Easy Vegan Flan Recipe with Caramel Sauce (2025)

This easy vegan flan recipe creates a creamy, smooth flan that’s easier to make than a classic flan. If you’re looking for a smooth dessert with a creamy caramel topping, this will be your go-to favorite!

Grab your forks (or spoons) and take a bite (or several) of this eggless Flan recipe. It’s made with dairy-free eggnog and made even creamier with cashews.

This vegan flan is a real show stopper!

What is Flan?

The classic flan recipe is not vegan because it’s usually made with both cream and eggs. However, it’s surprisingly easy to make flan vegan. In fact, I venture to say it’s actually EASIER to make vegan flan recipes than regular flan!

This simple flan recipe sets quickly and can be ready to serve within an hour. All you have to do is prepare the ingredients on the stove-top, pour them into your flan pans and refrigerate.

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

• Raw cashew — You can find raw cashews at health food stores or online.
• Plant-based milk — Use your favorite plant-based milk, like soy milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. Use vegan eggnog to make it a seasonal holiday flan.
• Coconut Sugar – Use coconut sugar or substitute brown sugar.
• Agar flakes — You can find agar flakes at health food stores or online.
• Nutritional yeast flakes — We’ll add a bit of flavor with these yeast flakes.
• Ground nutmeg
• Rum

How to Make Vegan Flan

1. Place soaked cashews in a food processor or high-speed blender. Pulse for a few seconds. Add the plant-based milk and pulse until smooth.
2. Add the brown sugar, agar flakes, nutritional yeast flakes, and ground nutmeg. Pulse for a second or two to combine.
3. Pour this into a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat. Stir in the rum. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, to allow it to cool slightly.
5. Make the caramel topping by combining the ingredients in a separate saucepan and bringing it to a boil and reducing to a simmer. Cook until the sugar caramelizes and the sauce thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour this evenly in the bottom of two flan dishes.
6. Pour the cooled flan mixture over the caramel.
7. Place in the fridge for at least one hour, preferably two.
8. To serve, use a butter knife to cut along the sides of the pan. Invert it over a serving dish. It may take a minute or so, but the flan will drop onto the plate. Sprinkle with additional nutmeg (freshly grated is a nice touch).

How To Soak Cashews

Slow Soak Cashews

1. Place cashews in a glass bowl and cover with water.
2. Refrigerate and soak them for a minimum of four hours or up to overnight.
3. Drain the soaking liquid.

Fast Soak Cashews

1. Fast soak cashews by placing them in a saucepan.
2. Cover them with water and then place it over medium heat.
3. Bring it to a simmer (low boil) and cook for around 10 minutes. The cashews will become plump.
4. Remove from heat and allow them to cool.
5. Drain the soaking liquid.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Have some fun! As long as you follow the basics of this easy flan recipe, you can adjust the spices and events sweetness level to meet your own tastes. That’s the best thing about making things from home — you know exactly what’s in your food and you get to adapt the flavors to meet your needs.

Because it’s made without dairy milk, this healthy flan recipe is delicious for people with allergies too.

That’s it for this vegan flan.

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This post was originally published in 2016 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2020.