Chocolate Mousse

My best chocolate mousse recipe that is easy to make in under 15 minutes with only 4 ingredients. Creamy, lush, sweet, and decadent.

If you’re an experienced chocolate lover, you know how good, really good, fresh chocolate mousse is. And if you were lucky to try one in France…you know there is nothing more velvety and decadent than classic mousse.

Yet, we aren’t running a fancy restaurant, so I adjusted the recipes and added a few tweaks to make the easiest mousse you can enjoy even on a weeknight or make ahead!

Why You Have To Make This Recipe

• A beginner-friendly dessert that looks like a restaurant-level dish. Much easier to make without whipped egg whites.
• It is delicious, plain and simple. Perfect texture and creamy rich chocolate flavor with a touch of vanilla.
• Not a single raw egg is involved so the recipe is completely safe to eat.

Ingredients Notes

Just four (five with decoration) simple ingredients for this easy chocolate mousse recipe you can get at grocery stores for a very reasonable price.

The four basic components of an eggless mousse are chocolate, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla.

• Heavy cream or coconut cream for a non-dairy recipe. Cold cream will be easier to beat. Don’t use light cream or milk.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars. I use chips over chopped chocolate because it is easier to melt fully the chips, but melting chocolate can leave some chunks. Make sure the chips or chocolate are at room temperature before you start making the mousse. If using a bar make sure it has no additives or vegetable oil in it with chocolate content no lower than 50-60%. You can technically use cocoa powder too, but nothing beats melted chocolate for me.
• Confectioner’s sugar or agave syrup. The chocolate is pretty sweet, so try to adjust the sweetness.
• Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Use pure natural vanilla extract. Almond or even orange flavoring works too.
• Sprinkles to decorate, optional

Kitchen Equipment

• 4 oz ramekins x 6 pcs or some individual cups. (or small bowl will do)
• Stand mixer or hand mixer / electric mixer and a large bowl.
• Microwave-safe bowl or a saucepan to melt chocolate.
• Piping bag with a large star tip, optional, to divide the mousse between the ramekins.

How To Make Chocolate Mousse

1: Melt Chocolate Chips With Heavy Cream

1. Combine the heavy cream and chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
2. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. Heat for another 30 seconds. Stir again. Allow the mixture to sit and cool slightly to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
3. If using a saucepan, the chocolate will be fully melted with cream in about 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Keep stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, do not boil.
4. If the mixture starts to split, you need to keep simmering/heat for another 30 seconds until it is uniform.
5. Optional, if making ahead, you can chill this mixture overnight.

2: Make the Vanilla Mixture Whipped Cream

1. Combine the remaining heavy cream with the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the cream until soft peaks form at medium speed. Make sure to not over whip till stiff peaks form. We need soft peaks when making cream without eggs.
2. Remove ⅓ cup of the whipped cream mixture and set aside.

3: Make Chocolate Mousse

1. When the chocolate has reached room temperature, gently fold the remaining whipped cream into it.
2. Divide the mixture evenly between the serving dishes.
3. Place the reserved whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
4. Pipe the whipped cream in the center of each dessert. Add sprinkles if desired.
5. If you prefer the mousse to be soft and creamy, serve immediately. For a firmer consistency, chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving, covered with foil or plastic wrap.

How To Store Homemade Chocolate Mousse

Storing. Chocolate mousse can be stored in the fridge covered or in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.  

Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

Make ahead. You can make this chocolate mousse for up to 4 days ahead of time and store covered with plastic wrap in the fridge.

Freezing. I don’t recommend freezing homemade chocolate mousse as it loses texture.

Variations & Substitutions

• Espresso powder is a secret ingredient to enhance chocolate flavor. Add brewed coffee to the bowl when melting chocolate.
• Chocolate. You can use whatever chocolate you love: dark chocolate or milk chocolate, and even white chocolate mixture. I use bittersweet chocolate (semi-sweet chocolate chips).
• Add salt. It will make a nice touch to a sweet and salty chocolate mousse.
• Adult-only version with berry or fruit liquor instead of the extract.
• Decorations: more whipped cream, berries (strawberries and raspberries are classic for St Valentine’s Day, cherries can work too), chocolate shavings, canned pears, oranges, chopped nuts, simple mint leaves, or some crushed wafers (or full) or Oreo cookies.
• Serving. Ramekins are cute serving dishes but if you want to be extra fancy, you can use wine glasses.

Classic Chocolate Mousse With Eggs

Traditional recipe calls for butter, eggs, heavy cream, milk, chocolate, and sometimes oil and extra sugar.

First, melt the chocolate with butter and some water in a saucepan, double boiler, or microwave. You can mix in an egg yolk too. Cool down to room temp.

Second, whip egg whites with cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.

Third, fold whipped cream into the chocolate one-third at a time. Chill and serve.

Expert Tips To Make This Chocolate Mousse Recipe

• If your recipe has egg whites, you will need to beat the cream with eggs until stiff peaks form.
• If you are celiac, check the chocolate you have. Raw chocolate is usually gluten-free but commercially produced may contain gluten!
• It is important not to over whip the mixture as it won’t be airy and light, it will become grainy and start to separate eventually.
• Be patient. You need to let the chocolate cream mixture cool down before you fold in the whipped cream. Otherwise the hot chocolate will destroy the texture.
• Gently folding is mandatory because it keeps the best texture.
• You can also do melted chocolate with cream in a double boiler. You set a pot with boiling water and place a saucepan with ingredients on top so the steam will slowly melt the chocolate

Popular Questions

Do I Need Egg Yolks?

Classic chocolate mousse recipe has raw eggs in it to bind all the ingredients and add structure to the mousse thanks to air bubbles and egg white forms when we beat the eggs. Without eggs the chocolate mousse can be denser but also safe for pregnant women, kids, and older people.

Eating raw eggs is not safe because of the salmonella risks. Pasteurized eggs or eggless chocolate mousse are safer.

What Is A Substitute For Egg Yolk In Mousse?

There is no direct substitute for eggs in mousse but you can simply use whipped cream without eggs. It will make the texture less fluffy but rich and still delicious.

What Is The Difference Between Chocolate Pudding And Chocolate Mousse?

Chocolate pudding is a cooked dense dessert while chocolate mousse is whipped and not cooked and has a fluffy airy texture.

Why Is Mousse So Fluffy?

Chocolate mousse is made fluffy because we cream whipped cream or eggs or both to get lots of air bubbles in the mixture and gently fold it with melted chocolate to preserve the light texture. These ingredients make the popular recipes so good.

Why Is My Chocolate Mousse Lumpy?

Adding hot chocolate to the cream makes the chocolate seize and firm, also using chopped chocolate for melting can result in lumps. Over-whipping beyond firm peaks and over-mixing instead of gently folding can also add lumps and stiffen the texture.

Why My Chocolate Mousse Is Runny?

Chocolate mousse can become runny if you don’t whip it enough or let the hot chocolate melt the whipped cream. Also, defrosted chocolate mousse will lose its texture and become soggy. 

To fix it, you can fold in more whipped cream. However, if you did add very hot chocolate to the mix, the mousse can be ruined completely. 

If you love this easy dessert recipe, you’re going to love these other tasty treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great No-Bake Desserts

No-Bake Cheesecake Cups

Easy No-Bake Peanut Butter Balls

No-Bake Chocolate Haystacks

Chocolate Mint Lush Dessert

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