Chocolate Mousse
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Looking for a dessert that’s both impressive and easy? This chocolate mousse recipe delivers rich, silky chocolate goodness in just 20 minutes—the perfect treat for any special occasion!
Chocolate mousse, or mousse au chocolat, is one of the easiest French desserts to make. Seriously, if you have a microwave, a hand mixer, and a rubber spatula, you can whip up homemade chocolate mousse that rivals any French restaurant’s version—in just 20 minutes! This recipe from Tyler Florence is virtually foolproof. I’ve tried adding a hint of coffee or a splash of booze to enhance the flavor, and while both versions are tasty, 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. If you’re hosting a party and want to give your guests a small taste, serve the mousse in Asian-style porcelain soup spoons. Just remember, 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
- Unsalted butter: Adds richness to the chocolate mixture.
- Semisweet chocolate: Provides a deep, luscious chocolate flavor to the mousse; additional can be shavings added for serving. Since this recipe has very few ingredients, it’s important to use good 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 (the higher the cacao percentage, the less sweet the chocolate).
- Large eggs: Essential for structure and richness; yolks create a creamy base while whipped whites add lightness.
- Cream of tartar: Helps stabilize the egg whites for a better texture.
- Sugar: Sweetens the mousse; a bit is added to the egg whites and some to the whipped cream for balanced sweetness.
- Heavy cream: Contributes to the mousse’s rich, creamy texture, with additional heavy cream whipped for a light topping.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, aromatic flavor that enhances the chocolate.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
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
Looking for a dessert that’s both impressive and easy? This chocolate mousse recipe delivers rich, silky chocolate goodness in just 20 minutes—the perfect treat for any special occasion!
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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I want to make these as christmas gifts for my friends! Can I add a peppermint flavor to this? If so, what would you use, how much would you use, and when would you add it? Thank you so much! I’ve been looking for a good mousse recipe for days and this is by far the best one I have found!
Hi Z, You could replace the vanilla extract with peppermint extract (and double it to a full teaspoon). Hope that helps!
My end result became watery not foamy. I need help.
Hi Nour, I’m sorry you had a problem with this! Did you beat beat egg white/sugar mixture until they formed stiff peaks and the heavy cream mixture until they formed medium peaks?
Hi! Can I use this as a cake filling?
Sure, Lamya, I think that should work. 🙂
I love it. it looks so good but can there be other flavors mixed with chocolate Like ummmm…..rasberry?
Hi Yn, I suppose you could add a tablespoon of fruit-flavored liqueur to the mixture. You could also layer the mousse with fresh berries. Hope that helps!
I made this last night for friends, and it earnt rave reviews! We used to go to this one particular Belgian Beer Cafe for their chocolate mousse at $13 a pop – but this recipe is far superior. Totally indulgent. I made it with 60% Whittakers chocolate.
Thanks for the recipe
Hello! May you please help me, when I add the egg to the chocolate the chocolate hardens and becomes moldable, I did it just like the recipe said is there anything I can do? Thank you!
Hi Susie, It’s possible that your chocolate is too warm and your eggs are too cold. This could cause the eggs to seize up when added. I would let the chocolate mixture cool to room temperature, and be sure your eggs are at room temperature as well.
I like that your recipes try to use metric measures but in this case you are using grams to measure sugar and instructions refer to adding cups of sugar. When adjusting quantities for number of servings it is difficult to reconcile the ingredients with the instructions.
Hi Carol, Sorry about that – I just corrected it. (1/4 cup of granulated sugar is the equivalent of 50 grams). Hope you enjoy the mousse!
Me and my mom are confused. We don’t know how much butter or eggs we need. plz help.
Hi Tayler, you’ll need 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 3 large eggs. Perhaps you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
I made this today and I have made mousse before. It was much thicker than what I’ve had before. What do you think?
Hi Donna, Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
Fabulous as written. I have made many of your recipes and all have been excellent.
Hi Jenn,
You are my go-to person for all my sweet recipes! They are all super successful and decadent!
How many actual cups of mousse does this recipe make? I need to make 24 mini size servings for a party, each 1/3 c size.
Thank you!
Kim
Hi Kim, So glad you enjoy the desserts on the site! Regarding the volume this makes, I’m honestly not sure – I would guess each of the 6 servings is about 3/4 cup each, but you may want to make a batch to see what it comes out to and then you’ll know for sure how many you’ll need for the party. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
This is a lovely, light and decadent dessert. I’m French, so I grew up with this classic dessert. This is a keeper! I think the only reason I would be reluctant to serve it to anyone outside my husband and kids, is because people are worried about raw eggs. Will be making it again! Delicious!
How far ahead can the mousse be made? How about the whipped topping? Night before a luncheon? Thanks.
Hi Carol, You can make it a day ahead. I like to make the whipped topping within a couple hours of serving, but it’s not a big deal if you need to do it earlier…it will be fine. Hope everyone enjoys!