Coconut Tapioca Pudding Directions:

This recipe calls for small pearl tapioca (I use this) not instant tapioca.

1. Rinse tapioca thoroughly and drain in a fine mesh sieve.
2. In medium saucepan, bring water to a boil and add tapioca. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 10-12 minutes. Add coconut milk, sugar and salt. Reduce heat to low, stirring frequently, until pudding has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla if using. Allow to stand 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled with sliced fruit and coconut if desired.

This is what the tapioca looks like when it has boiled in the water and becoming translucent.

And the final pudding, ready to eat.

I was flipping through one of my cookbooks and I spotted a recipe for Coconut Tapioca Pudding. It looked so good I bought all the ingredients, but when I actually went to make the  recipe it seemed unnecessarily complicated. I decided to make a much simpler version, based on a Thai Kitchen recipe.

The result is very sweet, sticky, Coconut Tapioca Pudding. Although it’s supposed to be sweet, if you are watching your sugar intake I think you could greatly reduce the sugar in this recipe without compromising flavor or texture.

This Coconut Tapioca Pudding is not only delicious and simple to make, but it also happens to be dairy and egg free as well (which is a rare thing to find in a tapioca pudding recipe).

We decided to top it with some fresh, chopped pineapple because I had some, but it would be equally good with diced mango. Toasting the coconut adds a nice nutty flavor and contrast in texture; and it’s really simple to make. Here are the directions if you’ve never toasted coconut.