Instant Pot Flan de Coco

Welcome back to the Cuban Redneck Kitchen, where today we are going to make a coconut flan. Not just any coconut flan but an Instant Pot Flan de Coco! Yes, I do own an Instant Pot. It is a Dual Crispy + Air Fryer, and I purchase it primarily for its air frying capability. After working for over a decade in the South Florida restaurant and catering scene as a teen, I got to experience firsthand the difference between pressure cooking and low and slow cooking methods. Please don’t get me wrong, pressure cooking has its place in the kitchen but not a fan of pressure cooking everything as many Instant Pos sponsored YouTubers would have you believe. However, given the destructive agenda of Democrats, I see how cooking on the instant pot may flourish.

This is not the first Flan de Coco I have made for the channel, and that video is the reason for this follow-up recipe. On that video, there were many comments about the baking time! Yes, between 50 min, to an hour is usually the bake time for any crème caramel, flan, caramel pudding, caramel custard, and other custard desserts. Then, there was another group of comments of people asking where did I get the coconut-sweetened condensed milk. I found it at my local Walmart market, but it would not strike me by surprise if this is not available in many places. As I have mentioned, things I used to run to the store and get are nowhere to be found here in Southwest Florida. A perfect example is Guava Shelves.

With that said, I also wanted to make this a little bit more affordable. As I mentioned in the video, I think we can do without coconut milk. I will continue to tweak this recipe over the next few months, but I feel that Carnation Evaporated Milk, which is cheaper, maybe a better option. It is also worth noting that several friends have recommended about one oz. of soft cream cheese! Just a little bit, not to the point where it is going to become a flan de coco con queso crema.

Here is the list of ingredients for the Instant Pot Flan de Coco, as done in the video.

• 3 Whole Eggs + 2 Yolks
• 1 Can of Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
• 1 Can of Coconut Milk
• ¼ Cup of Sugar
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 Tablespoon of Coconut Extract

Guess what? It has been less than 24 hours since the video went live, and I have already made another flan de coco based on recommendations and what I learned from the video. The objective of the tweaked recipe was to make it a little more firm. I have always had an issue with too many whites because it makes the flan stiff. But I think that one ounce of Philadelphia soft cream cheese corrects that and bring it back to that buttery, silky smooth texture all my flan recipes are known for. So, here is the list of ingredients after the revision.

• 4 Whole Eggs
• 1 Can of Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
• 1 Can of Carnation Evaporated Milk
• ¼ Cup of Sugar
• Pinch of Salt
• 2 Tablespoon of Coconut Extract
• 1 Oz. Philadelphia Soft Cream Cheese

Unlike an oven-baked flan, a flan mold is highly desirable when making an instant pot flan. That is because there is a high possibility that steam from the pressure cooking process may get into the flan and make it watery. Other than that procedure is much the same.

Step #1 – Make a dry caramel. Many people consider this the most technical and challenging part of making a flan, but it is not. It is a slow process that takes time and your undivided attention. Start by adding anywhere from ½ to ¾ cups of sugar to your flan mold or small deep saucepan. Bring this to temp under low heat. On my stove, the dial setting is 1.5. Just let it sit until the sugar starts to melt, at which time you are going to shake the pan as if you were stir-frying to get the dry part of the sugar to mix with the melted parts. Continue to do this until all the sugar is dissolved. I usually leave it on the stove for an extra minute until the caramel foams a little at the top.

Step #2 – Mix all the ingredients. Deposit your eggs, coconut cream, coconut milk (or evaporated milk), sugar, salt, and coconut extract into a large mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Some people use a blender or emerging blender, which also works! Deposit your mixture into the flan mold, and let’s go set up the instant pot.

Step #3 – We are going to cook our Instant Pot Coconut Flan in pressure cooking mode for 20 minutes (17 minutes for the revised version). Add one cup of water to the Instant Pot, place the trivet, and sit the flan mold on top. After setting your temp to HIGH and time, lock the lid with the vent set to seal and let it do its thing.

After the time has expired, do a quick pressure release on the instant pot, take the flan and trivet out, and let it sit on the counter to cool down at room temperature before putting it in the fridge. Ideally, you want to refrigerate the flan for 6-8 hours, but overnight is better.

My friends that is it, I hope you try and enjoy this Instant Pot Coconut Flan recipe, and I look forward to hearing from you. Please come and share your Flan de Coco on our Facebook group, Cuban Food Nation. Until next week, happy cooking…