Tapioca’s not for everyone, perhaps you don’t fancy the satisfying chew of tiny bubbles bursting in every spoonful, but for me, it’s an essential ingredient in a good pudding. Far beyond the sad plasticized pudding cups in a grocery store corner, this pudding is rich with homemade dulce de leche and pairs famously with a tart fruit like pluots. The slightly underripe, tangy pluots cut into the thick caramel flavor and I struggled to stop swooping up ribbons of dulce de leche with pluot wedges even before the pudding was finished cooking. At any rate, while this recipe from San Francisco’s State Bird Provisions offers a simple approach to tapioca-crafting, I did change up the method for making dulce de leche. Instead of boiling the whole can of sweetened condensed milk for a few hours, I used David Leibovitz’s approach by pouring the can of milk into a glass pan nestled inside a larger glass pan filled halfway up with water and letting this brown itself into gooey golden caramel for about an hour and a half. This method cuts the cooking time in half and sends you on your way to spoon-licking splendor much more speedily. After the caramel waiting period is over, you’re not far from the end result of a luscious, pearl-packed pudding experience, ripe with opportunity for bowl and pot-licking pleasures and beyond.

Dulce de Leche Tapioca Pudding

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Author: Amanda Marsteller
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 4 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

A rich and luscious pudding infused with homemade dulce de leche and chewy tapioca pearls, perfectly complemented by the tangy bite of fresh pluots.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk or half and half
3/4 cup medium-sized tapioca pearls
2 pluots, slightly underripe, sliced

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a glass baking dish. Place this dish inside a larger baking dish and fill the larger one with water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the smaller dish.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the condensed milk turns into a gooey, golden caramel (dulce de leche). Check occasionally to ensure the water level remains halfway up the side of the dish, adding more water if necessary.
Once the dulce de leche is ready, remove it from the oven and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk or half and half, tapioca pearls, and salt. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to allow the tapioca to soften slightly.
Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for about 20-25 minutes, stirring often, until the tapioca pearls are translucent and the mixture has thickened.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and gently fold in the prepared dulce de leche until well combined.
Serve the pudding warm or chilled, topped with slices of slightly underripe pluots for a tangy contrast.

Notes

For a quicker dulce de leche, use David Leibovitz’s method by baking the sweetened condensed milk in a water bath. Ensure the water level remains consistent during baking. Serve with slightly underripe pluots for a tart contrast to the sweet pudding. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American