Chocolate Mousse
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This classic chocolate mousse is light yet intensely chocolate. Don’t be fooled by the French name — it’s quick and easy to make!
Don’t let the French name fool you: chocolate mousse is one of the easiest desserts to make. Seriously, if you have a microwave, a hand mixer, and a rubber spatula, you can make homemade chocolate mousse to rival any French restaurant’s version — and you can do it in 20 minutes. This recipe from Tyler Florence is virtually foolproof. I have experimented with adding a hit of coffee or booze to enhance the flavor; both versions are good but the family consensus is that plain chocolate is best. Keep it simple!
For serving the mousse, you can use pretty juice glasses, martini glasses, champagne flutes, small bowls, or espresso cups. Or, if you’re hosting a party and want to give your guests a small taste, you can serve the mousse in Asian-style porcelain soup spoons. Finally, note that chocolate mousse needs to set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving, so plan accordingly.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate mousse has very few ingredients so it’s important to use the best quality chocolate; its flavor will shine through. I like semi-sweet chocolate but if you prefer your mousse with a darker chocolate flavor, use bittersweet. Remember, the higher the cacao percentage, the less sweet the chocolate.
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, place the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Break the chocolate into small pieces directly into the bowl (no need to chop it first and dirty a cutting board).
Microwave it in 20-second intervals, stirring between each bout of heat, until the chocolate is about 75% melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the chocolate completely. This prevents the chocolate from scorching.
(Alternatively, place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan containing about 1 inch of barely simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.)
Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then add the egg yolks one at a time.
Whisk until smooth after each addition and then aside.
In another medium bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form (the peaks should be just starting to hold, and will melt back into themselves after a second).
Gradually beat in 1/4 cup of the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the peaks will stand straight up when the beaters are lifted from the mixture).
Using a large rubber spatula, fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture.
Mix only until uniform, then set aside.
In another bowl, beat the heavy cream until it begins to thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and the vanilla.
Continue beating until the cream holds medium peaks.
Add the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.
Gently fold the cream into the chocolate mixture, making sure not to mix any more than necessary.
Divide the mousse between 6 individual glasses, cover, and chill until set, at least 2 hours.
Up to a few hours before serving, whip the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the sugar and whip to medium peaks. Dollop the whipped cream over the mousse and top with chocolate shavings.
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Note: Like tiramisu or homemade mayonnaise, chocolate mousse is made with raw eggs. If that is a concern, try to find pasteurized eggs. Pasteurized eggs have been briefly exposed to heat to destroy any potential bacteria. Whole Foods usually carries them but call your local store to be sure before making a special trip. (Note: eating raw eggs is not advisable for pregnant women, babies, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system.)
Chocolate Mousse
This classic chocolate mousse is light yet intensely chocolate. Don’t be fooled by the French name — it’s quick and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, best quality
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, yolks and whites separated
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream, cold
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For Serving
- ½ cup heavy cream, cold
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Chocolate shavings
Instructions
- Place the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Break the chocolate into small pieces directly into the bowl. Microwave it in 20-second intervals, stirring between each bout of heat, until the chocolate is about 75% melted. Stir, allowing the residual heat in the bowl to melt the chocolate completely. (Alternatively, place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan containing about 1 inch of barely simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.) Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form (the peaks should be just starting to hold, and will melt back into themselves after a second). Gradually beat in ¼ cup of the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the peaks will stand straight up when the beaters are lifted from the mixture). Using a large rubber spatula, fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture until uniform. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until it begins to thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and the vanilla and continue beating until the cream holds medium peaks (when you lift the beaters or whisk out of the bowl, the peaks will slightly droop down, but they won't lose their shape entirely). Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Be sure it is fully incorporated but don't mix any more than necessary. Divide the mousse between 6 individual glasses, cover, and chill until set, at least 2 hours.
- Up to a few hours before serving, whip the cream until it begins to thicken up. Add the sugar and whip to medium peaks. Dollop the whipped cream over the mousse and top with chocolate shavings.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Mousse can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled in the refrigerator. Add whipped cream topping and chocolate shavings up to a few hours before serving.
- Note: Chocolate mousse is made with raw eggs. If that is a concern, try to find pasteurized eggs. Pasteurized eggs have been briefly exposed to heat to destroy any potential bacteria. Whole Foods usually carries them but call your local store to be sure before making a special trip. (Note: eating raw eggs is not advisable for pregnant women, babies, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system.)
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 415
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated fat: 19 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Sugar: 31 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 55 mg
- Cholesterol: 163 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Good recipe, the flavor greatly depends upon the quality of the chocolate. In my opinion the only thing I would sort of change is make sure to beat the egg whites until they’re quite stiff otherwise you might end up with chocolate soup.😎
How many 5oz cups can I fill with this recipe
Hi Mason, I’d guesstimate you’d be about to fill about six 5-oz cups.
I made the mistake of adding sugar before whipping the egg whites so they did not whip up as they should. I almost started over but didn’t. The end result was still perfect. I served it in 3 oz shot glasses and had leftovers that I stored in a zip bag and rolled up in the freezer. Several weeks later I thawed it and served it again. This is really a foolproof dessert that you can freeze and have on hand. Loved it!!!
I had a terrible time making this desert work (I am not a newbie cook, so I don’t think inexperience was the reason for my mess). Followed directions exactly, and my chocolate/egg yolk mixture separated into a big oily blob. I thought I must have done something wrong, so I sent my husband to the store to get more (good quality) chocolate and started over again… making sure I followed every step carefully (again) and ensuring that the temperature of all my ingredients was as per directions. But again, big oily blob. I persevered, discarding the oil and keeping the blob, eventually managed to incorporate the whipped cream to it, and was able to salvage it. Not my proudest moment in the kitchen, and not the best desert I ever made, but ultimately it was presentable enough to serve to my guests. Will not be making it again though.
Interesting…after reading through your issues, I re-read the directions and no temperatures were given. Though, given the chocolate would seize well before the 180 degree Fahrenheit that the egg yolk’s would cook at, the only reason I can see for the separation is time.
To anyone trying this recipe, I would start the water heating to melt the chocolate (melting it and incorporating the yolks wont take long once the water is where it needs to be) and then immediately make the meringue and whipped cream. Take them both to semi-stiff peaks and simply whip them a bit more as the chocolate is cooling before you mix in the eggs. Doing this will allow you to have all of the parts in place while ensuring nothing has time to desperate or deflate.
To the OP – if you already tried something to that effect and it didn’t work, then I’m curious what you think happened as it seems very odd that the yolks would separate out so easily multiple times given that they are the emulsification agent to ensure that the chocolate doesn’t separate from the mousse (not strictly necessary if you plan to serve quickly, but for any amount of holding it would be a must).
Made this for a Passover dessert and it was a huge hit. Bonus is that it is also gluten free. Recipe was easy to follow and I loved the pictures with step by step directions.
I used bakers semi sweet chocolate bars which was only 56 % caco and it turned out great. Thanks for this easy recipe.
Hi Jenn,
I always like to try something new for my guests … it helps heighten the stress level! 🙂. I’m making your Chocolate Mousse for a pot luck. It turns out that I don’t have any cream of tartar. Can I substitute something else?
Also, if I want to add a little Grand Marnier to the dessert, should I add it to the mousse or the whipped cream and how much.
Thanks.
Hi Sharon, you can replace the cream of tartar with an equal amount of lemon juice. And yes, feel free to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier to the whipped cream. Hope everyone enjoys!
Made it last night and made 5 servings vs 6. It’s so rich that it was a bit too much, but it didn’t stop my son from inhaling it. Excellent. But it does take longer than the 20 minutes you say it will.
I enjoyed making this for my husband’s birthday and he thought it tasted wonderful. I especially appreciate the step by step instructions given with the pictures in the body of the blog post. I’m hoping you can help me, though. I had a great deal of difficulty with the chocolate at the beginning while melting it. Maybe it was the type of chocolate I bought. I have never made mousse and was unsure of what type to buy. I read some of the comments and came to the conclusion it should not be regular eating chocolate and that it should be 70% cacao. So, I went to the baking aisle of my local store. They only had the old fashioned Baker’s brand baking chocolate and chips. The recipe called for semi-sweet and the Baker’s brand at my store was 56% cacao. I felt that would make the mousse too bitter. Since that wouldn’t be my best option and I had read in a comment that you used Ghiradelli I opted for the Ghiradelli chips because that was the same brand and it was a higher percentage of cacao than the Baker’s.
I melted the chips up to 75% very slowly in 20-second intervals just as the recipe stated. As soon as I got it 75% melted and stirred to melt the rest of the way and achieved a tick liquid state the chocolate began to thicken and became a paste consistency. I thought hard and couldn’t come up with any ideas other than to keep melting in 20-second intervals to try to get it back to a more of a thick liquid state as opposed to the paste. It took me 3 or 4 more times and at that point, I was worried about it burning so I got it liquidy and whisked in the egg yolks very quickly to try and keep the chocolate soft and a thick liquid and not a paste. That worked but it was a bit of an ordeal.
I know chocolate and working with it can be a bit scientific. And I am not knowledgeable enough to know all the science. I would like to make this recipe regularly. Could you help me to know where my problem was? Was it the type of chocolate? Are there specific criteria for the type I should use?
Thank you for any advice you can offer!!!
Hi Joy, Sorry you had such a hard time melting the chocolate! I think your using chocolate chips was definitely the culprit as they are made with stabilizers to help them retain their shape when heated, so they’re not the best option for melting. If you want to make this again, I’d look for the Ghiradelli semi-sweet bars as I have had a lot of success with them. If you can’t find them in stores, you can definitely order them online. Hope that helps!
Thank you for taking the time to help me understand what went wrong. That totally makes sense. I would have never known about the stabilizers. I will try a differnt type of chocolate next time.
For months I was craving a good quality chocolate mousse. I made today one by using your recipe. I love the step-by-step instructions – they really helped me. I usually have problems with beating the egg whites, but today everything turned out perfectly. I started reading your biography and I was very impressed by your life. My Mom owned two restaurants in my native country – Bulgaria. She also published a cookbook with traditional Bulgarian recipes. I am a self-published author myself. My book “The Porcelain Doll” is a love story with some autobiographical moments. In the book, I wrote about the modern and traditional way of life and cooking in Bulgaria. I am happy that I came upon your website. Wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
This is a great-tasting recipe! But it took me about one hour to finish it! I will definitely make it again.