Gotcha — baked tapioca pudding 🍮✨
Old-school, cozy, lightly custardy, and perfect warm or cold.
🍮 Baked Tapioca Pudding (Classic)
Ingredients
- ½ cup small pearl tapioca
- 2½ cups milk (whole is best)
- 2 eggs, separated
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp butter
- Optional: nutmeg or cinnamon for topping
Instructions
- Soak tapioca
Soak tapioca in milk for 30 minutes (or overnight for extra softness). - Cook base
Heat tapioca + milk gently over medium heat, stirring often, until pearls turn translucent (10–15 min).
Do not boil hard. - Mix eggs
Whisk egg yolks with sugar and salt.
Slowly stir in a bit of hot tapioca to temper, then return mixture to pot. - Finish pudding
Cook 2–3 more minutes until slightly thick.
Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. - Whip egg whites
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
Gently fold into pudding (this gives the baked version its light texture). - Bake
Pour into a buttered baking dish.
Sprinkle nutmeg or cinnamon on top.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25–30 minutes, until just set. - Cool slightly before serving.
🔥 Pro tips
- Small pearl tapioca works best for baking
- Don’t overbake — center should jiggle slightly
- It firms up more as it cools
Variations
- Old-fashioned: add raisins
- Extra rich: replace ½ cup milk with cream
- Southern-style: serve warm with vanilla ice cream
- Lemon: add zest for brightness
If you want a custard-heavy version, slow-bake water bath, or dairy-free option, I’ve got you 👍
