Authentic Brazilian Pudim (Brazilian Flan)

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This recipe for Authentic Brazilian Pudim (Brazilian Flan) is sooo easy and tasty, making it the best make-ahead custard dessert for guests and parties. Though it is made in the blender and requires just a few simple ingredients, this Brazilian dessert recipe will impress with its stunning caramelized syrup topping.

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What is Brazilian Flan (Pudim de Leite Condensado)?

Pudim (or pudim de leite) is the Brazilian name for baked pudding. Its main ingredients are heavy cream, eggs, and sweetened condensed milk. 

Yep. It’s sugar water. But the preparation makes all the difference. 

If you have ever tasted Mexian flan, then you can already imagine the texture of the syrup that bathes pudim. It’s super sweet because it only consists of two ingredients: water and sugar. 

I never knew that sugar could “melt” until I made my first Brazilian pudim. I think I would make the recipe just to watch the sugar caramelize and change completely. It’s like the best science experiment in the kitchen. 

This dessert makes its way onto our list of must-try foods when you travel to Brazil for good reason: It is popular, sweet, and smooth. Whipped up with the primary ingredient of sweetened condensed milk, Brazilian Pudim (Flan Dessert) is a classic on the tables of this South American nation. And this recipe is simple enough that you can make it in your own house–wherever you live.

Tips for Making This Brazilian Flan (Pudim)

Time to buckle down and make this delicious recipe! Here are some important tips to guarantee success:

• Use good covering for your skin, especially when caramelizing the sugar.
• When you add the water to the caramelized sugar, it may spit a bit. Make sure to add the water only a little at a time (I say about 1/4 cup).
• Blend the custard for 5 minutes on low speed ONLY. Do not overblend. It is easy to change the texture of the custard by over-blending it.

Brazilian Flan Ingredients

Brazilian pudim is uncomplicated in its ingredients. All you will need is these everyday items:

• Eggs
• Sweetened condensed milk
• White granulated sugar
• Filtered water
• Milk
• Vinegar (any kind will do, but I like to use white vinegar for this)

Making the Syrup

In a medium saucepan over high heat, stir the sugar. When the sugar begins to “melt” and caramelize, take care not to burn it. It is ready when it becomes a deep golden color.

Slowly add the water, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly. Continue to stir over the heat until the water and sugar are well mixed. Turn off the heat.

Pour the syrup into a non-fluted Bundt pan or tube cake pan. Spread the syrup evenly over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

Making the Custard

In a blender, mix together all the ingredients (eggs, condensed milk, and milk) on high for 5 minutes. Pour the flan mixture into the prepared tube cake pan.

Baking the Flan

Place the pan of pudim in the center of a 9″x13″ baking dish.

Prepare a water-vinegar bath in the bottom of a 9″x13″ baking dish. Mix together the water and vinegar and pour in the dish. Add additional water until the level of the water meets the level of the pudim inside the pan. (Do not let the water spill over into the pan.)

Cover the flan pan with baking foil. (I have also simply placed another baking dish on top of the pudim, and this has worked fine, too. The point is to guard the pudim from burning.)

Bake for one hour, or until the pudim is set.

Remove from the oven, remove the baking foil, and let cool. (I like to leave the pan inside of the water bath until the bath has cooled. Then I remove the pudim pan to cool and dry off.)

Once the pudim is cool, run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the pudim. Place a serving plate on top of the pan. Then, gripping the pan and the plate firmly, flip the pan over so that the pudim slips onto the plate. The syrup should run down the sides of the pudim and create a puddle around the pudim.

Chill for at least two hours in the refrigerator before serving.

What Equipment Do You Need to Make Brazilian Flan (Pudim)?

For a full-sized pudim, use this tube cake pan.

For two single-serving-sized pudim, use two custard cups.

A blender

A saucepan (I prefer stainless steel)

A spatula

How to Store Brazilian Flan

This Brazilian flan should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You do not need anything fancy. My family likes to simply place a large bowl upside-down on top of the serving plate, kind of like a dome.

The Brazilian Obsession with Sweetened Condensed Milk (Leite Condensado)

It was a normal sight in my house: My husband opening the refrigerator, opening a can of sweetened condensed milk, dipping a spoon inside, and eating about a quarter of the can in one sitting.

Normal–until I convinced him that this was definitely not healthy.

But my husband’s affinity for leite condensado (sweetened condensed milk) convinced me firmly and finally that this is the ingredient in all Brazilian desserts. 

If you’re making a Brazilian cake, what do you need for the icing? A glaze made with sweetened condensed milk.

If you’re whipping up some chocolate brigadeiro, what is the main ingredient? A can of sweetened condensed milk.

It’s simply in everything sweet in Brazil.

What Food is Brazil Famous For?

Brazil is a gastronomist’s paradise. With its tropical climate (and more temperate zone in the south), Brazil has an abundance of food and fruits of all varieties. 

While Brazil is famous primarily for its rice and beans and churrasco (barbecue), it also takes its place in world cuisine for dessert–mostly acai, brigadeiro, and the classic pudim. 

You don’t have to stay long in Brazil to discover why Americans and Brazilians seem to get along so well: Our taste palettes are extremely similar, and we both love our food.

What is a Common Dessert in Brazil?

When you enter a Brazilian home, your hostess will usually serve some type of salgado (savory snack) or bread. (Brazilian bread is literally served all day long and is the main dish for both breakfast and afternoon snack or cafe de tarde.)

However, she might also bring out the sweets. If you get the lucky chance to taste a Brazilian doce, you will marvel at how incredibly sweet it is. But if you get another chance to taste more than one dessert, you will begin to suspect that the same main ingredient lies behind it all. (And if you do, you will be correct.)

Brazilian desserts rely heavily on the sweetness and creaminess of sweetened condensed milk. This features large in a few desserts, with very few additional ingredients: arroz doce, vitamina de abacate, brigadeiro, beijinhos, mousse de maracuja (passion fruit mousse), and–of course–pudim.

What is a Popular Brazilian Dessert?

While there is not just one popular Brazilian dessert, cakes are very common in Brazil. Some are more sweet than others. And some, in fact, are basically cornbread. 

However, pudim is also at the top of the list for its popularity in Brazilian homes.

Closing Thoughts

Pudim de leite condensado is most certainly not health food. (Is any dessert?) However, it is near and dear to the hearts of Brazilians, including (of course) my husband.

For Brazilian expats like him, pudim is one of those desserts that you can make literally anywhere on the globe. Because it requires just a few simple ingredients (and not specialty ones like manioc flour), it’s super easy to make. 

If you know a Brazilian, show them some love and make this pudim as a gift for them. Or gobble it all down yourself. You choose. 😉

Tag #thesantoscookbook on social media with your pudim creation! I’d love to see how yours turns out!

P.S. Don’t miss these other great Brazilian foods!

• Brazilian Tapioca Crepes
• Simple Avocado Smoothie
• Authentic Brazilian Coxinha

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