Although a vegan chocolate mousse will never exactly replicate a egg-based chocolate mousse, this one comes pretty close, and you don’t need to worry about eating raw eggs. Plus! You need less time and less ingredients. A win win, really.
This really does take about five minutes to make, plus about half an hour of chilling time. Topped with some berries or other fruit, it makes a really nice light and fresh dessert, but still chocolate.
While this version uses coconut milk, you can make a water-based version. Try this chocolate orange mousse, made with only chocolate and orange juice.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
A bit like vegan chocolate ganache, this is lighter as it’s made with cocoa instead of melted chocolate. Once refrigerated, the texture is surprisingly similar to classic mousse and absolutely delicious.
- No heat needed: there’s no need to heat anything on the stovetop or in the oven, just a bit of refrigeration time.
- It’s a one-bowl recipe: since nothing needs to be cooked or baked, it’s really all in one bowl – just mix and go.
- You only need five ingredients: and about five minutes of active time, too. This recipe is all about shortcuts and uses some great tricks for the best results.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Cocoa: raw cacao and regular cocoa powder can be used interchangeably here. Don’t mix this up with cocoa drink powder (which has added sugar and usually milk powder). If you prefer a sweeter mousse, use cocoa.
- Maple syrup: honey can be substituted for maple syrup if the recipe doesn’t need to be fully vegan. I recommend a runny honey here.
- Vanilla: spices and flavourings can be changed up to suit you. I like adding cinnamon, or a mix of warm spices, like cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves, in the winter. You can also add orange zest.
Step by Step
1. Whip the cream: add the chilled coconut cream to a bowl and whip until fluffy.
2. Add the flavourings: add the cocoa, maple syrup, and any spices.
3. Mix again: until just combined, but don’t take it too far now. You’ll notice that it thickens slightly from the cocoa.
4. Chill and serve: spoon into serving dishes and chill before topping and serving.
Recipe Notes
It’s possible to serve this immediately after mixing. It has more of a pudding texture in that case, and sets into more of a mousse when chilled. Both are good!
As with coconut whipped cream, some brands of coconut milk may work less effectively for this, though I haven’t often run into that. As long as the coconut cream is solid when you take it out of the can it should work fine. Shake the can before you buy or use it – if it audibly sloshes around, it’s no good for this.
How to Store
Storage: this is best after refrigerating, and will keep well for at least three days refrigerated in a sealed container.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing the mousse as it will separate once thawed. Make chocolate coconut milk ice cream instead.
Expert Tips
- Chill the milk: for best results, refrigerate the cans of milk the night before you plan on making the mousse. You can keep a couple in the refrigerator rather than pantry just in case.
- Don’t omit the salt: while it might seem superfluous, salt boosts the chocolate flavour and shouldn’t be left out.
- Use a hand mixer: standing mixers are generally too large for a smaller amount of cream like this, and don’t mix it very effectively. You can use a whisk and elbow grease but be prepared to mix for a long time.
More No-Bake Chocolate Recipes
Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Chocolate Chia Mousse
Raw Chocolate
Chocolate Puffed Quinoa Bars
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Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
- 500 ml coconut cream, from two cans of full-fat coconut milk*
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Chill the cans of coconut milk overnight before you plan on beginning the mousse, the same way you would for coconut whipped cream.500 ml coconut cream, from two cans of full-fat coconut milk*
- Place the cream into a large bowl and whip on high speed with electric beaters until fluffy and increased in volume.500 ml coconut cream, from two cans of full-fat coconut milk*
- Add the cocoa, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt, then mix carefully by hand (with the beaters, just not turned on) before whipping to combine. This helps to prevent cacao from flying over the sides of the bowl.6 tablespoons cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, Pinch sea salt
- Scoop the mousse into glasses or small dishes and refrigerate for half an hour. Serve chilled topped with whipped cream and fruit, if desired.
Notes
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Newsletter
This post was originally published in February 2015. It has been updated with all new photographs and improvements to the text as of September 2020.
Alex says
Super easy and delicious recipe! It was so creamy and rich. Now I keep a can of coconut cream in the fridge all the time! One trick I figured out is after chilling the coconut cream overnight, open the can from the bottom to drain the coconut water first, then open the top and push out the cream.