Strawberry Sago. If you love strawberries and cream, this easy 4-ingredient recipe for you! This colorful refreshing summer dessert is a sweet creamy strawberry sago pudding with fresh strawberries! Ready in 30 minutes or less!
I am a huge strawberry lover! It's the quintessential fruit of the summer for me. So this strawberry sago is the perfect dessert to enjoy this vibrant fruit!
The chewy sago with the thick sweetened cream bursting with strawberry flavor is heavenly! The strawberries is a great addition to the coconut sago making it a refreshing twist when it comes to any sago pudding.
What is Strawberry Sago?
It's a creamy pudding made of chewy bouncy tapioca pearls mixed with whole fat coconut milk, strawberry puree and condensed milk to sweeten this dessert. This recipe was adapted from my Mango Sago, which is just as delicious if you love mangos! Mango sago is a popular Hong Kong Cantonese dessert.
Easy Strawberry Sago
This strawberry sago is super easy to make at home! Comes together in 30 minutes and 4 ingredients! It doesn't get simpler than that! It's also a dessert that will satisfy the whole crowd if you want to bring it to a small gathering.
Ingredients
You’ll need the below ingredients for Strawberry Sago. Please scroll down to below complete recipe card for the full list of ingredients with exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocers or select Western grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some of these ingredients online, like on Amazon.
- Fresh Strawberries: fully ripe strawberries are the key and most important ingredient here! Make sure they smell sweet and are totally red in color with a plump skin. Avoid strawberries that are bruised or possibly molding.
- Small tapioca pearls or aka sago: Most Asian grocers will carry this item. I would ask the store staff where they shelve this item as it varies. Make sure to purchase the small or tiny tapioca pearls.
- Condensed milk: This is a sweet thickened milk where 60% of the water content is removed making it very thick, creamy and sweet. This is the secret ingredient to making our sago pudding creamy and sweet. To make this vegan, substitute with condensed coconut milk.
- Whole fat Coconut milk: Most grocery stores will sell canned whole fat coconut milk. Make sure to give it a mix before adding it to the tapioca. You may use light coconut milk but just note that the pudding will be runnier.
- Fresh Mint: optional garnish
How to Make Strawberry Sago
Cooking sago:
In medium pot filled halfway with water (about 5 cups of water), bring to a boil on high heat. Once the hot water reaches boiling point, add ½ cup sago or tapioca pearls. Reduce to medium high heat or to a rolling boil, cook sago for 10 minutes. Do not cover and stir occasionally.
Turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for another 10-15 minutes until the pearls have softened and are completely translucent. Note: If you see a small white dot in the center of the sago pearls, they will need another 2-3 minutes to sit covered in the hot water to become translucent.
Strain the cooked pearls in a fine mesh sieve and rinse off the excess starch with cold running water or in a bowl of cold water, until cool to touch. Strain out excess water.
Transfer cold tapioca to a large bowl.
Preparing the pudding:
Open canned coconut milk (and remove the lid for safety measures). Give it a thorough mix inside the can so the fats combine with the coconut water. Add coconut milk into the bowl with cooked sago. Set aside.
Meanwhile, remove the tops off of 500 grams of strawberries.
Place strawberries into blender or food processor. Add condensed milk into blender.
Blend until smooth into a strawberry puree.
Mix strawberry mixture into the bowl with the tapioca and coconut milk until well combined.
Taste your pudding and feel free to add a little bit more of condensed milk to adjust the sweetness level.
For the remaining strawberries, remove the tops and dice it into small cubes. Set aside for topping.
Serving the strawberry sago:
Divide strawberry sago into 4 equal portions. Top it off with the cubed strawberries. Optional: garnish with a fresh mint leaf for aesthetics. Enjoy!
(Alternatively, you can mix the diced strawberries into the pudding and serve).
Storage for Strawberry Sago
This strawberry sago pudding lasts up to 3-4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. If you want to enjoy it the next day, I suggest leaving it out at room temperature for 15 minutes and giving it a mix so the coconut milk has time to melt. Whole fat coconut sago tends to go hard in the cold.
FAQ
Can I replace the strawberries with another fruit?
Yes, feel free to substitute with mango and click here for that recipe.
Can I substitute the condensed milk with a dairy-free ingredient?
Yes, if you can find condensed coconut milk, that will be a fantastic replacement as it's remarkably similar to dairy condensed milk. Grocery stores like H-Mart will carry it or you may find it on Amazon.
Other substitutes for coconut milk?
Yes, feel free to substitute with evaporated milk, fresh milk, or half and half. But please keep in mind, the pudding will become runnier.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, you can make this a few hours or the night before and store it covered in the fridge. I would also recommend keep the diced strawberries separate from the pudding and mixing them on the day of serving. Just keep in mind that with time, the sago pearls will expand as it absorbs the surrounding moisture resulting in a less chewy texture. This would be a great party menu item for dessert!
Other Asian dessert recipes you may enjoy!
If you enjoyed this strawberry sago recipe, you may like these other strawberry or sago recipes:
- Mango Sago
- Coconut Mango Dessert Soup with Sago
- Mango Sago Coconut Drink
- Coconut Mango Pitaya Dessert
- Taho
- Korean Strawberry Milk
Easy 4-ingredient Strawberry Sago
Ingredients
- 28.2 oz Strawberries fully ripe & washed
- ½ cup tapioca pearls small kind, uncooked
- ½ cup condensed milk (for a vegan option: substitute with condensed coconut milk)
- 13.5 floz coconut milk whole fat at room temperature
Optional:
- fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- In medium pot filled halfway with water (about 5 cups of water), bring to a boil on high heat. Once the hot water reaches boiling point, add ½ cup sago or tapioca pearls. Reduce to medium high heat or to a rolling boil, cook sago for 10 minutes. Do not cover and stir occasionally. Turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for another 10-12 minutes until the pearls have softened and are completely translucent. Note: If you see a small white dot in the center of the sago pearls, they will need another 2-3 minutes to sit covered in the hot water to become translucent.
- Strain the cooked pearls in a fine mesh sieve and rinse off the excess starch with cold running water or in a bowl of cold water, until cool to touch. Strain out excess water. Transfer cold tapioca to a large bowl.
- Open canned coconut milk (and remove the lid for safety measures). Give it a thorough mix inside the can so the fats combine with the coconut water. Add coconut milk into the bowl with cooked sago. Set aside.
- Take 17 oz/500 grams of the strawberries and remove the green tops off with a sharp knife. Place strawberries into blender or food processor. Add condensed milk into blender. Blend until smooth into a strawberry puree. Mix strawberry mixture into the bowl with the tapioca and coconut milk until well combined. Taste your pudding and feel free to add a little bit more of condensed milk to adjust the sweetness level.
- For the remaining strawberries, remove the tops and dice it into small cubes. Set aside for topping.
- Divide strawberry sago into 4 equal portions in dessert bowls or glasses. Top it off with the cubed strawberries. Optional: garnish with a fresh mint leaf for aesthetics. Enjoy!
- (Alternatively, you can mix the diced strawberries into the pudding to make it easier).
Isenathi
I have lost the words but all I see is PEFERCTION👌👌👌
christieathome
Thanks so much for the kind words!
heather
really good! made it for a dinner party and everyone loved it 🙂 also refrigerates well
christieathome
So happy to hear that your whole party enjoyed it! Thank you so much for making my recipe, Heather! 🙂