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A delightful milk-based custard thickened with the excess tapioca starch from hundreds of slightly chewy tapioca pearls.
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Why It Works
- Allowing tapioca pearls to soak for 12 hours softens and partially hydrates them.
- Tempering the eggs when adding them to the custard base ensures the pudding will come out smooth and silky.
- Pressing plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding keeps it from drying out and forming a leathery skin as it chills.
Tapioca pudding is the kind of dessert that gets forgotten about until it's sitting right in front of you, and then, all at once, you're smitten with it all over again. I recently fell back in love when, prompted by my recent obsession with using fine-ground pearls as a thickener for pie juices, I purchased several bags.
It was at thespice storethat I discovered why people might shy away from making tapioca at home. With few standards for pearl size and lots of arbitrary labeling, it can be hard to pin down exactly what size of pearls you are buying.
One taste of homemade tapioca pudding is all it takes to remind you why it's so very worth the risk of purchasing the wrong size. You'll love the creamy texture and simple vanilla flavor that's unadulterated by the cornstarch used in so many other pudding recipes. And, of course, there's the delightful little squish of the tapioca, like so many bubbles of happiness. A little extra soaking time can help mitigate against ratio issues if the tapioca pearls are too large for the recipe, and even if you slightly over-shoot the desired size, adding a little extra milk or cream right before serving can help ease a pudding that's too stiff.
May 2012
Recipe Details
Homemade Tapioca Pudding Recipe
Serves6 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup medium pearl tapioca (do not use instant varieties)
4 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon purevanilla extract
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 egg yolks
Directions
Place the tapioca in a large bowl with a quart of cold water. Cover and allow the tapioca to soak for at least 12 hours. When ready to use, use a fine-mesh strainer to drain off the water and set the soaked pearls aside.
In a large saucepan, combine the milk, vanilla, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt and set aside. Place eggs and yolks in a large bowl and whisk them until they are combined. Slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, a little at a time, whisking constantly, until all of the sugar is added. Whisk until the egg mixture is a very light yellow color, about 2 minutes, then set aside.
Place the saucepan with the milk mixture over low heat and bring to a simmer. Once it begins to bubble, remove the pot from heat and temper the eggs with the hot liquid by whisking the eggs constantly as you add the liquid a little at a time.
Once the two mixtures are completely combined, pour the custard back into the original pot and add the tapioca. Whisk constantly over low heat. As you whisk, the mixture will begin to thicken. Watch the pearls, they will become translucent, with just a bit of cloudiness in the centers, indicating that the pudding is done. Do not worry that the pudding looks a bit watery, as extra liquid will be absorbed during the cooling process. Scrape the pudding into a bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the top surface. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Read More
- Creamy Chocolate Tapioca Pudding
- Tapioca Pearls with Coconut Milk and Mango (Tambo-Tambo)
- Chè Chuối (Vietnamese Banana, Tapioca, and Coconut Milk Dessert)
- Vanilla Rice Pudding
- Bread Pudding
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 337 | Calories |
| 9g | Fat |
| 53g | Carbs |
| 10g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 337 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 9g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat 4g | 22% |
| Cholesterol 171mg | 57% |
| Sodium 296mg | 13% |
| Total Carbohydrate 53g | 19% |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
| Total Sugars 42g | |
| Protein 10g | |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium 209mg | 16% |
| Iron 1mg | 5% |
| Potassium 269mg | 6% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
