Maple syrup and ricotta cheese come together in this delicious and easy-to-make dessert. Ricotta Flan With Maple Syrup is an impressive dessert that can be made up to a day ahead and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.
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Flan is one of my favorite desserts. The first time I made this flan, I was skeptical about the combination of flavors. But after one bite, I was hooked. It’s simply divine! The maple syrup complements the ricotta perfectly and gives the flan a lovely depth of flavor.
I love ricotta for its creamy texture, mild flavor, and versatility. I have used it in various recipes, from savory dishes like lasagna to sweet desserts like this. But my all-time favorite ricotta recipe has to be Maple Ricotta Flan.
What is a Flan?
Flan is a dessert made with custard that is baked. Usually, it is sweet and covered with caramel syrup. However, there are also savory flan recipes.
Custard is an egg-based cream and is rather delicate. Therefore, custard-based dishes need to be baked in a water bath in the oven to give them a light velvety texture.
This recipe uses ricotta cheese rather than milk, which is how you’d make a traditional flan recipe. The use of ricotta gives the custard a different texture – a little bit grainy. Finally, the maple syrup adds a mild sweet earthy note; it’s the perfect finishing touch.
Why This Recipe Works
This flan is a light, impressive, and decadent dessert you will love making for weeknights, dinner parties, and special occasions. The recipe is so easy to make and always turns out perfectly.
It is perfect if you want to prepare a simple dessert ahead of time because it is best if refrigerated overnight. Then, when ready to serve, run a knife around the edges, invert each flan onto a plate, and let the maple syrup run down the edges of the custard.
Ingredients To Use For This Recipe
- Ricotta cheese
- Maple syrup
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Ground nutmeg or cinnamon, optional
- Boiling water – for the water bath (for baking)
Special Equipment
This Ricotta Flan With Maple Syrup recipe is prepared using individual molds. Special individual flan molds work perfectly for this recipe, like these Individual flan molds or Custard cups. However, you can use any type of custard cup or ramekin you have at hand.
Since I have never tried this recipe with a large flan mold, I don’t know how long you would need to cook it to make it like that. You can certainly try if you want to make it in a large mold. Remember that you will need to cook it longer to account for the size.
You will also need a 9×13 casserole dish for baking the custard in the water bath.
How To Make Maple Ricotta Flan
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Pour 1 tablespoon of maple syrup into 6 custard cups, swirling the maple syrup around the cup to coat on all sides.
Place the custard cups into a 9×13 casserole dish.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, ricotta cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and remaining maple syrup until smooth and creamy. Refrain from beating the mixture, or it will become foamy.
Divide the custard mixture between the six custard cups using a large ice cream scoop or small ladle.
If desired, sprinkle each custard cup with ground nutmeg or cinnamon.
Place the casserole dish on the oven rack.
Carefully pour boiling water into the casserole dish until about 1-inch of water fills around the custard cups.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center returns clean.
Remove the custard cups from the water bath and allow them to cool completely before chilling.
Cover the custard cups and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight before serving.
To serve, run a small sharp knife around each custard and put a serving plate over the custard cup. Invert the plate and custard cup so that the custard releases from the cup and the maple syrup runs down the side of the flan. Serve immediately.
Notes And Cooking Tips
Flan recipes frequently warn to whisk gently just to combine and not whip air into the custard.
Make-ahead Tips
This dessert is perfect if you need to prepare a simple yet impressive dessert ahead of time. Flan is best if refrigerated overnight. Remember to cover the individual flans before transferring them to the fridge.
Then, when ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the mold, invert it onto a plate, and let the maple syrup run down the edges of the custard.
Storing leftovers
Cover the top of any leftover flans with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
This dessert does not freeze well; the texture of the custard may be altered. So, prepare only what you know you’ll eat in the next few days.
More Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Avocado Mousse
- Quick Rustic Puff Pastry Apple Tart
- Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey-Yogurt Dip
- Greek Ekmek Kataifi
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Ricotta Flan With Maple Syrup
Ingredients
- ½ cup maple syrup divided
- 4 eggs beaten
- 1 15-oz container ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Ground nutmeg or cinnamon optional
- Boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325oF.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of maple syrup into the custard cups, swirling the maple syrup around the cup to coat on all sides.
- Place the custard cups into a 9×13 casserole dish.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, ricotta cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and remaining maple syrup until smooth and creamy. Refrain from beating the mixture, or it will become foamy.
- Divide the custard mixture between the six custard cups using a large ice cream scoop or small ladle.
- If desired, sprinkle each custard cup with ground nutmeg or cinnamon.
- Place the casserole dish on the oven rack.
- Carefully pour boiling water into the casserole dish until about 1-inch of water fills around the custard cups.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center returns clean.
- Remove the custard cups from the water bath and allow them to cool completely before chilling.
- Cover the custard cups and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight before serving.
- To serve, run a small sharp knife around each custard and put a serving plate over the custard cup. Invert the plate and custard cup so that the custard releases from the cup and the maple syrup runs down the side of the flan. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Flan recipes frequently warn to whisk gently just to combine and
not whip air into the custard. - This dessert is perfect if you need to prepare a simple yet impressive dessert ahead of time. Flan is best if refrigerated overnight. Remember to cover the individual flans before transferring them to the fridge. Then, when ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the mold, invert it onto a plate, and let the maple syrup run down the edges of the custard.
- Cover the top of any leftover flans with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- This dessert does not freeze well; the texture of the custard may be altered. So, prepare only what you know you’ll eat in the next few days.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and for entertainment purposes only. This information comes from online calculators. Although eatmediterraneanfood.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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I absolutely love flan so I had to give this ricotta version a try. I’m so glad I did. It was a nice change from my standard recipe.
Incredibly good this flan with ricotta, and I love ricotta! Plus it’s a super easy dessert to make!
Such an interesting way to make flan! Ricotta is delish and the maple syrup goes so well with it!
This is perfect! I loved the creaminess of it and the maple syrup was just the right amount of sweetness!
Using my local maple syrup gave this dessert recipe that special touch of home. Your ricotta flan with maple syrup recipe was a huge hit in my house that I got requests to make is again and again.
Oh wow! This maple flan with ricotta cheese is so delicious. And it was easy to make too! I’ll never make my regular flan recipe again.
Love that this can be made ahead of time, it made the big day of feasting a lot less stressful having this ready and waiting to be served!