This Coconut Tapioca Pudding Recipe May Be Why Tapioca Pudding Is Making a Comeback Desserts Gluten-free Snacks

I remember eating, and loving, tapioca pudding when I was a kid. I can’t even remember the last time I had it, and I know my kids have never tried it. I was recently thrilled to discover that tapioca pudding is making a bit of a comeback, and that coconut pudding exists! I absolutely love fresh coconut, coconut ice cream, even coconut flakes. What a great combination!

While tapioca pudding shares similar ingredients with rice pudding, they’re not the same. Instead of rice, tapioca pudding is made with tapioca pearls, which are naturally gluten-free small, flavorless, white balls primarily used in sweet recipes. The larger tapioca balls are the “boba” found in boba drinks and bubble tea throughout Southeast Asia and around the world. Perhaps this has something to do with the “comeback” that tapioca pudding seems to be making in the 21st century!

According to the New England Historical Society, in the late 1800s, Susan Stavers, a Boston landlady, served tapioca pudding to one of her boarders, a sailor. As the story goes, the sailor critiqued it; Stavers took his feedback to heart and set out to improve the pudding. She had the idea to put cheap cassava roots through a coffee grinder. The result was a tapioca pudding. Her neighbors enjoyed it, so she began selling her tapioca door to door. In 1894, Stavers sold the rights to her sweet creation to a publisher and grocer named John Whitman. He renamed the product Minute Tapioca and bought a shoe factory in order to produce it. According to daysoftheyear.com, the exact origin of tapioca pudding is unknown, but it may have originated in China, Brazil or in the Mayan culture. Tapioca certainly has cultural significance around the world. Enjoy serving it as a snack in your home!

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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes plus time to cool
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup quick-cooking tapioca pearls
• 2 cans (14 ounces each) coconut milk (coconut milk makes a big difference)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg (optional)
• ground cinnamon, for sprinkling (optional)
• coconut flakes, for sprinkling (optional)

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Recipe Notes

• Skip the egg to make this a vegan recipe.

• Stir in some cinnamon and/or nutmeg , to taste, if desired.

Here’s how to make it: 

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the tapioca, coconut milk and salt to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar until it dissolves.
2. Beat the egg (optional) in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot tapioca mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, then scrape the egg mixture into the simmering pudding. Stir. Simmer gently until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before stirring in the vanilla extract. 
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or coconut flakes, if desired. Serve warm for a creamy and rich dessert.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories: 156

Total Fat: 0.8g

Saturated Fat: 0.7g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 74mg

Total Carbohydrate: 37.8g

Dietary Fiber: 0.1g

Total Sugars: 12.7g

Protein: 0.1g

Vitamin D: 0mcg

Calcium: 1mg

Iron: 0mg

Potassium: 10mg

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by VeryWellFit. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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