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August 28, 2012

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Why do you use tapioca in your slow cooker recipes?

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Hi!

Happy Tuesday to you.  Guess what?  School starts in a week!  I know some of you will think I’m mean but I’m really excited for it to start!!  I love a little silence in my home during the day.
I have gotten a few great questions in the last little bit so I thought I’d share one with you today.
Why I use Tapioca in most all of my slow cooker recipes and how it makes them turn out better. #slowcooker #crockpot #kitchentip

I see you use quick cooking tapioca in many of your recipes. What is the purpose/flavor…..is there anything I can substitute that will not alter the intended flavor of the recipe?

Yes, I do use tapioca. It is a thickener. It has no flavor. I like to use it instead of cornstarch because it’s easier for me to add it in at the beginning with all the rest of the ingredients than it is for me to use cornstarch at the end. Slow cooking is awesome but everything tends to get really runny because there is no evaporation that occurs. Thickeners are necessary or your dishes will turn out really really liquid-y. If you don’t have tapioca you can 
*dredge any meat in a little flour.  
*Or you can reduce on the stove-top at the end.  
*Or you can use a little cornstarch and water at the end.  
*I also like to cook on HIGH for the last hour without the lid because it helps some liquid evaporate off.

I buy my tapioca in the jello aisle. It costs less than $3.00 a box most of the time.

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28 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Slow Cooker Tagged With: kitchen tip tuesday, Tips, crock pot recipes, recipes crock pot, slow cooker recipes, thickeners, All Posts

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Comments

  1. Connie says

    October 26, 2021 at 9:19 am

    How do I just make tapioca pudding in the insta pot?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 26, 2021 at 3:48 pm

      here is a recipe from a friend: https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-tapioca-pudding/

      Reply
  2. Michele Comstock says

    August 19, 2018 at 9:05 am

    I am making peach butter that calls for 14 cups of peaches and 1/2 cup of tapioca. Also the sugar and spices. This seems like a large amount of tapioca to me. What do you think?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 20, 2018 at 2:20 pm

      Well, it does sounds like a lot. But the consistency of the peach butter must be pretty thick. That’s probably why it calls for that much.

      Reply
  3. Sally WIlson says

    June 1, 2018 at 11:50 am

    My husband has made quite a few recipes for the slow cooker calling for instant tapioca to thicken. Weโ€™re not sure itโ€™s thickening at all. Last night we had chicken with what was supposed to be a mushroom sauce, or even a gravy. It was very runny. All have been like that. I think the recipe even said to add broth if it got too thick. It never began to thicken. What can he be doing wrong? He uses Minute Tapioca. Last recipe called for 2-3 TBS.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 2, 2018 at 4:13 pm

      Hmmm, interesting. Things get really runny in the slow cooker. I’d cut down on liquids by half if I were you.

      Reply
  4. Gary says

    April 15, 2018 at 4:52 am

    Beef stew recipe calls for surgery & clear gel. Why auger? What is clear gel ? ,And can I use minute tapioca instead ?
    How much and do you cook it first? It’s no instant…..little balls not granules

    Reply
    • Karen says

      April 16, 2018 at 5:34 pm

      I’m not sure what you are talking about? But I used the Instant Tapioca.

      Reply
      • Patrick says

        December 9, 2018 at 4:40 pm

        Karen you can delete that comment. Spammers use it to get links back to their own websites for certain key words. I donโ€™t even think that old tactic works anymore! Lol

        Reply
  5. Betsy Warner says

    March 22, 2018 at 9:21 am

    Recipe calls for quick cooking tapioca to thicken stew in slow cooker. I only have regular tapioca. Is there a conversion or should I just use
    cornstarch?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      March 22, 2018 at 11:18 am

      You can just use a cornstarch slurry and it’ll work just fine ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  6. Rick says

    January 27, 2018 at 11:06 am

    Is the measured amount of instant tapioca generally the same for most stew recipes……I have used tapioca in previous slow cooker recipes…(it IS easier at the beginning, and works great)….my previous recipes have called for one tablespoon. Tomorrow I want to use it in a recipe that calls for corn starch. One tablespoon? Or is there a ratio to stock?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 27, 2018 at 2:34 pm

      I would say 1-2 Tbsp of tapioca is sufficient for most recipes I’ve come across!

      Reply
  7. BoJe says

    January 14, 2018 at 11:30 am

    I forgot the tapioca. Can I add it in towards the end of cooking?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 14, 2018 at 4:52 pm

      you can thicken at the end with a cornstarch slurry. Just mix 2 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 Tbsp of water and then stir it in. turn the crock to high until the mixture is thickened.

      Reply
  8. P says

    November 6, 2017 at 5:45 am

    When you use the instant tapioca, do you add liquid to it? The recipe just called for 2 tbs of instant tapioca. I assume it means โ€˜two tbs of the dry granulesโ€™, is that correct? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 7, 2017 at 2:26 pm

      Yes, that is right!

      Reply
  9. Kay Burgin says

    January 17, 2017 at 12:35 pm

    Having a hard time finding this at Walmart. I understand it is in the Jello/pudding section of the store.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 18, 2017 at 10:16 am

      I’m sorry you’re having a hard time finding it! Maybe you could order it online here: https://www.walmart.com/ip/13916853?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227016696188&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40889699312&wl4=pla-78819533792&wl5=9029688&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=13916853&wl13=&veh=sem

      Reply
  10. Anthony says

    December 29, 2016 at 6:27 pm

    Hi – just read this string and was wondering if you could advise if I can use Jello cook-and-serve tapioca the same as the kraft minute tapioca? Thanks

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 3, 2017 at 12:14 pm

      I don’t think it can be used interchangeably. Since the minute tapioca is just the starch tapioca whereas the jello version is tapioca pudding mix with sugar/sweetener in it.

      Reply
  11. Karen says

    October 9, 2012 at 10:23 pm

    Taryn, I'm not familiar with xantham gum and how it would work in slow cooker recipes. If you try it out, let me know if it works!
    Thanks,
    Karen

    Reply
  12. taryn the teatotaler says

    October 9, 2012 at 2:10 pm

    Is it possible to use xanthan gum as a substitute for tapioca in your recipes? I don't know if you're familiar with using it, but I thought I'd ask anyway ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks!

    Reply
  13. jessi says

    September 4, 2012 at 2:40 am

    i'm a fan of Arborio rice in soups and stews. i toss it in the crock pot when i have 45 minutes left of cooking. sops up the liquid and i just love the taste and texture. may bot work so wekk for sweet dishes.

    Reply
  14. Karen says

    August 30, 2012 at 7:10 pm

    thanks Laura!

    Reply
  15. Laura @ The Salty Kitchen says

    August 30, 2012 at 6:38 pm

    Do you know that I had been meaning to ask you this question? I printed a few of your recipes that called for it, and I wasn't quite sure what the purpose was. Thank you for the tips, and GREAT BLOG!

    Reply
  16. Jennifer G. says

    August 29, 2012 at 12:29 am

    I just read through all the kitchen tip Tuesday's that had a link under another tip that I could find. What a great idea! Although some I knew, I also learrned some new ones. It seems we are always looking for new ideas especially to make life easier, since there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Thank you for the tips and I will look forward to your future tips. Keep up the good work!!

    Reply
  17. Jen says

    August 28, 2012 at 4:34 pm

    I just used my first tapioca in one of your recipes last week. Don't know what I was scared of!

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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