If you have never heard of sago pudding, I don’t blame you. It’s very much a South African dessert. One can find various kinds of desserts containing sago in some Asian counties. Vegan sago pudding is uncommon since this traditional dessert is made with milk and egg.
What is sago?
Sago is made from the pith of palm trees and looks like small white pearls. Sago is often confused with tapioca pearls which are made from cassava root and are slightly bigger. Tapioca pearls are used in bubble tea.
While I couldn’t find sago in a local store, I did manage to get my hands on tapioca and so this recipe is made with tapioca pearls. It was delicious none the less but for a more traditional pudding, I would use sago pearls. Amazon sells them.
An individual touch
Everyone who ever made me sago pudding had their own way of doing it. My Ouma (grandma) baked sago, as did my dad and my mom did a stovetop sago pudding. Don’t tell anyone but I liked my mom’s best. Her way of cooking the sago was fast and always delicious unless she got distracted and burned it…. you know kitchen ‘fails
It’s possible to make a vegan version
There are countless sago recipes out there. Everyone has an individual touch. While a traditional recipe contains eggs to add a richness I managed to make this vegan version and still end up with a rich creamy result. It’s always my goal to make all my favorites vegan and this recipe didn’t disappoint.
What does sago pudding taste like?
Sago by itself has no taste. Adding milk, a sweetener and cinnamon to the sago turn this into a delicious dessert. It’s creamy, sweet and cinnamon flavored. It’s a great
Soaking the pearls
It’s important to soak the sage or tapioca pearls before using them. My mom soaks hers in milk overnight or for a few hours. I soaked my tapioca pearls in water overnight and drained them before
Easy Stove-top sago pudding
You only need one pot for this pudding. You could even try this in an Instapot. It gets more simple, you only need 6 ingredients and to follow these 5 easy steps:
- Soak the sago or tapioca for at least 4 hours.
- Add all the ingredients into a pot except for the coconut milk. (For a richer pudding add 1/2 the coconut milk into the cooked product at the end but I felt garnishing with some coconut milk was enough).
- On medium heat, stir frequently and bring to the boil.
- Reduce heat and cook until the pearls are translucent.
- Serve and garnish with coconut milk.
This vegan sago pudding is:
- Creamy
- Sweet
- Cinnamon flavored
- Stovetop easy
- High in Manganese and Calcium
- Contains 5.6g protein per serving
- Perfect warm dessert
If you’re enjoying these South African recipes, be sure to let me know and check out these other favorites too: Vegan crunchies and vegan rusks
Vegan Sago Pudding
Equipment
- Pot or Instapot
Ingredients
- 1 cup sago or tapoioca pearls
- 3 cups oat milk or plant milk of choice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp Agave or sweetener of choice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 can coconut milk for garnishing
Instructions
- Soak sago or tapioca pearls for 4hours or overnight in water or milk. I used water. If you use milk you can cook in that milk so you don't have waste.
- On medium heat add the sago, milk, sweetener, salt, cinnamon stick, cinnamon and stir frequently until it comes to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes still stirring frequently.
- Once pearls are clear the dessert is ready. Serve and garnish with extra cinnamon and coconut milk.
Notes
Let me know if you give this recipe a try by rating them below and sharing on instagram. Tag me @the_hungry_herbivore
Until next time, happy cooking 🙂
Xoxo Amy