Dairy-Free Coconut Crème Caramel or Flan Recipe

Crème caramel is basically a flan, or a custard set in caramel sauce and baked. Many recipes use all types of milk, like sweetened condensed milk and cream. But this coconut crème caramel is completely dairy-free. And rather than trying to be a plain classic, the recipe plays up the coconut, for a slight Caribbean version of this beloved international dessert.

Coconut Crème Caramel that Celebrates Global Dairy-Free Flavor

This dreamy Dairy-Free Coconut Crème Caramel was submitted by Marisa Raponi for a recipe contest we held several years ago. We’ve updated it with some options and notes.

I’ve seen several recipes for coconut flan, and have even spotted it on restaurant menus. But in almost all occasions, they still contain dairy. This recipe celebrates the coconut aspect rather than adding in unnecessary milk or cream.

Special Diet Notes: Coconut Crème Caramel

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian.

Like traditional creme caramel, this dairy-free coconut creme caramel does contain eggs. If you confuse eggs with dairy, you are not alone. See this post: Are Eggs Dairy? For egg-free options, see Bittman’s No Bake Dairy-Free Flan and this No Bake Vegan Candied Apple Flan.

Dairy-Free Coconut Crème Caramel

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

35 mins

This dairy-free creme caramel couldn't be easier. The trickiest part is getting the caramel topping just right, but the rich and jiggle-y filling is as simple as mix, pour, and bake!

Author: Marisa Raponi

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

Caramel Topping

3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

Coconut Crème Filling

2 eggs
1 cup original or vanilla coconut milk beverage (see note below)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon coconut extract (can sub rum extract or orange extract)
Pinch salt
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh grated coconut or desiccated coconut (optional)

Instructions

Caramel Topping

Place the sugar in a small saucepan and drizzle the water over it. Swirl the pan to help the sugar dissolve.
Place the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Do not stir! Watch carefully. Cook on high for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, or until the sugar mixture becomes dark golden brown or amber color. Do not let it burn or smoke. Occasionally swirl the pan to distribute the syrup as one side may burn because of the balance of the burner or stove.
Immediately pour the syrup into the bottom of a 4-to 6-cup casserole dish or into 4 (6-ounce) ramekins. Swirl it around gently to cover the bottom and just a little up the sides. Allow the caramel to cool - it will harden. This will be the decoration for the top.

Coconut Crème Filling

Preheat your oven to 325ºF.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk beverage, sugar, extract, and salt, and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the coconut, if using.
Gently pour the mixture over the hardened caramel syrup in your casserole dish or ramekins.
Bake the crème caramel for 20 to 25 minutes. The center will jiggle. Allow to cool at room temperature.
Once cool, refrigerate the dairy-free coconut crème caramel for 5 hours or overnight. It can be made 2 to 3 days in advance.
To serve, gently run a knife around the edge(s) to loosen, and quickly invert the dessert onto a serving plate(s). Allow any liquid caramel to drizzle over the top(s).

Notes

Coconut Milk Note & Options: Using milk beverage makes this a lighter flan. For a slightly richer finish, you can use lite canned coconut milk. For a more decadent dessert with more coconut depth in the flavor, use regular canned coconut milk. Just shake the can, and then measure out the amount you need.

Refined Sugar-Free Options: You can use coconut sugar in place of the white sugar. It is slightly less sweet, but also caramelizes nicely.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 flan or ¼ flan Calories: 131 Fat: 4.2g Saturated fat: 2.4g Carbohydrates: 21.2g Sugar: 20.5g Sodium: 74mg Fiber: .5g Protein: 2.9g