Pressure Cooker Tapioca Pudding
Tapioca Pudding is an old fashioned custard dessert thickened with eggs and starch from hundreds of slightly chewy tapioca pearls.
Tapioca Pudding is an inexpensive dessert that’s easy and quick to make in the pressure cooker. I usually have a package of tapioca pearls in the pantry just waiting to be made. But the directions on the package say to soak the tapioca overnight, so I don’t make it very often. Now that I can cook tapioca pudding in the pressure cooker, I don’t have to soak the tapioca.
Some people serve tapioca pudding hot. I grew up eating it chilled, and prefer it that way. My pressure cooker tapioca pudding thickens as it cools. If you wanted to serve it hot, you could simmer the custard after you’ve added the egg mixture until it thick and creamy.
The vanilla flavor really shines in tapioca pudding, so I used Vanilla Bean Paste in the recipe. It has a stronger vanilla flavor and I love the pretty little flecks of vanilla seeds. I’ve also seen recipes that add lemon zest, which would add a nice bright flavor.
in the recipe. It has a stronger vanilla flavor and I love the pretty little flecks of vanilla seeds. I’ve also seen recipes that add lemon zest, which would add a nice bright flavor.I am fortunate to own several pressure cookers, and I always use a pressure cooker with a non-stick inner pot when I make this recipe because I get better results – the tapioca doesn’t stick to the bottom. Did you know you can buy an Instant Pot non-stick inner pot?
I served my tapioca pudding topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry in some pretty little trifle dishes.
Pressure Cooker Tapioca Pudding
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Reese's small-pearl tapioca*
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
In pressure cooking pot (a non stick inner pot works best with this recipe), mix together tapioca and water. Lock the lid in place and select High Pressure and 6 minutes cook time. When beep sounds turn off pressure cooker and use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure with a quick pressure release.
Whisk sugar and salt into tapioca in pressure cooking pot.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with milk. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into pressure cooking pot. Select sauté and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture just starts to boil. Turn off pressure cooker and remove pressure cooking pot. Stir in vanilla.
Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. (Pudding will thicken as it cools. ) Pour into serving dishes and chill. Optional: Served garnished with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.
Notes
*Do not use minute tapioca. Use a small pearl tapioca that has package directions that instruct you to do an overnight soak, such as Reese's Small Pearl Tapioca. If the package directions don't recommend an overnight soak, you may need to reduce the cook time on this recipe.
A reader used Reese's Large Pearl Tapioca and a 9 minute cook time and it was perfect.
For Bob's Red Mill small pearl tapioca - Carol shared her method: spray 7×3-inch cake pan with cooking spray. Use 1 1/2 cups water with 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Small Pearl Tapioca-give that a quick stir in the cake pan and cover the pan with foil. Add 1 cup water to the pressure cooker pot and place the trivet in the pot. Using a foil sling, place the cake pan on the trivet, lock the lid in place and select High Pressure and 6 minutes cook time. When the timer beeps, use Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes, then release any leftover pressure. Remove the cake pan from the pressure cooker, discard the water and dry out the cooking pot. Scrape the cooked tapioca mixture into the cooking pot and stir in the sugar and salt (I cut the sugar down to 1/3 cup-just a personal preference). Also, I use the whole eggs in the pudding rather than just the yolks. I whisk the eggs really well with the milk then stir them into the tapioca. Select :”Sauté” and stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a bubble. I let the pudding cook 1 1/2-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it starts to thicken up nicely. Shut off the pressure cooker, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla until well combined. Using a silicone spatula, I scrape the pudding into a serving bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the top of the pudding so that it won’t form a “skin” on top. Once the pudding has cooled to room temperature, I move the pudding to the refrigerator and allow it to chill before serving.
Pressure Cooker Samoa Cheesecake
I just tried your recipe and it turned out perfect!!! So much easier and faster than the old traditional stovetop method too! Thank you! This is my husband’s favorite dessert, and thanks to you I will be making it more often! He will be so pleased!!!
That’s great to hear – thanks April!
I tried the pot in pot method, followed all directions exactly and came out with a mess. The tapioca overflowed the inner pot (it pushed the foil off the inner pot) and was sticky and gummy. I finished the recipe but the pudding had a gluey texture and I tossed it. I love tapioca pudding but hated the soaking time. I wish this had worked. Not sure what went wrong. The tapioca mess was almost impossible to clean up, so sticky.
got the burn message,turn off instant pot,wait 5 minutes,stuck stuff on pot let’s go,continue with sugar,rest ingred.
sauté till thickened stirring constantly,saved the pudding,delicious
can you just buy the nonstick inner pot? I’m not interested in buying another whole instant pot.
Hi Valerie – yes, you can buy a nonstick pot https://amzn.to/2YCsPb6 (affiliate link)
When you talk about, “Large Pearl Tapioca”, is this the same as ,”fish eye tapioca”? This is what I’d like to cook in my new Instant pot.
Hi Valerie – typically frog eye salad is made with Acini De Pepe pasta, but that would be more similar to the small pearl tapioca, the large pearl tapioca would be bigger than that.
I keep getting a burn notice even with the nonstick pot I bought specifically for this recipe. I’m following the directions each time. I love tapioca, and the one time I was able to salvage some of the pudding it tasted fabulous! But what am I doing wrong?
Hi Jess – what brand of tapioca are you using? Are you seeing steam come out around the sides of the lid while it’s cooking? Have you tried adding more water or reducing the cook time? It does taste fabulous 🙂
I was having the same issue. Now I put the tapioca and water in a pyrex measuring cup and cover with foil. Put wire rack in the instant pot and add 1.5 cups water. Place covered measuring cup on the rack and pressure steam. This cooks the tapioca and then follow the rest of the recipe.
Thanks for sharing your tips Peter!
Thank you for this recipe! I used large pearls on “steam” for 10 minutes and it worked great. I have made it a few times now and I prefer to use half the sugar… it was very sweet. By the way don’t use minute tapioca, I thought I’d cheat by adding just a little as filler and it absorbed the water too quickly and burned. Just stick with the big pearls.
Thanks for sharing your tips. Glad you enjoy the recipe Jilly!
Tried the recipe and the pressure cooker turned the tapioca pearls into a semi-clear gel. 🙁
What type and brand of tapioca did you use?
That’s ok… stir it up and finish making the recipe. The tapioca pearls will reappear and the gel will get blended into the pudding.
Same happened to me. finished product was inedible. I used the Reese small pearls. Not sure why some folks have great results but I got glue.
Hi Laura – that’s frustrating. Let’s troubleshoot and maybe we can figure out what makes the difference. What brand and model of pressure cooker do you have? What altitude do you live at? Did you make any changes to the recipe? How careful were you when measuring the ingredients? If all the pearls were disintegrated, the cook time was too long for you.
Made this with Large Pearl Tapioca. Worked perfect with no problems – adjusted my pressure time to the 9 minutes you suggested. Came out wonderful – love the time savings!! Thank you!
Thanks Julie – so nice to hear the timing for the large pearl tapioca worked perfectly for you.
Can we double this recipe?
Hi Beth – you can double it, but it will take longer to come to pressure, so I would reduce the cook time to 4 minutes. You could saute it after pressure cooking if the tapioca isn’t tender.
Can you double it with the large pearls?
Hi Erika – I haven’t tried doubling the recipe, it will take longer to come to pressure so the cook time would need to be reduced and it may need a longer natural pressure release to avoid foam coming out of the steam release valve.
Do you want to soak the tapioca pearls first or put them in not soaked? I keep getting the burn notice on my instant pot.
Hi Julie – no you don’t want to soak the tapioca first. Be sure and read the note section of the recipe carefully as well as the tips in the post itself. This recipe works better in a nonstick pot. The Instant Pot has a ceramic coated pot you can buy that is a better choice for this recipe and makes clean up easier for recipes like mac and cheese.
Made this yesterday..
This is an excellent method… Took me back 70 years to my grandmothers kitchen.. This will become a regular for us.. :O)
Glad it was a hit – thanks!
Hello, is there an adaptation to make this a chocolate tapioca pudding? My grandmother used to make me chocolate tapioca and I would like to use my IP to make it. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Lisa – I have a chocolate tapioca recipe in my Instantly Sweet cookbook https://amzn.to/2Egdbbu You’ll stir in 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips after you’ve thicken the pudding with the egg mixture.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I’m using the Reese’s Large Pearl Tapioca and it is perfect except for how sweet it is. I made it with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk and used Just Like Sugar at much less than the equivalent sugar amount and it was still too sweet. I then made it with 50% less sweetener using half Erythritol and Manuka honey. My grandson loves it but it’s still too sweet for me. The next batch will be using the Manuka honey by itself and 1/3 the sugar equivalent. I’ll comment here on how it comes out.
I also ordered Tapioca Pearls, Tapioca Balls, Tapioca Pearls Small 14 Oz. Bags, Made From Cassava (3 Pack) (White)
from JHL on Amazon which should be here next month some time. I’m looking forward to trying this with small pearls and will let you know if I have to use the Bob’s Red Mill variation or one of my own. I had no sticking issues whatsoever with the Reese’s large pearls.
One other deviation from your recipe is the straining of the egg yolk coconut milk mixture. I’m assuming that is to remove the foam from the pudding. I skimmed that off while it was cooling on the second batch but I really don’t think the foam detracts from the pudding.
Overall, this is a very quick and tasty pudding recipe. Thank you for your efforts in providing this to us. I love it!
Hi Tim – glad you’re having fun with the tapioca recipe. Definitely change up the sugar level to suit your taste. Straining the egg is to remove bits of egg white that don’t get incorporated into the milk so you don’t end up with little bits of scrambled egg white in your pudding. You can see it in this rice pudding recipe https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/the-best-pressure-cooker-rice-pudding/
I just made this after soaking the 1/2 cup of small pearls overnight, and then reading on the package that I would have to cook this for an hour on the stove top! I didn’t want to do that, so I put the soaked & drained tapioca pearls in my IP and continued this with this recipe EXCEPT: I reduced the amount of sugar a bit, I cut the cooking time from 6 to 3/5 minutes, and the natural release from 10 to only 5 minutes before releasing. No scorching, no mushy pearls. It is cooling now, and after a few tastes I’m pleased, though I think I like the quick stove top tapioca better as it is richer.
Great! Thanks for sharing Lynn.
I can only find Bob’s Red Mill Small Pearl Tapioca in the stores in my area. The first time I made yhis right in the pressure cooker pot (I used my Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker because it has a nonstick cooking pot), the pressure cooker shut off as soon as it came up to pressure because the tapioca and water was so thick it overheated and caused the cooker to go directly to the “Keep Warm” setting. I read through the comments and decided to try cooking the tapioca pot in pot. That worked fantastic for me. I spray my 7×3-inch cake pan with a little cooking spray to make the tapioca slide out easier. I use 1 1/2 cups water with 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Small Pearl Tapioca-give that a quick stir in the cake pan and cover the pan with foil. I add 1 cup water to the pressure cooker pot and place the trivet in the pot. Using a foil sling, I place the cake pan on the trivet, lock the lid in place and select High Pressure and 6 minutes cook time. When the timer beeps, I use Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes, then release any leftover pressure. Remove the cake pan from the pressure cooker, discard the water and dry out the cooking pot. Scrape the cooked tapioca mixture into the cooking pot and stir in the sugar and salt (I cut the sugar down to 1/3 cup-just a personal preference). Also, I use the whole eggs in the pudding rather than just the yolks. I whisk the eggs really well with the milk then stir them into the tapioca. Select :”Sauté” and stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a bubble. I let the pudding cook 1 1/2-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it starts to thicken up nicely. Shut off the pressure cooker, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla until well combined. Using a silicone spatula, I scrape the pudding into a serving bowl and press plastic wrap directly onto the top of the pudding so that it won’t form a “skin” on top. Once the pudding has cooled to room temperature, I move the pudding to the refrigerator and allow it to chill before serving. I somehow manage to sneak a few bites while it’s warm-gotta taste test to be sure I did OK after all and boy is it delicious! I’ve made this 3 times since perfecting this method this works for me-my husband and I LOVE it.
Hi! I made this this morning with Bob’s Redmill Small Pearl Tapioca. I followed your tip to use 2 cups of water & to rinse the pearls, but I think this was a mistake. The pearls turned out mushy instead of delicious & slightly chewy. I’ll ask my husband if he’ll eat it, otherwise I’ll dump it out & try again.
I followed directions but my tapioca stuck to bottom of my IP.
Hi Phil – I’ve updated the recipe with advice that I use a nonstick inner pot when making this recipe for best results. Do you know you can buy a nonstick inner pot of the Instant Pot? It’s great to have an extra pot.
I just tried this and it was an epic fail! Burned and stuck to the bottom of my pot. I think this recipe should be shelved until it is viable.
Hi Claire – sorry you had troubles with the recipe. Some do have trouble with it, but most love it. What type of tapioca did you use? Did you use a non-stick pot?
Just made this, and had a problem. My Cuisinart PC beeped before it came to full pressure. I pullled the inner pot, and reread the recipe, and then saw your revised instructions from January 31! I did finish the recipe, but look forward to giving the alternate method a try in hopes of a proper result. Perhaps your, revised instructions could be noted within the recipe and not just in the comments?
I’ve tried the pot in pot method a couple of times and have not been happy with the result. The tapioca overflows the inner pot. I’m back to using my original method but using a non stock pot which seems to work better. If it didn’t work with your tapioca, I may just need more water.
I think my biggest issue is that it didn’t make more! could I double the recipe next time?
I rinsed the tapioca for about a minute and I used the trivet and cooked the tapioca in a ceramic bowl then transferred to pot added yolks, milk and eventually vanilla. It did not scourge the bowl or pot.
I also think it is too sweet. Thank you for the recipe and suggesting the adjustments.
My oh my!!!! I’m a newbie to the IP and I just had to try this. So glad (read ecstatic) I did. I followed your original directions in my 8qt DUO and had no problems but pure deliciousness. Truthfully, it almost didn’t make it to the fridge. So creamy and yummy! Since I only use 2% milk, I used 1/4 c milk and 1/4 c heavy cream. And thank you for the addendum about Bob’s Red Mill Tapioca.
Great! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi all. Unfortunately I’ve had the same problem as almost everyone else. Too sweet and while I didn’t get the burn error message, the tapioca (Reese small pearl) was burned to the bottom of the pot. I made the rest of the recipe as written and added extra milk to cut the sweetness and some cornstarch to thicken it more since I added extra liquid and it was salvageable. I do like the idea of being able to make this in an evening so will try again after reading some other recipes and tweaking.
Hi Lane – what brand of pressure cooker did you use?
Instant Pot. I tried it again last night fearing that maybe I had misread something. I wanted to post an update if it worked out better and I figured out the error but I had the same problem again. I added 1/2 cup more water to see if that would help but I still had about 1/4 cup the Reese small pearl tapioca stick to the bottom during the 6 minute pressure cook. That was the part that again burned during the manual cooking portion of the recipe even with constant stirring because it had adhered like glue during the pressure portion. I tried rinsing the tapioca and stirring it with the water before turning the pressure on and sealing. Maybe greasing the bottom of the cooler before starting would help? Otherwise, once the sugar is reduced the recipe is great!
Thanks for the feedback. Since your comment, I’ve been working on a newer method. Add the tapioca and 1 1/2 cups water to a 7-in cake pan covered with foil. Put 1 cup water in the pressure cooking pot, put a trivet in the pot and use a sling to place the cake pan on the trivet. Pressure cook on high pressure for 8 minutes followed by a 10 minute npr. Remove the pan, the trivet, and discard the water in the pressure cooking pot. Add pressure cooked tapioca to the pressure cooking pot and continue with the second step in the recipe. Let me know if you give it a try.
Great idea – I will try that method this weekend and post results.
Thanks
Lane
I’ve tried the pot in pot method a couple of times and have not been happy with the result. The tapioca overflows the inner pot. I’m back to using my original method but using a non stock pot which seems to work better.
I have gotten the burn warning each time too but it seems to do this if it detects something sticking to the bottom, it has never actually burned. For those who feel it’s a sticky mess that’s the nature of tapioca it’s looks like glue until you whisk in the rest of the ingredients (use the whisk to get the sticky stuff off the bottom of the pot as its good). I beat the left over egg white into stiff peaks and slowly add it to the slightly cooled pudding, it makes it lighter in testure. By the way, I always double the recipe!
Thanks for sharing Linda!! Great tips 🙂
I also got the burn message using the exact measurement and brand above, but managed to save it by shutting the IP off and letting it sit for 5 minutes then doing a quick release. It’s cooling now, but for sure next time, I’m cutting the sugar in half. It’s really sweet!
I’m having company and need eight servings. Is there anything to watch out for if I just double the recipe? Does the cook time stay the same? My guest is gluten free.
I love tapioca pudding, when I only had my Fagor duo, I followed Barbara’s directions, but I made it in a heatproof bowl that sat on a steaming rack. Now I may do this again with my IP Ultra…not sure yet.
Anytime I’m not sure, I bowl it and rack it to prevent scorching w/o problems.
Karen Hilliard
Great tip Karen – thanks for sharing!
I just received my non stick liner for my IP and made the tapioca pudding right away and it was fine no scorching or anything! I did give it a quick spray with the baking spray for good measure!
I also added two tablespoons of baking cocoa for the chocolate flavor this time.
Thanks again for the great recipe Barbara!
Love the addition of chocolate. Thanks for sharing Karen!
Happy Mother’s Day Barbara!
After reading your reviews of the new IP’s, I took the plunge and ordered the new Ultra 60. I had ordered a lesser known brand that was only 2 quart. I loved it so much that made me want the 6 quart IP.
Thanks so much,
Karen Hilliard
Hi, I just tried this for the first time. In the bulk food section, I found Bob’s Red Mill small pearl tapioca, and followed the directions in your post (rinse first, cook manual 6 minutes, NPR 10 minutes). I opened the pot to a gluey mess! The tiny bit of pearls that I could see dissolved when I touched them. I’ve never made tapioca before, but I didn’t proceed with the recipe, because I assumed it wasn’t supposed to look like this. Seeing as how I still have a bag of tapioca, I’ll try again with a shorter cook time. I’ll let you know how that works!
Hi Michelle – sorry you had trouble with the recipe. Hopefully, the shorter cook time will do the trick. Let me know 🙂
This recipe worked well for me on the first go. I cut the sugar from 1/2c. to 1/4c. and will cut it down to 1.5 TBS next time. It will still be plenty sweet.
Glad you enjoyed it Laurie. Definitely change it up to suit your tastes.
Thanks for commenting about that! I was wondering if the sugar was necessary for getting the right consistency/texture or only for sweetness. I think I’ll go ahead and experiment with less and other sweeteners now. 🙂
Just tried this with the Reece small tapioca and Instant Pot. I got an overheat message and opened to find a gluey mess. What am I doing wrong? I set on 6 minutes manual.
Hi Stephanie – sorry you had troubles. That’s frustrating. Others have had problems if they overfilled the measuring cup with tapioca so the ratio was off a bit. Did you have a good seal, or did the pressure cooker have trouble coming to pressure?
I had this exact same problem tonight. (My 2nd attempt at the recipe) I used my 6 qt Lux IP and followed the recipe to a T, including the brand of tapioca. It overheated and thus didn’t pressurize. I had to throw it away, again. There’s got to be some reason why it works for some and not others. What about the water temp? My theory is that if you use warm or hot water, it would pressurize quicker, and the pearls wouldn’t have time to turn gluey before it reaches pressure. What do you think? What water temp do you use?
Sorry you had problems. I typically use tap water that’s about room temperature. I wonder if it has something to do with variations in measuring cups. Perhaps weighing the ingredients would be beneficial in this recipe. I would try adding more water, since that has worked for others.
When I told my mom I was planning to make this recipe, she mentioned my dad loves chocolate tapioca pudding. But you can’t really find it commercially. My Grandma used to make it specially for him but has passed and no one knows what recipe she used.
I’d like to use this recipe but add chocolate somehow. I was thinking of adding cocoa powder since it’s already plenty sweet, but I’m not sure how much. Any suggestions?
Thanks!!
Sharon
Hi Sharon – a chocolate version sounds wonderful. I did a quick search and many of the recipes stirred in melted chocolate after cooking the tapioca. Here’s one from Letty’s Kitchen http://www.lettyskitchen.com/dark-chocolate-tapioca-pudding/ Let me know if you give it a try.
I finally had a chance to make this! I used a half a cup of Hershey’s bittersweet dark chocolate chips melted and mixed in right before allowing the pudding to cool. I also skipped the vanilla extract.
I was worried about it being too much liquid as it was pretty sloshy. But it set up perfect after being refrigerated overnight. And it taste oh so amazingly good!!
Best part is Dad loves it!!!
Thank you!
Sharon
Great! Thanks so much for the update. I’m so glad it was a big hit.
I grew up with chocolate tapioca! My mom always added some Nesquik!! Mmmm mmm!
Fun – thanks for sharing Lauren!
Do you think I could use whey (left from yogurt making) in place of the water?
Thank you
Hi Louise – I haven’t tried it, but since you can use whey to make rice, I don’t see why you couldn’t use it to make tapioca. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try.
Okay!
I had scorching issues too. PC = Instant Pot smart, and Bob’s Red Mill small pearl tapioca is what I used. The cooker had an overheat error, so I re-opened and added 1/4 cup water, tried again, and still got an overheat error. So I let it set for a few minutes before continuing on with the recipe (adding milk & yolks, then using the Saute function to bring it to a boil).
It’s starting to cool–the flavor is nice and the tapioca seems cooked (in the sense of not being gritty/hard bits), but there is definitely a mess to clean off the bottom of the cooker.
Any thoughts on how to avoid the overheating in the Instant Pot? (maybe more water?)
PS–Your rice pudding recipe is amazing.
Thanks Hannah! It’s always so fun to hear someone loves my recipes. I’ll have to buy some Bob’s Red Mill tapioca and see what changes need to be made when using it. I’ve only used Reese’s small pearl tapioca. It probably needs less cook time and less tapioca.
I gave it another go and had better luck. I increased the water to 2 cups, and before putting the tapioca in the Instant Pot, I rinsed it in a sieve under cold running water for about 30 seconds to wash away some of the starch. The IP came up to pressure with no warnings, and there was no scorching on the bottom (so it was about a million times easier to clean the pot). The pudding is chilling, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with my husband tonight. 🙂
Thanks so much for the update Hannah! I’m so glad you stuck with it and changed up the recipe to make it work for you. It sounds like it worked perfectly this time.
Just wanted to say thank you for the tip! I had the same issue and both times have had to add water after I got the warning (although the pudding was still salvageable). I’ll try rinsing first and adding more from the get-go. Who knew tapioca could vary so much from brand to brand!?
How the heck do you clean the tapioca off the bottom of the pan afterwards? It’s like glue!!! So bummed. I’m trying Mr. Clean eraser and even that needs a ton of elbow grease.
Hi Jen – sorry you had trouble with the recipe. What type of tapioca pudding did you use? To clean the pot, I have the best results with boiling water in it until the stuck on stuff on the bottom comes off. You can do it either by pressure cooking water, or using the saute function.
Finally got the Reese’s tapioca from Amazon. had to buy five bags so will have for a long time!
Forgot I was only to use yolks until after cooking using the whole eggs.
How do you think the egg whites would change the outcome? It is delicious..maybe thicker than past attempts.
Love it though. Old timey comfort food for me.
Yea!! So glad you liked it. Using whole eggs you risk getting cooked egg white in the tapioca but if it worked, that’s all that matters. Thanks for the update Bridget.
Hi. Have you ever whipped the left over egg whites and folded them in to finished pudding? I was thinking of trying this as I do it for rice pudding and thought it would make tapioca fluffier.(plus avoid wasting them).
Finally found correct tapioca pearls and am going to try this again.
Hi Bridget – I haven’t tried it, but I saw a recipe that was similar on the back of a tapioca pudding package. Let me know how it goes.
I did make as above, folding in whipped whites at end. I like it. By the way, what do you do with unused whites in recipes?
Thanks for the update Bridget. Usually egg white omelets, but if you’re a baker, macarons are fun. Here’s my favorite http://www.barbarabakes.com/samoa-macarons/
Hi. I went to 4 stores looking for pearl tapioca. Finally got some from an Asian store. Directions called for 6:1 ratio with water, cook 15 minutes. And then soak an hour after the cooking. I think maybe it’s meant for making the tea drinks that have tapioca in them.
Anyway, I really wanted tapioca. So decided to try despite knowing I had wrong kind since it didn’t call for soaking overnight.
Followed directions, opened pot to a sticky mess I could have used for wallpaper paste. Anyway, decided to,proceed. Had to use way more milk than you called for. Finally got it looking pretty good but no distinguishable pearls. I decided to whip the leftover egg whites and fold them in at the end.
Ended up tasting like a cornstarch pudding I Remember my grandma making me as a kid. Which I loved.
Do you have any thoughts on how I can use this bag of tapioca since I don’t want to waste my money.?
Do you think there might be a way to modify the recipe?then next time maybe I’ll look on Amazon for the right kind.
Hi Bridget – sorry you had problems. These look like fun recipes http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-boba-and-bubble-tea-98067. Did the package have drink recipes on it?
Yes package had way to make the tea. But I don’t like the tea. Crap. Now I’m stuck with a bag of this weird stuff. The guy in the Asian store didn’t speak English which added to my difficulty trying to pick the right product. We couldn’t communicate.
Live and learn. Who knew that “pearl tapioca” has more than one form.
I wonder if you can grind it up and use it as a thickener for gravies?
Great idea . I have a box of tapioca starch for thickening things. I bet I could turn my new pearls into a similar product. Thanks.
That darn tapioca was so hard, even my coffee grinder and food processor couldn’t grind it!
Sorry – well at least you tried to use it up 🙂
Delicious just the way it is but sometimes I add dark chocolate powder with the tapioca and water for a special treat. Just like grandma made.
Came out perfect in my InstaPot. What if i wanted to double the recipe for a group…suggestions????
That’s great Diana – thanks! I haven’t tried doubling it, but I think it should work fine with the same cook time.
I much prefer large tapioca. Is it possible to use it? The small pearls
just disappear and it is very, very thick. It’s more like a very thick
vanilla pudding.
Hi Sharon – I haven’t tried large tapioca, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. You’d probably just have to increase you cook time a little. Also, the small pearls shouldn’t disappear, the brand you use seems to make a difference and you could just reduce the cook time a minute or two.
Where do you find small pearl tapioca? All I can find is either instant or large pearl tapioca. Can the recipe be altered to use large pearl tapioca?
Hi Barbara and all,
When I might be worried about scorch or burn (I use Fagor duo), I use the larger pot with the rack put in the bottom and put a heatproof bowl in it with whatever I’m cooking. I just add my minimum amount of water to the bottom.
Also, try this with a piece of fish or a chicken breast, but add milk to the heat proof bowl.
Wanted to let you all know that I just made it just like I said in a bowl inside my stovetop cooker. It’s perfect! I also added about a half packet of real lime. Next time Barbara I’m going to try Limoncello, maybe a shot.
Thank you for the receipe!!!
=))
Using a covered bowl on the rack is what helped me. The tapioca and water was nearly unstirrable by cooking directly in the pot of my inexpensive electric HSN pressure cooker. This was delicious and beats standing over the stove stirring! Thank you. Because of your recipes here, I’m loving my new PC!
Thanks Frannie – glad you loved it! I’ll have to try it PIP too.
A never-fail pressure cooker tapioca pudding recipe (with lots of pictures) that does not use eggs as a binder can be found at: http://www.hippressurecooking.com/tapioca-pudding-no-soaking-stirring-or-waiting/
The pearl tapioca is rinsed briefly in a sieve under cool tap water to reduce starchiness. PC time at high pressure is 8 minutes, then the natural release method (10 minutes) is used. After the another 5 minute wait, the tapioca is put in a container, stirred, and covered tightly to cool. I have made this at least 30 times and it has never failed.
Hope you enjoy.
Hi Paul – thanks for sharing Laura’s recipe. It’s a great alternative if you want an egg free tapioca pudding. The egg in pudding adds a richness and a creaminess that’s hard to get without it, but you’re right, you don’t need it as a binder in tapioca pudding.
Barbara, I have made the tapioca pudding twice and each time the mixture scorched the bottom of the pot during the first step…just the tapioca, water, and milk. What did I do wrong?
Sorry Sue. What brand of tapioca did you use? What pressure cooker did you use? Did the pot struggle to come to pressure? Maybe try pressure cooking it without the milk?
I used the IP and Kraft Minute Tapioca. It didn’t seem to struggle coming up to pressure.
Thanks for the response and helping me troubleshoot what went wrong for you. Minute tapioca will not work in this recipe because it’s processed to cook quickly. You need to use small pearl tapioca. If you wanted to use minute tapioca, you might try it with only a 1 minute cook time. I haven’t tried it though.
That totally makes sense. Thanks for your help.
My bag of Bobs Red Mill small pearl says to soak 30 minutes not overnight. So will it work in your recipe?
I’d probably reduce the cook time a minute.
I made this pudding,tapioca. How come it stuck in the pot? I had a lot of brown because of it. It doesn’t taste burnt but it obviously started to. What do I do so this doesn’t happen next time?
Hi Joan – what type of pressure cooker are you using? I assume you had more evaporation than I had, so you’ll need to increase the amount of water you’re using.
it is a cuizinart.
Barbara, how much more water should I use? What about milk? Keep that at the half cup and just increase water? I love this Cuisinart PC and want to try more recipes. It does meat so perfectly and juicy and tender, it is great! Thanks for all your help.
Yes, I would keep the milk the same and just add an extra 1/2 cup of water. The Cuisinart was my first electric pressure cooker and the reason I fell in love with pressure cooking. It is great. Let me know how it goes.
Joan – were you using minute tapioca instead of pearl tapioca?
I’ve tried this several times now using the Fagor Lux. First time after pressure release, lots of browning on the bottom. Next time, I increased the water by 1/2. Still browned, but not as bad. It was soft, so I stirred it in, before adding other ingredients. Same again last night, and I’m hoping that you can help me out. Thanks
Hi Karen – sorry you’re having troubles. Did you make any changes to the recipe; use any different ingredients? What brand of tapioca are you using? If you haven’t made any changes, I’m guessing the milk is scotching on the bottom for some reason. I’d just use all water in the initial pressure cooking stage. Let me know how it goes.
Karen – were you using minute tapioca instead of pearl tapioca?
I had the same problem Karen. Browning on botton and sticking. Didn’t taste burnt,but didn’t look very good either.
I made this, and it was easy and delicious. Another winner!
I’m so excited, Barbara! Once again, you have fulfilled my wish. We love, love, LOVE tapioca and I’ve been wanting to make a P/C version. You did it for me, and like your P/C Rice Pudding– I have no doubt this will be delicious. So happy! I’m making this, and will for sure let you know how much we love it.
Yum! I love tapioca pudding! I have recently started making it from scratch and it is so good. Btw, I totally ignored the ‘soak overnight’ instructions because who wants to wait that long for pudding!?!?!
No one wants to wait overnight when they’re craving pudding 🙂
I’m glad to see a pressure cooker “small pearl” tapioca pudding that does not require soaking. Thanks, Barbara.
A quick garnish that everyone seems to like is a spash of grenadine syrup. Optional: a sprinkle of finely shredded mint leaves.
Picture perfect tapioca! Bill loves it, but I think I’ve only made instant, Yours looks SO much better!
Oh my gosh…..one of my favorite puddings in the whole wide world-right up there with baked grapenuts pudding. My grandmother always made tapioca pudding as a treat, but she rarely used the pearls because like you say, they require soaking….she had my Mom get the minute tapioca. It was a SUPER treat when she used the pearls-I loved the texture of those. Mom called them “fish eyes”…GEEZ Mom! Robin LOVES tapioca pudding-wait until she sees this. Gotta check the cabinet-I THINK I have some pearl tapioca in a jar…if I do? This is getting made SOON.
Thank you Barbara! 🙂
Thanks for sharing Carol! The pearls really are more fun to eat. 🙂
This looks like a winner. I love tapioca pudding but I’ve never made it because it takes too long and too much stirring — lol. My mom used to make it years (and years and years) ago. She also made it with the big tapioca but I don’t know if you can even find that in a store anymore. We always called that “Frog-eye pudding”. But it was great in spite of the name.
I’ve put tapioca on my shopping list — I’m going to try this. My daughter and granddaughter don’t care for tapioca pudding but maybe my little great-grandson will help me eat it.
Thanks Gayle – sounds like frog eye pudding is a pretty common name. It would be fun to pass down your love of frog eye pudding to your grandson. Enjoy!
Hi Gayle! 🙂
I’d expect the small pearl tapioca to be called fish-eye and the large pearl tapioca to be called frog-eye, no? In either case, I know my grandsons are going to love the names. At their age, the grosser, the better.
Hi Rita,
I don’t remember calling the small type anything but tapioca but the big ones we never called anything but “frog eye” pudding. I loved the texture of the big ones. But I haven’t look for tapioca so I don’t know if they still have the big ones. I’m going to look next time I go shopping.
You have a point about the gross names. My little great-grandson is just about five so he’ll be getting to that. Trouble is, he doesn’t like much because he won’t try new things. He’s about to the age where I’ll start insisting that he try new things or no treats at all. I think his mama will go for that, as well. Now if we can just get my daughter, “Nana”, on board with us. She’s the permissive one in the family.
I hear you, Gayle. It makes it difficult when not everyone has the same philosophy. But Barbara’s tapioca pudding sounds like something that should appeal to kids as well as grownups – it’s a dessert after all. I’m about to make it in the next day or two. Barbara’s recipes are always reliable…..and delicious. My husband loves anything tapioca.
I forgot to mention that Bob’s Red Mill sells the small pearl and I believe also the large pearl (fisheye) tapioca.
I didn’t know Bob’s did tapioca. That’s good to know — I’ll bet if the local store doesn’t have it, I can get it from Amazon — they seem to carry everything these days.
My local store and both sizes, but I’m sure you’re right. You can get nearly everything on Amazon these days.