This chocolate mousse is light, lusciously smooth, and intensely chocolaty. It’s so simple yet elegant and indulgent. This effortless dessert is bound to impress. It’s vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), grain-free (gluten-free), soy-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free.
I don't know anyone who makes traditional, French-inspired chocolate mousse at home.
Maybe because the traditional method, for which you melt the chocolate over gently simmering water, then beat hot cream into the melted chocolate, and then split your eggs into whites and yolks, and then mix the yolks, at room temperature, into the chocolate, and then whip the whites into a stiff meringue — but not too stiff! — and then fold the meringue into the chocolate until there are absolutely no streaks, but also not for too long, because the mousse starts to deflate, is so stressful.
In French, the word "mousse" means foam and it's an apt description of this dessert - light and airy. According to French chefs, the perfect rendition of chocolate mousse is based in its simplicity. That's why the most basic chocolate mousse recipe has only five ingredients - chocolate, eggs, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt. From here on out it takes little more than your innovation to produce a special blend all your own. There are so many directions you can go, though you must be careful to maintain a proper balance of ingredients to keep the consistency.
This vegan chocolate mousse has even a shorter list of ingredients and the method is much easier.
Tips for Making Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
Classic chocolate mousse is made up of just a few ingredients - a base, an aerator, and a thickener (optional). The base of a classic mousse recipe is the main flavoring component. If you're making a chocolate mousse, chocolate alone will most likely be the base. The aerator makes the mousse light and fluffy. If the aerator isn't stable enough, a thickener is added to make the mousse set.
For this vegan chocolate mousse, the ingredients are even simpler:
- Cocoa powder: melted chocolate is the most frequent base in mousse recipes. However, since I don't always have chocolate on hand, I use dutch-processed cocoa powder instead. It's important to use high-quality cocoa powder. Some cocoa powders are tasteless and some leave a bitter flavor in the finished recipes. So, find one you like.
- Coconut cream: there are many aerators that work well in chocolate mousse, but coconut cream is my favorite. Some brands of coconut cream whip up better than others, so make sure to refer to this guide to see which brands I recommend. The fluffiness of the final mousse heavily depends on the quality of the coconut cream - whether the cream separates from the water, how smooth (as opposed to grainy) the cream is, how well it forms peaks, etc.
- Coconut sugar: the sweetener is really a matter of preference. As long as it's powdered (liquid sweeteners will loosen the mousse while granulated sweeteners will not dissolve), you can use anything you like. My favorite is powdered coconut sugar because it's similar to regular sugar (in terms of sweetness), has a slight hint of caramel, and complements the flavor profile of coconut cream perfectly.
How to Make Chocolate Mousse
Making homemade chocolate mousse is no trickier than making coconut whipped cream. That is, the hardest part of this recipe is getting the coconut cream whip well. However, as long as you use good quality coconut cream (see above), all you have to do is follow these easy steps:
- Chill the coconut cream. Whether you're starting with canned coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk, place the can in the colder part of your refrigerator overnight. The coconut cream must be very cold for this recipe to work well. If you're using coconut cream, you can use the entire content of the can. If you're using coconut milk, gently scoop the coconut cream at the top out of the can and leave the coconut water behind.
- Chill the tools. One of the most important things when making this chocolate mouse recipe is to start with cold tools: a cold bowl and a cold whisk or beaters. Chill them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes. This helps the coconut cream stay cold longer and set up faster.
- Whip the coconut cream. Add the cold coconut cream into the chilled bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the coconut cream on medium-high speed until it starts to increase in volume and soft peaks form. It will take about 45 seconds, depending on how thick the cream is to begin with. Don't over-whip the cream or it will go from smooth and creamy to broken (separated) and grainy.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the cocoa powder and coconut sugar into the coconut cream, and whip on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about a minute. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts. Don’t be afraid to stop the mixer and check the consistency of the chocolate mousse as you go. The peaks should not collapse.
- Chill. Cover the mousse tightly and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. One of the ways to make this chocolate mousse even more special is to pipe it. To do that, transfer the mousse into a piping bag fitted with a star decorating tip 1M. (You can use any tip you like. This is just the one I like for this particular recipe). Place the piping bag into the refrigerator and let the mousse chill for 15-30 minutes before piping.
- Pipe a swirl (optional). To pipe a swirl, hold the piping bag straight up, with the tip about 0.5 inch/1.3 cm above the surface of the serving bowl. Squeeze to form the center of the swirl. Without releasing pressure, raise the tip a little bit and move it slightly to the side. This will be the starting point of the swirl. Pipe a line of mousse toward the top of the star. Using a circular motion, pipe a "C" until it connects to the starting point. After completing the first rotation, move the tip slightly inward and repeat the circular motion. Continue spiraling until you reach the desired height. End the spiral at the center of the bowl.
How to Serve Chocolate Mousse
For serving the mousse, you can use martini glasses, champagne flutes, small bowls, or espresso cups. Or, if you’re hosting a party and want to give your guests a small taste, you can serve the mousse in Asian-style porcelain soup spoons.
This is an elegant dessert that you can change by adding different ingredients. If you use coconut extract and shredded coconut, you'll boost the tropical flavor. Raspberry extract will produce a raspberry chocolate mousse that pairs nicely with fresh raspberries. Orange extract and orange zest is a favorite of citrus lovers. A sprinkling of ground cinnamon and a pinch of ground red chili pepper gives it a Mexican hot chocolate flavor. A pinch of ground cardamom and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios will lend an Indian flavor. Use your imagination.
More Chocolate Mousse Recipes
There are many options for making vegan chocolate mousse. Other than coconut cream, you can also use aquafaba, tofu, avocado… I have tried all of them and aquafaba chocolate mousse is the airiest of them all. Compared to the coconut cream version, aquafaba chocolate mousse is much fluffier but not as creamy or smooth. It is also vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), grain-free (gluten-free), soy-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free.
If you try any of these recipes, please, leave a comment and rate the recipe below. It always means a lot when you do.
Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 1 (14-oz) can full-fat coconut milk , cream only, chilled*
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup coconut sugar , powdered
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Chill the tools. Chill a medium-size mixing bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. This helps the coconut cream stay cold longer and set up faster.
- Whip the coconut cream. Add the cold coconut cream into the chilled bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the coconut cream on medium-high speed until it starts to increase in volume and soft peaks form, about 45 seconds. Don't over-whip the cream or it will go from smooth and creamy to broken (separated) and grainy.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the cocoa powder and coconut sugar into the coconut cream, and whip on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about a minute. Taste and adjust the flavor as needed, adding more cocoa powder for a chocolaty flavor and coconut sugar for sweetness.
- Chill. Transfer the chocolate mousse into a piping bag fitted with a star decorating tip 1M. Place the piping bag into the refrigerator and let the mousse chill for 15-30 minutes before piping.
- Serve. Pipe or spoon the chilled chocolate mouse into serving bowls, glasses, or espresso cups. Serve immediately.
- Store, Leftover chocolate mousse keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
Recipe Notes
*Place the can of coconut milk in the coldest part of the refrigerator overnight. Make sure not to shake or tip the can to encourage separation of the cream and liquid.
Note: very rarely, you may get a can of coconut milk that is chalky and hard or won’t firm up. So, I like to always keep two cans of coconut milk (or coconut cream) in the refrigerator just in case.
**Prep time does not include chilling the coconut milk (~12 hours).
***Nutrition information is approximate and may contain errors. Please, feel free to make your own calculations.
Hawraa
Thank you so much for the recipe! I am also a dark chocolate lover. I tried it and it was soooo good! 🙂 🙂 Thanks again!
PetraScott
Yay! That's awesome! Thank you so much for the feedback, Hawraa ❤
Jade
I just made this and couldn't resist licking the spoon from leftovers in the vitamix. I used 5 dates and a drizzle of maple syrup. Delicious (at least what is in the bottom of the container). Can't wait to dig in to the mousse tomorrow! Just one question, where do you find coconut whipping cream? I've never heard of it. I live in Calgary, AB.
PetraScott
Hi Jade - so happy you liked the mousse 🙂 I buy my coconut whipped cream (if I don't make it myself) in Pomme Naturals (it's a health food store in Nanaimo where I live). You can also get coconut whipped cream in Save On Foods (I just looked it up and there are several Save On Foods stores in Calgary 😉 The only issue I have with the coconut whipped cream from Save On are the ingredients. I can't remember what exactly is in the whipped cream they sell but I know that I was looking at it and thinking that I would rather make my own. In my Save On, the whipped cream is in the dairy section. Hope it helps 🙂
Debbie Ott
Hi Petra,
Great recipe! My mousse turned out quite firm using 8 medjool dates. It tasted wonderful, but I wanted a slightly softer pudding version and wanted to avoid the coconut milk as some in my family are allergic to it. I used medjool dates as before and used raw cashew milk to substitute for the coconut milk. I made the cashew milk myself. The mousse turned out fine, was also quite firm and really good. To create a bit more softness, I reduced the medjool dates to 6 and added a tablespoon of honey, still using the cashew milk. It was exactly what I wanted.
Cashew milk is really easy to make but I think a high speed blender would be necessary. You don't have to strain out the nut solids because cashews soften a lot when soaked overnight (or all day if you prefer) and the fats in the nuts seem to bind the solids to a creamy milk. The solids will settle eventually, but a good shake seems to reunite everything long enough to drink or to make pudding/mousse with.
Now I'm going to try those flaxwraps. 🙂
Thank you so much for all your experiments in the kitchen! I greatly appreciate it!
PetraScott
Thank you so much for your feedback and tips, Debbie! That's very helpful. I don't make cashew milk all that often (for no particular reason), but I do make a lot of cashew cream for ice cream 🙂 Have you ever tried making ice cream from cashews? It's SO good! Oooh, yes - the flaxseed wraps. If you like flaxseeds, I'm sure you'll like the wraps too ❤
Ioanna
I made the mousse a few hours ago and I have to say this is awesome!!! So delicious I couldn't put down the spoon! I even put one of the bowls in the freezer and it quite like a rich ice cream. So good! Hands down the best vegan mousse I've tried. Thank you once more Petra!
PetraScott
That's awesome! My husband and I love this recipe too. I am so happy you enjoyed it so much! I really appreciate your feedback 🙂
Cynthia Robinson
Love this recipe... think it is a MUST try!
PetraScott
Thank you so much for the feedback, Cynthia!❤
Estelle Spencer
Can I substitute the coacoa butter for coconut butter?
PetraScott
Hi Estelle - as you probably know, cacao butter and coconut butter are completely different ingredients. I think that the recipe would work if you used coconut butter, but the mousse would taste differently (coconut butter has a strong coconut flavor whereas cacao butter is very neutral) and the texture would be different as well (cacao butter sets firmer and its melting point is higher). I think that it would still be delicious. Just different 🙂
Linda
Hi Petra, I hope you are doing well. I am looking forward to make this because it looks so yummy, but I just want to know if I can use carob powder instead of cacao powder??
Hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you for all your nice recipes.
Greetings from South Africa!
PetraScott
Hi Linda! Yes, carob powder will work just fine. The flavor of the mousse will be a little different, of course, but it won't affect the texture. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Monika
As you yourself mentioned, cacao butter comes in different forms (blocks, chips, etc.). As a result, 3/4 cup of cacao butter will be different depending on how it is cut, grated, etc.
Can you please provide the amount of cacao butter in GRAMS?
Thank you.
PetraScott
Hi Monika - I have metric measurements under every recipe. Just click on the green text that says "metric" and the measurement units should switch 🙂
Ali
This recipe is unbelievably easy to make and yet looks like you have slaved in the kitchen for hours! It is rich and decadent. I made it in ramekins which stretched it out to 5 desserts. There is quite a strong coconut flavour to this but I like it, I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
PetraScott
Thank you so much for the feedback, Ali! ❤️ I really appreciate you taking the time to do that. I am happy you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Rachael
This recipe looks amazing and I can't wait to try it :). Just wondering if I could substitute the dates altogether and just use a natural sugar for sweetening, or will this ruin the consistency completely? Thanks for sharing, love watching your videos!
PetraScott
Hi Rachael - thank you for the lovely comment. You could use natural sugar instead of dates, but the mousse will be thinner.
Emily
This recipe is amazing. It was super fast to make and the texture was perfect. One question though. I accidentally used cocoa powder instead of cacao powder and it had a slight aftertaste that wasn't great. I'm considering trying it again with cacao powder. Do you think that could have been the cause of the aftertaste, or is it more likely from the dates? I thought cocoa powder is normally slightly sweeter than cacao, so I'm not positive it was the cause.
Thanks so much for your amazing recipes!!! They are awesome!
PetraScott
Hi Emily - thank you so much for the lovely comment! ❤️ Would you be able to describe the aftertaste a little more? I find the taste and quality of raw cacao powder superior to standard unsweetened cocoa powder. That being said, there are two different types of cocoa powder - natural and Dutch-processed. Dutch-processed cocoa powder undergoes processing with an alkalized chemical solution (to make the taste of the end product richer and less acidic). Natural cocoa powder, on the other hand, is a bit more acidic and bitter (you’ll find it often in recipes that call for baking soda because the soda alkalizes the natural cocoa powder). Did you use natural or Dutch-processed cocoa?
Emily Conroy
Hi! I think I was using the natural kind of cocoa powder. I made it again and made two changes that seem to do the trick. First, I switched to cacao powder. Second, I eliminated all the dates from the recipe (I think they might have been the weird taste I was getting but I’m not sure). The recipe turned out perfect this time and seemed to solidify fine without the dates. It’s REALLY light now which I love. Anywho, thank you so much for such an awesome idea. I’m adding it to my regular rotation of desserts since it’s so good and quick to make.
PetraScott
Thank you for your feedback, Emily! So happy it turned the way you wanted 🙂 I will have to give it a try without the dates now ... what did you use as a sweetener?
Olivia
Hi Petra (and taste-critic Tanner),
Love your YouTube channel - very zen! - and your recipes - a half dozen of which I've tried so far - are fantastic.
This mousse, though...as fabulous as it is, I think you're mistaken in saying that the most important ingredient is the chocolate.
The most critical ingredient is, in fact, a Vitamix:)
Maybe everyone on here has one, and managed to puree their dates into dreamy, silky perfection, but after two tries (one with medjools having soaked in hot water for some time) , mine never fully blended and the mousse were full of teeny tiny sad little chunks.
Any suggestions as to how to completely puree the dates beforehand (with a very un-fancy $80 blender), or what I might add along with a liquid sweetener, so as to ensure a good firming up?
Thanks!
PetraScott
HI Olivia - so sorry to hear you had difficulties pureeing the dates. If you're blending isn't capable of pureeing the dates, I would use a food processor (if you have one). If you don't, you could purchase already blended dates (date paste). Alternatively, you could use maple syrup, but the mousse will be thinner.
Olivia
Ok, thanks. I'll give the store-bought date paste a try!
Sue
Hi Petra - thanks very much for the recipe. Looking forward to trying this rich vegan chocolate mousse. Wondering your thoughts on using cashew cream instead of coconut milk. Thanks!
PetraScott
Hi Sue - I have never tried this recipe with cashew cream, so I'm not sure. However, I think that it should work just fine. Just like with the coconut milk, the higher the fat content, the stable the mousse will be.
Sue
Thanks Petra!
Lisa Watkins
Hi Petra,
I loved the recipe! I omitted the dates and I used agave to sweeten the mouse only because I was out of maple syrup. It turned out very well. Thank you.
Lisa
PetraScott
Awesome! So happy to hear that, Lisa! Thank you so much for the feedback! ❤️
Evgenia
I have never tried chocolate mousse in my life!
Some days ago my husband told me that he would love to eat some healthy chocolate mousse. And then I remembered that I had seen the recipe of it in your cookbook in the past.
So, I decided to make the mousse and try what it is like generally))
Petra, Petra, what have you done to us?!!! We loved the result extremelly much!!!
I added 8 medjool dates and followed all the instruction! It turned out amazing!!! So tender, delicious, not so sweet! We had it without wipped cream and it was super as well!!!
Now we have another one favorite sweet recipe in our home!!! As well as, I eventually know what the chocolate mousse is like!!! It's and anbeliveably tasty dessert!!!
I have some questions, Petra 🙂
- Is it possible to make that mousse only from dark chocolate and without cacao butter?
I usually order cacao butter from Iherb but it's not easy to find it on stock all the time.
If there is some alternative, could you kindly tell me the ingredients and approximate proportions of them?
- May I add the erythrite to that recipe or Stevia?
Thank you very much for your help!!!
PetraScott
Aw, so happy you and your husband enjoyed the recipe so much, Evgenia! Comments like yours make my day. Thank you so much for the feedback ❤️
1. Well, pure dark chocolate is essentially just cacao butter and cocoa. Depending on the percentage, there is also a certain amount of sweetener. So, yes, you could substitute the cacao butter for dark chocolate. However, you will need to scale back on the cocoa powder as well.
2. Are you thinking of swapping the dates for stevia/erythritol? Or just adding more sweetener to the dates?
Evgenia
Dear Petra, thank you so much for your prompt reply!
Yes, I'm thinking of swapping the dates for stevia/erythritol, because my husband tries to minimize sweeteners with high glycemic index...
So, what do you think, if I add one bar of 70-85% cacao dark chocolate, how much cacao powder I will need to add to the recipe? May I leave the same amount of coconut milk ?
Thank very much for your help!!!
PetraScott
Hmm, that's a bit tricky. You can leave out the dates (and use a different sweetener), but the mousse will be considerably thinner. If you want the mousse thicker, I would suggest using coconut cream (instead of coconut milk). Because I have never tried "your version" 🙂 I am not sure about the exact quantities. Here is what I would do: keep the amount of coconut cream, add the dark chocolate (I would use 3/4 cup, shaved), then add the sweetener of your choice. I don't think you will need to add any cacao powder. The chocolate will have close enough ratio of cacao butter to cacao powder. Hope that gives you a good start 🙂
Nanette
Oh my goodness! I made this and it was awesome! Creamy, rich and just right. You can’t tell it’s vegan. Thank you so much for this recipe. PS- I also made your delicious mango gelato. The best!
PetraScott
Yay! Thank you so much for the feedback, Nanette! ❤️ Next time would you mind adding a rating to your review? It’s super helpful to us and other readers. Thank you so much! xoxo
Donalie s Sawtelle
The only thing missing is the nutrition info. I wish you could include that with all of your recipes. Thank you.
PetraScott
Thank you for the feedback, Donalie! Definitely on my list of things to do. It's a bit crazy with my two little ones at home all the time now, but I will get to it 🙂
Ann
How many grams of cacao oil??
Ann
Sorry! Saw the answer)
PetraScott
Awesome! Let me know if you have any more questions 🙂
Véronique
Hi! The chocolate mousse look so good !! Could you give me the weight of the ingrédients un grams? (French pastry ) thanks!!
PetraScott
Hi Veronique - for sure! Just click on the green text that says "Metric" under the ingredients list (in the recipe box) and the measurements will automatically convert.
mickey mouse
cool thank you for the gift da mousse is awesome we put some maple syrup is super syruppy and very sweet and is like chocolatte rose when 3d printed with da piping bag awesome ✨
PetraScott
Aw, thank you!❤️
Fanni
Hi Petra,
I don’t have a hand mixer , only a whisk. I own a vitamix3500i as well I was wondering if I could make this recipe with either of those tools?
Thanks 🙂
Fanni
PetraScott
Hi Fanni - unfortunately, unless you have an aer disc container (for your Vitamix), you need a hand mixer to aerate the coconut cream.
Debra
Can you please tell me the exact measurement of coconut cream that is needed (1/2 cup, 1 cup??). Thank you!
PetraScott
Hi Debra - a great question. The brand I use (Aroy-D) yields ~ 1 cup of very thick coconut cream.
Fanni
Hi Petra,
Lovely recipe!
If I wanted to use this as a cupcake ‘buttercream’, can you recommend an additional ingredient which would result in keeping the choc mousse in the same sort of consistency for few hours in room temperature?
Thanks, Fanni
PetraScott
Hi Fanni - I wouldn't use this recipe as a buttercream frosting. This recipe would be more of a stabilized whipped cream. However, if you still wanted to use it as a frosting, I would try cornstarch. I don't personally use cornstarch, but it's typically used to stabilize whipped cream (you would add it to the coconut cream together with the sugar).