Traditional Spanish Natillas

5 from 1 vote

These Spanish Natillas are one of the easiest desserts that require absolutely no baking skills. This is the traditional recipe of the “Abuela” and it’s a delicious, creamy, and almost silky vanilla flan with a touch of cinnamon.

Prep Time0

Cook Time15

Fridge time4

Total Time4 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Spanish

Keyword: natillas

Servings: people

Calories: 169.7kcal

Ingredients

500 ml Whole Milk (About 2 cups)
4 tbsp sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp vanilla essence
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 maria style cookies

Instructions

In a pot, heat the milk with the cinnamon stick, sugar, and vanilla essence over medium heat. When the milk is about to start boiling, turn off the heat and let the milk rest for about 10 min.
In the meantime, beat the yolks lightly and add the cornstarch bit by bit to avoid big lumps. Mix until there are no lumps.
Remove the cinnamon stick from the milk. Grab ¼ cup of warm spiced milk and add it to the yolk. Beat slowly to temper the eggs.
Heat the milk over low heat and add the tempered yolks. Stir constantly. At this stage, it should take a minute or two before the mix starts to thicken. As soon as you get a flan-like consistency (see pictures above) take the pot out of the heat.
Pour the natillas into individual ramekins. Top with maria cookies. Take the natillas to the fridge for at least 4 hr (it’s best to leave overnight)

Nutrition