Quesillo is a Venezuelan flan made in a stovetop water bath with eggs, milk, condensed milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. This traditional Venezuelan dessert is also known as crème caramel in other parts of the world.
This family recipe is from my Venezuelan cousin, Samira. She made me this traditional recipe during a visit this summer, and it blew my socks off! Nothing gets better than good food and good company, love you sweet Samira!
Why This Recipe Is Great
Crème caramel (quesillo) is a five-ingredient dessert that is so delicious. I don't know what I love more: the creamy texture or the taste. This Venezuelan dessert cuts like butter, tastes like heaven, and uses ingredients you probably already have on hand.
Ingredient Notes
- Whole eggs: Use egg whites and egg yolks for this recipe. Obviously, remove the shell.
- White sugar: Don't get fancy here. I recommend using regular white table sugar.
- Condensed milk: Use canned sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. Both are canned, but condensed milk is sweetened (whereas evaporated milk is not).
- Whole milk: Use whole cow's milk for the best results.
- Vanilla extract: I recommend natural vanilla extract. You can scrape the insides of a vanilla bean.
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.
How To Make Quesillo (Crème Caramel)
Boil the water and sugar together on high for about 5 to 6 minutes until the caramel turns medium gold. Monitor at all times because the caramel burns quickly!
Quickly pour the caramelized sugar into a 9" cake pan swirling the caramel until all surfaces are coated. Use oven mittens; the caramel coating is hot! Set aside.
Add the eggs, sugar, milk, condensed milk, and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend on low (this reduces the amount of air bubbles). Pour the milk mixture into the caramel-coated cake pan (or flan pan). Tap the mixture on the counter to remove the air bubbles.
Cover the cake pan with aluminum foil. Press the edges tightly.
Place the cake pan in a larger pot. Boil water in a kettle (or pot) and pour the boiling water 75% up the sides of the cake pan. Cover the pot and boil on medium high heat for about an hour. Every 20 minutes, add hot water to replenish the water bath.
Refrigerate the cake pan for 4 hours or until cold. Remove the foil. Place a flat plate on top. Flip the quesillo flan quickly.
Cut into the crème caramel as you would butter.
Tips and Tricks
- The hardest part of this recipe (in my opinion) is the caramel sauce. Firstly, the caramel sauce burns quickly, so you must always monitor it. Secondly, when the caramel cools, it hardens. Once you remove the caramel from the stove, time is ticking! Swirl the caramel as fast as possible to coat the cake pan (bottom and sides). You may need mitts because the caramel (and cake pan) will be hot. Tip: Heat the cake pan in the oven so it's hot when swirling the caramel. That will give you a little extra time to coat the pan.
- Cleaning the caramel pan: Pour water into the caramel saucepan and let it soak.
- If there isn't enough caramel to coat the sides of the cake pan, it's not the end of the world. You may need to run a clean knife along the edges to loosen the creme caramel from the cake pan before you flip it. The bottom of the cake pan must be completely coated with caramel.
- Use a large-diameter pot that has a lid for the water bath. Ideally, you need about an inch on all sides, so a pot that's 2" larger in diameter than the cake pan.
- As the water bath boils, the water boils off. Refill with hot water every 20 minutes so the water bath doesn't dry. The cooking time may vary, so checking the flan every 20 minutes is a good idea.
Variations and Substitutions
Bake this quesillo recipe in the oven. Place the foil-covered cake pan (or flan pan) in a large pot, roasting pan, or baking dish (whatever fits). Make a water bath with boiled water up to 75% of the edge of the pan. Bake at 350 ℉ (175 ℃) for about an hour on the middle oven rack.
Traditional flan uses cow's milk. If you'd like a dairy-free substitute, use coconut milk.
Equipment
- Use a 9" diameter metal cake pan or flan pan (even better).
- A stovetop pot 11" in diameter or larger with a lid.
- Can opener to bust open your canned condensed milk.
Storage
Store this quesillo Venezuelan flan recipe in the fridge for up to five days. I do not recommend freezing it.
FAQs
This Venezuelan quesillo recipe uses whole eggs, whereas flan uses whole eggs and egg yolks.
A bain marie is a fancy way of saying water bath. The purpose of a water bath is to distribute temperatures evenly.
Quesillo is made with five ingredients: sugar, milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Family Favorite Desserts
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📋 Recipe
Quesillo Venezuelan Flan (Crème Caramel with Condensed Milk)
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
Quesillo Flan
- 8 whole eggs
- 28 ounces canned condensed milk
- 28 ounces whole milk use the condensed milk cans to measure it
- ⅛ cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Caramel Sauce
- In a saucepan, add the white sugar and water. Bring to a boil without stirring. Watch it carefully. Once it turns medium gold, pour it directly into a cake pan and swirl it around to coat the pan. Act quickly before it hardens!
Quesillo Flan
- Add the eggs, white sugar, condensed milk, whole milk, and vanilla extract in a blender. Pulse on high until combined.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the caramel lined cake pan.
- Tightly wrap aluminum foil on top of the cake pan, pressing the edges firmly.
- Place the cake pan into a larger diameter pot. Boil some water in a kettle or separate pot. Pour the boiling water until the water reaches 75% up the side of the cake pan. Cover the large diameter pot. Boil for about an hour.
- Every 20 minutes replenish the boiled off water. Heat water with a kettle and replenish so the water bath doesn't run dry.
- Remove the cake pan from the hot water and let it refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. Once the flan is cool, remove the foil. Place a large flat surface on top, and flip the flan 180 degrees. The flan should easily flip onto the surface.
Equipment
Notes
- Bake this caramel flan recipe. Place the foil-covered cake pan (or flan pan) in a large pot. Make a water bath with boiled water up to 75% of the edge of the pan. Bake at 350 ℉ (175 ℃) for about an hour. Check at the 45 minute mark.
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