How to make Tapioca Pudding in the Slow Cooker

This easy recipe makes the fluffiest, creamiest tapioca pudding – almost like eating a cloud. The secret is to separate the egg, and beat the whites. Tapioca pudding is great for kids, because it’s full of protein and calcium too. And using the crockpot takes 2 hours of hands-off cook time. No need to stand at the stove and stir, as the crockpot gently “steams” the pudding and does all the work for you. This tapioca pudding recipe is adapted from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook
Ingredients:

• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 small pearl tapioca (not instant)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

1. Coat the slow cooker with a light rubbing of light olive oil.
2. Combine the milk, only ¼ cup of the sugar, tapioca, and vanilla in the slow cooker;
3. Stir well with a whisk.
4. Cover and cook on low until the milk is absorbed, the pudding thickened, and most of the tapioca balls are completely transparent. Should take about 1-½ hours.
5. Separate the egg.
6. Beat the whites with the remaining ¼ cup of sugar until soft peaks form.
7. Beat the yolks with a fork to break up any clumps.
8. Spoon a few tablespoons of the hot tapioca into each of the egg mixtures and beat well; pour both egg mixtures into the cooker and stir well with a spoon or spatula to combine.
9. Cover and cook on low for another 30 minutes.
10. Turn off the cooker and let the pudding cool, partially covered for 30 minutes.
11. Serve warm or chilled.

This recipe serves 4, so in my house, this recipe is doubled, and I increase the cooking time by an hour. I love to make Tapioca Pudding for my kids in the spring – after they tangle their kites in the backyard, and look up at the clouds. When they come inside, I give them this “cloud in a bowl.” Coming up in my next posts – the stovetop method for tapioca pudding, and the recipe for Magic Islands, another high-protein “cloud in a bowl” favorites.