Strawberry Tapioca Pudding Recipe Is a Fresh Twist On an Old-fashioned Dessert (7 Ingredients, 20 Minutes) Desserts Fruit Budget Recipes Gluten-free Southern Recipes Snacks Cookbooks

This is a creamy dessert full of strawberries and whipped cream. I love the texture of the tapioca. When I was a kid, we called it fish eggs. You can make it with different Jell-O flavors and fruit, but our favorite has always been strawberry. My kids really like this, and Marcus is the one always asking me to make it.

This strawberry dessert recipe is from my cookbook My Everyday Ordinary Life Cookbook: 100 Recipes that Celebrate the Blessings of a Simple Country Kitchen.

To make this southern strawberry tapioca pudding recipe you will need small pearl tapioca (not quick-cooking tapioca), granulated sugar, salt, a box of strawberry gelatin, whipped toppings, fresh strawberries (check out the health benefits of strawberries) and some water.

Cooking Note: Do not use quick-cooking or minute tapioca for this recipe.

Spoon the creamy strawberry tapioca pudding into bowls and enjoy for a sweet snack or for dessert after dinner. 

Cuisine: American / Southern
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 7 cups (1.7 liters) water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) small pearl tapioca (not minute tapioca)
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 3 ounces (1 box) strawberry gelatin dessert (Jell-O)
• 8 ounces (1 container) whipped topping
• 1 pound (454 g) strawberries, sliced

Here's how to make it: 

1. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and tapioca. Stir frequently to prevent the tapioca from sticking to the bottom, and simmer for 17 minutes with the pot lid on but tilted, or until the tapioca turns mostly clear. Remove the pot from the heat, and add the sugar and gelatin. Stir well and chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
2. When completely cooled, add the whipped topping and strawberries to the tapioca, and stir to combine. Serve immediately and refrigerate any leftovers.

Reprinted with permission from My Everyday Ordinary Life Cookbook by Rachel Ballinger. Page Street Publishing Co. 2026. Photo credit: Chelsee Camblin.

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