Amish Pearl Tapioca Pudding is a classic and comforting dessert that's simple yet delightful. This old-fashioned pudding is made with pearl tapioca, which are small, round tapioca beads that plump up during cooking.
It's a timeless creamy treat that brings a taste of tradition to the table, perfect for those who enjoy wholesome, homestyle desserts.
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Ingredients
- Milk forms the main liquid base for the pudding, providing creaminess and richness.
- Pearl Tapioca adds chewiness and texture, creating the characteristic tapioca pearl consistency.
- Eggs act as a thickening agent, helping the pudding set properly and achieve a creamy texture.
- Sugar sweetens the pudding.
- Vanilla adds a warm and aromatic vanilla flavor.
- Salt enhances the flavors.
- Whipped Cream or Cool Whip adds richness and a light, airy texture to the pudding, making it smoother and more luxurious. Cool Whip offers a stabilized, slightly sweeter consistency. Whipped cream, on the other hand, provides a fresher, richer flavor but is not as stable in warm temperatures.
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 (or minute tapioca), which comes in granular form and is used in my strawberry tapioca dessert. 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. (Funny enough, my brother used to call them fish eggs 🙂 .) 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. It's good stuff!
Tapioca Pudding with Large Pearls
You can use large pearls to make Amish tapioca pudding, although I usually use medium or mini pearls.
When using large pearls, you will have to adjust the cooking time, and I 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. However, this recipe was made using mini pearls because that is what my local bulk food store carries.
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Tapioca Recipe Made in a Double Boiler
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 stir 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.
How to Make Tapioca Pudding with Pearls
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.
What to Serve With Tapioca 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 typically 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 dessert.
They usually have several Amish desserts that go well together. So we often had cake (such as chocolate cake or oatmeal cake) and homemade pudding, along with canned peaches or fruit salad for dessert.
Of course, tapioca pudding is also a great snack for any time of the day.
More Amish Dessert Recipes
I hope you enjoy this Amish Pearl Tapioca Pudding Recipe. If you try it, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. Thank you!
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Bob's Red Mill Small Pearl Tapioca
Farberware Classic Stainless Series 2-Quart Covered Double Boiler
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Amish Pearl Tapioca Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 qt. milk (4 c.)
- ½ c. pearl tapioca
- 3 eggs
- ¾ 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, ½ 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, ¾ 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
Lynn
Very helpful and I'm a professional cook.
Anna
Awesome!
Dustbunny
Just like my German mom and grandma frequently made. LOVE this stuff! Perfect recipe..thanks!
Anna
Thanks for the positive feedback! I appreciate it!
Laura
My husband loves tapioca pudding. I’m not a fan. Made this recipe for him today he said it was the best he had ever had
Thank you!
Anna
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!
Lois Luckovich
Thank you for this. Someone tossed my house when I was in hospital and my late mum's recipe book was taken--which had her tapioca pudding recipe in it
Anna
I'm sorry about that! Happy to help.
Judy
Used small pearls and double boiler. Added half teaspoon of nutmeg. Yum!!
Anna
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Maria
I forgot to rate it.
Anna
Thank you!
Maria
Very tasty. I don't have a big double boiler so just used direct heat. I never know how I can simultaneously temper the eggs and stir my pot 🙂 so my husband helped with the egg part. My family really liked it. Thank you!
Anna
Glad you enjoyed it! I usually make it in a double boiler so I don't have to stir constantly.
Anna
So creamy and delicious!
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.
Janet
Growing up, it was layered. Crumbled graham crackers, tapioca, (sliced bananas, optional, not a fan) orange or cherry jello, whipped cream. Family favorite!
Anna
Sounds interesting.
Miriam Mills
I always made my tapioca with the pearl tapioca until our Amish store doesn’t get it anymore. But I always substituted 1/2 of the milk with 1/2 & 1/2. I like my pudding rich. Haven’t had it in a while hope my store gets it back soon.
Buy Best Proxy
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
🙂 thank you!
Angie
Made this today. Turned out great. Recipe is a keeper. Thank you.😊
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
Jeani Fitzsimmons
never heard of steaming to hard boil eggs...I must try this... Do you think I can use my Bamboo Steamer rack over a skillet??
Anna
I'm not quite sure what you are referring to about steaming to hard boil eggs.?? The pudding is made in double boiler, which is cooking with water in the bottom pan to heat the pudding slowly so it doesn't burn.