Thai Coconut Pandan Tapioca Parfait
A make-ahead Thai-inspired parfait layering pandan-scented coconut tapioca, ripe mango cubes and toasted coconut — a gently sweet breakfast or dessert served in a glass.
The layers are built in glasses so you get creamy tapioca, juicy mango and a scatter of toasted coconut in every spoonful. Because everything is made ahead and chilled, it is a genuinely practical breakfast for a busy morning — or a no-fuss dessert when friends drop by.
A few notes on the ingredients. Pandan paste varies wildly in strength; start with 1/4 teaspoon and taste the warm coconut mixture before adding more. If you cannot find pandan at all, the parfait still works beautifully with just a scraped vanilla bean or a pinch of cardamom, though the flavour will lean less overtly Thai.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup small tapioca pearls (sago), about 130 g
- 1 3/4 cups full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon pandan paste, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large ripe mango (about 350 g), peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
- 3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream, for drizzling
- 4 small mint leaves, to finish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Add the tapioca pearls and stir immediately so they do not clump. Boil for 10–12 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the pearls are almost fully translucent with only a tiny white dot at the centre.
- Tip the pearls into a fine sieve and rinse under cold running water for 30 seconds to wash off the surface starch and stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.
- In the same saucepan (rinsed and dried), warm the coconut milk, sugar, pandan paste and salt over low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Do not let it boil. Taste and add a little more pandan paste if you want a stronger fragrance.
- Stir the drained tapioca into the warm coconut milk. Cook gently for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the pearls turn fully translucent and the mixture thickens slightly. It should look glossy and pourable, not stiff.
- Scrape the tapioca into a bowl, press a piece of cling film directly onto the surface to stop a skin forming, and cool for 20 minutes. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until cold and set.
- While the tapioca chills, toast the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, tossing often, until golden at the edges. Tip onto a plate to cool.
- To assemble, spoon a quarter of the chilled tapioca into the base of each of 4 glasses (about 200 ml each). Add a layer of mango cubes, then repeat with the remaining tapioca and mango, finishing with mango on top.
- Scatter over the toasted coconut, drizzle each parfait with 1/2 tablespoon of coconut cream and finish with a mint leaf if using. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour before serving.
Cook’s tips
- Small sago pearls cook far faster than the large pearls used for bubble tea — check them at 10 minutes so they do not turn mushy.
- Chilling the tapioca overnight makes it firmer; loosen with a splash of coconut milk before layering if it sets too stiff.
- Choose a mango that gives slightly when pressed — underripe fruit will taste sharp against the sweet coconut.
Substitutions
- No pandan paste? Use the seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean or 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom.
- Swap mango for sliced banana, lychees or pineapple chunks.
- Light coconut milk works but the parfait will be noticeably thinner; reduce the sugar slightly to compensate.
Storage & reheating
Keep the tapioca and mango in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days and layer just before serving — assembled parfaits are best eaten within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make this parfait the night before?
Yes. Cook and chill the tapioca, cube the mango and toast the coconut, then store each separately in the fridge overnight. Layer in the morning so the mango stays firm and the coconut stays crisp.
Why did my tapioca turn gluey?
Usually too much starch or overcooking. Rinse the cooked pearls thoroughly under cold water to remove surface starch, and pull them off the heat as soon as the centres turn translucent.
Is this parfait gluten-free and dairy-free?
As written, yes — tapioca pearls, coconut milk, sugar, mango and desiccated coconut contain no gluten or dairy. Check the labels on your specific brands if you need to be certain.
Can I use large tapioca pearls instead of small ones?
You can, but they need 35–45 minutes of boiling and a longer soak, and the texture will be much chewier. Small sago pearls give the soft, spoonable layer this parfait relies on.
