Instant Pot Blood Orange Flan (creme caramel)

This delicious blood orange flan requires a handful of ingredients and gets transformed in the Instant Pot into a rich and creamy winter dessert.

Last weekend, our neighbors gave us some blood oranges from their garden and we turned them into a delicious flan. Known in Spanish cuisine as flan and in French cuisine as creme caramel, this custard based dessert topped with a layer of caramel sauce is a wonderful classic. The French tend to make individual servings in ramekins while the Spanish go large. While the traditional flan is baked in the oven with a water bath, making flan in the Instant Pot cuts the time in half that results in the creamiest flan you'll ever taste. I’m so excited to share a citrus forward dessert with you, my Instant Pot blood orange flan. 

Ingredient note

Oranges: I used blood oranges for this recipe but navel, Valencia, or cara cara oranges are great substitute.

Heavy cream: I used half heavy cream and half milk for a balance in richness. If you want it less rich, use all milk. If you want it more rich, use all heavy cream.

How to make the caramel

The first part of this recipe requires the caramel sauce. You’ll bring sugar and water to a boil over medium-high heat and gently swirl the pan to incorporate the sugar. As it cooks, it will quickly go from light to dark. Watch it carefully to prevent it from burning — when it reaches an amber color, remove it off the heat and pour it into your ramekin.

How to make the flan custard

To make the custard, heat heavy cream, milk, sugar, orange juice, zest, and cinnamon over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble at the edges. Remove the pan from heat and let it steep for 15 minutes to infuse the flavor. Use the warm milk mixture to temper the egg and sugar and strain everything before pouring the custard into the ramekin.

Tips for making flan in the Instant Pot

If you haven’t made flan in the Instant Pot before, reading through these tips will ensure the easiest, tastiest flan you’ll ever make.

• For the best flavor make the flan a day ahead from when you want to serve it.
• I have the 8-quart Instant Pot Duo Crisp Pressure Cooker which fits a 8-inch ramekin. 
• Cover the flan with foil to prevent condensation from dripping down forming bubbles on top of the flan.
• Cooking the flan on high pressure will result in the best texture.
• It’s important to refrigerate the flan for at least 4 hours for the texture to set and the eggy flavor to mellow out.

Your patience will be rewarded with the most delicious blood orange flan. To remove the flan, run a knife around the edge of the ramekin and flip it onto a serving platter. I also topped the flan with segmented blood orange slices before serving.

The burnt caramel cuts through the richness and sweetness of the flan while the segmented blood oranges add a refreshing taste to each bite. I love the subtle flavor of orange and cinnamon in this flan. My Instant Pot blood orange flan will be on repeat until blood orange season is over.

For more blood orange dessert inspiration, check these recipes: Instant Pot blood orange creme brulee, cardamom blood orange sorbet, blood orange labneh tart, blood orange panna cotta, blood orange chocolate chip sorbet.