I enjoy a good flan every now and then, but if it were up to Nicolas we would eat flan every day. I also like to have a change from the classic vanilla flan and add different flavors to the flans. In Ecuador, especially on the coast, it is very common to find flans made with pineapple, coconut, mango, or other fruit. I’ve mentioned before that when I’m cooking for friends I like to make desserts that are relatively low maintenance and that can be made ahead so that I can focus on the appetizers and main meal; flan definitely falls into this category.
Pineapple flan, also known as flan de piña or queso de piña, is a custard like dessert made with fresh pineapple juice, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla and rum.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar, 1 cup for caramel and 1 cup for the flan
- ½ cup of water
- 2 ½ cups pure fresh pineapple juice, strained and foam removed, from 1 pineapple
- 1 tbs tapioca starch – can also use corn starch
- 1 cup whole milk
- 10 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbs rum
- 10 buttered oven proof ramekins or flan molds
- Large oven proof dish filled with water
- Brown sugar
- Fresh pineapple slices
Instructions
- To make the caramel, bring 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of water to a boil over medium heat and boil until it gets a deep amber color, about 8-10 minutes.
- Pour the hot caramel into the previously buttered flan molds or ramekins and try to distribute it evenly on the bottom of the molds.
- Combine the pineapple juice with the sugar and tapioca starch in a small saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil, keep an eye on it as it is prone to boil over, let simmer until it begins to thicken, about 5-8 minutes, remove and cool completely.
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F
- Beat the eggs on low speed; slowly mix in the pineapple mixture, the milk, the vanilla, and the rum until well combined
- Strain the flan mixture and pour into the caramel coated molds.
- Place the flan molds in the oven dish with water – the water should cover at least ½ of the height of the ramekins - and bake until the flans solidify, about 45-50 minutes.
- Let the flans cool completely, then refrigerate for a couple of hour.
- To help release the flans place the ramekins in a bowl with warm water before serving to melt the caramel and loosen the flan.
- Serve alone or accompanied by fresh berries or with caramelized pineapple slices
- Pour a spoonful of brown sugar over a pineapple slice and place under the broiler until the sugar begins to bubble and caramelize.
I used freshly made pure pineapple juice for this flan, you have to strain it and then let the foam rise to the top and remove the foam, but if you are in a hurry you can substitute with a good quality store bought pineapple juice, though you might want to reduce the amount of sugar for the flan if the store bought juice already has sugar. I used whole milk for this pineapple flan because I was out of evaporated milk and it worked just fine. Whenever we made any type of flan with my high school friends we always used evaporated milk or condensed milk or a mix of both, I’m not sure why but a lot of Latin American desserts use them. We were talking about this with some friends from Mexico the other day and our guess was that it has something to do with marketing by a certain large Swiss food product company combined with the fact that not even a decade ago refrigerators were luxury items in many places so many dairy products are sold in cans and sealed bags. This recipe makes about 10 small individual flans, you can also use a large flan mold as well, just adjust the cooking time.
Step by step preparation photos for pineapple flan
Becky says
April 23, 2019 at 4:39 pmI made your pineapple flan recipe over the weekend, and it is DELICIOUS! Thanks for sharing :)
sara says
March 4, 2014 at 7:04 amCan i make this recipe in a large pan? It’s for a school project and I don’t have flan molds.
Thanks!
Layla Pujol says
March 4, 2014 at 9:28 amHi Sara – Yes, of course you can make it in large pan. It will probably take a little bit longer to set (bake) based on the size of the pan.
Sara says
March 9, 2014 at 2:50 pmOne more question:
Is it necessary to use whole milk, or can I use skim milk?
Thanks!
Layla Pujol says
March 10, 2014 at 1:21 pmDefinitely whole milk or evaporated milk.
Sara says
March 10, 2014 at 1:37 pmOK, thank you!
Jose A. says
April 21, 2012 at 4:30 pmJust saw the recipe today and I’m trying it right now. Love flan and pineapple. Can’t wait. :)
Sooyin says
October 25, 2011 at 6:54 pmThis is a really awesome recipe!!! I had to make flan for spanish class and four kids ended up making flan, too! But mine definitely won for best taste, I went home with an empty dish! The pictures made it really easy to follow and delicious despite not including the rum and pineapple slices. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
vanessa says
June 18, 2011 at 11:48 pmhi
and all i got to sAY IS THANKYOU WHY? IM A LATINA GIRL(MEXICAN) AND MY HUSBAND IS Ecudorian so its hard to please him in table but ur site had help at the best i love your encabollado de pescado at this moment im making the flan it already smells great its late but is a surprised for my husband for fathers day alonge with your chicken and rice special request i never heard about it but he mention something call sopa de avena with potatoes help me out if you know i just can figure out if that suppose to be swt or salt taste different for me thankyou hope to see new things in your site
Maria B says
March 1, 2011 at 11:04 amMy goodness!
This blog is great by all meanings :)
I have been browsing for a flan de coco or flan de piña recipe and I came across your pictures on Google, I click and it linked me here to your very well organized and presented blog, Thank you for sharing this great recipes and the easy to follow steps, I will definitely be making this flan for a baby shower this weekend :)
Keep up the great work, much blessing!
Ina says
August 6, 2010 at 5:02 pmLoved the pictures! Really stood out from all the recipes I was looking at and made me trust this one amongst the rest.
I put the ramekins in the oven just a few minutes ago! =D
(However, I forgot to let the pineapple/starch/sugar cool completely, therefore I don’t think it thickened as well as it was supposed to. Will this effect the outcome at all?)
My father’s birthday is tomorrow and he’s a huge fan of flan, so this really helped me out!
Thank you so much!
Angela says
March 2, 2010 at 11:43 pmHola, Layla!
I only found your website a few days ago, and already I am a huge fan. Your writing and photography are exceptionally talented. You mention in your personal info section that you may have some grammar mistakes since English is your second language, but I have found that your grammar and spelling is much better than many of us who are native speakers. Bravo, and I really appreciate you sharing your talents, knowledge and skill with us!
I made your Empanadas Mendocinas for dinner tonight, and they were outstanding. I have two more meals in the freezer for my husband and myself, and I’m hoping the convenience of that and their deliciousness will help me get over the time investment in your glorious recipe, and put me in the mood to make them again soon. They are truly a labor of love, at least for a first-timer like me.
Would it be sacrilege to top the meat mixture with a slice of Colby-Jack instead of the eggs and olive? My husband is a huge cheese fanatic.
Next up is probably your irresistible sounding pineapple flan.
Thank you!
Mandy says
December 31, 2009 at 2:44 pmGreat presentation! I do a lot of entertaining and will definitely impress my guests with this recipe. Thank you for posting it!
joy says
December 10, 2009 at 9:16 amI so love your blog! Aside from having great recipes, you’re also very good at food photography. Thanks for all the yummy recipes. Keep it up! :)
Margarita says
August 1, 2009 at 12:11 pmI just licked my screen!!!
Jeanie says
July 18, 2009 at 3:49 pmOh, m’goodness!
maria says
April 11, 2009 at 3:59 pmI was trying to remember this recipe that has been always “the hit” of my grandmother (she is 94!!!). Now that I am living out of Equador, I miss so much the “flan de piña” that I need to make it at home. Its taste reminds me of my big family, my childhood, everything that I love. Thank you Laylita!!!
p.d. there are more desserts made with condensed milk in Brazil than anywhere else in the world!!!
Carina says
October 27, 2008 at 1:50 pmAMAZING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is all i have to !!!!!!!!!!!!say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nabeela says
October 21, 2008 at 10:29 pmI made this recipe. A couple of comments:
1) I tried blending and straining the pineapple to get juice…didn’t work. it wouldn’t starin when I used a fine mesh and strained everything when I used a coarser one. So I just used the whole blended pineapple(which surprisingly was exactly 2 1/2 cups!)
2) Tried straining the egg mixture but again was too thick to strain, so just poured it in the ramekins directly.
3) Even though a whole pineapple went in it, it didn’t taste much of pineapple at all…I was kind of disappointed about that.
BUT, apart from all the issues I faced, this was an excellent recipe…so thanks!
My husband and I both enjoyed the flan after dinner tonight and are already looking forward to it for tomorrow’s dinner :)
mari says
October 16, 2008 at 1:12 pmthis recipe sounds delicious.. but how do i remove juice from a fresh pinapple? Can i substitue canned pineapple juice from concentrate, instead of fresh?
thanks
mari
Hi Mari – Cut a peeled pineapple in small chunks and blend them up until you get a thick puree, then strain and there you have the juice, and yes you can just use canned juice also (just reduce the sugar since it usually has additional sugar).
Lauren says
September 19, 2008 at 1:52 pmThe pineapple flan sounds delicious! I don’t have flan molds so I’m going to try making mini-flans in a silicone muffin tin. I hope it isn’t a total disaster.
Maria says
August 19, 2008 at 6:09 pmLaylita, i have started to make the flan and realized that you don’t mention what to do with the milk. Please let me know. thanks so much!
Hi Maria – Oops, add the milk in step #5, I just updated the recipe. Thanks for catching that!
Faraz says
August 15, 2008 at 8:16 pmI just saw this page and am thrashing on agony because I do not have the ingredients right now to make it. Cruel…Cruel…Cruel
manny says
July 19, 2008 at 11:37 amawesome recipes you got. i am from zamboanga a place in the philippines with mix culture of spanish and south american. i’ve been looking all over for new dishes similar to my taste. and i came across your website. wow! everything is delicious and healthy. Thanks
Soledad Prater says
July 18, 2008 at 3:23 pmHi I love your website, I from Ecuador but I dont know how to cook the food I must tell you my husband is a very happy camper…. thanks a lot
South American Ana says
July 15, 2008 at 6:20 amThat flan looks amazing! I have tried many different flans in my life (vanilla, chocolate, coconut, dulce de leche, caramel, orange) but not pineapple yet, now I’m very curious about it!
farida says
July 7, 2008 at 9:46 pmLayla, what a beautiful and yummy looking flan! Everything on your blog looks fantastic. You are one talented young lady!
I haven’t been to your blog for a while. Just subscribed to you to read more of your yummy recipes. Keep up the good work!
Kyle @ Yumoh! says
June 30, 2008 at 2:31 amohhhhhh, your blog is SO be-aut-i-ful !!!
I saw your entry on blogs’cool about the dum-dum who stole your material – I hope blogger will bring the full weight of punishment down upon their sorry heads.
I am so in awe of your work – the recipes and the photographs – you have truly mastered this blogging caper. Do let me know when your cook-book comes out – I will be first in line!!
Graeme says
June 28, 2008 at 2:37 pmGorgeous texture, and a nice twist.
My Sweet & Saucy says
June 28, 2008 at 10:37 amWow! That looks soooo delicious!
Paz says
June 28, 2008 at 5:14 amOh my! EVERYTHING on this blog looks delicious! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
Paz
Beatriz says
June 27, 2008 at 1:05 pmI am very impress with your web site especially the pictures, they are very clear and they help alot in the preparation of the recipes. Thank you. Great Job!
B
Kevin says
June 26, 2008 at 8:01 pmThat flan looks really good!
Becky says
June 26, 2008 at 4:03 pmjeez…i haven’t had flan in i-dont-know how long. this recipe and these photos made my day. thanks!
Coffee and Vanilla says
June 26, 2008 at 3:13 amBeautiful! I bookmarked it :)
Margot
Rosa says
June 25, 2008 at 11:00 amDe-li-cious! Your flan has me drooling! Really beautiful and mouthwatering!
Cheers,
Rosa