Chocolate Mousse is one of my favorite desserts: delicious, decadent and chocolate. The trifecta! So finding an especially easy version made me deliciously happy!
Mousse recipes can take many forms. Some are sweet, others savory. Sweet mousses are typically made with whipped egg whites, whipped cream, or both. Some chocolate mousses call for the addition of egg yolks to give the final product a richer texture. Sometimes the mousse is stabilized with the addition of gelatin. (Wikipedia)
I experienced that variety on a trip last year. I went with a group to Madagascar, an island that was part of the French colonial empire until 1960. When reading the menus, it was easy to see the French influence, especially with chocolate mousse. So popular! And a different taste at each location!
3 ingredient chocolate mousse
The recipe for this quick chocolate mousse (inspired by Circle B Kitchen) only requires 3 ingredients, but each one is specific:
Cream: HEAVY whipping cream is recommended. The slightly higher fat content helps give the mousse more structure. Mousse means froth, so it isn't mousse if it doesn't get thick.
Cocoa powder: I stock both kinds of cocoa powder but prefer Dutch-processed for this. The Dutch-processed cocoa is less harsh and has a natural sweetness that works best in a make-it-quick recipe like this.
Powdered sugar: For years, I used granulated sugar to make whipped cream. Then, I discovered that the small amount of cornstarch in powdered sugar is marvelous! It helps stabilize whipped cream, which means it holds its shape longer. Also it helps for this mousse. Win!!
Note that this quick chocolate mousse requires no eggs or gelatin. I have found that it holds its shape for several hours with just these 3 ingredients. In fact, I have kept a serving in my fridge for two days as a test, and it still holds firm!
How to make easy chocolate mousse
Sometimes an easy recipe is anything but. Still, there's no carping about this: 3 ingredients, 5 minutes. Doesn't get much easier!
Moving on, many chocolate mousse recipes require chocolate to be melted. Because we make this chocolate mousse with cocoa powder, skip that step altogether.
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A key to success for this recipe is heavy whipping cream. To get that thick consistency, bowls and beaters should always be chilled before whipping. And not for just this mousse. Chill the beaters and bowls any time you whip cream. Cream whips so much faster when it's cold! Plus, in my experience, warmer cream is much more likely to turn to butter, which is not what we want.
I like to place my bowl and beaters in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. It makes for happy, fluffy cream!
The only other ingredients are cocoa powder and powdered sugar as described above.
Start by whipping the heavy cream until it's just slightly thickened. Then add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. I like to sift both these ingredients first to ensure that no pockets of unevenness occur in the mousse.
Give a little stir to the bowl (to prevent a face full of powder), then mix again with the electric beater. The cream will thicken very quickly, usually only taking about a minute for me. The desired texture is stiff peaks, which means the mousse will hold its own shape. Just don't over whip. If you keep whipping cream it will eventually turn to butter. Unless you like chocolate-flavored butter (kidding).
Spoon or pipe your mousse into glasses and refrigerate until ready to serve.
📖 Recipe
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Easy Chocolate Mousse
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder Dutch processed
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place mixing bowl and beaters in freezer 30 minutes before beginning to mix.
- Place heavy whipping cream in the chilled bowl and begin to whip with electric mixer. Whip until cream begins to thicken and looks a little frothy.
- Sift cocoa and powdered sugar into the bowl. Give the cream a stir with a spoon or spatula to moisten the powders. Then whip the cream again until stiff peaks form.
- Spoon or pipe mousse into serving glasses and refrigerate til ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Additional Information/FAQ
Technically, yes. I think you could call it that. Call it eggless chocolate mousse if you like. It is unusual to think of mousse with no eggs. But that doesn't make it any less delicious. 😀
This makes a FANTASTIC keto dessert! Just use a powdered sugar-free sweetener - there are several brands. I use monk fruit-erythritol blended sweeteners for this and I love the result!
The only difference I notice is that the powdered sugar substitutes don't always sift well. For instance, some sifters create friction that rolls some of the powder into little balls. Kind of weird. But I manually bust those balls (fun!) and then add to the cream. I was rewarded with a deliciously smooth, sugar-free mousse!
If you are whipping up some cream to serve immediately on your holiday pie, all you need is a little sweetener. But If you want to whip that cream up ahead of time and have it hold its shape for a while, adding a little stabilizer will help accomplish that end result.
The most popular additives to stabilize whipped cream are gelatin and cornstarch. Gelatin will provide a lot of strength and will help that whipped cream hold its shape for up to 3 days in the fridge! Cornstarch is similar, but what I like is the fact that all powdered sugar contains a small amount of cornstarch in it. And since we need to add sweetener to make the mousse, we might as well make it powdered and stabilize while we sweeten! This is how we accomplish a perfectly thick 3 ingredient chocolate mousse!
Additional no-bake dessert ideas
Now that your sweet tooth is all warmed up, give some of these other no-bake desserts a try:
Christian Guzman
This is delicious! I put it in the freezer for awhile after I made it and it completely satisfied my need for ice cream. It was incredible and so easy!
Sula
Oh yes, I've done that too - it is similar to a Wendy's frosty!
Debra
Simple for the win. Don't need anything extra...it's delish.
Sula
I agree!
Amy
We love chocolate mousse and this was a super easy and delicious recipe!
Sula
I'm so glad you liked it!
Marina
I love chocolate mouse and this recipe is so easy to make. Yummy!
Sula
Yes I love how quickly it comes together!
Linda
What a fun dessert idea for when you need something sweet in a whip. And who can say no to chocolate?
Sula
I am definitely NOT someone who can say no to chocolate. LOL
Chef Dennis
This Chocolate Mousse is making me drool right now!
Sula
It's that kind of dessert
Emily
I love anything with whipped cream and this chocolate mousse hit the spot. The fact that it’s so easy to make makes it even better!!
Sula
Whipped cream is always a good choice!
Jas @ All that's Jas
Love easy desserts with just three ingredients! Making this chocolate mousse next time my grandkids come, they'll love it!
Sula
Its a guaranteed hit!
Estelle Forrest
Sounds so rich and creamy! And thanks for the tips on stabilizing the cream!
Sula
You are welcome, I hope you enjoy it!
Kathryn Donangelo
This recipe is absolutely amazing! Thank you!
Sula
You are very welcome!
Alexandra
I am so pleased to come across such a simple and delicious mousse recipe - we love it!
Sula
It's perfect for a last minute dessert!
Big Trouble
This looks so good! Plus, it's so easy to make! However, my cavities hurt just looking at the ingredient list. 🙂 lol
Sula
Ah, but did you see the version that makes keto chocolate mousse, using sugar-free sweetener? I like it a lot!!