Easy Coconut Flan [Recipe + Video] Quesillo Dominicano (2024)

En Español Recipe ↆ Video ↆ

Why we ❤️ it

Dominicans certainly adore their sweets and desserts and have something of a sweet tooth. And we love coconut flavor, from simply eating the tender flesh from fresh coconut to coconut water, and adding coconut to any number of savory and sweet dishes.

This quesillo (Dominican coconut flan) is one of the most popular ones, a dessert that combines the creaminess, and smooth texture of flan and the flavor of coconut. This coconut version has a lighter texture than our traditional flan, and the coconut milk adds a whole new layer of goodness to it.

Quesillo dominicano Vs Flan

The Dominican quesillorecipeandflan recipe– known in English by the French nameCrème Caramel –may look the same to the naked eye... Well, they are almost the same: A sweet custard bathed in caramel sauce.

But while I have yet to find the exact explanation for why these are two different desserts, I wrote extensively about it in the flan recipe introduction. To summarize: We are not all in agreement, but many/a big percentage of Dominicans consider it a flan if it's made with egg yolks and flavored with vanilla extract, and quesillo if it's made with whole eggs. But it's complicated.

I speculate that since using whole eggs leaves little bubbles that show when you cut a slice, it looks a bit like cheese. Quesillo dominicano does not contain cheese –there are other Latin Americandesserts elsewhere also called quesillo that do contain cheese.

More flan recipes

If you feel like experimenting, try these other flan recipes:

• Flan de auyama(Apumpkindairy-free, vegan flan-like dessert)
• Flan de pan(a flan-like bread pudding)
• Flan de café(flavored with coffee liqueur)
• Chocolate flan (flan with cocoa)
• Classic flan recipe(crème caramel)
• Dulce de leche panna cotta(an eggless flan-like dessert)

Top tips

• The traditional recipe does not call for coconut flakes. You can do without them if you wish, I used to add a bit of visual interest, but it's not entirely necessary.
• If you have a cake pan (like uncoated aluminum) that can go directly on the stove, the easiest way to make the caramel cover is to place the sugar in the pan, add a tablespoon of water, enough just to get the sugar damp, and heat the pan until the sugar caramelizes, but before it burns. You may need to stir the sugar with a spatula because it tends to have some hot spots that can burn while the rest is still not fully caramelized.
• If you melt the sugar in the mold, make sure you have proper heat-proof gloves to handle it when you move the pan to coat the bottom and sides with caramelized sugar. It getsveryhot.
• Be careful handling hot caramel; it can produce some really nasty burns. Be also careful when removing the flan molds from the warm water after coming out of the oven.
• Unlike flan, where I prefer a slightly bitter-sweet caramel made by letting it come almost to a smoking point, this does not work well with flan de coco dominicano, so make sure to remove the caramel from the heat as soon as it starts getting a caramel color.
• You can also blend the milk and egg mixture in a blender if you wish to add some extra bubbles for the cheese look.

How to store flan

Flan needs to be made well in advance of the occasion it will be served at. It lasts up to 3 days if kept refrigerated. To store the flan, keep it in the baking pan, which you can cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or flip it into an airtight container. If it's exposed to the air in the fridge, it starts to dry around the edges in the cold dry air of the refrigerator.

About this recipe

The original recipe upon which ours is based was given to us by Adriana, one of our readers, more than 15 years ago. We have since made a few changes to it.

This recipe yields 6 generous servings.

Recipe

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Easy Coconut Flan [Recipe + Video] Quesillo Dominicano

By: Clara Gonzalez

Quesillo Recipe (Coconut Creme Caramel): It may look like flan to the naked eye... well, they are almost the same. But quesillo has a lighter texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 518kcalCarbohydrates: 77gProtein: 10gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 136mgPotassium: 438mgSugar: 75gVitamin A: 325IUVitamin C: 2.6mgCalcium: 240mgIron: 2.4mg

Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

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