Ube leche flan is a delicious Filipino dessert made from purple yams. It's a bit like a custard, and has a creamy, smooth texture. The caramel sauce drizzles over it when you turn it out onto plates.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
If you're looking for a delicious, and slightly exotic, dessert to make at home, look no further than this Ube leche flan recipe. This Filipino dessert is made with purple yams, giving it a beautiful color and unique flavor. It's easy to make, and sure to impress your friends and family. It's rich, silky custard texture is a delight!
For more Filipino dishes see recipe for Adobo Chicken Livers, Fresh Vegetable Lumpia, Traditional Pork Lumpia, Perfect White Rice, and Banana Turons.
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Ingredients
This ube leche flan recipe uses twelve egg yolks. Yes, that's a lot! This is what contributes to the rich, silky texture. Save the egg whites in your freezer for making meringue or macaroons.
Egg whites will freeze for up to 6 months if stored in an air tight freezer container.
- Egg yolks
- Condensed milk
- Sugar for the caramel sauce
- Vanilla extract
- Ube Extract or Ube Powder to make your own Ube liquid
- Whole Milk or Half & Half
- Water for the Bain Marie (hot water bath)
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Ube Leche Flan
Start by making the caramel sauce. You can add one or two teaspoons of water to the sugar as it melts and caramelizes. This will help prevent it from scorching, which you want to avoid. Scorched caramel give the flan a bitter taste.
Make the Caramel
- Add the sugar to a sauce pan. Start with a medium heat and let the sugar melt. Stir it frequently so it does not scorch.
- Once the sugar has melted and turned brown, spoon 2 to 2 ½ tablespoons into each ramkin. Set aside to harden and cool.
Prepare the Egg Yolks
You will add the ube during this step also. The ube extract is the easiest to work with, just add 1 to 1 ½ teaspoon of the extract to the mixture.
If using the powdered ube sweet potato, reconstitute ¼ cup in a small bowl with ⅓ water. Mix until you get a thick slurry. Using a coffee filter, add the ube mixture into the cone of the filter and squeeze out about 1 tablespoon of liquid. Add to the leche flan mixture.
- Crack twelve eggs, leaving the whites in a separate container. Save them for another recipe.
- Whisk the egg yolks with the condensed milk, vanilla, milk, and ube extract.
Mix and Prepare Ramekins
- Whisk the ingredients until fully blended.
- Divide the flan mixture equally among the six ramekin.
Cover and Bake
We are not steaming this Ube leche flan as traditionally done. We are going to cover and use a bain marie, or a hot water bath used with typical creme brulee's or custards.
You an use a set specifically made for this, it comes with the ramekin that fit perfectly into an easy to lift in and out rack. Or you can use a 9 x 13 baking pan and add the water after setting it in the oven.
- Use small pieces of aluminum foil to cover each ramekin. Place in the bain marie rack and pan, or set into a 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Fill the baking pan with hot water to 1" from the top of the ramekins. Bake in the oven at 325 F for 50 minutes. Remove and refrigerate 2-3 hours.
Serving Suggestions
After the leche flan has set up in the refrigerator remove the aluminum foil covers. Using a thin knife, run the knife around the inside of the ramekin to release the flan from the sides.
Run hot water over the base of the ramekin, then place a saucer over the top. Tip upside down so the flan falls out onto the saucer. The caramel sauce will drizzle down the sides.
Serve this beautiful dessert with Adobong Chicken Liver on top or with White Rice. It can be accompanied by our Traditional Pork Lumpia or Fresh Vegetable Lumpia, followed with our Filipino Banana Turons for dessert!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
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Substitutions and Variations
The only difference between regular leche flan and ube leche flan is the ube. You can simply leave it out and make a splendid, rich leche flan!
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides. The baking tools and supplies I used for this recipe are as follows:
- Creme Brulee Bake Set (water bath pan, rack, and 6 ramkins)
- Liquid Ube Extract (super easy to work with!) OR
- Powdered Ube (you can make your own Ube liquid with this powdered yam)
Storage
Cover any leftover ramkins of ube leche flan. Wait to turn them out until ready to serve. Just cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Run a little hot water on the bottom of the ramkin before serving. This will allow the cold caramel sauce to release the set up dessert.
Tips for Success
- When working with ube extract or the powdered ube, wear some disposable nitrile gloves, as it does take some washing to remove the purple.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but you may see a change in the texture when you defrost it. It will taste the same, but the freezing may alter the consistency of this dessert.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Ube Leche Flan
Equipment
- Creme Brulee Bake Set included bain marie, rack, and 6 ramkins
- Hot Water for the bain marie during baking
Ingredients
- 12 egg yolks
- 14 oz can Condensed Milk
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 cup half & half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ teaspoon Ube extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325° F. Set the oven rack to the middle of the oven. Heat 4 cups hot water and keep ready for filling the baker after the filled ramkins are set in the baker and placed in the oven.
- Heat the sugar over medium heat with 2 teaspoons of water (to help prevent scorching). Stir constantly until the sugar melts and turns brown. Pour 2½ to 3 tablespoons of the caramelized sugar in each of the 6 ramkins. Set the ramkins into the creme brulee rack, and set the rack inside the baker. Set aside.¾ cup white sugar
- Crack the eggs, collecting the egg yolks in a bowl and saving the egg whites for another recipe, another time.12 egg yolks
- Stir in the condensed milk, half and half (or whole milk), vanilla, and Ube extract. Stir to mix well with a wire whisk or a hand mixer.14 oz can Condensed Milk, 1 cup half & half, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1½ teaspoon Ube extract
- Pour mixed flan mixture into each ramkin, dividing it equally. Cover each ramkin with a small piece of aluminum foil. Set each ramkin into the creme brulee rack or place in a 9 x 13" baking pan.
- Place the creme brulee baker or 9 x 13 baking pan holding the ramkins in the middle of the oven. Pour hot water in the baker until it come to 1" from the rims of the ramkins. Gently slide rack into the oven and bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove creme brulee baker carefully after baking. Lift the rack out of the hot water and set in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours until set up and cool.
- Remove the aluminum foil covers. To serve, run a thin knife along the inside of each ramkin. Run hot water over the base of the ramkin for 30 seconds. Place a saucer over the top, then flip over. The flan will fall out upside down with the caramel sauce drizzling own the sides. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute whole milk for the half and half if you want to reduce the calorie load.
- Use gloves when handling ube powder.
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