Easy 3-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

Easy 3-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse – light, airy, smooth and whips up in less than 5 minutes. A great chocolate lovers dessert perfect for any night of the week!

This recipe is awesome!  A while back I was looking for a delicious, easy, egg-free chocolate mousse that didn’t require gelatin that could be used in recipes like this Raspberry-Filled Chocolate Mousse Cake or these Triple Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes.  After browsing through several recipes, most requiring eggs, melting chocolate, gelatin or delicate and precise methods, I came across one that was quick, easy and tasted great.  I’ve adapted the recipe into what you’ll find here today.  Shout out to Circle B Kitchen for sharing their recipe that got me started.

If you like this recipe, you may also like these:

• Raspberry-Filled Chocolate Mousse Cake
• Triple Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes
• Mini Chocolate Brownie Cups
• Inside Out Eclairs
• 4-Ingredient Raspberry Mousse

You can find the full printable recipe for the CHOCOLATE MOUSSE HERE or click any of the big gold buttons below.

Here’s a little video we made to show you how simple this delicious dessert is to make.  🙂

What You’ll Need:

I know… you actually see 4 ingredients.  Technically, you don’t need the almond extract but if you’re an almond or amaretto fan, you’ll love the addition!

Pro Tips:

There are a few tips that go along with this recipe.  If you follow them, your mousse will turn out so much better.  They’re kind of like mousse magic tips and tricks.

First,  sift the cocoa powder before adding it to the cream.  It won’t be the end of the world if you don’t, but it will make the final product more consistent and smooth.  If your powder has clumps in it the mousse will end up with little dark flecks of cocoa powder.  Trust me!  The first time I made this recipe I didn’t sift my cocoa powder and it didn’t look as smooth or pretty.

Second, chill the bowl you plan to whip the mousse in.  Whipping cream whips much easier when it is cold. By chilling the bowl, it will keep your cream extra chilly.  I use a glass bowl and just pop it into the freezer about 30 minutes before I plan to make the mousse.  Again, not the end of the world if you don’t chill your bowl.

Third, don’t skimp on your cream.  Use HEAVY whipping cream.  Heavy whipping cream has a higher fat content which makes this chocolate mousse set more firm.  It’s usually a little more expensive (like 25 to 50 cents more per pint) but worth it!  If you are using this recipe for frosting a cake or cupcakes you’ll save yourself some time and hardship by using heavy whipping cream rather than regular whipping cream.  Heavy whipping cream will give you a stiffer whip that will hold up as a frosting.

Make It:

Can I have 5 minutes on the clock, please?  😉  Seriously though, this recipe comes together so quickly.  It’s perfect for those days you want a little sweet something after dinner but feel like you don’t have a lot of time.  Also, I should mention, this is an awesome recipe to use for a light mousse frosting for cakes and such.

First, pour the heavy whipping cream into a chilled bowl.  Using an electric mixer, begin whipping.  Whip the cream until it becomes frothy and slightly thickened.

Once the cream is frothy, add the powdered sugar and sifted cocoa powder.  You might want to give it a little stir before turning the electric mixer on otherwise you may get a face full of chocolate sugar cloud.

If adding almond flavoring (or vanilla if you prefer), whip until soft peaks form.  This is when you can pull the beaters out of the mixture and the “peak” of the mixture falls onto its self, it doesn’t stand up.  Add flavoring.

Whip the mousse until stiff peaks form.  A stiff peak is when the mixture holds its shape and peaks stand straight up.  Make sure not to over whip or it might end up turning into sweet chocolate butter.  Haha!

I like to use a spatula to do my last bit of mixing to ensure I don’t over whip.  Warning… you’re gonna want to lick the attachments, spatula, and bowl when you’re all done!

I like to add a little fancy to this mousse by using a plastic bag and piping tip.

Using a make-shift piping bag, pipe this delicious, fluffy chocolate mousse into the serving dish of your choice… or right into your mouth.  I won’t tell.  😉  Doesn’t this mousse look amazing?  It really is as good as it looks!

All done… with time to spare

… it’s that easy!

Chocolate mousse intimidated me but with this easy 3-ingredient chocolate mousse recipe, anyone can make it.  That (and the delicious chocolate flavor) is why I love this recipe so much.

It’s light, airy, chocolate-y, sweet and, most definitely, quick and easy!  We love to eat it just like this or use it for a light chocolate mousse frosting on cakes and cupcakes.  We even like to use it as a dip for fruit (strawberries are our favorite).

This is a treat everyone will like unless you don’t like chocolate, which would be crazy! 😉

What’s your go-to quick sweet treat?

I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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OP: 1.19.17                              Updated: 10.14.18