Flan, a creamy custard dessert with a caramel topping, was a favorite in my family growing up. Since pressure cookers make moist desserts like this so well (flan is usually cooked in the oven in a water bath, which can be recreated in the pressure cooker with a faster cooking time), I decided to adapt my dad’s Puerto Rican flan de coco (coconut flan) recipe for the Instant Pot. The results for this Instant Pot flan are amazing! Coconut milk and shredded coconut give this coconut flan recipe a delicious tropical spin. I’ve got the complete flan de coco recipe at the end of this post, so feel free to jump to the recipe (button above) if you’re ready to get cooking. If you’d like to see some of my cooking tips and step-by-step photos for making this Instant Pot flan recipe, keep reading. If this is your first time making flan or your first experience with pressure cooker flan, I recommend reading through the tips before you start cooking.
More Instant Pot desserts like this coconut flan recipe
- Instant Pot Mini Cheesecake Bites
- Instant Pot Brownie Bites
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
- Instant Pot Rice Pudding
- Instant Pot Lemon Bundt Cake
- Triple Chocolate Instant Pot Bundt Cake
- Pressure Cooker Plum Bundt Cake
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Bundt Cake
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What you need to make Instant Pot flan
Electric or stovetop pressure cooker. I own the Instant Pot DUO Plus 6-Quart 9-in-1 pot, which works out great for my family of four.
7″ flan mold. Instant Pots make amazing moist desserts like cheesecake and flan. While this one is more of a nice-to-have, I find it convenient if you plan to make flan in your pressure cooker frequently. If you don’t have one, another option is to use a 7-inch glass or ceramic heat-safe dish covered tightly in foil.
Optional (but recommended): Extra sealing rings. The sealing ring is responsible for keeping the lid air-tight. Extra sealing rings are not only great to keep on hand in case your ring gets damaged, but extra rings can also help preserve the flavors of your Instant Pot recipes since the ring tends to absorb flavors of food cooked in the pot. I recommend getting a color-coded set like this one (make sure you’re getting the right one for your model and size) so you can use different rings for sweet vs. savory dishes. Trust me, you don’t want your Instant Pot flan to taste like last week’s curry dinner!
Optional: Bakeware sling. While your pot likely came with a steamer rack trivet, this sling acts as both a trivet and a convenient way to lower and raise bowls and food into and out of the pot.
How to make flan de coco (pressure cooker flan) in the Instant Pot
To make this Instant Pot flan, I like to have everything measured and ready before I start the cooking process (because things can move pretty quickly at times while making this coconut flan recipe).
After you have gathered your flan de coco ingredients, first, you will make the caramel for the Instant Pot flan. If you’ve never made flan, you might find that this is the most challenging step, as there are variables that can cause your sugar not to cook properly, your caramel can quickly go from perfect to overcooked, and the caramel may harden quickly when you’re trying to spread it into your pan. Because of this, I recommend having extra sugar on hand in case the first caramel attempt fails and needs to be redone. If the first attempt fails, do not fret! This is only the first step, and while redoing this step might feel frustrating, it won’t affect the overall outcome of your coconut flan recipe.
To make your pressure cooker flan’s caramel layer, place the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the water in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Do not stir it! Stirring the mixture with a spoon can cause the sugar to clump and crystallize, which won’t work in your flan. Instead, leave it be and put a lid on the saucepan for 1 minute, or until the sugar has dissolved with the water and heat. Remove the lid and continue cooking gently. Again, do NOT stir the sugar mixture, but you can swirl the pan gently occasionally until the sugar has melted completely and turned into a golden-brown caramel. This will take about 5 more minutes. As soon as it is melted and looking like a caramel color, pour it into a 7-inch flan mold pan (or another 7-inch heat-safe pan or dish).* Swirl the pan around so that the caramel coats the bottom completely and a little bit of the sides. Set the pan aside to cool for 15 minutes to harden.
*I use a 7-inch flan mold with a lid for this recipe, but you can also use a 7-inch glass or ceramic heat-safe dish covered tightly in foil.
While the caramel is hardening, you will create your custard filling for your Instant Pot flan. Add the sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, cream, eggs, and shredded coconut into a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and the coconut flakes are pulverized (this will take 1-2 minutes).
Let the flan de coco custard rest for a few minutes, then stir it to release some of the air bubbles before pouring through a mesh strainer into a large liquid measuring cup to further release air bubbles. Stir any coconut pieces from the strainer back into the custard. You’ll want all this coconutty goodness in your flan coco!
Pour the custard mixture into the flan mold over the caramel. Cover your flan de coco tightly with the flan mold lid (if using; if you are using a different type of dish, cover it tightly with foil).
Pour the remaining 3 cups of water into the pressure cooker pot and place a steamer rack trivet in the bottom. Place the covered flan pan on top of the trivet. Close and lock the Instant Pot lid, make sure the pressure/steam release switch is set to sealing, and set the cooking time to 35 minutes at high/normal pressure. It will take about 10 minutes for the pot to reach pressure before the cooking time begins.
After the pressure cooking time ends allow the pressure to release from the pot naturally for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure using the quick release method. Carefully remove the Instant Pot flan pan and cool on a wire rack on the counter for 10 minutes before transferring to the fridge to cool completely (this will take at least 3 hours).
When you are ready to serve your Instant Pot flan de coco, remove the coconut flan from the mold by running a knife around the edges, then carefully inverting it over a plate. Some of the caramel will drip down from the top and surround the custard on the plate for a naturally pretty presentation. Garnish with additional coconut flakes.
My mouth is watering just looking at this coconut flan recipe!
Instant Pot flan de coco is so light, yet decadent! The texture is just *chef’s kiss*.
Here’s the Instant Pot Flan de Coco (coconut flan) recipe! Enjoy, and please leave a rating if you love it as much as we do. If you’re looking for a traditional flan (made in the oven instead of the pressure cooker), check out my father’s Flan de Coco (Puerto Rican Coconut Flan recipe) here. Buen provecho!
Instant Pot Coconut Flan (Flan de Coco)
Flan, a creamy custard dessert with a caramel topping, was a favorite in my family growing up. Since pressure cookers make moist desserts like this so well (flan is usually cooked in the oven in a water bath, which can be recreated in the pressure cooker with a faster cooking time), I decided to adapt my dad's Puerto Rican flan de coco (coconut flan) recipe for the Instant Pot. Coconut milk and shredded coconut give this flan a delicious tropical spin.
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 cups plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
- ½ (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup shredded coconut, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Place the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the water in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Do not stir. Put a lid on the saucepan for 1 minute, or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the lid and cook gently, without stirring, but swirling the pan occasionally until the sugar has melted completely and turned into a golden-brown caramel (about 5 more minutes). Pour into a 7-inch flan mold pan (or another 7-inch heat-safe pan or dish). Swirl the pan around so that the caramel coats the bottom completely and a little bit of the sides. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes until hardened.
- Meanwhile, add the sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, cream, eggs, and coconut into a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth and the coconut flakes pulverized (1-2 minutes). Let rest for a few minutes then stir to release some of the air bubbles before pouring through a mesh strainer into a large liquid measuring cup to further release air bubbles. Stir any coconut pieces from the strainer back into the custard. Pour the custard mixture into the flan mold over the caramel. Cover tightly with the flan mold lid (if using; cover tightly with foil if you are using a different type of baking dish).
- Pour the remaining 3 cups of water into the pressure cooker pot and place a steamer rack trivet in the bottom. Place the covered flan pan on top of the trivet.
- Close and lock the pressure cooker lid, make sure the pressure/steam release switch is set to sealing, and set the cooking time to 35 minutes at high/normal pressure. It will take about 10 minutes for the pot to reach pressure before the cooking time begins.
- After the pressure cooking time ends allow the pressure to release from the pot naturally for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure using the manufacturer’s quick release method.
- Carefully remove the pan from the pot, and cool on a wire rack on the counter for 10 minutes before transferring to the fridge to cool completely (at least 3 hours).
- When you are ready to serve, remove the flan from the mold by running a knife around the edges, then carefully inverting it over a plate. Some of the caramel will drip down from the top and surround the custard on the plate for a naturally pretty presentation. Garnish with additional coconut flakes.
Notes
I used a 7-inch flan mold for this recipe, but you can also use a 7-inch glass or ceramic heat-safe dish covered tightly in foil.
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More Puerto Rican recipes from Fab Everyday:
- How to Make Homemade Puerto Rican Sofrito
- Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas) recipe
- Habichuelas Guisadas, Puerto Rican-Style Beans recipe
- Instant Pot Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo recipe (my family’s recipe – adapted for the pressure cooker!)
- Instant Pot Estofado de Pollo (or Pollo Guisado – Puerto Rican-style chicken stew)
- Instant Pot Asopao de Pollo (Puerto Rican-Style Chicken and Rice Stew)
- Shortcut Puerto Rican Picadillo Empanadas recipe
- Easy Vegetarian Empanada recipe
- Air Fryer Tostones (Fried Green Plantain Chips) recipe
- Pinchos de Pollo (Grilled Puerto Rican Chicken Skewers)
- The best Coquito (Puerto Rican Eggnog) recipe
- Papa Cruz’s Flan de Coco (Puerto Rican Coconut Flan Recipe)
- Flan de Chocolate (Chocolate Flan Recipe)
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