Vanilla Tapioca Pudding Recipe with Butterscotch Option
This tapioca pudding recipe is as easy to make as it is easy to love, with its fun, bubbly texture and delicious vanilla or butterscotch flavor, depending on the sweetener you choose. Suitable for most dietary needs, it's oil-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan, cooked in under 30 minutes, and so fun to eat!
Prep Time0 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Chill Time3 hourshrs
Total Time3 hourshrs25 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: butterscotch, tapioca, vanilla
Servings: 4
Calories:
Equipment
stovetop
Ingredients
3cupsunsweetened vanilla coconut milkor oat, or other unsweetened plant-based milk
⅓cupmaple syrupfor butterscotch, use coconut nectar instead
4teaspoonsvanilla or vanilla powder
⅛teaspoonsalt
½cuptapioca pearls
Optional Toppings
2tablespoonspistachiosand/or fruit
½cupcoconut whipped cream
Instructions
Combine the milk, syrup, vanilla, and salt in a pot over medium-high heat and stir frequently. Keep watching and stirring frequently until the mixture begins to steam and seems close to boiling. Watch very closely and once the first sign of bubbles appear, remove from heat and stir in the tapioca pearls. Warning: This pudding will boil over very easily in the next step, so keep a watchful eye! If you are using an induction cooktop, you’re less likely to have boil-over.
Reduce the heat to low, set your timer for 15 minutes, and place the pot back on the heat, carefully watching and ready to lift off the heat again if the boil begins to rise (it can rise quickly, so be careful!). If that happens, remove the pot from the heat for a moment or two, then try putting it back. Continue until the pot can sit on the heat simmering without removing it, stirring frequently.
Continue stirring. When the timer goes off, see if a spoonful comes out filled mostly with pearls. If it’s mostly filled with milk, stir a few minutes more until mostly pearls.
Pour into a large jar or other glass container and cool until able to refrigerate. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 3 hours before serving.
Add toppings or serve as is.
Notes
The conversions and nutrition information are calculated automatically and I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. I encourage you to confirm this information with your favorite unit conversion/nutrition calculator if you would like to be more certain. Note: To keep it on the lighter side, I like using the milk-substitute type of coconut milk. For a richer dessert, use canned.