This Easy Chocolate Mousse recipe is so creamy and deliciously rich. You can eat it all by itself, or layer it in a trifle or a cake… whatever you do, just don’t skip this no bake mousse!
The pictures and tips and tricks within the post for this recipe were updated in 2021. The recipe remains the same!
Homemade Chocolate Mousse
If you’re a chocolate dessert lover, this Chocolate Mousse recipe is absolutely going to make your day. Or your week. Possibly your year? I guess that last part depends on if you’re super obsessed with chocolate like I am… have I ever mentioned that I’m addicted to this Chocolate Pudding too?
At any rate, this easy mousse recipe came to be because I have been trying to develop it for years. Up until this point, the mousse-making-process has always ended in spoon throwing and tears, but no more! Today I’m sharing all the steps on how to get a perfectly creamy, thick-but-not-too-thick mousse that you will LOVE!
This homemade chocolate mousse is sweet, full of rich chocolate flavor, and a decadent but simple dessert that you can prepare for guests, if you want. Decorate it with fruit, sprinkles, and whatever other sweet treats you like!
What is Mousse?
Mousse is a French dessert that is kind of like pudding, but there are some key differences between the two. For one thing, mousse is airier and fluffier than pudding is. When the eggs in the mousse mixture are whipped together, air is incorporated, which makes the texture lighter.
Keep in mind, mousse should be served chilled for the best tasting experience!
Recipe Ingredients
I forgot to mention one of the best parts about making chocolate mousse… you only need 4 ingredients! Let’s get right into this very short list of essential ingredients:
- Eggs: If you’re concerned about using raw eggs, consider using pasteurized eggs instead.
- Sugar: Regular old granulated sugar works best for this recipe!
- Cream: Heavy whipping cream, specifically, is what you’ll need. Make sure it’s nice and cold before you start!
- Chocolate: I always use semi-sweet chocolate chips to make this mousse, but you can play around with different kinds of chocolate (like milk chocolate chips) if you want to.
How to Make Chocolate Mousse
This recipe has a few steps to it, but trust me when I tell you that none of them are that hard. Plus, they’ll only take you about 20 minutes to complete, so the hardest part of making this chocolate mousse is waiting for it to chill!
Beat the Eggs & Sugar: Do this with your mixer for about 3 minutes.
Heat the Whipping Cream: Heat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan until just hot, not boiling. With the mixer on low, pour the hot cream into the egg mixture slowly until combined.
Heat the Whole Mixture: Next, add the egg/cream mixture back into the saucepan and over low heat, stir for five minutes constantly until thickened. Do not boil.
Add Chocolate & Chill: Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, until chilled, stirring occasionally.
Whisk the Remaining Whipping Cream: When the mixture is completely chilled and firm use your whisk attachment on your stand mixer to whip the remaining heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Put Everything Together: Remove the chocolate mixture from fridge and, using the paddle attachment or a spoon, fold/stir the whipped cream into the chocolate until incorporated and smooth. Serve immediately as-is, or refrigerate until ready to use.
Tips for Success
Looks delicious, right? And, like I said at the beginning, this is a great recipe to use for a number of other desserts if you don’t want to eat the mousse by itself. For example, chocolate mousse is stable enough to layer between cakes. (Personally, I’ll never turn down a nice cold bowl of mousse, but no judgement.)
Here are a couple of tips on how to get the best results with your chocolate mousse, for however you decide to use it:
- What Setting Should I Whip the Mousse on if I Use a Stand Mixer? I found using the paddle attachment on a low speed worked best. That way none of the dessert is lost to the walls or the counter!
- Use Real Chocolate: Chocolate substitutions just don’t taste as rich and delicious in this mousse – stick to semi-sweet chocolate chips or grated bars of baking chocolate for the best results.
- Beating the Whipping Cream and Eggs: This occurs during the second step. You’ll want to fold the two mixtures together for the fluffiest results – beating longer results in a dense, thick mouse, and beating a little less results in a more creamy texture.
How to Store Mousse
Store this chocolate mousse in the refrigerator in a tightly-sealed container, or cover it with a couple layers of plastic wrap. Make sure to eat it within 2-3 days. I know, I know – what a difficult time constraint to deal with!
Enjoy!
Easy Chocolate Mousse
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: French
Description
This Easy Chocolate Mousse recipe is so creamy and deliciously rich. You can eat it all by itself, or layer it in a trifle or a cake… whatever you do, just don’t skip this no bake mousse!
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream, divided
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate (about 1 cup semi-sweet chips)
Instructions
- Beat eggs and granulated sugar with your mixer for about 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile heat 1 cup heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan until just hot, not boiling. With mixer on low pour the hot cream into the egg mixture slowly until combined.
- Next, add the egg/cream mixture back into the saucepan and over low heat, stir for five minutes constantly until thickened. Do not boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, until chilled, stirring occasionally.
- When the mixture is completely chilled and firm use your whisk attachment on your stand mixer to whip the remaining heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove chocolate from fridge and using the paddle attachment or a spoon fold/stir the whipped cream into the chocolate until incorporated and smooth. I found using the paddle attachment on low speed worked best.
- Serve immediately as-is, or refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
This mousse is perfect when served alone, or as a cake filling, a cupcake topping, or a layered dessert filling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 401
- Sugar: 20.6 g
- Sodium: 37.9 mg
- Fat: 34.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Protein: 5.2 g
- Cholesterol: 130.5 mg
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More Chocolate Desserts to Try
Looking for more easy chocolate dessert ideas? You’re in the right place:
- Chocolate Poke Cake
- Chocolate Covered Cherries
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Pound Cake
How many will this recipe feed?
I made this recipe two times in one evening. It was a total hit. One batch I added Mexican Hot Chocolate spices and it was like Christmas in every bite. LOVE this recipe.
Great!! Thank you so much, it’s a favorite of mine as well!
Tried making this for a “second attempt” this morning (last night’s attempt did not work). Again – disaster. Something has to be incorrect in the recipe. The mixture never thickens or sets up even after hours in the refrigerator – it stays soupy. Sorry, but I would suggest you don’t waste your time or more importantly your ingredients on this! ZERO stars from me!
Question.. did you add the entire 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream in to the recipe? The ingredients list says, 2 1/2 cups divided..and you should only add 1 cup before the chilling step. The remaining 1 1/2 cups you whip and fold in after. Could this have been your problem?
I just tried this and like some of your other reviewers, mine never thickened. It has been chilling in the fridge now for almost 3 hours and it is just soupy chocolate. I’m not sure I should bother wasting the rest of the cream or just start over tomorrow. I followed the measurements exactly (no doubling or tripling)! Darn!
That’s so strange! I have never once had that problem. Glory’s recipe here always comes out perfect for me!
Question.. did you add the entire 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream in to the recipe? The ingredients list says, 2 1/2 cups divided..and you should only add 1 cup before the chilling step. The remaining 1 1/2 cups you whip and fold in after. Could this have been your problem?
Mine took a bit to thicken. After a few hours, I flash chilled in in the freezer, and it came out great!
I just made this for the 2nd time and this time I added a bit of almond flavoring! Yum!
Hey, I see Hagelslag! (Dutch sprinkles for breakfast)
Are the eggs still raw? Is it safe to eat? Please answer ASAP. thanks (:
No, you cook the mixture for 5 minutes!
I live in Greece and we dont have whipped cream..(I don’t even know what is it..)! Can I replaced with something else? Thanks a lot & congratulations for your “sweet” work!
It’s heavy cream…hope that helps!
4 years too late, but double-thick cream is what you’re looking for… 35% milk fat
This is soooo good and it hardly takes any time at all to make!
I am lactose intolerant. Do you think soy milk could work as a dairy alternative?
Mine bombed horribly. I tripled the recipe but verified the amounts three times. My first stage never thickened (cream, sugar and eggs) but I wasn’t sure of the texture I was looking for so I went with it. I even cooked it for 10 minutes until I got bit of scrambled eggs happening. Just a couple pieces. I added the chocolate and it was hard to get it to mix. I finally used my mixer. I chilled it overnight. When I added the whipped cream it just made it worse of course. I was determined to use it anyway so I tried putting it in plastic wine glasses. It was horribly messy and the cups were slopped up so I put it in a ziplock bag and then the clip I put on the corner fell off and mousse/pudding fell all over the fronts of my cabinet drawers and on the floor. I finally got it in the cups, put it on a tray and tried to take it to a baby shower. Disaster. The cups tipped and because it wasn’t thick enough, a triple batch of mousse/pudding spilled all over my feet, car and shoes. What on earth went wrong? Now I have to go home to a horribly messy kitchen and I didn’t even get to enjoy any and all that chocolate and whipping cream wasn’t cheap. I bake a lot so I’m sure my measurements were accurate. Is this just something that doesn’t triple? I can’t imagine it could turn out that soupy. Arghhhhhhhh! Help. Chocolate mousse is one of my favourite desserts. I was going to leave it forever and never try again but I kinda want to conquer it.
SOunds like it was an issue with the tripling. I would love it if you would try it again as written.. I swear it’s super great!
I mad this last year for Christmas dinner and it was a huge success, so I am doing it again. It is so rich and good, you only need a few bites, especially after a big dinner!
Really simple, and after it put it together (double batch) I put it into a gallon ziploc bag and nip the corner and use that to pipe it into my teeny bowls. A single raspberry adds a pretty detail.