Sago Dessert With Coconut Milk, Mango Or Blueberries

Sago Dessert With Coconut Milk, Mango Or Blueberries.

A Vegan Tapioca Pearl Dessert, Sweetened With Fruit And Vanilla.

Soak 30 Minutes, Cook About 10, Then Chill For A Couple Of Hours.

Send me coupon for 10 HALF price classes & 2 for FREE (for new or lapsed 3 mths)

Introduction to sago dessert

Sago dessert is little tapioca pearls cooked until they’re clear, then mixed with coconut milk, plant milk, vanilla and pureed fruit, and chilled in a glass. My version uses blueberries, or mango and banana, with coconut yoghurt on top. It’s vegan, and there’s no sugar in the recipe. The fruit and vanilla do the sweetening.

My mum made sago dessert for us many decades ago. Hers was a bit plainer than mine, and I think mine is better! These days it’s often called tapioca pearl dessert, but it’s essentially the same thing.

In case you’re wondering, sago doesn’t have much protein. I made it for old times’ sake, and because it’s delicious.

I also came to love desserts like this on our Bali yoga retreats. Someone else makes dessert at lunch and dinner, and there’s a free cooking class too.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact us. Or chat with me at a Flametree yoga or meditation class via these timetables.

Sago dessert with blueberries, ready to eat

Sago dessert with coconut milk and blueberries in glasses

My blueberry sago dessert with coconut milk. The little dots you can see in the glasses are the tapioca pearls.

Ingredients for sago dessert

Here are the ingredients for this Flametree Yoga Studio dish.

1 cup of tapioca pearls (sago)
Salt, to taste
The seeds scraped from a vanilla pod, or vanilla essence
3 quarters of a cup of plant based milk, such as soy, almond or oat milk. How much depends on how juicy your fruit is
1 cup of coconut milk
1 to 2 mangoes
1 to 2 bananas
A punnet of blueberries
Coconut yoghurt, for the topping

Oat milk is not gluten free. The other milks I mention are, so choose one of those if you need to.

I get my tapioca pearls at an Asian supermarket near me. My vanilla pods come from Woolworths.

The tapioca pearls

Tapioca pearls, the sago used to make coconut sago dessert

The tapioca pearls, or sago, that I get at an Asian supermarket near me. They’re the basic ingredient of this dessert.

The vanilla pods I find best

Vanilla pods for flavouring sago dessert with coconut milk

These vanilla pods from Woolworths are the best value I’ve found. They give a sweetness and flavour that’s a good alternative to sugar.

How to make sago dessert

Use these steps to make this coconut sago dessert.

Step 1: Soak and cook the pearls

Soak the tapioca pearls for about 30 minutes.
Bring a large saucepan of water (8 cups) to the boil. Use plenty of water, and make sure it’s boiling before the pearls go in.
Add the pearls. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly so they don’t go lumpy, until the pearls turn translucent. They’ll still have a tiny white centre.

Step 2: Rest, drain and rinse

Take the pan off the heat, cover it, and wait another 10 to 15 minutes. The pearls will become completely translucent.
Drain the water out, then rinse the pearls under cold water.

Step 3: Make the milk mix

Once the pearls have cooled, mix together the coconut milk, the plant based milk, the vanilla and salt to taste.

Step 4: Add the fruit

Puree the fruit of your choice. I used mango and banana for one batch, and blueberries for the others.
In a bowl, mix the pearls and the milk mix into the puree.

Step 5: Chill and serve

Pour the mix into parfait glasses and chill for a couple of hours.
Serve with fresh mango or blueberries on top, plus coconut yoghurt.

Sago dessert with mango and banana

Mango sago dessert made with tapioca pearls, mango and banana

My mango and banana version. The fruit is blended into the sago mix, just like the blueberries above. You can see the clear pearls in the mix.

Is sago dessert vegan and gluten free?

This sago dessert is vegan. It’s made with tapioca pearls, plant milk, coconut milk, fruit and coconut yoghurt.

For gluten free, watch the milk. Oat milk is not gluten free, so use soy or almond milk instead.

Is sago dessert the same as tapioca pearl dessert?

Pretty much. Sago dessert is the name my mum used, and tapioca pearl dessert is the more modern name. The pearls I buy are tapioca pearls, and the dessert is essentially the same one she made.

What is a parfait?

In modern Australia, a parfait is any layered dessert served in a glass, like this sago dessert. My chia breakfast parfait is another one.

Sago dessert: quick questions answered

How long does sago dessert take to make?

Soak the pearls for about 30 minutes, cook them for about 10 minutes, and let them rest, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes. Then chill the dessert for a couple of hours.

How do I stop tapioca pearls going lumpy?

Use plenty of water, make sure it’s boiling before the pearls go in, and stir regularly while they cook.

How do I know when the tapioca pearls are cooked?

They turn translucent. After about 10 minutes they still have a tiny white centre, and after resting, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes they go completely clear.

What fruit can I use in sago dessert?

Any fruit you like, pureed. I’ve used blueberries, and mango with banana.

Can I use vanilla essence instead of a vanilla pod?

Yes, either works. I prefer vanilla pods, because they give a sweetness and flavour that’s a good alternative to sugar.

More Flametree coconut milk desserts

Love coconut milk desserts? Try my mung bean coconut milk dessert, or my quinoa coconut milk dessert. For breakfast, try my chia breakfast parfait.

Do you have a vegan recipe or dish you’d like to share?

Please contact me with any dishes you’d like to share with me.

Obviously, I’m especially interested in any dish that is already a great Darwin vegan option.

Alternatively, it may be a potential vegan Darwin recipe that I could adapt, or be inspired by, as I did here.

Experience eating alternatives at a Flametree Yoga Retreat

By the way, there are several upcoming Flametree yoga retreats in Bali in 2027.

Contact us for details of our Darwin yoga retreat packages, or our yoga class packages in the orange lines below.

Top yoga & meditation retreats, classes, & videos

Meanwhile, start or re-start yoga or meditation with one of the HALF price deals below, or check out the retreat deals.

Learning to eat mindfully, as a result of yoga and pranayama meditation, is a great way to start more of a vegetarian or vegan journey, or simply mindfully eat whatever you choose.

Cart