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.

[print_this]Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Toasted Coconut Chips – Gluten-free, Vegan + Refined Sugar-free
Recipe Via (and slightly adapted) from The Kitchn
Serves 4

• 2 cups almond milk, divided
• 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

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.[/print_this]