There is something about a creamy bowl of tapioca pudding. It is easier to make at home than you might think, especially with the help of an Instant Pot. It takes almost no effort and gives you all of the nostalgia you could want from the classic treat.

Two small glass bowls filled with vanilla tapioca pudding in front of an instant pot.

If you are a fan of tapioca pudding, you are going to love this recipe. It is easy to make and so much better than what you can buy at the store.

It just requires a few simple ingredients that are easy to keep on hand. And you can have creamy tapioca pudding whenever you want it.

Tapioca pudding reminds me of childhood. There is just something about the creamy vanilla pudding and pearls of tapioca that draw me in.

After taking frog eye salad to a family dinner recently, it got my siblings and I talking about tapioca. The little pearls of pasta are reminiscent of the tapioca beads.

Spoon getting a bite of tapioca pudding out of a small glass bowl of the pudding.

Ingredients including milk, sugar, vanilla, and small tapioca pearls ready to be made into pudding.

But instead of being pasta, tapioca is made from the cassava root. The starch extracted from the root acts as a thickener when it is heated, like most starches do.

So it is used in pie fillings, as a flour alternative, and more. But when cooked with milk and some sugar, it makes a really creamy pudding with almost gelatinous balls in it.

Of course, after talking with them about tapioca pudding, I had to make some. It was so good, just like we remembered.

So if you are having a hankering for a little tapioca pudding, but out the Instant Pot and use this recipe. It takes a little time, but almost no effort, and it’s worth the wait!

Minute Tapioca vs. Small Pearl

A lot of recipes for tapioca call for minute tapioca. The smaller grain of the minute tapioca means it cooks more quickly.

But most of the fun of eating tapioca is the texture of the beads. So I prefer using small pearl tapioca, even it it does take a little bit longer.

Because we are using a pressure cooker to make the pudding, there is no presoaking of the pearls needed. And the cook time isn’t very long.

Carlee’s Tips and Tricks

Because the tapioca isn’t soaked first, it absorbs some of the milk. That means this pudding is extra rich and creamy.

This is a great way to make a rich pudding without eggs. So there is no tempering to mess with or no worrying about getting bits of scrambled eggs in your pudding.

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Once you put the milk, sugar, and tapioca in the Instant Pot, give it a stir before putting the lid on. Having the sugar in a pile on the bottom of the insert makes it more likely you’ll get a burn warning.

Milk, sugar, and tapioca in instant pot, ready to cook.

Cooked tapioca pudding in instant pot, showing that the tapioca has expanded, but there is still a fair amount of milk.

As written, this recipe isn’t super sweet. I don’t like to add more sugar before it cooks because that also increases the chance of a burn warning.

Let the pudding cook, then give it a taste. If it needs more sugar, stir some in while it is still hot.

It will dissolve easily and you can adjust it to your taste. Using a little honey or maple syrup is delicious as well.

Large spoon with a scoop of warm tapioca over the instant pot with the remaining tapioca.

Small bowls of homemade vanilla tapioca pudding in front of the instant pot it was made in.

When you first open the lid of the pressure cooker, it will look like there is too much milk in there. Don’t worry if it looks runny. The tapioca will continue to absorb the liquid as it cools.

Plus, the starchy milk mixture will thicken when chilled, too. So it will come together if you give it some time.

Serving Suggestions

If you are like me, you won’t be able to help yourself from enjoying a little bit of warm pudding. There is something extra comforting it.

Tapioca is no exception. You will just want to let it cool down for at least 20 minutes first so that the tapioca is fully plump.

However, the most popular way to enjoy it is cold. It takes a few hours to chill, but it is worth the wait.

You can serve the pudding plain or stir it fruit. You could also top it with some whipped cream if you want to fancy it up a bit.

Reader Janie Commented: Perfect! We ate the WHOLE batch with fresh raspberries and it was divine!! Thank you for sharing!! 😋 ★★★★★

4 from 24 ratings

Instant Pot Tapioca Pudding

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings (about 1 cup each)

Prep: 3

Cook: 25

Total: 28

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup small tapioca pearls
▢ 5¼ cup whole milk
▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Stir the 1 cup small tapioca pearls, 5¼ cup whole milk and ¾ cup granulated sugar together in the Instant Pot.
Close the lid and make sure the vent is sealed. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
Allow to naturally release pressure for at least 15 minutes.
Stir in the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and give the pudding a taste. Add a little more sugar if desired.
Allow pudding to cool for a while at room temperature, then cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill.