Made with tapioca pearls, milk, cream, and sugar, and infused with cinnamon and vanilla, this Homemade Tapioca Pudding is a creamy, old-fashioned pudding dessert that is downright dreamy!
Whisk together 3 cups of milk, 1 cup of cream, ½ cup of sugar, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly.
Once the mixture is simmering, whisk in the tapioca pearls and reduce the heat to the lowest heat. Cook, uncovered, whisking often until the tapioca has softened. About 50 minutes.
In a small bowl whisk 2 eggs together. Add ½ cup of the warm tapioca mixture to the eggs, whisking vigorously.
Slowly pour the egg mixture into the tapioca pudding, whisking to incorporate. Turn the heat to medium, and cook, whisking constantly, until the pudding has thickened. About 5-10 minutes. Remove the pudding from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
Transfer the tapioca pudding to a heat-safe bowl or serving dish. Place plastic wrap over the surface of the pudding.
Let the pudding cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate until fully chilled.
Notes
Cream: In place of the heavy cream, feel free to use additional whole milk or half and half.Chocolate Tapioca Pudding: For a rich chocolatey version of tapioca pudding, omit the cinnamon and nutmeg and reduce the granulated sugar to from ½ cup to ¼ cup. Whisk ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder into the milk and cream along with the sugar. Cook as directed. After removing the pudding from the heat, stir in vanilla along with 1 cup of chopped dark chocolate into the warm pudding. Stir until the chocolate has fully melted.To Make with Instant/Minute Tapioca: Whisk together 1 large egg with 2 cups of whole milk and ¾ cup of cream in a medium saucepan. Stir in ⅓ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and 3 tablespoons of Minute tapioca. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Don't skip waiting 5 minutes, the tapioca needs that time to absorb the liquid. Turn heat to medium and bring mixture to a bubblie stirring constantly, being careful not to let it burn. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding and cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate until fully chilled.