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Out of the European influence on the cuisine of Vietnam, Banh Flan evolved from Spanish Flan, and French Crème Caramel.
Vietnamese cooks ingeniously adapted the traditional flan recipe to create Banh Flan, infusing it with their own distinct flavors and preferences. The dish became an embodiment of cultural fusion, symbolizing the resilience and adaptability of Vietnamese cuisine.
What makes this dreamy Vietnamese dessert different from regular ol’ flan? With a creamy, rich custard made from coconut milk, thickened with agar agar (a neutral-tasting sea vegetable powder), and a caramel that is deliciously dark brown from the minerals in coconut sugar, banh flan bears only basic structural similarities from its eggy French origins. This recipe is completely vegan and gluten-free, so everyone can love the absolute heck out of it!
Other than the frigid and wonderful che ba mau, this banh flan is gonna be your go-to recipe during the summer when you want a cool refreshing, and light dessert. It is the best way to finish a Vietnamese meal of stir fried noodles, steamed buns, or rice paper salad.
Don’t be scared. This is even easier to make than my vegan creme brûlée, and shucks, that one is pretty dang hard to be easier than. Grab some cute lil’ ramekins, because you got this!
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Jump to:- ?Why you'll adore this Vietnamese flan recipe
- ? Ingredients for this Vietnamese flan recipe
- ? Banh Flan Variations
- ? How to make banh flan
- ?️Serving Ideas
- ?♀️Recipe FAQs
- ✌️My faves to serve with banh flan:
- Banh Flan (Vietnamese Crème Caramel)
Step 10
Allow the caramel to drizzle over the flan, and optionally garnish with a pinch of cinnamon.
?️Serving Ideas
Banh flan lends itself just as easily as a dessert for Asian as for Western menus. It’s also much easier to make than other Southeast Asian desserts such as Che Ba, or Martabak Manis.
Serve it at the end of an Indonesian meal of dishes such as bami goreng, ketoprak, sayur lodeh (a hearty coconut milk vegetable curry), served over nasi miyak or nasi uduk betawi (pandan and coconut rice).
Vietnamese flan can make a perfect following act to a dim sum feast when you don’t want a very heavy dessert. Serve it after chee cheong fun, crispy wonton fried rice dumplings, or the wonderful Burmese noodle dish Khao suey.
Because of it's European influence, it’s not out of place at all following more Western classics, like my vegan fried chicken, and elotes.
