5 Ingredient Easy Vegan Chocolate Mousse (Aquafaba Mousse)
Amazingly fluffy and rich vegan chocolate mousse is so easy to make with just 5 pantry staple ingredients, including aquafaba! Made entirely dairy free, coconut free, soy-free (no tofu!) nut free, gluten free and refined sugar free! Your new favorite healthier chocolate mousse recipe, vegan or not!
Why you’ll love this vegan chocolate mousse:
If you’ve ever had classic chocolate mousse, or Mousse Au Chocolat, then you’re about to be wowed by this incredibly creamy and rich vegan chocolate mousse.
This aquafaba chocolate mousse is so incredibly light, airy, and decadent. It might even pass as the classic version. But don’t worry: this chocolate mousse is entirely dairy free, eggless, and actually refined sugar free. In fact, it’s also coconut free, nut-free, and soy-free as well!
So how, then, would you make a vegan chocolate mousse? Instead of using silken tofu, avocado, or full fat coconut milk, we’re actually using just aquafaba, aka chickpea water. But don’t let that gross you out! It’s actually totally fine to eat (and works wonderfully as many different substitutes in vegan baking- you’ll see in the next section!).
Making aquafaba chocolate mousse is actually just as easy as making an avocado chocolate mousse or tofu chocolate mousse. And it’s even easier than a more traditional chocolate mousse, making this recipe really friendly to beginners. But the taste and texture are just out of this world. Super rich, decadent, chocolatey, and sweet with the most fluffy and light airy texture. If you have any vegan skeptics in the room, I highly recommend serving them this mousse!
You’ll only need 5 ingredients to make this mousse and just 10 minutes of actual work before we refrigerate the mousse then serve. So easy, and just so delicious! This vegan mousse will soon become your new favorite vegan dessert recipe!
What is aquafaba and how is it used?
Before we get started, if you’ve never tried or even heard of aquafaba, let’s go over a quick lesson on this wonderful vegan egg and custard substitute!
Like I mentioned in my secretly vegan chiffon cake, aquafaba is the water from chickpeas. It’s a wonderful substitute for egg whites in more conventional baking. And it also works incredibly for custard-like mousses!
You can use aqufaba for making meringue, marshmallow fluff, substituting egg whites in cakes, vegan macarons, and more.
For this aquafaba chocolate mousse recipe, we’re essentially whipping the aquafaba into a stiff meringue, then folding in the chocolate. There’s no need to heat any mixture, nor worry about scrambling anything! This vegan chocolate mousse recipe is so straight forward using aquafaba as the base!
How to make vegan chocolate mousse from scratch (overview)
As with all of my recipes, the full instructions are found down below in the recipe card, as well as the ingredient measurements. However, we’re going to go over some of the basics here, as well as provide some visuals. This will help you make sure your vegan chocolate mousse comes out perfectly each time!
The beginning step of this chocolate mousse just requires that you melt the chocolate. You’ll let the chocolate come to room temperature then as you begin to mix the aquafaba.
How to whip aquafaba
Different from traditional Mousse Au Chocolat recipes, we’re not heating anything for this vegan chocolate mousse. Rather, we’re whipping the aquafaba into essentially a meringue at first.
I personally recommend using a stand mixer for this process. Yes, it is possible to whip the aquafaba by hand, but it can take up to 20 minutes to achieve stiff peaks. That’s a lot of arm work!
With the stand mixer, it just takes around 12 minutes, I find, and I use the smallest measurement of cream of tartar in order to get the mixture to thicken up (and go more quickly).
Then instead of granulated sugar, we’re using coconut sugar to keep this healthier chocolate mousse refined sugar free. You can, of course, use granulated sugar, and it will be the same measurements. This will also help to thicken up the aquafaba mixture. You’ll also add in cacao powder, which I think makes the chocolate mousse so much richer in flavor!
Fold in the melted chocolate
Once the aqufaba reaches its peaks, you’ll fold in the melted chocolate. This folding method is actually quite similar to make vegan macarons. You’ll mix the chocolate into the aquafaba meringue in a “J” stroke, which will help to keep the mousse still fluffy and light without losing any volume.
Refrigerate and chill
Once the chocolate is mixed into the mousse, you’ll divide the mousse amongst servings jars, and chill for a few hours in the fridge.
Alternatively, if you desire to serve the vegan chocolate mousse in a large trifle jar, you can easily do so! Once chilled, you can top with store bought or homemade coconut whipped cream (I like Forager Project) and shaved chocolate. Even some fresh berries and a fresh mint leaf!
Tips for making your own aquafaba
Some people have concerns about using aquafaba from a can, as many beans are stored in BPA-lined cans. You can find some beans that are BPA-free. There’s also a wonderful brand called Jovial, and they actually pressure-cook the chickpeas and store them in a glass jar (these are the ones I use personally).
But if neither of those options are appealing, you can absolutely make your own aquafaba. I always recommend using Ania’s aquafaba recipe from Lazy Cat Kitchen. She has a great recipe that will yield the same results as jarred aquafaba. It’ll jus be an extra step for you!
Here are some tips to keep in mind when making your own aquafaba:
- You’ll need to reduce the aquafaba even more in order to make a really fluffy mousse. This will take some extra time.
- Bring the aquafaba to room temperature. Boiling hot aquafaba won’t work when you’re stirring in the chocolate (and it can cause issues when you try to whip the aquafaba into peaks!).
- Definitely use cream of tartar if you’re making your own aquafaba. Homemade aquafaba doesn’t guarantee the same results as store bought, so adding in the cream of tartar will just really help to thicken the mixture into stiff peaks.
What chocolate should I use for this mousse?
I recommend using a really high quality dark chocolate, such as Pascha Chocolate. They have a few different grades of dark chocolate, and all are vegan and ethically sourced (which is very important to me!).
Many dark chocolate are naturally vegan; however, please be sure to always check the ingredients label to ensure that there is no dairy in the chocolate.
In terms of chocolate grades, it really depends on your taste preference. I prefer really dark chocolate, so I use between 80-100%, but you can also use 60-70%.
How long does vegan chocolate mousse last?
If you have any leftovers, be sure to store your aquafaba chocolate mousse in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last between 4-6 days, depending on how cool your fridge is as well! When ready to enjoy again, simply serve in your desired serving jars and bowls. It will still be super fluffy and mousse like!
This healthier chocolate mousse is:
- Super rich and decadent
- Undetectably dairy free, eggless, and refined sugar free
- Incredibly creamy without containing cream
- Coconut free, soy free, and nut free
- Light and fluffy, just like the classic
- SO easy to make
- Sweet but not overwhelmingly so
- Perfect for dinner party dessert,, holidays, birthdays, graduations, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and more!
You are just going to absolutely love this super easy vegan chocolate mousse! It’s just so easy and you’ll be completely in awe of the taste and texture.
If you make this vegan chocolate mousse, be sure to leave a comment and rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below! This helps others find the recipe.
As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy chocolate mousse making!
More vegan chocolate recipes you’ll love:
Easy vegan double chocolate chip cookies
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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
5 Ingredient Easy Vegan Chocolate Mousse (Aquafaba Mousse)
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No bake
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This super rich and creamy fluffy vegan chocolate mousse is so easy to make with just 5 pantry staple ingredients and entirely dairy free, coconut free, soy free, nut free, gluten free and refined sugar free! Your new favorite healthier chocolate mousse recipe, vegan or not!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (7 ounces) vegan dark chocolate
- 1 cup (190 mL) aquafaba*
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- Read through all instructions before beginning. Make sure to measure and weigh out all ingredients as well.
- Melt the chocolate. In a microwave safe bowl or by tempering the chocolate over the stove, heat and stir the chocolate until melted. If using a microwave, use 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until the chocolate is about half way melted. Then stir the chocolate until melted, without heating it again. Set the chocolate aside to cool while you make the mousse.
- Prepare the vegan chocolate mousse. First start by adding the aquafaba, cream of tartar, and 2 tbsp from the sugar into a stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment. Turn the stand mixer on to medium speed, mixing the aquafaba until it begins to foam. Once the mixture starts to foam, turn the speed up to high speed, and whip the aquafaba for 6-7 minutes, until soft peaks are achieved. Then add in the remaining sugar slowly, in increments of about 1 tbsp. Turn the speed up to high speed again, and allow the mixture to mix for another 8-10 minutes, until medium peaks are achieved (see video + photograph references in the post).
- Fold the chocolate into the mousse: once the peaks are achieved, pour the cooled chocolate into the mousse mixture, along with the cocoa powder. Use a rubber spatula to gently gold the chocolate into the mousse, using a “J” swoosh movement. Fold until the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the mousse.
- Refrigerate the mousse: once mixed, divide the mousse amongst 3-6 jars. Chill the chocolate mousse for at least 1 hour in the fridge, or overnight if making the night before.
- Serve the chocolate mousse: when ready to serve, top with homemade coconut whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Enjoy!
Notes
Please see the blog post for all tips and tricks!
Thanks for the clear instructions. I used a hand mixer and the whipping time was much shorter. I added chia seeds to part of the batch and was delicious!
I’m so glad you loved it! Love the addition of chia seeds 🙂 Enjoy, and thanks for the review!
Hi,
looks great but I dont have tartar cream,
do you think it will do without it?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Dorit! You might be able to sub in 2 tsp of lemon juice- that should be able to stabilize it similarly, but I haven’t tried it out myself!