flan

American  

[flan, flahn, flahn, flahn] / flæn, flɑn, flɑn, flɑ̃ /

noun

• flans,
  plural
• flanes
  plural

1. Spanish Cooking. a dessert of sweetened egg custard with a caramel topping.

2. an open, tartlike pastry, the shell of which is baked in a bottomless band of metal flan ring on a baking sheet, removed from the ring and filled with custard, cream, fruit, etc.

3. a piece of metal shaped ready to form a coin, but not yet stamped by the die.

4. the metal of which a coin is made, as distinct from its design.

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flan British  

/ flæn /

noun

1. an open pastry or sponge tart filled with fruit or a savoury mixture

2. a piece of metal ready to receive the die or stamp in the production of coins; shaped blank; planchet

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• flanes
  plural
• flans
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of flan

1840–50; < French; Old French flaon < Late Latin fladōn-, stem of fladō < Germanic; compare Old High German flado ( German Fladen ) flat cake

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Explanation

The word flan is used to describe several different foods, most of which involve either pastry or custard. It's also used in the making of coins (not for a type of food). A flan can be a dessert that's custard-baked without any pastry and covered with a caramel topping. It can also be a type of open-topped pie or tart. The pastry shell for this type can be filled with sweet stuff, like cream, custard, and fruit, or savory stuff, like cheese, potatoes, and caramelized onions. In money production, on the other hand, a flan is a blank disk of metal that gets stamped to turn it into a coin.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flan flans

I love a party, but lately the trick has been to spend time with loved ones and feed them well with easy recipes like chicken piccata, flan, spaghetti al limone and this caramelized-corn salad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Don’t skip dessert: the coffee flan is silky smooth and utterly addictive.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2025

Leche flan is the Filipino version of creme caramel.

From Washington Times ● May 31, 2023

Her pastries rest in the center of the comforting/interesting axis, ranging from tiramisu, opera cake and flan to puddings and croissants in seasonal flavors.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2023

“Hermanita, you make the best flan of anyone I know,” Aunt Sylvia says in English, so Uncle Bill and Dennis and Lily understand, since they don’t speak Spanish.

From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar

The flans come in several flavors, including passion fruit, coffee and, for fall, pumpkin.

From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2020

Before there was this Peruvian restaurant, which opened at the beginning of summer, there were Claudia Berroa’s flans.

From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2020

The Berroas moved to the Bronx in 2007, and for Thanksgiving that year churned out 300 pie-size flans in their apartment’s galley kitchen.

From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2014

So I go up to the next guy, and he takes me over to the flans and the puddings.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 10, 2011

My mouth, for instance, craved sweets, figs in their heavy syrup, coconut candy, soft golden flans.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

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Related Words

• disc
• plate
• platter

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