This delicious vegan chocolate mousse recipe is the base I use for my Irish coffee chocolate mousse and raspberry white chocolate mousse.
A combination of minimal ingredients results in a bubbly chocolate mousse that rivals a classic Mousse au Chocolat.
Yet no one will ever be able to detect that it's completely eggless and dairy-free!
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📖 Recipe Overview
- Taste: An intense chocolate flavor, that's enhanced with sea salt and vanilla. Made without avocado which sometimes has an overpowering flavor.
- Texture: Fluffy and bubbly, think Aero chocolate! Once the bubbles burst in your mouth you're left with a silky and creamy mouthfeel.
- Level of Ease: I reckon this recipe can be made by bakers of any skill level, even if it's your first time making homemade mousse. The aquafaba does require a little patience to whip up, however, but the mousse doesn't run the risk of curdling like traditional recipes using eggs.
- Best Served: This aquafaba mousse can be made ahead of time, so it's perfect for dinner parties and special occasions like Christmas.
- Allergens: This chocolate mousse has no nuts, no tofu, or soy, and it is of course, as always completely eggless and dairy-free.
📝 What is mousse au chocolat?
Traditional French Mousse au Chocolat uses egg whites and dairy whipping cream or egg yolks to get its airy yet rich consistency.
This recipe uses aquafaba (chickpea brine) and thick coconut milk to recreate the bubbles and richness found in traditional chocolate mousse recipes.
Personally, I prefer aquafaba chocolate mousse to mousse made with silken tofu or avocado.
Without the aquafaba, those variations do not provide as good aeration - hence, no air bubbles!
🍫 Ingredients Needed
Here's everything you need to make easy vegan mousse au chocolat from scratch:
Ingredient Notes
- Dark chocolate. To make the very best vegan chocolate mousse possible I highly recommend you use good quality dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content. For bitter chocolate with 85-90% cocoa, you might want to add a little more maple syrup. The higher the cocoa content of the chocolate, the richer your vegan mousse will be!
- Aquafaba. The aerator for this coconut milk chocolate mousse. This is the viscous liquid left over from cooking chickpeas or other white legumes and will create the air bubbles and “mousse” effect of the dessert. You can also make homemade aquafaba if you don't want to buy tinned chickpeas.
- Cream of tartar. Stabilizes the aquafaba, creating fluffy peaks when whipped. You can use apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice in its place.
- Coconut cream. Creates a nice thick and creamy base for dairy-free mousse. You can also use full-fat coconut milk from a can, just chill it the night before and use only the thick part from the top of the can. This cannot be substituted in the recipe, as other plant milk doesn’t give the correct consistency.
- Pure maple syrup. Depending on the sweetness of the chocolate you're using, you can add more or less.
- Sea salt and vanilla. These make the world of difference to the flavor of the mousse. Vanilla enhances the sweetness while sea salt intensifies the chocolate flavor.
🥣 How To Make Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
This vegan mousse comes together in just a few easy steps, just follow the instructions carefully and you have a fail-proof dessert!
Essentially, it consists of cooled chocolate ganache that's folded through whipped aquafaba.
- Chop the chocolate finely and place it in a heat-resistant bowl.
- Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan until lightly simmering but not boiling, whisk well. Remove from the heat and pour it over the chocolate, allow to sit uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Stir until the chocolate is melted through.
- Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and sea salt and stir well until smooth. Set aside and allow to come to room temperature.
- To a clean large bowl add the aquafaba and cream of tartar. Use an electric whisk/stand mixer to beat for about 10-12 minutes until stiff.
- Use a spatula to carefully fold the whipped aquafaba into the cooled chocolate mixture, one large spoonful at a time.
- Continue to fold in the aquafaba until incorporated into the mousse.
- Transfer the mousse into serving jars and place it in the fridge to set for a minimum of 4 hours.
Toppings and Additions
This aquafaba chocolate mousse is incredibly delicious on its own, but feel free to take it to the next level with one or a combination of these toppings:
- Whipped coconut cream.
- Grated dark chocolate shavings.
- Caramel shards for some crunch.
- Vegan ladyfingers (instead of a spoon!).
- Crushed oreos or other cookies.
- A few drops of mint essence or orange essence.
📝 Recipe Tips
Do not boil the coconut cream/coconut milk, as this can cause the mousse to become grainy or gritty.
If the chocolate coconut cream mixture does not melt completely after sitting for 5 minutes, place it over a double-boiler and gently heat and stir it until melted through.
Like with all chocolate ganache, make sure the chocolate is uncovered as it melts. This allows the warm air to escape. If covered, the steam rising off will create condensation and add water to the ganache, which will cause issues.
Whisk the aquafaba until stiff enough that you can hold it over your head! This will take between 10-12 minutes.
💬 FAQs
Store in airtight jars or glasses covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I recommend making these the day/night before you plan on serving them.
This chocolate mousse is stable enough to keep out of the fridge for up to a couple of hours if need be.
If you live in a warmer climate I would err on the side of caution and not leave it out for more than an hour.
No, chocolate mousse can not be frozen. The process of freezing and defrosting can change the consistency of the mousse and destroy those lovely air bubbles!
🫧 More Vegan Mousse Recipes
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Description
Equipment
Ingredients
- 180 g (6.35 oz) vegan dark chocolate (70% minimum), or 190g vegan milk chocolate *see notes
- 240 g (1 cup) coconut cream, or chilled canned full-fat coconut milk, *see notes
- 50 g (2.5 tablespoons) pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract , or 1 teaspoon vanilla powder/vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 80 g (⅓ cup) aquafaba, *see notes
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) cream of tartar, or apple cider vinegar/white wine vinegar/lemon juice
- 100 g vegan whipped cream, optional, to serve
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate finely and place it in a heat-resistant bowl.
- Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan until lightly simmering but not boiling, whisk well. Remove from the heat and pour it over the chocolate, and allow to sit uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Using a spatula, stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted through. If there are any pieces of unmelted chocolate, gently heat the bowl over a double-boiler and stir until melted through.Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt and stir well. Set aside and allow to come to room temperature for 15-20 minutes, until cool to the touch.
- To a clean large bowl add the aquafaba and cream of tartar. Use an electric whisk/stand mixer to beat for 10-12 minutes until stiff, and you can comfortably hold the bowl upside-down over your head.
- Use a spatula to carefully fold the whipped aquafaba into the cooled chocolate mixture, one large spoonful at a time. Don't be tempted to over-mix, as you will lose the air bubbles, instead carefully fold the mixture through until just combined.
- Once all of the ingredients have been incorporated, transfer the mousse into serving jars and place it in the fridge to set for 4 hours (or overnight if preferred).
- Top with vegan whipped cream just before serving.
- Store in airtight jars or glasses covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 3 days. This mousse is not suitable for freezing.
Notes
- Recipe makes 4 x (large 290ml jars) or 6 x (medium 200ml jars).
- Chilled coconut milk: Refrigerate the tin of coconut milk overnight, then only use the thick cream from the top of the can. Depending on the brand you use, you may need more than one can. I find Nature's Charm and Biona to yield the best quantity of thick coconut milk per can.
- Vegan chocolate: Use dark chocolate for an intense chocolate flavor or vegan milk chocolate for a more subtle sweet flavor. Ensure vegan milk chocolate is nut-free if required. Dark chocolate sets firmer so hence why I recommend using slightly more chocolate if you're going for vegan milk chocolate.
- Aquafaba: the liquid part from tinned chickpeas (chickpea brine).
Nutrition
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*This recipe was originally published in November, 2021. The recipe has since been improved and updated to minimize the ingredients used and to simplify the instructions.
