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You are four ingredients away from heaven! When it comes to a perfectly luscious and light dessert, it doesn’t get much simpler than this deeply flavored easy chocolate mousse recipe. It takes fifteen minutes to whip up and you can make it a few days ahead. You can even replace the powdered sugar with your favorite sugar substitute and the heavy cream with dairy-free heavy whipping cream. What’s not to love?!

What Is Chocolate Mousse?

Chocolate mousse is a dessert with intensely deep notes of rich chocolate and a creamy, airy texture that melts as soon as it hits your palate. It’s the perfect dessert after a heavy meal. And because you can make it ahead of time, it’s one less thing to think about come dinner time.

What You’ll Need

  • Chocolate is the most important ingredient, so steer clear of low-quality chocolate. Semi-sweet or dark baking chocolate is a great choice. Milk chocolate can make the mousse very sweet, so cut it with semi or dark chocolate to balance the sugar.
  • Heavy Whipping Cream is necessary to create a mousse’s light texture and silky mouthfeel. Low-fat creams will not work for this recipe. You can also use a non-dairy heavy whipping cream. 
  • Egg Whites should be from fresh room temperature eggs, as they whip easier. Be careful when separating, as any yolk in the white will make it next to impossible to whip. If you are using older eggs, add a pinch of cream of tartar to help stabilize the whites.
  • Powdered Sugar adds sweetness and helps stabilize the whipped egg whites. Granulated sugar won’t dissolve easily in egg whites and leaves you with a grainy texture. If you only have granulated sugar, process it in a blender until powdery.

How TO Make Chocolate Mousse

You make chocolate mousse by whipping heavy cream to soft peaks, whipping egg whites with sugar to stiff peaks, and then gently folding the egg whites and the cream into the melted chocolate. You then refrigerate it for a least an hour to set the mousse.

What Is A Soft Peak?

A soft peak means when you take the beater out of the egg whites or cream, a peak will form, but the tip of the peak will curl like an upside-down letter j. If you tip the bowl, the whites will not slide around.

What Is A Stiff Peak?

A stiff peak means when you take a beater out of the egg whites or cream, it will leave a stiff peak that stands straight up and does not curl over, like the letter i.

  • Use clean, dry bowls to melt chocolate and whip the egg whites in. Any grease or moisture in the bowls will ruin your results.
  • Don’t whip the cream or the whites at high speed, which creates larger bubbles. Large bubbles aren’t as stable as smaller ones. Use medium speed.
  • Make sure the chocolate is still warm when folding in the egg whites and cream. Adding cold cream or egg whites to cooled chocolate hardens the chocolate, creating a grainy texture.
  • Do not stir in the whipped cream and whites. Fold them into the chocolate in thirds to keep the mixture airy. Stirring breaks up air bubbles, flattening your batter.
  • To fold, use a spatula to cut from the top of the batter to the bottom. Then scoop the bottom ingredients onto the spatula and fold them gently over the top. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until there are no white streaks.

How To Store Chocolate Mousse

The mousse will only keep at room temperature for a few hours, so take it out of the fridge when you are ready to serve. You can make chocolate mousse a few days ahead. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, as long as it isn’t exposed to air. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mousse before storing it.

You can also freeze mousse for up to two months, in an air-tight container, with a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the mousse. Defrost overnight in the fridge.

Chocolate Mousse with no Eggs

You can make this mousse without the egg whites, but it won’t be as stable and airy. To substitute the egg whites, whip 1/2 cup more heavy cream and add the sugar to that mixture.

Chocolate Mousse

When it comes to a perfectly luscious and light dessert, it doesn’t get much simpler than this deeply flavored easy chocolate mousse. You are four ingredients away from heaven!

Overhead shot of three small glasses with chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

  • 8 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate*, chopped ($2.90)
  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream, very cold ($3.29)
  • 3 egg whites, room temperature ($1.25)
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar or sugar substitute ($0.13)
  • Bring a pot filled halfway with water to a boil and take it off the heat. Add chocolate to a bowl and leave the bowl in the pan until the chocolate melts.

  • Beat the heavy cream on medium speed until soft peaks form.

  • In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks. Add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

  • Gently fold in the egg whites in thirds. Fold until no white streaks remain.

  • Gently fold in the whipped cream in thirds. There should be no white streaks.

  • Scoop mousse into serving dishes, cover, and refrigerate for an hour. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream, raspberries, mint, or shaved chocolate.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.



hand mixer

*8 ounces of chocolate is about 1 1/2 cups

Serving: 1cupCalories: 504kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 4gFat: 39gSodium: 46mg

Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.

How to Make Chocolate Mousse – Step by Step Photos

Bring a pot of water to a boil and take it off the heat. Add chopped chocolate to a clean, dry bowl and place it in the pan. Leave the bowl in the water for a few minutes, then stir the chocolate until smooth and silky.

Beat the heavy cream on medium speed until it forms soft peaks. When you take the beater out of the bowl, the tips of the whipped cream will look like an upside-down J.

Whip the egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks. Add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Stiff peaks will stand straight up and remain that way when you remove the beater from the bowl.

Fold a few tablespoons of the egg whites into the chocolate to lighten the batter. Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites in thirds until no white streaks remain. Do not stir.

When the whites are thoroughly mixed in, fold in the whipped cream in thirds. There should be no white streaks. Leave the mousse in the bowl or scoop it into serving dishes. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream, raspberries, mint, or shaved chocolate. Enjoy the oohs and aahs you’ll get when you put this beauty on the table!

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