Classic Tapioca Pudding Recipes

OLD FASHIONED TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• Soak the pearls in water overnight, covered well with water. Drain the water off.
• Heat the milk, cream, vanilla bean (split and scraped), and tapioca to a slow simmer in a heavy pot and cook for 1 hour, stirring often.
• Add the sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer being careful not to let the tapioca stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Put the yolks into a bowl and stir in some of the tapioca mixture to temper the eggs.
• Then add yolks to the pan while stirring. Pour into a bowl and cool.
• You can it it warm (as I hear it is often served in the colder months) We like ours after it has chilled several hours in the fridge at any time of year.

TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• 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.

TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• Pour 3/4 cup of the milk into a medium-sized, thick-bottomed pot. Add the tapioca and soak for 60 minutes. Whisk in the egg yolks, salt, sugar, and the remaining milk. Scrape the vanilla bean along its length with a knife and add that bean "paste" along with the bean itself to the pot (if you are using vanilla extract in place of the vanilla bean stir it in at the very end, after the pudding is completely cooked).
• Over medium heat slowly bring the mixture just barely to a boil, stirring all along - this should take about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat and let the mixture fall to a simmer - you keep it here until the tapioca is fully cooked, another 20 minutes or so. Keep in mind this time can be significantly longer (or shorter). The tapioca will tell you when it is ready if you watch carefully. The tapioca beads will swell up and become almost entirely translucent. The custardy part of pudding will thicken dramatically as well - keep tasting and assessing at this stage. It is even more critical to keep stirring at this point avoid dreaded scorching.
• Remove from heat and let cool a bit. This tapioca tastes its best when served warm, but is still delicious cold as well.

CLASSIC TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak 1 cup small tapioca pearls in 1 ½ cups of milk. Stir and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
• After letting the tapioca soak, pour it into a medium saucepan. Add to the tapioca mixture 2 cups of milk, ⅔ cup sugar, salt, and egg yolks. Heat on medium heat, stirring frequently to keep milk from scalding. Once the tapioca mixture is simmering (do not boil), turn down the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly to keep the milk from scalding.
• Carefully taste-test tapioca to be sure pearls are soft and no longer chewy. If you need to cook it longer, cook for an additional 5 minutes and check again; repeat until done. If your tapioca takes longer than 20 minutes, make sure you haven't turned the temperature down too low.
• When the tapioca is done, remove it from the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes.
• While the tapioca is cooling, beat egg whites with 1 tablespoon sugar until stiff peaks form.
• Stir 1 teaspoon vanilla into the tapioca and gently fold in egg whites until completely incorporated.
• Serve warm or chilled for 4 hours in the refrigerator. To serve, divide tapioca into individual bowls and top with fresh fruit of your choice.

CLASSIC HOMEMADE TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• Place tapioca in a small container and cover with water. Allow it to sit counter top and check after an 30 minutes. If water has been absorbed, add more to cover.
• Soak for 6 hours or until the pearls become 'spongy'.
• To cook, place tapioca, milk, and salt in the top of a double boiler (you can use a stainless steel bowl over a sauce pan.
• Fill the bottom pan with water, but not enough to touch the top bowl.
• Bring water to a boil then reduce to a slight simmer. Stir the tapioca often, scraping the bottom as you go.
• Once the tapioca pearls have become translucent, test one or two. If they are quite soft, with just a slight bite in the centre, they are done. This could take 45 minutes- 3 hours.
• Beat the eggs and sugar together in a large measuring cup.
• Temper the eggs by adding a bit of the hot tapioca at a time, stirring it into the sugary eggs.
• Once the eggs have become warm, gradually stir the mixture into the hot tapioca.
• Cook over boiling water, constantly stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly.
• Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds with a knife. Add vanilla to the pudding.
• Add cinnamon and stir.
• Serve warm or cover surface of the pudding with plastic wrap and chill.

CLASSIC TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• Stir together the milk, tapioca, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 5 minutes longer.
• Whisk 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons at a time until incorporated. Stir the egg mixture back into the tapioca until well mixed.
• Bring the pudding to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer until the pudding becomes thick enough to evenly coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
• The pudding may be served hot or poured into serving dishes and refrigerated several hours until cold.

CLASSIC TAPIOCA PUDDING

Steps:

• Stir together the milk, tapioca, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 5 minutes longer.
• Whisk 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs, 2 tablespoons at a time until incorporated. Stir the egg mixture back into the tapioca until well mixed. Bring the pudding to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer until the pudding becomes thick enough to evenly coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. The pudding may be served hot or poured into serving dishes and refrigerated several hours until cold.