Amish Tapioca Pudding Recipe
Amish tapioca pudding is creamy, sweet, hearty, and comforting pudding with squishy pearls that are fun to eat. It's really quite delightful!
What is Pearl Tapioca?
Tapioca is a starch extracted from the cassava root, and it's usually sold as flour, flakes, or pearls. We use tapioca pearls to make Amish tapioca pudding. They are edible, gluten-free translucent spheres produced from tapioca which are used as a thickening agent.
You can buy tapioca pearls in different sizes: large pearls, medium, or mini. And there's also instant tapioca, which comes in granular form. Obviously the larger the size of the pearls that you use, the longer you will have to cook them to get them soft.
Tapioca pearls on their own are relatively tasteless. (And funny enough, my brother used to call them fish eggs π .) But the pearls will absorb the flavor of whatever they are cooked in.
In recent years, adding tapioca pearls to tea has become commonly known as bubble tea. I'm not that fond of bubble tea, but I sure do love a bowl full of creamy pearl tapioca pudding.
Tapioca Pudding with Large Pearls
You can use large pearls to make Amish tapioca pudding, although I usually use medium or mini pearls. So you will have to adjust the cooking time, and I might suggest that you soak large pearls in water for several hours before cooking them in the milk. Soaking the pearls will help to soften them. Of course, you want to drain all the water off when they are finished soaking.
You can usually find pearl tapioca at Amish or Mennonite bulk food stores. And feel free to use any size of tapioca pearls that you desire. Although, this recipe has been made using mini pearls because that is what my local bulk food store carries.
Tapioca Pearls Recipe and How to Make Tapioca Pudding with Pearls
I usually use my double boiler to make this old-fashioned tapioca pudding. You don't have to use a double boiler. But it is easier to make tapioca pudding in a double boiler because you don't constantly have to be stirring it to keep it from burning.
In case you don't know what a double boiler is, it is two pans that fit together. Water goes into the bottom pan, so you are basically steam-cooking your pudding.
I was fortunate enough to get my Amish mom's double boiler, and it also has a steamer pan which I love using to steam vegetables.
If you don't have a double boiler, you will have to cook your tapioca pudding over lower heat and stir it quite frequently to avoid burning the pudding. You could also partially heat the milk before adding the tapioca pearls.
Pour the milk into your double boiler pan, add the tapioca pearls, stir, and cook over medium heat until the pearls are clear. For the baby tapioca, this takes about 40 - 45 minutes. It may take longer for larger pearls. Stir occasionally to keep the pearls from sticking together.
While your tapioca pearls are cooking, whisk the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a small bowl. When the pearls are clear, add a bit of the hot milk to the egg mixture to temper the eggs and avoid curdling.
Slowly pour the egg mixture into the milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking for several minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Do not let the pudding come to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool.
Amish Pudding
Amish tapioca pudding is another one of those foods that we ate quite frequently in our home. Growing up on a dairy farm, we always had plenty of milk to use. Pudding is an easy dessert to make, and it's great served with cake, chocolate chip bars, pies, etc.
Many Amish cooks serve more than one dish for dessert. Most of their meals include a lot of different dishes that complement each other. And the same is true for their dessert. They usually have several desserts that go well together. So we often had cake and pudding, along with canned peaches or fruit salad for dessert.
And, of course, tapioca pudding is also a great snack for any time of the day.
Here is my Amish Cornstarch Pudding Recipe, another easy-to-make pudding that we ate a lot of.
More Amish Dessert Recipes
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I hope you enjoy this Large Pearl Tapioca Pudding Recipe. I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.
Amish Pearl Tapioca Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 qt. milk (4 c.)
- 1/2 c. pearl tapioca
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 2 c. whipped cream or cool whip
Instructions
- Heat water in the bottom pan of a double boiler. Pour milk into the top pan of the double boiler. Add tapioca pearls. Stir.1 qt. milk, 1/2 c. pearl tapioca
- Cook over boiling water until the pearls are clear. Stir occasionally to keep the pearls from sticking together.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add a bit of the hot milk to temper the eggs and avoid curdling.3 eggs, 3/4 c. sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, pinch of salt
- When the pearls are clear, slowly add the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
- Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. Do not let it boil.
- Cool.
- If desired, add whipped cream or cool whip to the cooled tapioca to make it extra creamy.2 c. whipped cream or cool whip
Zuzanna
A question from a tired mind...
Do you soak the large tapioca pearls in the milk or in water?
Anna
Either one should work (milk or water). I typically use medium or small pearls that don't require soaking. But when using large, it is recommended to soak them first to soften the pearls so you don't have to cook as long.
Miriam Mills
I always made my tapioca with the pearl tapioca until our Amish store doesnβt get it anymore. But I always substituted 1/2 of the milk with 1/2 & 1/2. I like my pudding rich. Havenβt had it in a while hope my store gets it back soon.
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Your style is really unique compared to other people I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you've got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this blog.
Anna
Thank you!
Diane Huff
Do you know for how long pearl tapioca can be stored?
Anna
I've had the dry pearls stored in my pantry for months (maybe even a year or more). Cooked tapioca should be good refrigerated for up to a week.
E.
I have read on another site that "cooked" tapioca is good for 5 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer (when you need it, you just transfer it to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight).
Sandra R.
I have a bag of large pearls, and finally found a recipe worthy of my time and effort. Thank you! Making a large amount for our Easter Celebration dinner. Also nice tip about hard-boiled eggs!
Anna
Yay! Thank you for leaving a comment!
Rota
Recipe is wrong for a double batch of tapioca pudding. Milk is not correct
Anna
When you hit the 2x button, it automatically doubles the recipe for you to 2 qt. milk. It looks like the extra part that I added to say 4 c. doesn't automatically adjust. But it's easy to do the math and figure that a double recipe (2 qt.) equals 8 cups.
Sandra R.
Did a test recipe, perfect
Anna
π thank you!
Angie
Made this today. Turned out great. Recipe is a keeper. Thank you.π
Anna
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Karen D Bilza
Use that steamer to boil eggs for very easy peeling. Fill pot w water to 2 inches below the steamer. Bring to a boil. Place steamer w eggs over pot and cover. The timing is online. About 12 min for hardboiled. No green ring, easy peel