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Lemon Flan. Vegan Flan Recipe. No Bake Eggless Custard flan with caramelized Coconut sugar. Spanish Custard flan or Creme Caramel. Vegan gluten-free Soy-free Oil-free Agar-free Recipe. 1 skillet, 15 minutes.Â
May is apparently National Egg month. How do I know this? Because I get emails and emails about everything. Most PR people do not know anything about the blog. They use a common PR list. All those mails about steaks and eggs are headed to trash and unsubscribe. No unsubscription option and 3 strikes = blocked. It takes incredible amounts of time to go through the inbox everyday, and often the important emails get lost.
Anywho, some dishes that are entirely made of eggs are sometimes difficult to veganize to the closest texture and flavor profile. Flan is one of them. My aunt used to make amazing flan, and yesterday I was thinking of her and that flan! In this version I use cashews and water to make the base and chickpea flour and a bit of starch as thickeners. No Agar! Lemon for the tang, kala namak for the eggy flavor and a pinch of baking powder to aerate the mix while it thickens. The resulting custard is smooth, eggy, lemony and amazing. I use coconut sugar to make the caramel. Use any other sugar or choice. Or make it into a creme brulee by sprinkling sugar on the set flan and torching it to caramel. Since the custard is made on stove top, this flan does not need to be baked.Â
Play round with the thickening and texture that you like and the flavors. More chickpea flour will make a more solid and set flan. More starch will make it more gel like. Kala namak adds a great flavor, but isn’t necessary. Be sure to cook the mixture through because raw chickpea flour will make one bitter and odd flan :). If you use besan, the mixture might be a bit less set.Â
What’s an eggy dish that you struggle to make egg free?
More eggy thngs from the blog
- Egg scramble with chickpea flour
- Egg salad with Tofu
- Frittata with lentil batter
- Omelet with chickpea flour
- Flan with coconut milk and agar
- How to make Flax and Chia Seed Egg sub
Make your caramel and pour into ramekins. Move the ramekins around to spread the caramel before it sets.Â
Make the custard and pour into the ramekins. Let chill for an hour atleast. Then soak in hot water bath, remove from the ramekin and serve.Â
Lemon Flan. Vegan Flan Recipe
Ingredients Â
Caramel:
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp water
Flan custard:
- 1/4 cup cashews, soaked for 15 mins or longer
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour, 1/2 tsp more for more set
- 1/2 tsp starch, cornstarch or arowroot (1/2 tsp more for more set)
- a pinch of baking soda
- 2 tbsp sugar or sweetener of choice
- 2 drops vanilla extract
- 1 cup water
- 1/8 tsp salt
- a good pinch of kala namak, Indian sulphur salt for eggy flavor or use nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- add some lemon zest for more lemony custard
InstructionsÂ
For the caramel:
- Heat all the ingredients in a skillet over medium heat. Mix continuously in the beginning until the sugar mixes in. Use powdered sugar for even caramel if needed. Once the sugar is boiling and bubbly, pour into ramekins. Move the ramekins around to spread the caramel all over the bottom quickly as the caramel will harden.
For the custard:
- Blend all the ingredients until very smooth. Depending on your blender, it might take a minute or so. Pour into a skillet and cook over medium heat. I use the same skillet in which i make the caramel. The mixture will start to thicken and lump after about 2 mins. Keep whisking every few seconds until the mixture thickens evenly. Another 2 mins or so. Cook for another 3 minutes or until the chickpea flour is cooked through. Taste carefully to check. You can also adjust sweet or tang at this point or add in some zest for zestier flan. This step total 6 to 8 mins.
- Pour this hot mixture into caramel ramekins. Tap to even out.
- Cool for 5 mins, then refrigerate for atleast an hour.
- To serve, Place ramekins in hot (just boiling) water for 15 -20 seconds, invert onto serving plate and serve. If the sugar caramel is stuck to the ramekin, place the ramekin in the hot water (or microwave for a few seconds) until the caramel is melted and pour over the flan. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In this post not using agar seems to be a big benefit, though in past recipes it’s been included. What are your thoughts on agar and do you use it anymore.
P.S. I love your recipes and every one I’ve made has come out tasting and looking amazing
Agar is not readily available in all grocery stores and currently there is also a shortage. So I decided to have an option without using it.
Chickpea flour must be a vegan’s pixie dust! It can do EVERYTHING!
Your food looks delicious, as well as the whole blog 🙂
I’m so excited to try this. I LOVE flan and lemon and haven’t had any for years!!
These are amazing looking! I cannot wait to try it! Flan is one of those recipes I do miss, and it has been so many years since I’ve had one!
The one recipe I’ve had trouble veganizing is a good breakfast casserole. I’ve had great success using Follow Your Heart’s Vegan Egg to make the custard (as far as making a dish that sets and holds it’s shape when it is baked), but the texture seemed a bit more gel-like than creamy. I’ve used besan for frittatas, but not a whole casserole… Any tips are ALWAYS appreciated!
Yes, i find the same texture issue with follow your heart eggs. It might work in combination with chickpea flour or tofu in the casserole. Have you tried my lentil frittata? The batter sets well and holds everything in it.
I have not, but I just looked up your recipe and I will be trying it this week! I LOVE anything with lentils, and I feel better using a whole food product than something like the VeganEgg that is more processed. Thank you of the suggestion!!
What a great recip! Thank’s for shari g i’ gona do it today!
Eugenia
What a wonderful idea to add lemon to flan!! Mmm!
it tastes somewhat like lemon cheesecake! so good!
In a traditional flan you add lemon to cut a little the egg flavor so it is not overpowering. I love she added lemon. In the Caribbean we make flan of different flavors. Try mango, guava, pumpkin…
Dear Richa, What other flours can I use instead of the chick pea flour. Valerie
none. other flours like wheat flour will be a different texture. coconut flour does not blend well.
You can use some agar powder as a thickener.
Try this https://www.peta.org/living/food/vegan-caramel-flan/
Hi silly newbie question- when you mention starch, I am not sure what type of starch to use- is it gluten free?
Thanks!
Cornstarch or arrowroot or tapioca. all are gluten-free.
A No Bake flan!?! I was going to try veganizing a flan recipe that is made in a pressure cooker.
You can bake it for a few minutes before letting it cool, so the caramel infuses the custard a bit. 🙂
Dear Richa Can I use other nuts, such as almonds and other flours ( coconut ), and what starch do you use. Also can I omit the Kala namak. Thanking you for your help. Valerie.
Try macadamia nuts. Soak them longer so you get a smooth custard. Cornstarch or arrowroot or tapioca. Yes you can omit kala namak.