This delicious old-fashioned Tapioca Pudding recipe is one of my favorite classic desserts and only requires the simplest ingredients, including small tapioca pearls, milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
If you love homemade pudding be sure to try my Banana Pudding, Baked Rice Pudding, Raspberry Bread Pudding, or Sticky Toffee Pudding!
There are a few recipes that were instrumental in sparking my love for cooking at a very young age, and Tapioca Pudding is one of them–along with my mom’s spaghetti sauce, German pancakes, and Belgian Waffles. These recipes are so easy to make that I could follow the instructions on my own, and what kid doesn’t love tapioca pudding, with fun chewy pearls?
This is a great dessert to make ahead of time, and you can serve it warm or cold. For more classic desserts, try my Peach Cobbler, Apple Crisp, or Grandma’s Oatmeal Cake!
What is Tapioca?
Tapioca is a starch that comes from the cassava root and formed into little pearls that gives tapioca pudding its signature texture and is naturally gluten-free. The natural starch tapioca flour is often used as a thickening agent, like for my Blueberry Pie.
Ingredients Needed:
- Small tapioca pearls:The distinguishing ingredient in tapioca pudding, and be sure to buy the small ones for this recipe. They’re hard little beads that will cook until tender, thickening the pudding and creating a fun texture.
- Milk and cream: for the base creaminess of the pudding.
- Granulated sugar: for sweetness.
- Eggs: for thickening.
- Salt
- Vanilla
How to make Tapioca Pudding:
Cook Tapioca: Add milk, cream, sugar and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then stir in tapioca and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often for about 45 minutes.
Temper the Eggs: Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add a spoonful of hot tapioca mixture to the beaten eggs, stirring well as you pour it in. Repeat with another few spoonfuls of hot tapioca, stirring after each. This helps temper the eggs and bring them to a warm temperature without “scrambling” them.
Simmer Pudding: Add tempered egg mixture to the saucepan with tapioca and stir well to combine. Cook for 2-5 more minutes, just until thickened (keep in mind it will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Let Cool and Serve: Transfer to a serving bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (to keep it from forming a rubbery skin on the surface). Allow to cool before serving. Serve warm or chilled.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: This tapioca recipe is a great dessert to make ahead of time! Just store in the refrigerator with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface for 2-3 days.
To Freeze: Homemade tapioca pudding freezes well as long as you allow it to cool completely. Store in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw completely before serving.
Recipe Variations:
- Minute Tapioca:
- 2 3/4 cups 2% or whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons minute/instant tapioca
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the milk and egg to a medium saucepan and whisk well to combine. Stir in sugar and tapioca and let sit for 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium and bring mixture to a bubbling, full boil (stirring constantly, being careful not to let it burn!). Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and cool for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
- Chocolate Tapioca Pudding: Add ½ cup of chopped semi-sweet chocolate after adding the eggs. Cook for 2-5 more minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Coconut Tapioca Pudding: Swap out the milk for coconut milk.
- Vegan Tapioca Pudding: Substitute the milk for coconut, almond milk, or your favorite plant-based milk and swap out the heavy cream for full fat canned coconut milk.
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Recipe
Tapioca Pudding
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup small pearl tapioca* (not instant tapioca)
- 3 1/2 cups milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add milk, cream, sugar and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then stir in tapioca and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often, until mixture has slightly thickened, and the tapioca pearls have plumped and softened, about 45 minutes.
- Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add a spoonful of hot tapioca mixture to the beaten eggs, stirring well as you pour it in. Repeat with another few spoonfuls of hot tapioca, stirring after each. (This helps temper the eggs and bring them to a warm temperature without "scrambling" them.)
- Add tempered egg mixture to the saucepan with tapioca and stir well to combine. Cook for 2-5 more minutes, just until thickened (keep in mind it will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (to keep it from forming a rubbery skin on the surface). Allow it to cool before serving. Serve either warm or chilled.
Notes
-
- 2 3/4 cups 2% or whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons minute/instant tapioca
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe on September 2016. Updated October 2018 and March 2022.
Delicious, thick but creamy. This is the first time I’ve made Tapioca pudding and it was easy!
Does it actually need the egg? I notice in the vegan version, it has not been replaced with anything. – I’m used to make rice pudding with just full fat milk and rice, for example.
Tastes great. I hadn’t made tapioca in at least a decade. Followed directions exactly but I probably should have cooked it 5 or 10 minutes less to get a creamier consistency. I’m tempted to add a little warm milk to try and make it creamier but not sure that’s a good idea. Suggestions?
This was absolutely delicious, albeit time consuming (it’s worth it!). I didn’t have heavy cream, so I replaced it with half the amount by volume of plain whole milk greek yogurt. I also added freshly ground nutmeg which was delightful. It made much more than I was expecting—it filled an entire 32oz tupperware.
I’ve had this recipe saved for awhile, but I could never find tapioca pearls at my usual grocer. I finally happened to come across a huge variety at the local Asian grocer!
Try the granulated, does the same thing.
I am trying to re-create “instant vanilla pudding” without the cornstarch so that it is kosher for Passover. My question is this – could I do it with tapioca starch instead? And is there a suitable substitute for the milk to make it dairy free? Thanks in advance!
Yes, tapioca flour would work. You could try soy or almond milk.
I have made Tapioca pudding many times this way. Tapioca is also my favorite pudding. However, Kraft has discontinued the production of Minute Tapioca. I just purchased 2 cases of it online, but everyone is jacking up the prices. Single boxes are going for over $10 a box, Walmart and Amazon have just raised the price of a case by over $20 a case. I have no clue why they have discontinued Minute Tapioca.
I just bought Reese instant tapioca at Meijer for $3.59 8oz bag. I have been looking for a year.
They haven’t discontinued it. It is sold in all of my grocery stores for 3 dollars a box. Seen it 2 days ago
The last two times I have made this recipe with these ingredients, in this order, my tapioca pudding is really tapioca soup. I am using instant tapioca, the newest bag that I just bought yeseterday. What am I doing wrong???
Try soaking the tapioca pearls for a longer period of time. I use regular tapioca and soak them in the liquid for a minimum of 20 minutes before cooking. Even when using Minute Tapioca, I would soak them for 20 minutes to get thick results.
Thank you so much for that tip! I tried soaking for 15 minutes instead of 5, and it came out *so* much better than my previous two attempts done according to Kraft’s 5-minute soak direction.
I ended up with tapioca soup myself yesterday. Then I double checked the recipe and I had only used 3 teaspoons of tapioca instead of 3 tablespoons. So I scraped the servings of soup back in to the pot, added the missing tapioca, brought it to a boil again and voila! It set up great and was delicious. 🙂
You are not boiling it long enough. Need to bring to rolling boil, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from burner and cool, placing a sheet of wax paper over pan. Chill in refrigerator or on top of counter.
I have been completely frustrated with all the other recipes that have you add the eggs to HOT tapioca! They cook immediately and you have scrambled eggs in tapioca. This recipe came out perfect with quick tapioca. Going to try small pearl using same cooking technique but soaking the pearls overnight in the milk and not rinsing. I should have known that Kraft would have the best version! I do add a pinch of salt though….