Easy Chocolate Mousse Recipe

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This simple and quick chocolate mousse comes together in less than 10 minutes and is made without any eggs. Top with whipped cream or berries for a light and refreshing dessert!

aerial photo of a dessert cup filled with chocolate mousse with whipped cream and shaved chocolate on top

This Quick Chocolate Mousse Recipe is a real treat!

You are in for a treat today with this recipe for easy chocolate mousse, my friend. A TREAT.

Welcome to the quickest and simplest way to get chocolate mousse on the (dessert) table in less than 10 minutes and with 3 ingredients (well, 4 ingredients if we count vanilla extract).

If salt, pepper, and water are “free” ingredients, I think vanilla extract should be too. So… For all intents and purposes, let’s call this 3 ingredient chocolate mousse, deal?

dessert cups filled with easy chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate

Glad we settled that.

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Why you’ll love this Easy Chocolate Mousse Recipe

Now, I’ve seen a lot of “easy” chocolate mousse recipes out there, some starting with pudding, some containing eggs which need to be cooked somehow (usually a double boiler of some sort), but what truly constitutes something as “easy” for me is just that– ease of both ingredients and method.

dessert cups filled with easy chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate

Traditional mousse is a light and airy dessert made from whipping cream and egg whites folded together with some sort of other flavor. It’s pretty simple.

But since I’m on a no bake kick for this year (hello, No Bake of The Month!), I wanted to create a chocolate mousse recipe that indeed needed no baking, and even cooking something on the stove top eliminates something from this category for me!

dessert cups filled with easy chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate

What you’ll need for Easy Chocolate Mousse

You only need 4 simple ingredients to make this easy chocolate mousse.

For this easy mousse recipe, you will need:
 heavy whipping cream
 cocoa powder
 powdered sugar
 vanilla extract

If you’ve made my homemade whipped cream, you can totally do this, because we’re essentially creating chocolate whipped cream, though it’s a bit heavier than classic whipped cream and we’re eating it with a spoon.

spoon with a scoop of chocolate mousse and whipped cream on it

Sometimes it’s all about the presentation/method of consumption that classifies something.

How to make this Chocolate Mousse Recipe

STEP #1

You’re going to start by whipping the cream until it’s frothy and thick. It shouldn’t be giving any peaks yet, but it should start to be gathering some volume.

STEP #2

Next, we’ll sift in the cocoa powder (Dutch processed preferred) and powdered sugar to eliminate as many chunks of these ingredients as possible.

sifting cocoa powder and powdered sugar into whipped cream to make easy chocolate mousse

STEP #3

Add in the vanilla extract, and then gently fold the mixture with a spatula or mix with your mixer on the lowest speed possible.

STEP #4

We want to slowly incorporate these powdered ingredients in so as not to create chunks of powder and to keep the chocolate mousse nice and smooth.

folding cocoa powder and powdered sugar into whipped cream to make easy chocolate mousse

STEP #5

Once it’s mostly incorporated in, you can turn up the speed and get to whipping to the peaks we’re after.

STEP #6

You’re looking for medium peaks, on the stiffer side. A beautiful example of this is the stiffness we whip to when making traditional homemade whipped cream.

whipped cream on a whisk attachment

The peak should stand up with a slight droop that stays put, and not a drastic droop that keeps falling. If it’s drastically drooping, it still needs a touch more whipping.

Once you’ve reached peak (ha!) peaks, it’s ready to eat, or ready to chill until serving time. Chilling is not necessary, but where it should sit until you’re ready to serve it.

dessert cups filled with easy chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate

How to serve this Easy Mousse Recipe

We topped with homemade whipped cream (bonus points: 1 carton of heavy whipping cream can make one batch of this easy chocolate mousse recipe and another of homemade whipped cream) and shaved chocolate, but this would also be great with fresh berries, extra chocolate sauce, homemade caramel sauce, whatever your chocolate loving heart desires.

IS MOUSSE EATEN HOT OR COLD?

Mousses are typically served cold as they lose a lot of their texture when warmed.

Easy Mousse Recipe storage

HOW LONG DOES FRESH CHOCOLATE MOUSSE LAST?

Chocolate mousse will last in the refrigerator for about 5 days. If you notice it weeping or losing a lot of texture, it is still safe to eat, but may just not be as enjoyable as it is when still holding its texture.

SHOULD CHOCOLATE MOUSSE BE REFRIGERATED?

Chocolate mousse should be refrigerated to preserve freshness and texture.

Chocolate Mousse Recipe Easy FAQs

Chocolate pudding is a dense dessert whereas chocolate mousse is a lighter dessert.

Traditionally, mousse contains eggs, egg whites, whipped cream, and some sort of flavoring. By eliminating the eggs from this easy chocolate mousse recipe, it is no longer a traditional mousse, but is much easier to prepare.

dessert cup of chocolate mousse with a scoop taken out of it

I believe there is a time and place for real, traditional, cooked mousse, and that time is with my lemon mousse, but for now, let’s do this easy peasy style.

Plus, when you find yourself with an easy recipe of chocolate mousse (much like an easy recipe of small batch chocolate chip cookies), it’s hard to resist the urge to make it ASAP.

dessert cup of chocolate mousse with a scoop taken out of it

So I think no matter who you are, where you are, or what time it is… Chocolate mousse needs to be the next thing you eat. I know you won’t regret it.

Quick Chocolate Mousse Recipe

This simple and quick chocolate mousse comes together in less than 10 minutes and is made without any eggs. Top with whipped cream or berries for a light and refreshing dessert!
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Recipe Author Lynn April
Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (240mL) heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup (24g) Dutch processed cocoa powder1
  • 5 Tablespoons (38g) powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • In a large bowl2 with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on high speed until thick and frothy.
    1 cup (240mL) heavy whipping cream
  • Stop the mixer and sift in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, then beat again on low until cocoa powder and powdered sugar are mostly incorporated. You may also opt to fold the mixture with a spatula instead of whipping on low.
    ¼ cup (24g) Dutch processed cocoa powder1, 5 Tablespoons (38g) powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Increase the mixer speed to high again and whip until medium peaks form. Use immediately or chill until ready to use. Portion into dessert cups and add toppings (I suggest homemade whipped cream and/or berries) before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. See notes3 for freezing instructions.

Notes

  1. Dutch processed cocoa powder: this is preferred, but unsweetened cocoa powder will do just fine.
  2. Bowl temperature: if you’re in a warm environment, you may want to freeze your mixer bowl and whisk attachment in order to keep the whipped cream chilled enough to reach peaks.
  3. Freezing: freezing and thawing leftover chocolate mousse will diminish some of the “fluff” factor. Thaw in the refrigerator and rewhip in increments of 15 seconds to desired consistency.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 28g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 278mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 1749IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2mg

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27 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love that the base of this is so simple! We were making whipped cream for pie for Thanksgiving and wanted a way to use up the leftover, so I tried this recipe. So simple! Thanks for a great recipe.

  2. 5 stars
    No cook! So easy! I normally really like traditional mousse so I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this so much. Thank you.

  3. 5 stars
    The only complaint I have is that this is dangerously easy! To be able to have chocolate mousse in minutes is dangerous for me 😁Thanks for the recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    I just made this mousse and I can’t stop licking the whisk attachment! I love that this is a one bowl recipe. Very easy cleanup! Valrhona’s unsweetened cocoa powder worked really well for me.

  5. 5 stars
    Perfectly sweet & chocolatey. It took almost no time to put together & I even was able to top with a little homemade whipped cream. I love how simple this was & it’s definitely a keeper when you want a no-egg mousse.

    1. Hey, Sarah– this is a very simple whipped cream with cocoa powder stirred in. If it was watery or lumpy, your whipped cream base was not there to begin with. Bummer to hear it didn’t work out for you!

  6. 5 stars
    This is so good and easy to make. My son’s parents and my friends were asking how did i have time to make this or where I bought it. Super easy and so ono 🤤 thank you for this, Lynn!

  7. 5 stars
    This is really amazing and so simple! I whipped a little too long so it because pretty stiff but still tasted wonderful! Also, less is more, it’s pretty rich but I’ll make this again!! 😃 thank you very much for this recipe, it was a total hit!

  8. 5 stars
    OMG! I made this on a whim this afternoon because I had heavy cream that was threatening to go bad. Where have you been all my life? Silken chocolate goodness in a few minutes! Thank you.

    1. Hi, Mandy– 3 days in the fridge! I’d somehow left that out of the instructions but it’s updated now 🙂