How to Get Ender Pearls in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Kill endermen (0-1 pearls by default, up to 0-4 with Looting III), barter gold ingots with piglins (about 2.13% for 2-4 pearls) or buy one from an expert-level cleric villager for 5 emeralds. A trapped chest in a woodland mansion's fake end portal room always holds 2.

What you need

Sword with Looting III (enderman hunting)
Gold ingots (bartering)
Emeralds (cleric trading)
Blaze powder to craft eyes of ender

Step by step

Kill endermen: they drop 0-1 ender pearls by default (50%), 0-2 with Looting I, 0-3 with II and 0-4 with III. They become hostile if you hit them or look directly at their face, and a carved pumpkin on your head stops the eye-contact trigger.
Find them in the Nether warped forest, where endermen spawn most commonly (uncommonly in nether wastes, rarely in soul sand valleys), or in the End, where they spawn commonly in groups of four in Java Edition.
Barter with piglins: each gold ingot has a 10 in 469 chance (about 2.13%) of returning 2-4 ender pearls.
Trade with an expert-level cleric villager: 5 emeralds for 1 ender pearl.
Loot a woodland mansion: the trapped chest in the fake end portal room always has 2 ender pearls. Trial chambers corridor chests can also hold 1-2.
Use them: throw one to teleport to where it lands (it deals 5 HP of damage), or craft eyes of ender to reach the End. Each pearl you throw has a 5% chance to spawn an endermite.

Java vs Bedrock

Endermen spawn in groups of four in Java Edition and individually in Bedrock Edition. In Bedrock a thrown pearl only teleports you if it lands in the same dimension.

Versions: Clerics sell ender pearls for 5 emeralds since snapshot 19w11a in Java (expert-level trade in Bedrock 1.11.0).

Frequently asked questions

How do I get ender pearls fast?

Kill endermen with a Looting sword (up to 0-4 pearls each), most commonly found in warped forests and the End.

Can I buy ender pearls?

Yes, expert-level cleric villagers sell one for 5 emeralds.

Do piglins trade pearls?

Yes, about 2.13% of gold ingot barters give 2-4 ender pearls.

Does throwing a pearl hurt?

Yes, it deals 5 HP of damage, and it has a 5% chance to spawn an endermite.