A sweet dessert featuring chewy sago in a rose pandan flavored coconut milk. This quick and easy recipe comes in 30 minutes with minimal ingredients! It's a dairy-free dessert and it is so delicious!
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Rose Pandan Coconut Sago is a light, sweet, creamy dessert featuring small tapioca pearls, palm sugar, and coconut milk with pandan extract and rose syrup.
It's absolutely delicious, easy to make at home with simple ingredients. This sago dessert will easily impress your guests with the fun colors too!
Tapioca pearls and pandan are common ingredients used in South-East Asian desserts, especially in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Pandan extract is a concentrated liquid made of puréed pandan leaves and water and has a delicious floral grassy vanilla taste and scent.
Pandan extract can be made at home or store-bought at certain Asian grocery stores or online, like on Amazon. On the other hand, rose syrup has a sweet floral taste and made of rose petals, water and sugar and easily found online or at Western grocers.
With all these ingredients combined, it makes for a delicious and light dessert that everyone will enjoy!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Small Pearl Tapioca: avoid using the large tapioca pearls. Most Asian grocery stores will sell them in plastic packaging in white or different colors.
- Pandan Extract (aka Pandan Essence): this is a concentrated liquids of puréed pandan leaves and water. Online retailers like Amazon or select Asian grocery stores will sell this. As a last resort, substitute with vanilla extract.
- Rose Syrup: a pink syrup made of rose petals, water and sugar. A common Western ingredient found online or at many Western grocery stores.
- Coconut Milk: ideally full fat coconut milk. Or substitute with light coconut milk.
- Palm Sugar: or substitute with coconut palm sugar.
- Cold water: to dissolve the palm sugar to make a syrup.
Expert Tips
- Mix the coconut milk fat and liquids in the can before adding to the bowl so its better incorporated.
- Finely chop the palm sugar so it dissolves easily, especially if you're using the palm sugar pucks.
- Make sure the tapioca is cooked through and there is no white dot in the center or they will taste hard. After cooking them, let them rest in the hot water covered until it's totally translucent.
- Shake out as much excess water in the cooked tapioca or it'll dilute the sweet coconut milk.
- Use a non-stick pan when making the palm sugar syrup for easy cooking and clean up!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make rose pandan coconut sago:
- In a medium size pot of water (about 5 cups of water), bring to a boil on high heat. Once the hot water reaches boiling point, add tapioca pearls. Reduce to medium heat or to a rolling boil, boil for 10 minutes uncovered. Stir occasionally. Then turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for another 10 minutes until the pearls have softened and are completely translucent. If you see a small white dot in the center of the pearls, let them sit in the hot water covered for another 2-3 minutes to become fully translucent.
- Then strain the cooked pearls in a fine mesh sieve and rinse off the excess starch with cold running water until cool to touch. Shake out as much excess water and transfer to a large bowl.
- Next add coconut milk to the cooked tapioca and mix well. Set aside.
- Then heat a small non-stick pan on medium heat. Add palm sugar with water. Mix and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it thickens. Remove off heat and mix this syrup into the coconut sago mixture.
- Divide the sweet coconut sago mixture into two equal portions. To one portion, pandan extract. To the other portion, add rose syrup.
- To serve, equally divide the rose and pandan sago mixture between four dessert bowl or glasses. Mix to enjoy!
Storage
- This dessert is best enjoyed fresh or same day.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This dessert requires no reheating and can be enjoyed chilled.
- Freezer-friendly? Rose pandan coconut sago does not freeze well because the sago will turn hard.
Pairing Suggestions
Rose pandan coconut sago serves well with:
- fresh tropical fruit like pineapple, lychee, dragon fruit, star fruit, rambutan and more
- other sago desserts like Coconut Mango Sago, Strawberry Sago, or Mango Sago
- jelly desserts like Pandan Coconut Jelly, Mango Coconut Jelly, Fruit Jelly Cake, or Lychee Jelly
- shaven ice, ice cream, popsicles or frozen yogurt
FAQ
Rose pandan coconut sago be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheating is not required as this dessert can be enjoyed cold.
Rose pandan coconut sago can be chilled in the fridge before serving or you can serve it immediately.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Rose Pandan Coconut Sago
Ingredients
- ¼ cup tapioca pearls small uncooked kind (do not use minute tapioca)
- 2.10 oz palm sugar finely chopped (or sub with coconut palm sugar)
- 2 tablespoon water cold
- ½ cup coconut milk full fat
- 1 tablespoon pandan extract store bought (or sub with vanilla extract)
- 1 tablespoon rose syrup store bought
Instructions
- In a medium size pot of water (about 5 cups of water), bring to a boil on high heat. Once the hot water reaches boiling point, add tapioca pearls. Reduce to medium heat or to a rolling boil, boil for 10 minutes uncovered. Stir occasionally. Then turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for another 10 minutes until the pearls have softened and are completely translucent. If you see a small white dot in the center of the pearls, let them sit in the hot water covered for another 2-3 minutes to become fully translucent.
- Strain the cooked pearls in a fine mesh sieve and rinse off the excess starch with cold running water until cool to touch. Shake out as much excess water and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add coconut milk to the cooked tapioca and mix well. Set aside.
- Heat a small non-stick pan on medium heat. Add palm sugar with water. Mix and simmer for 3-4 minutes until it thickens. Remove off heat and mix this syrup into the coconut sago mixture.
- Divide the sweet coconut sago mixture into two equal portions. To one portion, pandan extract. To the other portion, add rose syrup.
- To serve, equally divide the rose and pandan sago mixture between four dessert bowl or glasses. Mix to enjoy!
Daniel
Coconut milk 1 tablespoon a typo? Supposed to be 1 cup? Please verify. Thanks!
Christie Lai
Thanks for flagging this! I've updated the recipe card to reflect 1 cup, not 1 tbsp.
Nina
Do you think jasmine syrup could be used in place of the rose syrup? It’s the one thing I forgot at the Asian grocery...thanks!
christieathome
Hi Nina, sure! You can try that. I haven’t personally tried that. But after googling what it should taste like, it sounds very similar to Rose syrup so it should work well!
Kyllie
Hi, what is coconut beverage exactly?
Thanks
christieathome
It is a lighter version of canned coconut cream. It’s more thinner like a milk, unlike coconut whole fat cream.
Katerina
You have sold me on Pandan extract - I really need to look for it. And these rainbow colours are so pretty. What an impressive dessert, Christie!
Sherri
Love how quickly this beautiful dessert comes together! And I love your positivity with everything that is going on! Taking walks has definitely been helping me and my family to feel good. 🙂
christieathome
Thanks Sherri! I appreciate your kind words on my dessert. I'm glad walks are helping you and your family feel good during this time.
Molly
This tasted so good! It was really easy to make. I love your recipes!
Rosemary Squires
I am still in awe at how beautiful this is!! It reminds me of bubble tea-- but even better. I'm happy you're staying positive through all of this. There is always something to be grateful for.
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I just can't get over the color! This would definitely impress guests (whenever we will have guests again, ha)! Looks terrific Christie!
Never Ending Journeys
What a delicious dessert! I love desserts that use tapioca.
Leanne
I need to try Pandan extract! This is so pretty Christie. And I love an easy dairy-free dessert, so this is perfect for me! Happy weekend. I hope you're doing well.