8 tsp salt
Apples
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 medium apples diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
Vanilla Custard
- 1 and 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or other plant-based milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Salted Caramel
- Place an 8×4-inch loaf pan on a trivet or cutting board. We will transfer very hot caramel into the loaf, so make sure it's not placed directly on your kitchen counter.
- Add the sugar, water, and salt to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. The sugar will melt and start to bubble, do not stir. Keep heating until it gets a golden brown color. At this point, you can stir using a wooden spatula. Once you get a nice caramel color, immediately remove it from the heat and pour it into the loaf pan. Tilt the pan to spread the caramel evenly in the bottom.
- Set aside and let cool for at least 10 minutes. The caramel will harden. In the meantime, prepare the apples and custard.
Apples
- Heat the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the diced apples and sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Do not overcook, you don't want to turn the apples into a purée. Once tender, remove from heat.
Vanilla Custard
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Add the almond milk, maple syrup, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract to a medium-size saucepan. Whisk to dissolve the cornstarch.
- Heat over medium, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes. The custard will become very thick, that is normal. Remove from heat and stir in the sautéed apples. Be gentle when stirring. You don't want to mash the apples.
- Transfer the custard and apples to the prepared loaf, on top of the caramel. Use a spatula to smooth the top. Cover the loaf pan with foil and place in a deep baking dish. Add about 2 cups of water to the baking dish to make a bain-marie (water bath). The loaf pan should not be fully immersed, just about 1-inch deep.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
- To serve, cover the loaf pan with a plate and flip it so the flan is upside down. The caramel syrup will coat the flan.
- This apple caramel flan will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. After that it tends to lose its creaminess.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of apples. If you prefer fewer chunks of apples in your flan, use only one apple instead of two.
- Keep an eye on the caramel. Caramel can burn very quickly, so keep an eye on it and remove it from heat as soon as it has turned golden brown.
- Let it chill completely. Let the flan chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. It will allow the hard caramel to turn into a delicious syrup.
- Cut into thick slices. Since this flan is loaded with diced apples, you might have trouble cutting thin slices. Instead, cut 1-inch thick slices.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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