Tapioca Pudding (Dairy & Refined Sugar Free)
I made tapioca pudding all the time as a kid and it was one of my favorites! Wanting to share a little piece of my childhood with my husband (and obviously just wanting some tapioca pudding), I set out to make a healthier tapioca pudding.
I found real tapioca pearls, subbed out the milk for a combination of almond and coconut milk (which by the way, if you don’t have an issue with dairy, you CAN still just use regular milk), and swapped the large amount of refined sugar for a small amount of honey! After a few tries, I had tapioca pudding that tasted just as good as the "regular tapioca", but much healthier.
So excited to share this with you guys! I love the fact that it's super easy to make and is a different type of treat versus the usual cookies, cake, etc..
Tapioca Pudding (Dairy & Refined Sugar Free)
Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 c Almond or Cashew Milk (don’t use oat milk as that doesn’t tend to do well with heat)
1 can (13.5 oz) of organic coconut milk - Note: Make sure you double check the ingredients on the back of the can... it should be just water and organic coconut!
1/2 cup small tapioca pearls
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (pasture raised if possible)
1 teaspoon vanilla
*Note - if are fine with dairy, then you can easily just use 3 cups of regular milk (I prefer organic pasture raised) instead of the almond/coconut milk combo and add it all in at the beginning soak period.
Preparation:
1) Soak the tapioca pearls in the 2 cups of almond milk or 3 cups of regular milk for at least 30 minutes in a large pot.
2) Add the coconut milk, honey and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring/scraping constantly to keep the mixture from burning on the bottom of the pot.
3) Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook and stir for an additional 5 minutes.
4) Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Slowly add 1 cup of the hot milk to the bowl of beaten eggs, whisking constantly (this keeps the eggs from curdling). Stir the egg mixture into the tapioca mixture until combined and cook for an additional 3 minutes on low heat until it thickens slightly.
5) Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
6) Pour into pudding cups or storage bowls with a lid. Place them into the fridge and chill for at least an hour before serving.
7) Enjoy!
