Tapioca is a starch extracted from cassava root, available as flour, pearls, or flakes. Like arrowroot and sago it is almost pure starch — low in protein, fat, fibre, and micronutrients — but valued for its thickening and gelling properties, neutral flavour, and gluten-free status. When cooked, tapioca pearls become transparent and chewy.
Large tapioca pearls require soaking for 2-4 hours before cooking; simmer until translucent, then cook in sweetened coconut milk or other liquids for desserts. Tapioca flour thickens at lower temperatures than cornflour.
Where Tapioca, raw Stands Out
Macronutrients per 100g
Vitamins & Minerals
| Nutrient | Per 100g | % Daily Value* | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphorus | 30.0 mg | 4% | |
| Potassium | 20.0 mg | 1% | |
| Chloride | 13.0 mg | 2% | |
| Calcium | 8.00 mg | 1% | |
| Magnesium | 2.00 mg | 1% | |
| Iron | 0.300 mg | 2% | |
| Niacin equivalents (NE) | 0.100 mg | 1% | |
| Copper | 0.070 mg | 7% | |
| Folate | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Pantothenic Acid (B5) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-TE) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin C | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Vitamin A (RE) | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Trans fat | 0.000 g | — | |
| Maltose | 0.000 g | — | |
| Fructose | 0.000 g | — | |
| Sucrose | 0.000 g | — | |
| Glucose (dextrose) | 0.000 g | — | |
| Cholesterol | 0.000 mg | — | |
| Beta-carotene | 0.000 µg | — | |
| Retinol (vitamin A) | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Biotin (Vitamin B7) | 0.000 µg | 0% |
* % Daily Value is the proportion of an adult
EU Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) supplied by 100g of this food.
NRVs are the labelling standard — the same basis as the “%RI” figures printed on
food packaging — so these percentages are directly comparable with a shop label.
They are a single adult figure and do not vary by age or sex, which is why they
sometimes differ from UK dietary reference values: the NRV for vitamin C is 80mg
where the UK RNI is 40mg. When Nutriofia assesses your own intake in the
reports and trackers, it uses the age- and sex-specific UK values instead.
Fibre is shown without a percentage. Our fibre values use the UK
Englyst NSP method, while the published 30g daily goal is an AOAC figure — the two
are measured differently and a single percentage would mislead.
How we source and normalise our data →