It is no secret that I have a serious love for all things coconut! Coconut milk, coconut oil, whipped coconut cream, vegan ice cream with coconut milk, piña coladas, chocolate coconut cups, and so on and on and on… It is fair to say I go through more coconut milk, coconut oil, shredded coconut and coconut chips than I actually care to admit.
When I stumbled upon this recipe on The Kitchn, I realized right away it was right up my alley, but of course, I of course tweaked it a little to add in even more coconut goodness. A creamy, coconutty, tapioca treat… YUM! The beautiful golden brown, toasted coconut on top brings a nice contrasting crispy texture to this super creamy decadent dessert, it was hard to not eat the whole bowl while it was on the counter cooling. I absolutely love tapioca pudding, always have, however Mark can’t get down with the texture of the little tapioca balls (he thinks bubble tea is one of the grossest things in the world), so I got to enjoy this myself over a couple of days. I definitely wasn’t sad about it.
2 cups almond milk, divided In a large glass bowl, add the tapioca pearls and 1 cup of almond milk, stir then cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 4 hours). When it has soak for at least 4 hours, add the additional almond milk and the chilled tapioca/almond milk mixture to a medium saucepan, over a medium heat. Once the pudding is boiling, pour in the coconut milk, vanilla and maple syrup. Cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, constantly stirring. Finally, lower the heat and add in the tapioca starch mixture and salt, stirring and cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Cool in a glass bowl for at least an hour before serving. You can serve it a little warm or fully chilled. Garnish with toasted coconut chips.
Recipe Via (and slightly adapted) from The Kitchn
Serves 4
1/3 cup tapioca pearls
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup maple syrup (or agave syrup – you could also use honey if you aren’t vegan)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon tapioca starch with 1 tablespoon water mixed in
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Toasted coconut chips for garnish
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks amazing Beth! I have a love affair with coconut too
Gabby @ the veggie nook recently posted..homemade facemask to heal, soothe and moisturize
Thanks Gabby! Coconut addicts unite!!
Oh Beth, this looks to die for. The toasted coconut on top is totally what sells it for me!
Thanks Sarah! Toasted coconut on everything forever! That’s what I think
This looks so amazing. Like silky smooth and so tasty! I am like you, I love a lllll things coconut. I cannot wait to try this.
Thanks Katie, it is just as amazing as it looks, maybe more actually! I hope you enjoy this if you try it.
Haha oh man, I haven’t had tapioca pearls every either! I’ve just never gotten around to it… jeez. First polenta, now this. I need to get on it!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit recently posted..Chocolate Kale Chips with For The Love of Food
Ha wow that is also surprising to me Leanne. I wish you lived nearer, I would make you a dinner with polenta and a tapioca pudding for dessert
I’d be soooo down with that!
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Hi, this looks delicious! I am curious, do you mean the coconut milk in the can or the carton. Also, is there a good substitute for tapioca starch (like xanthan gum)? Thanks!
Hi Kathleen, thanks! I used canned coconut milk, but the kind in the carton should work too. As far as a substitute for the tapioca, you could use another starch like potato, arrow root or even corn starch.
WOW! I’ve just finished a bowl of this pudding and it was fantastic! First time ever to make anything with tapioca, just can’t believe 1/3 cup made so much and it cooked so fast. I used creamy coconut milk and left out the starch, the texture was somewhat lighter than in your pictures. I didn’t have any maple syrup, but anyway I wanted to try it with date paste…and it was sooo good. Coconut pudding with toffee flavour, amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, definitely making it again.
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Thanks for sharing and again I am so happy you liked it and I love the date paste suggestion. I have to see if I can find some tapioca pearls around here so I can try this again your way. Thanks for taking time to stop by and share your thoughts.
Today I made a chocolate version, also with date paste as sweetener. Love it!:)
That sounds amazing Adriana. I will have to try it. I love the idea of using the date paste as a sweetener too. Thanks so much for sharing!