Tapioca Pudding
This vegetarian builds small pearl tapioca, whole milk and white sugar into a satisfying meal you can have ready in about 60 minutes. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for saucepan and pan. At easy difficulty across 7 steps, it's a good one for a busy evening. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Soak the tapioca pearls in cold water to cover for about 30 minutes, then drain; this softens them and shortens the cooking time.
- Combine the drained tapioca, milk and a pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently to stop it catching.
- Cook at a low simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until the pearls turn translucent and the mixture thickens.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar until smooth, then temper them by slowly whisking in a ladleful of the hot tapioca to warm the eggs without scrambling them.
- Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook gently for a further 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the pudding coats the back of a spoon and reaches about 75 C; do not let it boil.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Serve warm, or press cling film onto the surface and chill before serving cold.
You'll use: Saucepan · Pan · Whisk
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
- Eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
Tips & common questions
How long does Tapioca Pudding take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 6 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Tapioca Pudding vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Tapioca Pudding is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Tapioca pudding-3.jpg by Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.