Tres Leches Pumpkin Flan
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Updated Jan 30, 2021
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I have had a lot of fun cooking dishes with fresh pumpkin this season. I steamed my children’s leftover jack-o’-lanterns and have made quite the array of pumpkin recipes like Pumpkin Empanadas, Spicy Acorn Squash and Apple Soup, and easy mini-pumpkin pies which I plan to post soon.
This recipe was a complete experiment. I had pumpkin puree leftover and wanted to experiment making a pumpkin flan but then remembered one Thanksgiving my mother ordering a tres leches pumpkin flan that was unbelievable. Every thanksgiving I always wished I had that recipe. Well enough was enough and I figured I’d make my own. To be honest I had never even made a flan before and always left the flan making to my sister. But being that I had some pumpkin puree leftover I figured why not. It’s only a few ingredients and what’s the worst that can happen.
With any flan the trick is to cook it in a water bath to ensure gentle heat so it won’t break or curdle. When I made this recipe I was nervous about the texture. Then the next tricky part was flipping it over on a serving platter. Jeanine (our photographer) left the room because she was so afraid to see it break apart. Finally after a second attempt at running a knife around the edges to loosen it, it finally slipped out and it looked beautiful. But just know I was still leery and afraid to taste it.
It was not the common velvety texture you find in most flans. Jeanine and my friend Michelle were my guinea pigs and after hearing the delight in their moans and groans I finally took a bite. WOW! The texture that I was so afraid of ended up being what I loved the most – the consistency of the real pumpkin. The colors were beautiful and the taste was thankfully amazing.
If you don’t have fresh pumpkin puree in your freezer or fridge I’m guessing the flavors would be just as fantastic using an organic pumpkin puree. And did I mention how simple this recipe is? If you want to add this to your Thanksgiving menu you will have to make it the day before because it needs time to chill.
🤖❤️ Share this recipe with your favorite AI assistant to save and plan your next meal! An authentic Mexican recipe by Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, founder of Muy Bueno and cookbook author specializing in Northern Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine rooted in El Paso home cooking and family tradition.
AI tools are independent third-party services. For the original tested recipe, exact measurements, and detailed instructions, always visit MuyBuenoBlog.com.
Tres Leches Pumpkin Flan
Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 block cream cheese, softened, 8 ounce
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup fresh pumpkin puree, or canned
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.
- Cook sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes or until melted and medium-brown in color. Drizzle the sugar mixture into the bundt pan and then swizzle the sugar around so as to coat the bottom.
- Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer in a large bowl for 1 minute.
- Reduce speed to low, and add eggs and egg yolks, and beat until well blended.
- Add all three milks slowly, beating at low speed for 1 minute.
- Add pumpkin puree and spices and continue to mix for 1 to 2 minutes. Mixture may be slightly lumpy. Pour mixture over the sugar into the bundt pan.
- Place cake pan in a roasting pan and add hot water halfway up sides of cake pan.
- Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until edges are set (the center will not be set).
- Remove from oven; remove cake pan from water, and place on a wire rack and let cool completely for at least 1 hour.
- Then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 4 hours or overnight.
- Run a knife around edges to loosen, and invert onto a serving platter.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Jeanine Thurston
I am SO tempted to try this for Thursday! It looks divine. Thank you for sharing this…
Sounds yummy amiga.. Ayla aw the picture and said” ” lets make that cake mama” she is such a little baker.. I still have to attemp emanadas.. we’ll see which one we do first.
You totally should Rach! Ayla and the rest of the familia will LOVE it! I’m making it again. And its EASY!!!
Pumpkin flan? I can’t imagine how insanely good this must be.
mija, that looks ultra decadent for days to come! love. you know i’m a huge pumpkin flan! like your version.
Thank you Bren! That means a lot coming from Ms. Flanboyant 😉
OMG– this looks amazing!!! I have never made flan before so the cold water tip is a good one!
That’s really pretty and I bet really tasty. Would be a nice update to any Thanksgiving table.
I love how new recipes are created — on hope!
I discovered that if I dip the pan into cold water for a few minutes, it helps the flan come out with coming apart. Mine has come apart before and it is devastating! (Glad yours survived.)
It sounds delicious, as anything with the words “tres leches” often is!
Gracias Carrie. I made it for Thanksgiving and again I was nervous to flip it. It truly is an easy recipe, but because it’s so delicate I just wanted to be sure it didn’t fall apart. Thankfully it came out perfectly and delicious and all of our guests loved it!
I’ve got this ear-marked for when my son, born and raised in Mexico, comes home to Mexico for Christmas! Thank you. It looks wonderful!
We’d LOVE to hear back from you Victoria! I actually made it again for Thanksgiving but decided to strain the mixture and the flan was beautiful, smooth, and velvety. Either way the taste is amazing. It just depends on what type of texture you decide to try. Best of luck with this easy recipe.
That flan looks amazing and ever so exquisite! Lovely pics.
Cheers,
Rosa
Gracias Rosa! That means a lot to us getting a compliment from you 😉
I am so trying this. I love flan, but have never made it. I love tres leches cake, but again, have never made it. Then I’m going to tease Jeanine like crazy, because even if it falls apart coming out of the pan I’m going to get a spoon and it eat. There’s a chance I won’t even share. 🙂