Chocolate Mousse
This easy Chocolate Mousse contains no eggs or gelatine; only whipped cream is used to create its light and luscious texture. Deeply rich and chocolatey and spiked with a glug of Bailey’s Irish Cream, this simple refined sugar free dessert is the perfect way to end a meal.
An easy chocolate mousse recipe made without eggs or gelatine
Over the past three years, I’ve really developed an affection for chocolate mousse.
I’m not usually the type of girl to order a chocolate dessert when dining out – I typically go for lemon or coffee flavoured desserts (hello all my tiramisu lovers, I see you!). But there’s one little French restaurant in London that Chris and I frequent and I always, ALWAYS order their chocolate mousse.
It’s the best I’ve had since my trip to France in 2012. It’s light and airy, practically melts in the mouth, and is so intensely chocolatey that I have to have an espresso with it to cut it.
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So when stay-at-home orders happened and I couldn’t get back to the bistro, I knew I had to replicate that gorgeous mousse.
This eggless and gelatine free Chocolate Mousse recipe is exceptionally simple to make and contains only 6 basic ingredients. It’s beautifully fluffy, supremely rich and chocolatey, and so easy to end a meal with that you’ll seriously consider doubling this small-batch recipe the second time around!
Does chocolate mousse contain raw eggs?
Traditionally, yes, chocolate mousse contains raw eggs. The yolks help to thicken the mixture and add richness while the whites are whipped to stiff peaks to create the fluffy, aerated texture.
However, you don’t need eggs to make fluffy, light chocolate mousse, and this recipe is proof of what you can achieve with just chocolate, cream, butter, and a touch of agave.
Ingredients in this egg free Chocolate Mousse recipe
Only 6 simple ingredients are needed to make this eggless Chocolate Mousse recipe. You likely already have all of them in your kitchen and pantry already:
- Quality dark chocolate: The star ingredient! To ensure you achieve the best flavour possible, always buy a decent quality chocolate. I love using cane sugar sweetened Green and Black’s.
- Salted butter: We’re not adding any extra salt to this recipe, so by using salted butter, we’re seasoning the chocolate and creating a richer flavour.
- Vanilla bean paste: I found the paste imparted a better flavour than using liquid vanilla extract, but if that’s all you have, use ¾ teaspoon.
- Double cream: AKA heavy cream, whipping cream, etc. The thickest cream you can find that whips up to stiff peaks. This is what creates the thick and rich, yet airy texture, so don’t skimp!
- Agave syrup: We’re using just a dash of agave to sweeten this chocolate mousse recipe, since the chocolate is already sweet, we don’t need much.
- Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur: I love adding a little punch of booze to this recipe, but you can leave it out if necessary.
How to make Chocolate Mousse from scratch
This is honestly one of the easiest Chocolate Mousse recipes I’ve ever made. It’s rich and chocolatey, yet airy and light and comes together in about 15 minutes of prep. Here’s how to do it:
1. Melt the chocolate
In a bain marie, you want to melt together the chocolate, butter, and a touch of water until it’s smooth. Then let it cool to room temperature.
2. Whip up the cream
Then you want to whip the cream and sweetener to stiff peaks. This creates the airy texture.
3. Fold the chocolate and cream together
Finally, gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and decant into serving glasses. Chill them for an hour and you’re ready to enjoy!
Full details are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Chocolate Mousse FAQ
Why is my chocolate mousse gritty?
Gritty or grainy mousse can happen when super cold cream is added to the chocolate mixture – the temperature change can split the chocolate.
To prevent this from happening, I recommend making sure the chocolate mixture is at room temperature before beginning. Then, mix in a little cream at first to temper the chocolate and then fold in the remaining cream.
How do you fix runny chocolate mousse?
Runny chocolate mousse usually happens for one of two reasons: either the chocolate mixture was too hot when you added the cream and it melted or the cream wasn’t whipped to stiff peaks.
Unfortunately, this means you will have to start again. Or you can try the firming up technique below.
How do you firm up chocolate mousse?
Normally, I would recommend just starting again if your mousse becomes too runny, but there is one trick you can try to firm up the mousse before giving up all hope.
Create an arrowroot or cornflour slurry from ½ tablespoon of arrowroot/cornflour and 2 tbsp of cream or milk. Add the mousse back into a saucepan to heat up and then whisk in the slurry until it thickens.
Note that the texture may be quite different from doing this and won’t be as light and airy.
How do you fix over whipped mousse?
Pour an extra tablespoon of cream into the bowl and whisk it in gently. Keep adding cream, one tablespoon at a time, until it smooths out to your desired consistency.
Why is my chocolate mousse not fluffy?
When your mousse doesn’t turn out as fluffy as planned, it’s usually because of one of three causes:
- Your chocolate was too hot when you added the cream and it melted the cream.
- You didn’t whip your cream to stiff peaks before adding it to the chocolate
- You didn’t fold gently enough (or folded too much) when you added the cream to the chocolate and beat out all of the air.
If this happens, I would recommend starting again.
How long does mousse take to set in the fridge?
Minimum 30 minutes to 1 hour. I like to leave it overnight.
Can you leave chocolate mousse overnight?
Yes! I like to leave this egg-free chocolate mousse overnight to firm up and develop tons of flavour before serving.
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
- Use good-quality dark chocolate. Because chocolate is the main ingredient in this recipe, use the best quality you can get your hands on for the best flavour. I love Green and Black’s range, because they sweeten only with cane sugar.
- Swap out the Bailey’s for your favourite liqueur. Kahlua, Amaretto, or Frangelico would be lovely here – or just leave it out for an alcohol free mousse.
- Make sure your melted chocolate is at room temperature before adding the cream. Otherwise you could end up with grainy chocolate or a sloppy, melted cream mess!
- Whip your cream to stiff peaks before adding it to the melted chocolate. This creates the best texture. To check your cream is stiff, dip the beaters into the cream and pull quickly straight up. Flip the mixer over and if the peaks at the end of the beaters stay erect, it’s done.
- Chill the mousse before serving. I know it’s tempting to eat it straight away, but the flavours and texture develop and become absolute perfection from the chilling. Don’t skip this step.
Looking for more refined sugar free chocolate desserts?
Mint Chocolate Brownies
Chocolate Sheet Cake
Chewy Chocolate Chai Cookies
No Bake White Chocolate Blackberry Swirl Cheesecake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Salted Caramel Pecan Brownies
Black Forest Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Parfait
White Chocolate Raspberry Ripple Cake
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If you make this recipe, let me know by snapping a picture and tagging me on Instagram @naturallysweet_kitchen. I love seeing your creations and sharing them in my Stories. Or let me know you love this easy, egg free Chocolate Mousse recipe by leaving a comment and rating below!
Chocolate Mousse
This easy Chocolate Mousse recipe is made without eggs, gelatine, or refined sugar to produce a light and rich chocolate dessert.
Ingredients
- 85 g quality dark chocolate, chopped
- 14 g salted butter
- 1 ½ tbsp water
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- 120 ml cold double cream
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 ½ tbsp Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur (optional)
Method
- Place a glass or metal bowl over a saucepan of lightly simmering water to create a bain marie. Make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl. Drop the chopped chocolate, butter, and water into the bowl and melt together, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula.
- Once the ingredients are emulsified, remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the vanilla paste. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
- To a separate bowl, add the cream, agave, and Bailey’s. Using a hand mixer, whip the cream to stiff peaks on a high speed. Do not over whip.
- Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, add a tablespoon of the whipped cream to the chocolate and fold it together to temper. Add the remaining whipped cream and gently fold it into the chocolate mixture until no streaks of white remain.
- Divide the mousse evenly between 3 serving glasses, cover with foil, and place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour.
- Serve with additional whipped cream and chocolate shavings if desired.
Notes
This mousse will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
