Tapioca Pudding Recipe - WonkyWonderful (2024)

FAQs

Tapioca Pudding Recipe - WonkyWonderful? ›

To keep your tapioca pudding from getting runny, be sure to use whole milk. The fat from the milk is necessary for that creamy texture. For a thicker texture, cook the tapioca pearls a little longer than instructed on your package. The pearls absorb the moisture and create a nice and thick pudding.

To keep your tapioca pudding from getting runny, be sure to use whole milk. The fat from the milk is necessary for that creamy texture. For a thicker texture, cook the tapioca pearls a little longer than instructed on your package. The pearls absorb the moisture and create a nice and thick pudding.

Curdling occurs when the eggs in a pudding are overcooked. For that reason, stove-top puddings are usually thickened with starch and then enriched with eggs. Since the starch thickens first, the pudding will already be fully cooked and thickened before the eggs would have gotten hot enough to curdle.

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.

Looking at a tapioca pearl, you may think, “What are these made out of?” These white little balls that give tapioca pudding its signature texture actually come from the starch of the cassava root, which is grown in the tropics. After this starch is extracted, it's formed into little pearls.

Your best bet would be to mix a tablespoon of cornstarch and a teaspoon of sugar with some of the beverage and add it to the warm pudding. Heat it to a bubble and stir until it thickens. You may have to adjust the seasoning, particularly vanilla.

Adding gelatin: Gelatin can be used to thicken pudding. You will need to whisk sugar, milk, and cream together and bring it to a simmer. Then, measure out the appropriate amount of gelatin powder and let it bloom in cold water. Melt the gelatin and slowly pour it into the pudding mix while stirring.

First, it is important to soak small pearl tapioca before attempting to make pudding with it, or the texture will be off. Some people soak overnight, but we found that 30 minutes or so worked with small tapioca, resulting in a lively textured tapioca with wonderful creamy, custard bridging the beads.

In general, you'll use about 6–8 cups (1,400–1,900 mL) of water for 1 cup (150 grams) of dry tapioca pearls. Using enough water is important because the pearls will absorb tons of water while they cook; not using enough could cause them to turn gummy and stick together.

Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a deep pot, and add the tapioca. Bring it to a boil again, cover, and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat, keep the pot covered, and allow to sit for another 15 minutes.

What are the small balls in tapioca pudding called? ›

Tapioca pudding is historically the most common tapioca dish in the U.S. It's made using tapioca pearls, which are small, white balls with no flavor that are used mostly in sweet recipes. They swim in a sweet, custardy pudding made with milk, eggs, and sugar.

There is no tapioca Jello instant pudding. But there are tapioca Jello Pudding Snaks.

The bottom line. Tapioca is high in carbs and calories, so it is not a traditionally healthful food. However, it can help a person meet the recommended daily allowance of several important nutrients. It can also be a tasty, nutritious food choice for people who need to gain weight.

The tapioca pearls in bubble tea, also known as bubbles or boba, have a jelly-like texture and are made with tapioca starch, making it completely safe for human consumption. On the other hand, popping bubbles are made from water, fruit juice, sugar, and plant-based Alginic acid, which also makes them safe to eat.

As mentioned previously – white, Tapioca pearls are made from either starch, caramel or chamomile extract. However, the more popular Tapioca pearls, which are black are made from starch, sweet potato and/or brown sugar.

If, while you are waiting for the milk mixture to simmer, you combine the sugar and eggs too early but do not whisk often, the sugar can start to coagulate the eggs, which will result in a grainy final texture.

Let the tapioca cook for about 17 min. until the pearls have lost about half their opaqueness. The mixture will have slightly thickened and the liquid will be cloudy. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, salt and milk powder together.

If your liquid amounts to 4 cups, take half cup of that liquid (COLD) and mix with 4 tbs cornstarch in a small container. If you mix it with warm liquid it will be lumpy. Then as the pudding cooks, you whisk in the cornstarch mix, and it will thicken up when the pudding comes to a boil.

“Unlike cornstarch, tapioca begins to swell and absorb liquids long before it's boiling-hot, providing greater thickening power in low- to no-heat applications,” Stella Parks explains over on Serious Eats.

Sometimes if the tapioca pearls get too cold or come into direct contact with the ice before other liquid has been added, they can start to harden. Adding the ice last should help keep the boba soft and chewy. It's common to see boba tea served both with and without ice.