Eggless tapioca pearl pudding made with small white tapioca pearls is delicious, creamy and sweet homemade milk pudding from scratch! Small white tapioca pearls are perfect for making creamy milk puddings since they contain starch which makes the puddings naturally thick and they are easy to cook since they are smaller in size. The texture of the tapioca pearl pudding is creamy and rich even without using condensed milk or evaporated milk.
However, you may use condensed milk as well, if you want a more creamy & rich texture for the pudding. If you use condensed milk, you will need to adjust the amount of sugar & amount of milk, since the condensed milk is already sweet! This tapioca pudding is even eggless so if you want a delicious, creamy eggless pudding for dessert, do try this delicious tapioca pudding made of small tapioca pearls.
Tapioca pearl pudding can be chilled and serve as it is or you can add sliced nuts like almonds or add fresh fruits like berries, bananas etc!
More delicious pudding recipes in this blog includes instant pot rice pudding with condensed milk and vermicelli puddin!
what are tapioca pearls?
Tapioca pearls are starchy edible spheres made from tapioca. Tapioca is the starchy root of cassava plant also known as yuca. They are edible starchy roots used in Asian cooking and tapioca pearls made from the starch of cassava root are also used in Asian cuisine a lot. As I mentioned, tapioca pearls are basically made from the starch obtained from the yuca or caasava plant root.
They are round, ball shaped and they are available in small size, medium size and large sized. Tapioca pearls are available in different colors like white pearls, black pearls (they are basically white in color but sometimes colors or brown sugar is added which make them look colorful or black pearls) etc and usually the white tapioca pearls are used for desserts like puddings while the white pearls, colored ones and black tapioca pearls are used for making popular boba bubble tea!
Here we use small sized white tapioca pearls to make the pudding, which is more easier and faster to cook.
If you use large sized tapioca pearls, they might take more time to cook so you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Tapioca pearls used in this recipe look white and opaque and they look very similar to sago pearls so it can be confusing. The difference between tapioca pearls and sago is that tapioca pearls are made from tapioca starch while sago pearls are made from sago palm extract. Once cooked, tapioca pearls look transparent (no more white or opaque in appearance) and they are perfect to be used in desserts like puddings.
A small amount of cooked tapioca pearls can even be added to other kind of puddings like rice puddings or vermicelli puddings if you like.
tips to cook perfect tapioca pearl pudding
Tapioca pearl pudding is easy to cook yet it can be tricky to cook the perfect tapioca pearls at times. This is because, sometimes the tapioca pearls are undercooked leaving a chewy uncooked middle part which doesn't taste good when used in puddings or any recipes. Sometimes the tapioca pearls are overcooked and the tapioca pearls disintegrates into the water or milk, making it a thick, starchy paste like texture rather than pudding. So, it is very important to cook the perfect tapioca pearls, before you use them to make pudding or anything.
how to cook small white tapioca pearls for pudding?
- The easy way to cook white tapioca pearls is to soak them first in water, prior to cooking, which will reduce the cooking time.
- Then, make sure you follow the steps in the recipe to cook the tapioca pearls completely.
- We use water to cook the soaked tapioca pearls first, then we add milk and other ingredients to the cooked tapioca pearls to make the pudding.
- We first bring the water and tapioca pearl mixture to a boil, and then cover and simmer in medium heat until they are cooked (about 10 to 15 minutes).
- While we cook the tapioca pearls this way, it is important to open the pan in between and stir the mixture to avoid the pearls sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
- It is very helpful to use a thick bottomed non stick pan which will reduce the possibility of the tapioca pearls sticking to the bottom of the pan, while it's cooking.
- Once the tapioca pearls are cooked, they float to the surface of the mixture and they look transparent.
- It is important that you cook the tapioca pearls in the medium heat.
- If you keep the heat at low, the tapioca pearls may not cook completely and will eventually disintegrate into the mixture.
- If you cook them at high heat, they may stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
- So it is always best to cook the tapioca pearls in medium heat and make sure to simmer them while the pan is closed with a lid. This will help the tapioca pearls to cook faster & evenly.
- Also make sure to stir the contents in between!
So here is how you can make easy, delicious and tapioca pearl pudding at home.
how to make tapioca pearl pudding with small tapioca pearls?
We use the following ingredients to make easy, creamy, delicious homemade tapioca pudding.
ingredients to make eggless tapioca pearl pudding
- small tapioca pearls ½ cup
- water 2 cups
- whole milk 1 cup (may use little more if needed)
- chilled milk ½ cup
- chilled heavy cream ¼ cup
- sugar ¾ cup (adjust to taste)
- vanilla extract 1 teaspoon (or use ½ teaspoon cardamom powder)
- sweet almond extract ½ teaspoon (optional)
- cinnamon powder ½ teaspoon (optional, may use little more if needed)
step by step instructions
To cook the tapioca pearls:
- Wash the tapioca pearls very well in water and transfer the rinsed tapioca pearls to a good quality medium sized saucepan.
- (If you have a thick bottomed non stick pan, that will be perfect since it helps reduce the tapioca pearls from sticking to the bottom of the pan while cooking).
- Add the water also to the saucepan and let the tapioca pearls soak in the water for about 30 minutes.
- Once the soaking is done, switch on the stove and bring the mixture to a boil.
- As the water stars boiling, reduce the heat to medium heat, cover with lid, simmer and cook the tapioca pearls until they are cooked and transparent. You need to open the pan in between and stir this frequently to avoid the tapioca pearls sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- The cooking time for tapioca pearls can vary based on the brand and also the size of the pearls, but since we use small tapioca pearls in this recipe, the cooking is done much faster than larger sized tapioca pearls.
- It took about 10 to 12 minutes for me to cook the tapioca pearls, but make sure to stir often and keep watching since the cooking time may slightly vary.
- If the tapioca pearls are not completley cooked, you may continue cooking for few more minutes (however, keep in mind that if you cook them for a very long time, the pearls can disintegrate into the water making it a starchy mixture which is not recommended).
To make the tapioca pearl pudding:
- Once the tapioca pearls are completely cooked (they are transparent and not opaque at the centre or chewy anymore), add the 1 cup of milk and mix well.
- Also add the sugar, stir well and simmer for another couple of minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and almon extract (if using), also add cinnamon powder if you like and stir everything well.
- Switch off the stove and transfer the saucepan to a cool place so the tapioca pearls won't overcook.
- If you overly cook the tapioca pearls, the pudding can get too thick & starchy in texture which is recommended.
- Finally add the chilled milk & heavy cream, stir well to combine and let the pudding cool down to roomperature.
- Once it is cooled to room temperature, chill the pudding in refrigerator, & serve chilled for best results!
- The pudding turns slightly more thicker in texture as it cools down. You may add little more chilled milk, if needed, to adjust the pudding consistency based on your preference.
- Also, you may add more cinnamon powder, sliced nuts like almonds, pistachios etc, or sliced fresh fruits like bananas, cherries, strawberries etc for garnishing just before serving if you wish!
how to store cooked tapioca pearl pudding?
Once the tapioca pearsl are cooked with milk and sugar to make the pudding, you can store the cooked tapioca pearl pudding in the refrgerator for 3 to 4 days. Cooked tapioca pearl pudding can be served warm or chilled, but it tastes the best when served chilled! Make sure to store the tapioca pudding in air tight food containers and store in the refrigerator so it will stay fresh for next 3 to 4 days when stored properly!
Below you can get the recipe for tapioca pearls pudding with small tapioca pearls in detail.
Tapioca Pearl Pudding Eggless (With Small White Tapioca Pearls)
Ingredients
- ½ cup small tapioca pearls
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup whole milk may use little more if needed
- ½ cup chilled milk
- ¼ cup chilled heavy cream
- ¾ cup sugar adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or use ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon sweet almond extract optional
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder optional (may use little more if needed)
Instructions
To cook the small tapioca pearls
- Wash the tapioca pearls very well in water and transfer the rinsed tapioca pearls to a good quality medium sized saucepan.
- (If you have a thick bottomed non stick pan, that will be perfect since it helps reduce the tapioca pearls from sticking to the bottom of the pan while cooking).
- Add the water also to the saucepan and let the tapioca pearls soak in the water for about 30 minutes.
- Once the soaking is done, switch on the stove and bring the mixture to a boil.
- As the water stars boiling, reduce the heat to medium heat, cover with lid, simmer and cook the tapioca pearls until they are cooked and transparent. You need to open the pan in between and stir this frequently to avoid the tapioca pearls sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- The cooking time for tapioca pearls can vary based on the brand and also the size of the pearls, but since we use small tapioca pearls in this recipe, the cooking is done much faster than larger sized tapioca pearls.
- It took about 10 to 12 minutes for me to cook the tapioca pearls, but make sure to stir often and keep watching since the cooking time may slightly vary.
- If the tapioca pearls are not completley cooked, you may continue cooking for few more minutes (however, keep in mind that if you cook them for a very long time, the pearls can disintegrate into the water making it a starchy mixture which is not recommended).
To make the tapioca pearl pudding
- Once the tapioca pearls are completely cooked (they are transparent and not opaque at the centre or chewy anymore), add the 1 cup of milk and mix well.
- Also add the sugar, stir well and simmer for another couple of minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and almon extract (if using), also add cinnamon powder if you like and stir everything well.
- Switch off the stove and transfer the saucepan to a cool place so the tapioca pearls won't overcook.
- If you overly cook the tapioca pearls, the pudding can get too thick & starchy in texture which is recommended.
- Finally add the chilled milk & heavy cream, stir well to combine and let the pudding cool down to roomperature.
- Once it is cooled to room temperature, chill the pudding in refrigerator, & serve chilled for best results!
- The pudding turns slightly more thicker in texture as it cools down. You may add little more chilled milk, if needed, to adjust the pudding consistency based on your preference.
- Also, you may add more cinnamon powder, sliced nuts like almonds, pistachios etc, or sliced fresh fruits like bananas, cherries, strawberries etc for garnishing just before serving if you wish!
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