Your Go-To Tapioca Pudding Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHAT YOU GET: Sweet, creamy, and comforting vanilla pudding with soft, slightly chewy tapioca pearls. My tapioca pudding recipe is ready in no time at all.

Homemade tapioca pudding is a favorite of comfort food fans — you also just need a few simple ingredients! Likely, the only thing you may not have worked with before is small pearl tapioca, but don’t let that intimidate you. Tapioca pudding couldn’t be easier to make. 

I’ll walk you through preparing and using the tapioca, as well as getting the perfect creamy vanilla pudding the pearls are cooked in. The pearls in homemade pudding have such a wonderfully chewy and silky texture I’m positive you’ll never go back to instant! 

What Is Tapioca?

Tapioca is made from the root of a plant found in Brazil — the cassava plant. First, the plant is processed, and manioc flour is made, then the starch that is left over is made into tapioca. It’s a great carbohydrate that is also gluten-free! The starch is made into a couple of different forms, including a powder that helps thicken soups and is used in gluten-free baking, and pearls. These pearls are used in tapioca pudding — if you’ve had boba or bubble tea before, you’ve had larger tapioca pearls that have been colored or sweetened with brown sugar! If you’re interested in using tapioca flour, try my Brazilian Cheese Bread recipe! 

What Type Of Tapioca Should I Use For Homemade Tapioca Pudding?

Tapioca pearls have many different forms, including size and how they are prepared, so you want to be sure you get the right pearls for this pudding. I use small pearl tapioca for my pudding — the medium-sized pearls would need to soak longer in order to get that great chewy texture. 

You also don’t want to use instant tapioca pearls, sometimes labeled as “quick-cooking.” 

You’ll also want to be sure you purchase tapioca pearls and not boba. Boba is sweetened and colored. Tapioca pearls for pudding should be clear and pretty flavorless. Typically, boba is larger than the small pearls you want for pudding. Raw, they will look white, almost like round grains of rice. 

How Do I Prepare Raw Tapioca?

Before you start making tapioca pudding, you will have to first soak your raw tapioca pearls. For small tapioca pearls, I like to soak them in water for about 40 minutes. I find any less than 40 minutes makes the pudding way too chewy — so don’t skip the soaking step! To cook the pearls, first drain them, then add them to your saucepan with the milk, cream, and sugar, cooking the tapioca over low heat and stirring constantly until thickened. Then, temper in the eggs and continue cooking until you reach a pudding texture. Follow my recipe below for the step-by-step guide.

Are Tapioca Pearls Fish Eggs?! Frog Eggs?!

Small tapioca pearls are sometimes called “fish eggs” or “frog eggs” due to their tiny, round appearance but don’t worry — they are not eggs of any animal. They are vegan and made from the root of a plant! Kids, especially, claim tapioca are fish eggs. For the life of me, I can’t find the origin of that rumor. According to Wikipedia, the Mandarin name for tapioca pearls translates to “frog eggs!”

Tools You Need To Make Tapioca Pudding

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Saucepan

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Tapioca Pudding

• Make sure to use small pearl tapioca for this pudding. Medium pearl tapioca would need an overnight soak.
• Don’t skimp on the soaking time for the tapioca, or your pudding will be too chewy!
• The hot tapioca mixture is added gradually to the eggs to temper them. If the eggs are added to the hot tapioca mixture all at once, they could scramble.
• Be especially careful to cook this pudding over low heat and stir constantly once you add the eggs; because of the tapioca pearls, you can’t strain this custard to remove any egg curds.
• My Danish Risalamande has a wonderful cherry sauce that would also be amazing served with this pudding.

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