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Homemade Easy Tapioca Pudding

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Easy tapioca pudding recipe with caramel! If you love homemade tapioca pudding, then you may enjoy this 5-ingredient easy tapioca pudding recipe. Easy to make, it can be enjoyed warm or cold. Keep reading because I also include a dairy-free option for this tapioca pudding recipe.

This old-fashioned creamy caramel tapioca pudding with caramel sauce is the best tapioca pudding recipe I’ve ever made! If you love pudding, you are going to love these mouthwatering Gluten Free Pudding Recipes…I can’t wait to hear which ones you try!

Caramel Tapioca Pudding served up in glass mason jars. One jar is shorter than the other. Caramel is drizzled on top of the pudding

What is tapioca anyway?

Tapioca pudding is one of the puddings that are true comfort food. I had no idea that tapioca comes from cassava roots. Did you know this? I order Boba tea all of the time and it never occurred to me to ask.

My daughter is the one who inspired me to create this caramel tapioca recipe. She loves tapioca pudding and often asks me to buy it when she comes grocery shopping with me. The ingredients in grocery store tapioca pudding are not great and  I know we can make it more healthy here at home.

(*If you are a true caramel addict, you MUST try this Miso Caramel Mousse or this Gluten Free Caramel Apple Cake! These caramel recipes are the best.)

Steps to Make this homemade tapioca pudding recipe:

tapioca soaking in water in a large bowl

My daughter and I opted to buy the small tapioca pearls. The instructions said to soak them in water overnight, so we set this up before bedtime. This is what they look like after the soaking (above). See how puffy they are?

Using two pots as a double boiler to make homemade tapioca pudding

I do not own a double boiler, so I just put water into a large saucepan and then put a smaller one inside. Heat the milk and caramel on low heat until it is warm.

making an easy tapioca pudding recipe and whisking to keep it from getting lumpy

Add the tapioca and allow to very gently boil over medium-low heat. It will thicken quickly. Whisk frequently to avoid it getting stuck on the bottom of the pot.

Allowing tapioca pudding to simmer and thicken

This homemade tapioca pudding really thickens up after adding the egg yolk and sugar combination.

Caramel Tapioca Pudding in a small glass jar. A spoon coming out of the jar

What is tapioca made of?

Tapioca balls are made with tapioca (from the cassava root). You can buy tapioca balls in many different sizes.

Can you soak tapioca pearls too long?

You can’t really soak the tapioca pearls too long, but they will get mushier if you over soak them. 

Can you make this tapioca pudding dairy-free?

You can easily make this tapioca pudding dairy-free by using full-fat canned coconut milk instead of regular milk.

If you like the homemade tapioca pudding, here are more delicious pudding recipes to Try:

Tools Needed for The Best Tapioca Pudding Recipe:

  1. Whisk. This is the best way to keep puddings smooth and creamy when you are making pudding.
  2. Tapioca beads. Soak these overnight and they will be ready to go into any pudding recipe :-).

recipe love

How to Make Easy Tapioca Pudding:

Caramel Tapioca Pudding

Caramel Tapioca Pudding

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Creamy caramel tapioca pudding recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup small tapioca pearls
  • 2 1/2 cups milk, I used raw whole milk for this so it would be really creamy.
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup caramel
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks

Instructions

  1. Soak tapioca pearls overnight in a bowl of water.
  2. Drain pearls.
  3. In a double broiler, or two different sized sauce pans like I did in the photo above.
  4. Add milk, caramel, vanilla, and salt to double broiler and heat until warm.
  5. Add tapioca pearls and heat until and tiny bubbles appear.
  6. Do not boil.
  7. In a small bowl, add egg yolks and sugar.
  8. Mix well.
  9. Use a soup ladle to scoop up a bit of the hot tapioca mixture.
  10. Add very slowly to the egg mixture while whisking quickly to blend it.
  11. Add a little more tapioca mixture and repeat twice more.
  12. Pour egg mixture into tapioca mixture and whisk quickly to blend it all in.
  13. Cook on low, uncovered for 15 minutes.
  14. Serve warm or cold.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: g
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 238 Saturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 75mg Carbohydrates: 42g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 28g Protein: 5g
**If your gluten free flour blend doesn't include Xanthan Gum, please add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon! **Please note this nutrition information is calculated by a recipe plugin and is an estimate based on the ingredients used in this recipe.
© Sandi Gaertner
Cuisine: American / Category: Gluten Free Dessert Recipes
I really think this is the best tapioca pudding recipe, but give this Gluten Free Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce a try next!

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Nancy Buchanan

    Tapioca pudding is one of my all time favorite desserts. Can’t believe I’ve never thought about adding caramel!! Absolutely brilliant idea – now, I’m off to go make this tapioca!!!!

    Reply

  4. Sarah

    Hi. I am a bit confused by this recipe. Unfortunately I already started it so we will see how it turns out. In the recipe it calls for vanilla but that isn’t listed in the ingredients. Secondly, it says to lower heat a cook an hour but the recipe says total time 25 minutes. So do i cook it for an hour?

    Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      Hi Sarah, that is a bit confusing! I edited the recipe to be more clear, I hope it helps. Thank you so much for pointing this out 🙂

      Reply

  6. laura@motherwouldknow

    I’m not a huge pudding fan, but the rest of my family loves it. I should definitely let them try this version – it looks both healthy and beautiful. One question – what do you mean by “caramel” – as in homemade sauce? Or something else?

    Reply

  7. Julie at Hostess At Heart

    I love tapioca pudding but have never made it myself. I agree that homemade is best. Pinning!

    Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      Hi Stephanie, It will depend on how much you want per bowl. I ended up with 6 servings total.

      Reply

  11. Gwen@SimplyHealthyFamily

    what a wonderful treat! I haven’t had rice pudding in ages but this is going to leave me craving it!

    Reply

  13. Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom

    I haven’t had Tapioca pudding in years, and as a child had it all the time. This is making me want to rush out to the store to buy some tapioca–looks incredible.

    Reply

  15. Leah

    My husband and dad both LOVE tapioca pudding, but I’ve never tried making it from scratch… now I think I have to! 🙂 It looks delicious and I agree – so much better for you than the store bought versions that contain so many icky additives!

    Reply

  16. Healing Tomato

    These Tapioca Pudding looks so very delicious. I love caramel and I love Tapioca. Now, I get to enjoy them both.

    Reply

  17. Faith (An Edible Mosaic)

    I LOVE tapioca pudding and I haven’t had it in ages! I think I have everything needed for this on-hand and I am dying to make it!

    Reply

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