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This Cardamom-Spiced Tapioca Pudding with Fresh Mango Sauce makes a light and fresh summer dessert!
After Mike’s Mexican mango fiasco, we’ve basically been swimming in mango sauce.
There are definitely worse things though, so I can’t complain.
But I’m not saying Mike hasn’t complained. That’s when the thing I learned best from my mom – selective hearing – comes in very handy. As in…
Mike: Mango again?
Me (throwing my arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek): I’m so glad you like mango, sweetie! It’s one of my favorite fruits too.
Yeah, that’s a little Stepford Wives-scary, but you get the idea. A girl does what she has to do when she has a lot of mangos to use up.
And why not make pudding, especially if tapioca is involved? Tapioca lends a really rich, creamy consistency to pudding even if you make it with low-fat milk. Here I used honey to keep the sweetener natural, but sugar will also work fine if that’s your preference. Cardamom adds a little tang of sharp flavor complexity, which is a nice contrast to cut through the smooth richness of this pudding.
But the star of this dessert is definitely the bright-flavored fresh mango sauce, which literally takes just a couple minutes to whip up and is well worth having to clean the blender or food processor for.
- 3 cups (710 ml) low-fat milk (I used 1%)
- ⅓ cup (65 g) small tapioca pearls (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) honey (or ⅓ cup sugar)
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 medium ripe mangos, peeled, pitted, and chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 generous pinch sea salt
- For the pudding, add the milk and tapioca to a medium saucepan; bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then turn the heat off, cover the saucepan, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the honey, cardamom, and salt and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook (uncovered) until the tapioca balls are translucent and the pudding is thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and more frequently toward the end. Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer the pudding to 4 individual bowls.
- For the mango sauce, puree all ingredients together in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Let the pudding cool to room temperature, then spoon the mango sauce on top. Transfer the puddings to the fridge to chill completely before serving, about 2 hours.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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Well, in your defense, I think he also has selectively memory about who brought all the mangoes into your lives!! And really who wouldn’t adore this pudding. Mangoes FTW!
OK I missed the Mexican mango fiasco, but if it involves getting a ridiculous amount of mangoes for a good price, I wish I had been in Mike’s shoes and been able to take those mangoes home myself. It is a dream that one day I will have so many mangoes, I will be able to use them for a recipe like this instead of eating them straight, which is what I always do, no matter how many I have (I admit, though, the most I usually have is 5 at a time due to the price) because THEY ARE JUST SO GOOD. This pudding looks awesome, what a creation, Faith!!
Goodness gracious, that looks lovely! Fantastic recipe :)
I loooovvee mangoes! I can imagine how dreamy this tapioca pudding must taste like!
Ha! I love your selective hearing strategy. If Mike is really too tired of mango sauce I’ll be happy to eat his!
I haven’t had tapioca pudding since I was a kid, but this elegant version has me really craving it.
Oh Faith, this is so creative! I love tapioca, mango and cardamom, but wouldn’t have thought to put them together. Yum!
I wouldn’t mind swimming in a sea of mango! What a wonderfully creative pudding!
That mango sauce looks TO DIE FOR!
Except I wouldn’t really die for it, since if I died, I couldn’t be alive to DEVOUR IT!
I don’t mind fainting though. So I’ll just say THAT MANGO SAUCE LOOKS TO FAINT FOR!
That way if I topple over from excitement, I can get back up when I regain consciousness, devour it, and then go to sleep afterwards all happy and content. FAITH, you have given me FAITH in your AMAZING recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is insanely gorgeous! Love the flavors.
This sounds wonderful! I love the mango sauce on top of the tapioca – gives it a unique and more “adult” twist on things!
My daughter would love this! I am weird and do not care for fresh mango (I know!) but this pudding has me really intrigued. I know I would at least have to try it because it looks so beautiful!
I can definitely think of worse things than having an excess of mango! Tapioca is the pudding of choice in my house, and I’m totally loving the cardamom addition. This sounds amazing.
heheh. Mango is delicious! And this looks so pretty! What color!!
Heavenly! This is such a great combination.
Cheers,
Rosa