Pure and Simple Vegan Tapioca Pudding

I've been messing around with this recipe for about 15 years, so I was bound to get it right one of these decades! The thing that I was missing for far too long was the importance of simplicity in this dish. Previously, I was cluttering it up with things like maple syrup, raisins, and cinnamon. All fine ingredients otherwise, but they simply muddied the pure, delicate flavor that you're looking for in a vanilla tapioca pudding.

That said, it's really important to use high quality ingredients, as there are so few ingredients in this dish. First of all, start with your tapioca. Personally, I prefer whole tapioca simply for the fun texture - but you can also use instant. (Instant is often easier to find as well)


So, what you'll want to do is place 1/4 cup of either whole tapioca (shown above) or instant in 3 cups nondairy milk. Now, this... THIS...is a crucial step, my friends! If you use sub-par milk, your pudding will not taste fabulous. Personally, I like to use homemade almond milk. If you're so inclined, you could also use coconut milk or another high quality nondairy milk - the fresher the better!

If you're using whole tapioca, let it sit in the milk for about 2 hours. If you're using instant, proceed with the next step.

Next, place the tapioca and milk mixture in a medium pot. Add your vanilla. You can either use one tablespoon vanilla extract or a luscious vanilla bean (or two if you're really a vanilla lover!). Obviously, using the whole vanilla bean will elevate this to another level. To use, simply score it down one side (lengthwise) with a sharp knife and then scrape out all the innards with the back of a spoon. Heaven.


Next, add 1/2 cup of organic sugar (basically, the healthier version of white sugar) and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Stir well with a whisk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for about ten minutes.

Remove from heat, let cool, then refrigerate. Before serving, stir again. Enjoy!

Serves 4
GF/SF/Blue (according to the health guidelines in my books)