National Tapioca Day was yesterday. It inspired me to make a dish that I normally wouldn’t make. You see, I am one of the few people who doesn’t seem to have great memories of eating tapioca pudding as a kid. I just couldn’t get past the texture. But, my husband does love tapioca pudding, so I decided to come up with a recipe that might appeal to us both. I am glad I did.
The result is a dark chocolate tapioca pudding that is as simple and creamy as the familiar recipes, but has a more grown-up taste. It is also dairy-free and does not include eggs, which are often included in traditional recipes.
A Few Words on Ingredients
Pearl Tapioca: For this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill Small Pearl Tapioca. You can often find pearl tapioca in the baking or healthy foods section of your grocery store or at an Asian market. For this recipe, do not use instant tapioca. I have not seen certified gluten-free tapioca pearls; so be cautious and read the label to avoid cross-contamination with your other allergens.
Tapioca Starch: Instead of egg, I add tapioca starch to the recipe to thicken it up. If you don’t have tapioca starch, arrowroot or corn starch will also work.
Milk: I use plain, unsweetened almond milk, but depending on your tastes and food constraints, you could use soy milk, rice milk, or a 50/50 combination of light coconut milk and water.
Chocolate: I wanted to use dark chocolate in this recipe, so I bought a bar of Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs that I found at my local grocer. This bar is 72% cocoa, certified gluten-free, and does not contain dairy. You could use a bar with a lower cocoa content, if you prefer a less bitter-sweet flavor.
Cocoa substitute: If you cannot find an appropriate chocolate bar near you, you can substitute 2 Tablespoons of cocoa and 2 additional Tablespoons of sugar than called for in the recipe below. Add them when you add the rest of sugar.
Sugar: Try to avoid refined sugar. Raw sugar and palm sugar work well. You could also use 1/4 cup of raw honey or maple syrup in place of the sugar.
Tips for Cooking Amazing Tapioca Pudding
Use a heavy-bottomed pot. I used a 2-qt pressure cooker pot, but would also try a cast-iron Dutch oven. In both cases, I do not use the lid, just the pot. If you don’t have any of these, just use the thickest pot you have.
To add creaminess, it is best to soak the tapioca pearls for at least 30-60 minutes before using them in this recipe. Simply place them in a heavy-bottomed pot, pour 1/2 cup of the almond milk over them and let it sit until the pearls are somewhat translucent. To manage your time, consider setting the tapioca to soak before preparing dinner or while you run an errand so that it is ready when you are.
Bring the ingredients to a slow boil. The goal is to keep the temperature high enough to cook the pudding without scalding the ingredients. Medium low temperature is about right to start, but since every stove is a little different, adjust your heat accordingly.
The tapioca has a tendency to clump and will stick to the bottom of your pan when cooking. To avoid this, stir continuously.
Egg-, Gluten-, & Dairy-free Rich Dark Chocolate Tapioca Pudding
Notes
Use a heavy-bottomed pot. To add creaminess, it is best to soak the tapioca pearls for at least 30-60 minutes before using them in this recipe. Bring the ingredients to a slow boil. The goal is to keep the temperature high enough to cook the pudding without scalding the ingredients. Medium low temperature is about right to start, but since every stove is a little different, adjust your heat accordingly. The tapioca has a tendency to clump and will stick to the bottom of your pan when cooking. To avoid this, stir constantly.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup small pearl tapioca
- 2½ cups almond milk (set aside ½ cup for soaking the tapioca and ¼ cup for mixing with the tapioca starch)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch (corn or arrowroot starch will also work)
- ⅓ cup of raw or palm sugar
- 2-oz of a dark chocolate bar, chopped into ¼” pieces (one with a 70-75% cocoa content will add bittersweet richness)
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla
- Optional Ingredients:
- Orange zest or fresh raspberries for garnish when ready to serve
Instructions
- Rinse the tapioca pearls under running water. Drain liquid and place the pearls in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add 1 cup of almond milk to the pot and allow the pearls to soak for 30-60 minutes.
- Add 1¼ cups of the remaining almond milk and the ¼ teaspoon of salt to the pot and bring it to a slow boil at medium low heat. Stir frequently to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot and scorching.
- While it is heating up, in a separate bowl whisk the 2 tablespoons of tapioca starch together with the last ¼ cup of almond milk until it is smooth.
- When the tapioca mixture in the pot has just begun to simmer, gradually add the sugar to it. Continue stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Now take ¼ of the heated milk-tapioca mixture and add it to the cold starch mixture; stir well to make a slurry.
- Reduce the heat to a low simmer and slowly pour the bowl of tapioca starch slurry into the pot, stirring constantly. When it is well-blended, add the chocolate pieces to the mixture. Stir for 10-15 minutes until the pudding is thick and the tapioca pearls are tender and cooked through (take a quick bite to sample their texture).
- Switch off the heat and let the pudding cool for 15 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.
- The pudding can be served either warm or cold. Adding some orange zest or fresh strawberries on top adds a nice flavor that complements the chocolate and almond milk well.