Purin (Japanese Custard Pudding)

What is Purin?

Purin is the Japanese name for Crème Caramel or Flan, which is a dessert comprised of a baked custard, served with a caramel sauce. What makes the Japanese version different is the way it is served, and one popular method is in small glass jars, similar to how they are sold in Japanese convenience stores.

In Japan, Crème Caramel is called “pudding”, which is pronounced “purin” by the Japanese.

The classic way of serving Purin is the same as a French Crème Caramel, which is to invert it onto a plate so that the caramel sauce drapes over the custard pudding. The Japanese like to go one step further and top their puddings with whipped cream and a glacé cherry, which is how Purin is served in retro Japanese coffee shops (called “kissaten”).

However, with the rise in popularity of Japanese convenience stores, as well as many pâtisseries throughout Japan, Purin can be found sold in small glass jars or plastic tubs, making them a convenient dessert to eat on the go or take home.

In France and Switzerland, Flan is a very popular dessert which you can buy in small pots at the supermarket. They satisfy a craving in a pinch if you don’t have time to make your own, but nothing beats homemade.

Purin (Japanese Pudding)

My first time eating Purin was on a JAL flight from Australia to Switzerland via Japan when I was a student. I was served a cute little glass jar for dessert as part of my meal, and I was intrigued that it tasted exactly like a crème caramel, except that it was served in a French-style yoghurt pot.

On a trip to Japan in 2024, I was delighted to find these same little glass pots of Purin at the breakfast buffet at our hotel. Ever since then, I have been obsessed with recreating them at home.

But if you ever find yourself in Japan, it is worth seeking out the old-fashioned cafés to experience Purin in its most classic form. There are some cafés that serve just Purin and will offer a variety of flavours which change from season to season.

Purin Recipe

My recipe for Purin is essentially the same as how I make a French-style crème caramel, except the recipe has been adjusted slightly to make them in small glass yoghurt pots which have a 125 ml/ 1/2 cup capacity. I happen to think these little pots are a good serving size for dessert – not too big, but just enough to satisfy a sweet craving.

I go through phases of making homemade yoghurt, as well as Vietnamese Yoghurt, which is why I have so many of these little glass jars at home. When I am not using them to make yoghurt, they happen to be great for storing salad dressings or sauces.

If you don’t have similar glass jars, I would recommend using small drinking glasses with a similar capacity, but make sure they are oven-proof.

How to Make Purin

Step 1

Start by making the caramel. What follows is a long set of instructions, but making caramel is actually very easy – it just takes a bit of practice.

Place the sugar and 1 tablespoon of water into a small saucepan, and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium heat. As the sugar starts to dissolve, swirl the pan slightly so that any remaining sugar is absorbed by the water, and so the mixture can caramelise evenly. Do not use any utensil to stir the caramel.

Watch the caramel carefully because once the syrup starts to gain a little colour, it will caramelise very quickly. Once the caramel is a deep golden colour (similar to a dark honey) take the pan off the heat. It will darken further in the next step, so keep this in mind because the darker the caramel, the less sweet and more bitter it will taste.

Stand back and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of water to the caramel. The caramel will splutter so be careful! Once the spluttering has stopped and the caramel is not bubbling so furiously anymore, carefully give the pan another swirl so that the caramel is evenly distributed.

Step 2

While the caramel is still hot, pour the caramel into 8 little glass jars, about 1/2 tablespoon per jar. I have used glass jars with a capacity of 125 ml/ 1/2 cup. The caramel will set while you get on with the rest of the recipe.

Step 3

Pour the milk, cream and vanilla into a saucepan, and bring it just to the boil over medium-high heat. Once the mixture starts to bubble, immediately take the pan off the heat.

Step 4

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and cornflour (US: cornstarch).

Add a few splashes of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, quickly whisking as you do so. Then gradually whisk in the remaining milk mixture in a slow and steady stream.

This step is known as “tempering”, whereby you add the hot milk to the eggs in a slow manner so as to not cook or scramble the eggs. As you add more hot milk to the eggs and slowly raise the temperature of the mixture, you can add more of the milk until you have a smooth custard.

Step 5

Pour the custard through a fine strainer into a large jug. The strainer will remove any pieces of cooked egg in the mixture, so that you will have a silky smooth custard.

Set the jug aside for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.

Step 6

If, at this stage, the caramel in the jars have not set (i.e. you can see the caramel move as you swirl the jars), it probably means that your caramel was too thin (maybe you added too much water) or your room is very warm. Simply place the jars in the fridge for about 5 minutes for the caramel to set completely. See my Tips below.

Place the glass jars into a high-sided baking pan or an oven-proof saucepan. Pour the custard mixture into each glass jar.

Step 7

Preheat the oven to 140°C/300°F (with fan).

Fill the baking pan with hot water (80°C/176°F) until it reaches halfway up the custard in the pots. Cover the whole pan tightly with foil, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the custards have set with the merest hint of a wobble.

Remove the pots from the water bath, dry the glasses with a tea towel, and leave them to cool to room temperature. Cover each jar with a lid (if they come with lids), and place them in the fridge to set for a few hours, but overnight is best.

Tips for Making Purin

1. Caramel preference. If this is your first time making caramel, err on the side of making a light caramel which will taste sweet and mild. As you become more confident making caramel, you can make it a bit darker each time, until you reach your ideal caramel preference. A darker caramel has a deeper, slightly bitter, flavour. However, if you go too far, the caramel will just taste bitter and unpleasant.
2. Make sure the caramel has set. Before adding the custard to the pots, make sure the caramel has set at the bottom. If you swirl the jar and can see the caramel move, it means that it has not set, and this is probably due to the caramel being too thin – perhaps you added too much water, or the room is too warm. Simply place the jars into the fridge for about 5 minutes for the caramel to set completely. It is important that the caramel has set, otherwise it will simply dissolve into the custard.
3. Cool the custard. Following on from the previous point, if the custard is too hot, it can dissolve the caramel when you pour it into the pots.
4. Use moulds instead of glass jars. If you wish to make a French-style Crème Caramel where you invert the pudding onto a plate before serving, you can use dariole moulds with a similar capacity. Follow the same recipe instructions below. If you use larger dariole moulds, you will need to bake for longer. Just before serving, dip the moulds into a bowl of hot water to help loosen the caramel and custard, before inverting the mould onto a small lipped plate.
5. Washing up. To remove any leftover caramel in the saucepan, fill the pan with hot water, and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat. This method will dissolve any leftover caramel stuck to the pan, making the pan easier to wash up. Similarly, if you have any caramel stuck to the bottom of a jar, fill it with hot water and leave it to sit until the caramel dissolves.