Light and airy Chocolate Mousse is rich, decadent, and unfussy but still sophisticated finish to any meal! This easy dessert recipe is great for making ahead for elegant entertaining, and divine with a dollop of whipped cream and some fresh raspberries or strawberries served with it!
Table of Contents
- Chocolate Mousse Recipe
- What is Chocolate Mousse?
- Why You'll Love this Chocolate Mousse Recipe
- What is Chocolate Mousse made of?
- How to Make Chocolate Mousse
- Easy Chocolate Mousse Recipe Tips
- How to Store Mousse
- Best Chocolate Mousse Recipe FAQs
- More like this Easy Chocolate Mousse
- Easy Chocolate Mousse Recipe
Chocolate Mousse Recipe
If you are having guests over and need a make-ahead dessert that will impress but is easy enough for any home cook, chocolate mousse is one of my go-to recommendations. It’s only 5 ingredients, takes maybe 20 minutes of your time, and can be made a couple days in advance and refrigerated until you are ready to serve them. Plus, you can serve them individual glasses or small jars with a few berries or chocolate curls on top so they look fancy and like you spent hours on them!
What is Chocolate Mousse?
Chocolate mousse is a luscious French dessert made from melted chocolate, whipped cream, egg yolks, and sugar, creating a velvety, airy texture. The melted chocolate is folded into whipped cream to achieve a light, fluffy consistency. Refrigeration sets the mousse, intensifying its rich, creamy flavor.
We love our classic French dessert recipes like this chocolate mousse! Some of our other favorites are Cream Puffs, an Authentic French Fruit Tart, and French Macarons.
Why You'll Love this Chocolate Mousse Recipe
- This is one of the best desserts to make ahead of time. You can make it up to 4 days in advance. When you are ready to serve, simply add a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and chocolate curls on top.
- Keep the elegance casual by piping or spooning the mousse into half-pint mason jars, or up the wow factor by using fancy glass dessert cups.
What is Chocolate Mousse made of?
Isn't it incredible how something so divine can be made from so few simple ingredients? This easy chocolate mousse only has 5 ingredients, unless you are counting some addition cream or berries to garnish at the end.
- Egg yolks: This key ingredient for chocolate mousse thickens the mousse up and adds richness without any eggy taste. Use leftover egg whites for making a pavlova or macarons!
- Sugar: Simple granulated sugar is all you'll need for this recipe! You don't even need too much, as long as you are using semi-sweet chocolate.
- Cream: The heavy whipping cream is divided and used in two steps of this recipe. Some of it is heated and used to melt the chocolate and temper the eggs. The reserved cream gets whipped into stiff peaks and folded in to form a light and airy chocolate mousse.
- Chocolate: Chopped semi-sweet chocolate melts best, although chocolate chips can be used. I recommend using the best quality chocolate you can find for this recipe.
- Vanilla extract: I added my homemade vanilla extract which brings out the sweet flavors of this chocolate mousse.
How to Make Chocolate Mousse
- Beat and sweeten. Firstly, beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until they have turned a light yellow color and thickened. Gradually add the sugar while beating, then set aside.
- Heat the cream. Secondly, pour 1 cup of the cream into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, just until the cream is hot and small bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pan. Do not let the cream boil!
- Temper the egg yolks. Next, remove the cream from the heat and slowly pour half of the hot liquid into the egg yolks while whisking. This process is called "tempering" and it's purpose is to gently raise the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them.
- Return the mixture to the pan and continue to cook. After tempering the egg yolks, add them back to the saucepan with the remaining cream and decrease the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook and stir for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 160°F on a thermometer.
- Melt chocolate in mixture and cool. Add the chopped chocolate and stir with a sturdy spatula until it is completely melted and combined with the cream mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool completely at room temperature (about 1 hour).
- Whip the cream. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, beat the remaining cream in a bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until it reaches stiff peaks. Add â…“ of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture, folding it in gently. Add the remaining whipped cream and fold this in as well.
- Pipe or spoon into dessert cups. Transfer the chocolate mousse mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large open tip and pipe it into eight 6-ounce glasses or dessert cups. You could spoon the mousse in if you prefer not to pipe, but the presentation is neater with piping. It's the little things that make you look like a pro in the kitchen!
- Chill and serve. Finally, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to set. You can leave the mousse in the fridge for 4 days. Top with sweetened whipped cream, shaved chocolate, and fresh berries to garnish when ready to serve!
Easy Chocolate Mousse Recipe Tips
- Don't scramble the egg yolks. Temper them by adding a small amount of hot cream to the eggs to gently bring up their temperature without scrambling them.
- Freezing: You can freeze chocolate mousse for up to 2 months. It freezes best in individual portions. Let it thaw completely in the fridge or on the counter before enjoying, but do not attempt to heat it in the microwave.
- Don't burn the cream. Avoid cooking the cream too quickly over too high of heat, which can cause it to scald on the bottom of the pan.
How to Store Mousse
Chocolate mousse should be stored in the refrigerator. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container before placing it in the fridge. It's best to consume it within 2-3 days to enjoy its freshness and flavor.
Can you Freeze Chocolate Mousse?
You can freeze this chocolate mousse recipe for up to 2 months. Be sure to cover it well with a protective layer of plastic wrap before freezing to protect it from freezer burn. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then sit on the counter for 30 minutes before enjoying. If you top it with a dollop of fresh homemade whipped cream and a sprinkle of chocolate shavings or curls, no one will even know it was frozen!
Best Chocolate Mousse Recipe FAQs
My understanding is that with traditional French mousse, there are raw eggs included. However, that's not the case in the recipe I'm sharing here.
You do add egg yolks to the chocolate mousse, but they are tempered which means they are heated slowly so that they don't scramble. They aren't raw when you eat the mousse, so there's nothing to worry about there!
Really, you can add whatever you like to top off these chocolate mousse cups. Chopped nuts add a little texture and crunch. Fresh fruit like raspberries, strawberries, or cherries are always delicious. And you can't go wrong with homemade whipped cream and chocolate curls.
Tempering eggs is a gentle process of heating the egg yolks so they don't scramble. Start by beating the eggs until they are a light yellow color. Heat the cream until steaming, then slowly pour into the eggs while whisking or stirring. Add the cream and eggs back into the saucepan and continue to heat gently.
Here are some of the most common mistakes that can happen when making chocolate mousse that you should watch out for:
Overheating the Chocolate: Melting chocolate too quickly or at high temperatures can cause it to seize or become grainy, affecting the overall texture of the mousse.
Incorporating Moisture Incorrectly: Introducing moisture, like water or steam, to melted chocolate can cause it to seize. Ensure all utensils are completely dry when working with chocolate.
Overmixing or Undermixing: Incorrectly folding the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture can result in an uneven texture. Overmixing can deflate the airiness, while undermixing might leave streaks or lumps in the mousse.
To stiffen chocolate mousse, chill it in the refrigerator for additional time. Ensure the mousse is covered and let it set for an extended period, allowing the ingredients to solidify and achieve a firmer consistency. If that doesn’t work, then there was likely a mistake made with the whipped cream and unfortunately there’s probably no saving the mousse, although you could still enjoy it poured over ice cream as a sauce!
Grainy chocolate mousse often occurs due to moisture exposure during the chocolate melting process or overheating the chocolate. When liquid comes into contact with melted chocolate, it can cause the chocolate to seize, resulting in a grainy texture. It could also be an issue with the chocolate used. Using high-quality chocolate with a higher cocoa butter content can also help prevent graininess.
If your mousse is runny it is most likely because you didn’t wait long enough for the hot chocolate and cream mixture to cool completely to room temperature before combining it with the whipped cream.
If your chocolate mousse is turning out gooey, it’s likely because the eggs weren’t tempered properly. Be sure to beat them well with the granulated sugar before adding some of the heated cream to the egg yolks so gently raise their temperature before adding this to the rest of the hot cream on the stove.
More like this Easy Chocolate Mousse
- Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
- Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Raspberry Chocolate Tart
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Easy Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 2 ¼ cups cold heavy whipping cream, divided (540 ml)
- 8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate (226g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For garnish
- shaved chocolate
- sweetened whipped cream
- fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries
Instructions
- Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with a hand mixer on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes until they have turned a light yellow color and thickened. Gradually add the sugar while beating, then set aside.
- Heat 1 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat just until hot and small bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pan. Do not let the cream boil.
- Remove from heat and slowly pour half of the hot liquid into the egg yolks while whisking to gently raise the temperature of the eggs without scrambling them.
- Add the tempered egg yolks to the saucepan and return to medium-low heat. Continue to cook and stir for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and reaches 160 degrees F on a thermometer.
- Add the chopped chocolate and stir with a sturdy spatula until it is completely melted. Stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool completely at room temperature (about 1 hour).
- Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, beat the remaining 1 ¼ cups cream in a bowl with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until it reaches stiff peaks. Add ⅓ of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture, folding it in gently. Add the remaining whipped cream and fold this in as well.
- Transfer the chocolate mousse mixture of a piping bag fitted with a large open tip and pipe it into eight 6-ounce glasses or dessert cups. You could spoon the mousse in if you prefer not to pipe, but the presentation is neater with piping.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to set. Top with sweetened whipped cream, shaved chocolate, and fresh berries to garnish before serving.
Notes
- Make-ahead: Chocolate mousse can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored, covered tightly, in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Chocolate: I recommend using the best quality chocolate you can for best results. Chocolate chips can be used if they are very good quality.
- Don't scramble the egg yolks. Temper them by adding a small amount of hot cream to the eggs to gently bring up their temperature without scrambling them.
- Freezing: You can freeze chocolate mousse for up to 2 months. It freezes best in individual portions. Let it thaw completely in the fridge or on the counter before enjoying, but do not attempt to heat it in the microwave.
- Don't burn the cream. Avoid cooking the cream too quickly over too high of heat, which can cause it to scald on the bottom of the pan.
This mousse recipe is SO good! Easy steps to follow for great results, will definitely be making the us again, and again…. And again!
Lovely recipe. Do you sweeten the cream with powdered sugar?
Hi! In this recipe I don't sweeten the cream with powdered sugar. But you are more than welcome to if you want! Traditionally the sweetness just comes from the 1/4 cup sugar added or from the chocolate chips. If you want more of a milk chocolate flavor and less of a dark chocolate, you can sweeten the cream.
Hi is there any it can be made eggless
No, not really. At least, none that I have tried or tested enough to give a confident answer about.
Hi, I wanted to make this for my husband‘s birthday dinner. The steps are a little unclear on how much cream to whip versus how much cream to add to the egg yolk mixture after the 1st cup is added. Would you mind clarifying? Thanks, I can’t wait to try this
Sorry for any confusion. You add 1 cup of cream to the egg yolk mixture. The remaining 1 1/4 cups of cream will be whipped then folded in later. I updated the instructions to make it more clear.
Thank you! Can’t wait to try!