In this season of all things pumpkin, here is one of our favorite pumpkin desserts. Pumpkin Flan is a lighter variation of the traditional pumpkin pie, and also works great as a gluten-free dessert. It was a hit at our GF Thanksgiving a couple of years back. We first found this recipe in the Wisconsin State Journal many years ago. It has the requisite pumpkin, but is a bit lighter in flavor. And it turned out beautifully. It will definitely stay in our dessert rotation throughout the holidays.
For this flan recipe, the ingredients are pretty simple. We use the roasted pumpkin made from our CSA pumpkin which we cooked up a month or so ago and kept in the freezer, but canned pumpkin will be fine. And you probably have a can of evaporated milk in the back of your pantry. Just be sure not to use sweetened condensed milk; it doesn’t work the same.
Don’t skip the step of the caramelized sugar. I know it seems extra, and makes another pan to clean, but the burnt sugar taste mixes so well with the custard.
For an extra lovely presentation, add a small dollop of whipped cream flavored with bourbon or cinnamon.
Pumpkin Flan Recipe:
Makes 6 servings
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup sugar
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place 6 ramekins cups in a 9 x 13 pan.
- In a heavy saucepan over high heat, melt 2/3 cup granulated sugar until it caramelizes. Stir constantly. Pour about 1 Tablespoon into each ramekin.
- Place the rest of the ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Pour over caramelized sugar in the ramekins. Add hot water to 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool and store in the refrigerator. Serve chilled, inverted onto a small plate.
Tim Lorandon says
It’s all about pumpkins around this time of year and I want to try something different from your standard pumpkin pie. This looks like a great recipe!