Egg-Free Custard Just as Creamy as the Bakery’s: Find Out How!

Eggs have long been a staple in our kitchens. They are nutritious, cost-effective, and incredibly versatile, adept at everything from binding cake batters to adding volume to sponge cakes, thickening custard, enriching quiches, or glazing pastries. Few ingredients can boast such a multitude of uses, which is why their absence on store shelves often leaves us bewildered.

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Yet, some people forgo them daily. Some by choice, in adherence to a vegan diet, others out of necessity due to allergies. Does this mean we must give up desserts that typically rely on their texture and structure? Fortunately not. In recent years, plant-based alternatives have proliferated, adeptly mimicking many classic desserts. Even flan has been successfully recreated without eggs…

On Instagram, Elisabeth Loncke effortlessly mastered the challenge with her egg-free, gluten-free, and lactose-free flan. This recipe caters to a wide range of dietary restrictions without sacrificing the essentials: a dense, smooth, and incredibly creamy consistency that rivals those seen in pastry shop display cases. Another advantage? Its simplicity: just 3 ingredients, a few whisks, and it’s done!

To make it, simply whisk together 600 g of vanilla-flavored plant-based yogurt (or any other flavored yogurt, such as strawberry, lemon, or chocolate to mix things up), 140 g of apple sauce, and 90 g of cornflower (cornstarch) until smooth. Pour the mixture into a high-sided 15 cm diameter silicone mold and bake for 45 minutes at 150°C in an Airfryer. If using a conventional oven, Elisabeth suggests extending the cooking time slightly until the flan sets. Then, let it cool completely before unmolding.

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There’s a common saying that you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs. However, it seems you can indeed make a superb flan without using any at all!