Pearl Tapioca Pudding
intro
Nostalgic, creamy old-fashioned pearl tapioca pudding with chewy translucent pearls set in rich vanilla custard, a cozy comfort dessert for all ages.
Ingredients
Steps
Soak the tapioca pearls
Measure ½ cup (80g) small pearl tapioca into a medium mixing bowl, pour in 2 cups (480ml) cool filtered water, and leave to soak for 30 minutes at room temperature until pearls are slightly swollen. Drain fully using a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the soaking water.
Heat milk and tapioca
Pour 3 cups (720ml) whole milk into a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan, add the drained soaked tapioca and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt. Set the stove to medium-low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the mixture reaches a gentle, slow simmer (avoid rapid boiling, which scalds milk). This takes approximately 8-10 minutes.
Simmer until pearls soften
Once simmering, reduce heat to low, cover the pan partially with a lid to let steam escape, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes to prevent tapioca from sticking and burning on the pan bottom. Pearls are done when they are fully translucent with no hard, chalky white center, and the mixture has thickened slightly.
Temper the egg mixture
While the tapioca simmers, whisk 2 large eggs and ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar in a separate heatproof glass bowl until smooth and pale yellow, about 1 minute. Once the tapioca is fully translucent, slowly ladle ½ cup (120ml) of the hot tapioca-milk mixture into the egg bowl, whisking constantly and rapidly to prevent eggs from curdling. Repeat with a second ½ cup (120ml) of hot mixture, whisking nonstop.
Combine and cook custard
Pour the tempered egg-tapioca mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining tapioca, stirring constantly to combine. Keep heat on low, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring nonstop, until the pudding thickens to a rich custard consistency that coats the back of a wooden spoon (when you run a finger through the coating on the spoon, it should leave a clear line). Do not let the mixture boil at this stage, as high heat will cause curdling.
Finish and rest pudding
Remove the saucepan from heat, stir in 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, mixing until the butter is fully melted and the pudding is smooth. Let the pudding rest for 10 minutes at room temperature; it will continue to thicken as it cools. Serve warm, or cover and chill for 2 hours for a cold, firmer texture.
Tips
2.Keep heat at medium-low or low throughout the cooking process; high heat will scald the milk, burn the starchy tapioca on the pan bottom, or cause the egg custard to curdle.
3.If chilling the pudding to serve cold, press a sheet of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the warm pudding before refrigerating to prevent a thick, tough skin from forming on top.
OMG this tapioca pudding is EXACTLY what my grandma used to make! I’ve been chasing that flavor for years and finally nailed it with this recipe. The texture is so perfectly creamy, no weird gummy bits at all. Brought it to our neighborhood potluck last night and people were begging for the recipe. 10/10!
Game changer! I’ve been buying the pre-made pudding cups for my kids’ lunches forever and decided to try making this from scratch on Sunday for meal prep. It was so easy even with my chaotic weeknight schedule? My kids went crazy for it, said it’s way better than the store bought stuff. Even my picky 7 year old asked for seconds!
I was so skeptical about how easy this said it was, y’all. I’ve messed up tapioca so many times before—curdled eggs, rubbery pearls, you name it. This recipe walked me through every step perfectly, and it came out silky smooth first try! Topped mine with a little fresh strawberry compote and it was chef’s kiss.
Really solid base recipe! Flavor is perfect, texture was great after I let it chill for the full 2 hours like the recipe says. My only note is that it was a touch sweeter than I prefer, so next time I’ll cut the sugar by a quarter cup. Still, my whole family ate it after Sunday dinner and there were zero leftovers, so that’s a win!
Made this over our camp stove last weekend while we were camping in the Rockies and it was SUCH a hit! I was worried it wouldn’t turn out without my fancy kitchen stove, but it was so straightforward. We ate it warm right after cooking topped with crushed graham crackers, and it tasted like a fancy camp treat. Will be making this on every trip now!
Wait why did I think tapioca pudding was hard to make? This took barely any active time, most of it was just waiting for it to simmer and chill! Brought it to my church potluck yesterday and three people asked if I bought it from the local bakery. Little do they know it’s the easiest dessert I’ve ever made lmao. SO good.
So happy to find a classic gluten free dessert that doesn’t require 10 weird specialty ingredients! I’ve been missing the tapioca pudding my mom made when I was a kid, and this is spot on. It’s rich, creamy, no weird aftertaste from alternative ingredients. Perfect for my kid’s gluten free class party next week!
Made a half batch last night when I was craving something sweet after dinner and I ate the WHOLE thing standing over the sink lmao. No regrets. It’s so creamy, not too heavy, the vanilla flavor really shines through. Next time I’m making a full batch so I don’t have to share with my roommate, ha.
Taste was great, but I overcooked mine a little on the first try because I stepped away to answer a work call. Ended up a little thicker than I wanted, almost like a paste? Still edible, I just stirred in a little extra milk to thin it out and it was fine. Don’t be like me, don’t leave the stove when it’s simmering!
My grandma always added a tiny pinch of salt to her tapioca, so I did that here and it elevated the flavor so much! If you’re on the fence about adding salt, trust me, it makes the vanilla and sugar taste so much brighter. This is my new go-to tapioca recipe for sure.
This holds up so well in the fridge for meal prep! I made a batch on Sunday, portioned it into little jars, and grabbed one every morning for breakfast this week. It’s way more satisfying than my usual yogurt, and I love adding a handful of blueberries on top before I head out the door. 10/10 for easy weekly prep.
Added a half teaspoon of coconut extract and topped with toasted coconut flakes when I made this last weekend, and it was unreal! The base recipe is perfect for adding your own little twists, I’m already brainstorming what to add next—maybe a little matcha powder? Only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is I wish the recipe had a few variation ideas listed, but the base itself is perfect.
This tastes exactly like the tapioca pudding they served at the little diner my parents took me to every Friday night when I was a kid! I haven’t had it that good in 30 years, I almost cried when I took the first bite. So simple, so perfect, no fancy frills needed. Thank you for this recipe!