This easy chocolate mousse recipe is one I've used for catered parties large and small-it's quick, elegant, and always a hit. Made without eggs and ready in just minutes, it's perfect for entertaining or a simple make-ahead dessert. Serve it in stemmed glasses, ramekins, or chocolate shells, and top with fresh berries for a beautiful presentation. Keep this one in your party file-it's a go-to chocolate dessert you'll make again and again.
With chilled heavy cream, high quality Dutch process cocoa powder, powdered sugar and vanilla, you can whip up a beautiful, creamy, easy chocolate mousse in about 5 minutes. If you plan to serve it right away it will be a soft mousse. If you refrigerate the mousse it will firm up a bit. It can even be made a day ahead to save time.
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Quick & Easy - No eggs, no fuss-just a few ingredients and five minutes to prep.
- Rich & Decadent - Silky smooth and deeply chocolatey, with a texture that feels fancy.
- Versatile for Any Occasion - Serve in glasses, chocolate shells, or mini cups with berries for a show-stopping finish.
Recipe Ingredients
Simple ingredients!
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the same at the market. Look for a high fat content heavy cream for a rich, decadent easy chocolate mousse.
- Cocoa powder: Dutch process cocoa powder blends in the easiest.
- Sweetener: Powdered sugar (see substitutions).
- Vanilla: Use only real, pure vanilla extract. Vanilla paste works too. No artificial or fake stuff here.
Substitutions and Variations
- To reduce sugar and make easy chocolate mousse low carb or keto, swap this terrific powdered monk fruit/allulose blend for the powdered sugar.
Recipe Instructions
- Sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps.
- Whip heavy cream until soft peaks begin to form. Stop the mixer and add the cocoa-sugar mixture using parchment as a funnel. Start low and whip the the mousse together until it's well incorporated and the mousse. You can also use a standing mixer fitted with the whip attachment.
- Place mousse in 18" disposable bags fitted with a wide star tip or round tip and pipe into glasses or ramekins to serve. Alternatively use a plastic zip bag fitted with. Twist top and close with a rubber band. Refrigerate until serving time. When ready to serve, snip off point of piping bag and pipe into vessel of choice.
- Garnish with plain or sweetened whipped cream and berries.
- Alternatively spoon the mousse into glasses, cups or ramekins to serve.
Serving Suggestions
To serve, spoon or pipe the mousse into martini glasses, brandy snifters or stemmed wine glasses. For an over-the-top presentation, pipe the mousse into purchased chocolate shells.
From bite-sized to small bowl sized, they make an elegant presentation. Garnish with berries, whipped cream and fresh mint for more flavor and color; a treat for the eye as well as the palate.
You can purchase varying sizes of chocolate shells at many better grocery stores, online chocolate dessert shell sources and sometimes at stores like Cost Plus World Market. Availability comes and goes depending on the season.
More Chocolate Recipes
For a really incredible, no fail chocolate pudding recipe, see the Chocolate Pots de Creme recipe with dark chocolate, coconut milk, eggs and stevia. It's heavenly and people always love it. For another twist on mousse, try my white chocolate peppermint mousse recipe.
📖 Recipe
Easy Chocolate Mousse
Equipment
- Hand mixer or stand mixer for whipping cream
Ingredients
Chocolate Mousse
- 1 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar OR powdered monk fruit
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder Black, Dutch, or natural
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Optional Garnishes
- 4 ounces whipping cream whipped, for garnish
- raspberries or strawberries
- chocolate sprinkles
- mint leaves
- 2 ounces bar chocolate for chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar together to eliminate any lumps over wax paper or parchment paper.
- Pour heavy cream into a medium bowl and whip on medium low speed with a hand electric mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Stop the mixer and add the cocoa-sugar mixture using parchment as a funnel. Start low and whip the the mousse together until it's well incorporated and the mousse. You can also use a standing mixer fitted with the whip attachment.
- Place mousse in 18" disposable bags fitted with a wide star tip or round tip and pipe into glasses or ramekins to serve. Alternatively use a plastic zip bag fitted with . Twist top and close with a rubber band. Refrigerate until serving time. When ready to serve, snip off point of piping bag and pipe into vessel of choice. Garnish with plain or sweetened whipped cream and berries.
- Alternatively spoon the mousse into glasses, cups or ramekins to serve.
Notes
- Fill a 16" - 18" disposable piping bag half way with mousse, twist to push the mousse towards the bottom, then cut a small piece off the top of the bag to pipe and gently squeeze the mousse out. They are great for piping deviled egg filling too!
- You can also use large star tips for a fancier presentation. Get one in the #800 range like this #828.
- Without a piping bag, use a gallon zip plastic bag and pipe from the lower corner of the bag.
- Garnishes are not included in the nutrition calculation.
- If you make this with monk fruit/allulose powder as I do (for keto/low carb), the only carbs in the recipe come from the cocoa powder.
- If you make it with real powdered sugar, each serving has 22 carbs.
- If you make it with monk fruit blend, each serving has only 7 carbs.
Nutrition
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Debra F Carroll says
I would love to learn how to make a strawberry 🍓 mousse
Sally Cameron says
Hi Debra, that's a good idea. I have an idea on how to do a quick one but have not tried it. Guess I better and let you know. Fruit mousses are different than chocolate as chocolate gives it so much body. Thanks for the idea.
Abby says
I made this myself today and my dad personality liked it. I didn't like it though but I guess some people like it personality. I was just looking for something a little more sweeter
Sally Cameron says
Hi Abby. You can certainly make it as sweet as you want! Add as much sugar as you prefer. We personally don't like things really sweet, but we are all different. It's all personal taste.
Therese says
Thank you Sally this will help me a lot.
Therese says
Hello Sally,
In your recipe you said we can use the drops I would like to know how many drops I could use in this recipe and could I use any flavor beside the chocolate drops? Thank you
Sally Cameron says
Hi Therese. On flavors besides chocolate, you could try coconut, raspberry, mixed berry, orange. All would be good and pair well with chocolate. And you could play up the flavors with garnish, like coconut flakes, orange zest, add orange oil to the mix for more orange flavor. Hazelnut would be good, with chopped hazelnuts. Lots of possibilities! For how much, it will be up to your tastebuds. If you are making the full batch, start with a couple of full squirts from the dropper. I use Sweet Drops by Sweet Leaf. Add and taste. One more note - the powdered sugar gave this body. With no sugar it may be softer.
erica hudson says
Do u have to use powdered sugar?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Erica. The powdered sugar gives the mousse body. If you are reducing sugar, use powdered monk fruit. For another chocolate recipe you might enjoy without powdered sugar or dairy, try this chocolate pudding recipe called by it's French name, chocolate Pots de Creme . It's heavenly and people always love it.
Susan says
Delightfully easy, delicious recipe! That being said, let me share my personal failure in making it, so others can learn from my mistake lol. This mousse came together so quick and easy- about 2 minutes for me- that I thought it couldn't be finished. So I made the mistake of trying to whip it the full 5 minutes, thinking it would end up fluffier. Nope! Separated into a curdled-looking mess of butter and whey. (Still yummy, but not fit for company) Completely my own fault.. The recipe is still delightful. Thank you!
Sally says
Thanks for reporting back Susan. Yes, sometimes cream can whip faster. It really depends on the precent of butterfat in the cream and it can vary. Glad it ended up working out for you.
Nancy Kalal says
Can this mousse be made a day ahead and transported? thanks
Sally says
Yes, Nancy it can. Hope you enjoy it. Please let us know!
genuine Seo says
This is my first time pay a visit here and i am in fact happy to read everthing at single place.
Diana says
Loved this! As easy as it seems on "paper". After making truffles had some heavy whipping cream and cocoa powder left over. Looking for a use for it before cream went bad - and this was a winner - my 3 year old son loves it!! 🙂
Peanut butter and chocolate says
I'm shocked by the ease of this recipe!
i'm going to try this tonight with my kids.
Thank you,
Itai Matos (TFIM)
Wilma says
To my friend Jaynette, this is S0 simple, believe even we could make it! It must be luscious, can't wait to try.